Stock Market News for Aug 14, 2026

Wall Street closed higher on Thursday as July PPI data reduced expectations of a September Fed rate hike. Moreover, investors continued to monitor earnings results. The Nasdaq Composite, the Dow and the S&P 500 ended in positive territory.

How Did the Benchmarks Perform?

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) rose 0.1%, or 69.72 points, to close at 53,839.99. Seventeen components of the 30-stock index ended in the positive territory; 13 ended in the negative.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.8% to close at 26,803.03.

The S&P 500 gained 0.7% to end at 7,800. Out of the 11 sectors of the broad-market index, seven ended in positive territory, while four were in negative territory. The Communication Services Select Sector SPDR (XLC), the Real Estate Select Sector SPDR (XLRE) and the Information Technology Select Sector SPDR (XLK) rose 1.6%, 1.3% and 1%, respectively, while the Materials Select Sector SPDR (XLB) fell 0.7%.

The fear gauge, the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), increased by 0.6% to 14.63. A total of 16.1 billion shares were traded on Thursday, lower than the last 20-session average of 17.5 billion. The S&P 500 posted 30 new 52-week highs, and one new low, while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 155 new highs and 85 new lows.

July PPI Flat as Fed Rate Outlook Remains in Focus

The Department of Labor reported that the producer price index (PPI) for final demand was unchanged in July, compared with a 0.1% decline in June. The metric for July was below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a 0.1% increase. The core PPI (excluding volatile food, energy and trade services) rose 0.4% in July compared with a 0.1% increase in June.

Year over year, the headline PPI increased 4.7% in July, while the core PPI rose 4.7%. Both measures remained significantly above the Fed’s 2% target.

At the same time, market participants saw a 67.1% probability that the Federal Reserve will maintain its interest rate in the 3.50–3.75% range when the Federal Reserve holds its policy meeting in September, as reported by the CME FedWatch Tool.

Earning Results

EnerSys ENS reported quarterly earnings of $3.66 per share, up from $2.08 a year ago and ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.82 per share. Total revenues were $935.6 million, up from $893 million a year ago and 1.39% above the consensus estimate.

A.P. Møller - Mærsk A/S AMKBY reported quarterly earnings of $0.45 per share, up from $0.20 a year ago and ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.21 per share. Total revenues were $15.76 billion, up from $13.13 billion a year ago and 7.94% above the consensus estimate.

Consequently, stock prices of EnerSys, and A.P. Møller surged 5.7% and 9.6%, respectively. A.P. Møller currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Economic Data

The Department of Labor reported that initial claims increased by 9,000 to 209,000 for the week ended Aug. 8, marginally above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 203,000. The previous week’s data was revised marginally upward to 200,000 from 199,000 reported earlier.

Continuing claims (those who have already received government aid and reported a week behind) decreased 22,000 to 1.777 million for the week ended Aug. 1. The previous week's level was revised downward by 2,000 to 1,799,000 from 1,801,000 reported earlier.

7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days

Just released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."

Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.9% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. 

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research