In the US regular session on July 31, 2026, the Nasdaq Composite rose 1.00%, while the Russell 2000 fell 0.50%, leaving large-cap and small- and mid-cap stocks moving in different directions. Among the stocks tracked, Amazon surged 15.32% and Alphabet jumped 6.73%, while Apple fell 7.35%, Micron declined 5.90%, and Sandisk dropped 5.09%.

Large-Cap Indexes Rise While Russell 2000 Falls

All figures below are closing data from the US regular session on July 31, 2026. Index levels and changes are measured in points, while percentage changes are measured in %.

Major Index Close (Points) Change
S&P 500 7,489.72 +52.09 points (+0.70%)
Nasdaq Composite 25,373.85 +251.67 points (+1.00%)
Dow Jones 52,485.03 +276.97 points (+0.53%)
Russell 2000 2,931.34 -14.76 points (-0.50%)

On July 31, 2026, the Nasdaq Composite posted the largest gain among the major indexes at 1.00%, while the S&P 500 rose 0.70% and the Dow Jones gained 0.53%. In contrast, the Russell 2000 fell 0.50%, closing in the opposite direction from the other three indexes. The key distinction evident in the closing data is that the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite showed relative strength while the small- and mid-cap-focused Russell 2000 weakened. S&P 500 closing data Nasdaq Composite closing data Dow Jones closing data Russell 2000 closing data

The explanations presented in news reports should be distinguished from the closing data. CNBC cited rising bond yields and a sharp decline in Apple shares as factors behind the day’s market moves. A separate CNBC report said investors were digesting big-tech earnings and the Federal Reserve’s decision to hold interest rates steady. These are market interpretations presented by the reports, not evidence that any particular news directly determined index closing levels on July 31, 2026. Original CNBC report from the day Original related CNBC report

Amazon Surges 15.32% While Apple Plunges 7.35%

Amazon posted the largest gain among the stocks tracked on July 31, 2026, closing the regular session at $271.58, up $36.08, or 15.32%, from the previous day. Alphabet also rose $22.47, or 6.73%, to close at $356.13. Both stocks substantially outperformed the Nasdaq Composite’s 1.00% gain during the same trading session. Previous analyses of the individual stocks are available through Amazon closing data and the Amazon stock hub, as well as Alphabet closing data and the Alphabet stock hub.

Microsoft closed at $464.72 on July 31, 2026, up $13.62, or 3.02%, from the previous day. Meta gained $17.68, or 3.28%, to close at $556.71, while Nvidia rose $5.71, or 2.93%, to $200.75. Tesla gained $2.36, or 0.76%, to close at $311.21, underperforming the Nasdaq Composite’s 1.00% advance. Microsoft stock hub Meta stock hub Nvidia stock hub Tesla stock hub

In contrast, Apple closed the regular session on July 31, 2026, at $308.91, down $24.52, or 7.35%, from the previous day. It moved in the opposite direction from the market on a day when the Nasdaq Composite rose 1.00% and posted the largest decline among the stocks tracked. Previous analyses are available through Apple closing data and the Apple stock hub.

A Schwab report covering early trading identified technology stocks and Amazon as leading the market higher. However, because this was an account of early-session conditions, it cannot be directly extended into an explanation for the regular-session closing performance. The regular-session data establish that Amazon rose 15.32% on July 31, 2026, while Apple fell 7.35% on the same day. Original Schwab report

Editor’s interpretation: The closing-price pattern on July 31, 2026, showed a clear contrast between strength in Amazon and Alphabet and weakness in Apple, rather than all large technology stocks moving in the same direction. The Nasdaq Composite’s gain alone does not indicate that the tracked technology stocks were uniformly strong.

Memory Stocks Fall Together After the Previous Day’s Surge

Micron closed the regular session on July 31, 2026, at $823.03, down $51.63, or 5.90%, from the previous day. Sandisk fell $65.13, or 5.09%, to close at $1,214.83. The two stocks had surged 18.36% and 25.99%, respectively, in the previous trading session on July 30, 2026, but both declined on July 31, 2026, moving in the opposite direction from the Nasdaq Composite’s 1.00% gain. The related moves can be reviewed through Micron closing data and the Micron stock hub, as well as Sandisk closing data and the Sandisk stock hub.

Editor’s interpretation: The simultaneous declines in Micron and Sandisk show that price swings widened again after the previous trading session’s sharp gains. However, their concurrent declines alone are not enough to conclude that a specific cause, such as profit-taking or a change in industry conditions, was responsible. Nvidia, another semiconductor-related stock tracked, rose 2.93% on July 31, 2026, which also makes it difficult to characterize the entire sector as moving in a single direction.

Long-Term Yield and Oil Rise While VIX Falls

The US 10-year Treasury yield stood at 4.745% on July 31, 2026, up 0.082 percentage point from the previous day. Apple and the Russell 2000 declined that day, but the Nasdaq Composite and other large technology stocks rose, so the increase in yields alone cannot explain the overall direction of stock prices. US 10-year Treasury yield data

The VIX closed at 16.01 points on July 31, 2026, down 1.08 points, or 6.32%, from the previous day. The major large-cap indexes rose as the VIX fell, but closing data alone do not establish a causal relationship between the two moves. VIX closing data

WTI crude oil stood at $84.55 per barrel on July 31, 2026, up $0.96 per barrel, or 1.15%, from the previous day. The US Dollar Index fell 0.124 points, or 0.12%, to 99.886 points during the same trading session, while the dollar-won exchange rate rose 21.85 won, or 1.54%, to 1,442.45 won per US dollar. WTI crude oil closing data US Dollar Index data Dollar-won exchange-rate data

Three Things to Watch in the Next Regular Session

  1. Watch whether the large moves in Amazon and Alphabet, which rose 15.32% and 6.73%, respectively, on July 31, 2026, narrow in the next regular session, and whether Apple, which fell 7.35% that day, continues to move in a different direction from other large technology stocks.

  2. Watch whether Micron and Sandisk, which fell 5.90% and 5.09%, respectively, on July 31, 2026, return to moving in the same direction as Nvidia, which rose 2.93% that day.

  3. Watch how the US 10-year Treasury yield, which closed at 4.745% on July 31, 2026, and the VIX, which ended at 16.01 points, move in relation to the Nasdaq Composite and Russell 2000. These are items to monitor, not predictions about the direction of the next regular session or judgments about whether to buy or sell.