How major US stock indexes fared Wednesday 8/19/2026

Audio By Carbonatix

U.S. stocks rose Wednesday after the U.S. Treasury Department announced a move that could ease pressure coming from the bond market. Strong profit reports for the spring from Estee Lauder, Target and other U.S. companies also helped support Wall Street.

The S&P 500 climbed 0.2% for its first gain in four days after setting its all-time high last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 119 points, or 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite ticked 0.2% higher.

On Wednesday:

The S&P 500 rose 16.22 points, or 0.2%, to 7,707.98.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 119.65 points, or 0.2%, to 53,463.05.

The Nasdaq composite rose 41.38 points, or 0.2%, to 26,331.09.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 15.05 points, or 0.5%, to 3,032.94.

For the week:

The S&P 500 is down 77.78 points, or 1%.

The Dow is down 269.36 points, or 0.5%.

The Nasdaq is down 398.07 points, or 1.5%.

The Russell 2000 is down 35.47 points, or 1.2%.

For the year:

The S&P 500 is up 862.48 points, or 12.6%.

The Dow is up 5,399.76 points, or 11.2%.

The Nasdaq is up 3,089.10 points, or 13.3%.

The Russell 2000 is up 551.03 points, or 22.2%.