Monday's preview did not get a Tuesday morning follow-up, so this is the wrap on both sessions. As flagged in Monday's analysis, Bessent's Iran briefing, gold near 4,650 dollars and WTI fading toward 85.60 were the openers. Cash then did the rest. The S&P 500 closed Monday at 7,652.86. Tuesday repaired that. The S&P finished at 7,677.28, up 0.32 percent, as chips bounced into Nvidia and crude broke down. The single-stock tape was brutal: Dick's Sporting Goods dropped 30.68 percent to 124.31 dollars, its worst session on record. This is the evening scorecard of what played out, not an instruction.
The Close: A Modest Repair After Monday's Chip Hit
The S&P 500 rose 24.42 points, or 0.32 percent, to 7,677.28 (Yahoo 4:20 p.m. Eastern; CNBC the same print), open 7,676.66, range 7,650.92-7,686.11. The Nasdaq Composite added 0.66 percent to 26,151.30, reversing Monday's 0.76 percent drop. The Dow gained 0.30 percent to 53,577.40, a third straight advance. The Russell 2000 rose 0.50 percent to 3,010.02. The VIX fell 2.5 percent to 15.45. Monday's 7,652.86 was recaptured. Last Wednesday's 7,707.98 was not. Nvidia rose about 2.2 percent, AMD about 4.9 percent after a Raymond James upgrade. Canada's retaliatory tariffs did not stick to the close.
- S&P 500 +0.32% to 7,677.28, open 7,676.66, high 7,686.11, low 7,650.92
- Nasdaq +0.66% to 26,151.30; Dow +0.30% to 53,577.40
- VIX 15.45 (-2.5%); Russell 2000 +0.50% to 3,010.02
- Monday's 7,652.86 recaptured; Wednesday's 7,707.98 not
Story of the Day: Dick's Posts Its Worst Session on Record
Retail did what the index close hid. Dick's closed at 124.31 dollars, down 30.68 percent, from Monday's 179.33. Adjusted EPS of 3.53 dollars missed about 3.76. Sales of 5.59 billion missed about 5.64 billion. Namesake comps rose 4.9 percent. Foot Locker comps fell 3.6 percent. Full-year adjusted EPS was cut to 11 to 12 dollars from 13.50 to 14.50. Executive Chairman Ed Stack said athletic footwear and apparel turned more promotional. Nike fell about 3.1 percent. Conference Board confidence printed 89.4 versus 90.2 expected, a seven-month low. July new-home sales fell 10.5 percent to a 607,000 annual rate versus 620,000 expected, the lowest since January.
- Dick's -30.68% to $124.31, worst session on record, after a Q2 miss
- FY adj. EPS cut to $11-$12 from $13.50-$14.50; Foot Locker comps -3.6%
- Confidence 89.4 vs 90.2; new-home sales 607k vs 620k
- Nike about -3.1% on the same consumer tape
Oil Breaks to $81 as Bessent's Sanctions Fade
Monday's briefing did not put a floor under crude. Bessent outlined "Operation Economic Outcast" around 18:00 UTC Monday. Traders read it as economic pressure rather than a fresh military step, and the Hormuz premium came off. West Texas Intermediate is near 80.70 dollars, down about 5.1 percent from Monday's 85.01 settlement (Yahoo 80.71, Trading Economics 80.716), a one-week low after Friday's 87.06. Exxon fell about 2.1 percent. The 30-year yield printed near 5.17 percent, off Monday morning's 5.25 area. Monday's analysis had mapped a patient-sanctions, soft-oil path toward 7,707.98. Oil did that part. The S&P did not finish the reclaim.
- WTI ~$80.70, about -5% from Monday's $85.01 settlement, one-week low
- Bessent's package was read as economic pressure, not a military step
- 30-year eased toward 5.17% from Monday morning's ~5.25%
- Energy weighed the S&P; Exxon about -2.1%
Crypto Check: Bitcoin Tags $81,200, Then Fades
Digital assets squeezed Monday night, then gave it back into the US close. Bitcoin is near 78,700 dollars (TradingView 78,921, CoinMarketCap 78,739) after a 24-hour high of 81,235, the first print above 80,000 since mid-May. Monday morning had it near 77,300. Spot bitcoin ETFs took in about 338 million dollars on Monday, a sixth session of inflows. Ether is near 2,450 dollars, little changed from Monday's 2,455. Spot gold is near 4,665 dollars (TradingView 4,666), holding Monday's three-month high near 4,650. Bullish trigger for Bitcoin is a hold above 80,000 dollars, then a reclaim of today's 81,200 area. Bearish trigger: a slip through 75,000. For gold, traders watching 4,602 as the first support shelf. These are observations, not instructions.
- Bitcoin ~$78,700 after a 24h high of $81,235, first $80,000 since mid-May
- Spot BTC ETFs ~$338M on Monday, a sixth session of inflows
- Ether ~$2,450, little changed from Monday's ~$2,455
- Gold ~$4,665, holding Monday's three-month high near $4,650
After-Hours and Overnight Watch
The after-hours tape belonged to software. Intuit beat fiscal Q4 with 4.03 dollars of adjusted EPS and 4.35 billion of revenue versus about 3.58 and 4.27 billion, then guided fiscal 2027 revenue to 23.28 to 23.51 billion, under a Street cluster near 23.74 billion. The stock closed down about 3.4 percent and slid roughly 8 percent after hours toward 330. Zoom printed 1.277 billion of revenue, up 4.9 percent, and closed down 3.7 percent. Three things frame Wednesday: July core PCE at 12:30 UTC, seen +0.2 percent on the month and 3.3 percent year over year; Nvidia after the close, against a 91 billion dollar run-rate; and EIA inventories at 14:30 UTC. Docket: week-ahead note. Bullish trigger for the S&P: a cash-close reclaim of 7,707.98. Bearish trigger: a slide through today's 7,650.92 low, then 7,641.16. Invalidation of the Friday-repair tone remains a break of 7,600.
- Intuit ~-8% after hours on a Q4 beat and a lighter FY2027 guide
- Wednesday 12:30 UTC: core PCE +0.2% / 3.3%, then Nvidia after the close
- EIA inventories 14:30 UTC; Warsh still Friday 14:00 UTC
- S&P bullish trigger: reclaim 7,707.98; bearish: a slide through 7,650.92
For live prices across crypto, equities, gold and oil, see the ThriveInMarkets homepage. None of the above is a recommendation to buy or sell any asset. The S&P 500, Nasdaq and Dow figures are Tuesday, August 25, 2026 cash closes; gold, oil, Bitcoin and Ether are live as of 20:45 UTC.
