In the US regular session on August 5, 2026, the Dow Jones rose 0.49%, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.83%, leaving the major indexes moving in different directions. Among the stocks tracked, Nvidia gained 3.43%, while Sandisk fell 5.40% and Alphabet declined 4.03%, highlighting wide performance gaps within the technology sector. The VIX and the US 10-year Treasury yield both fell, but these simultaneous moves alone do not establish the cause of the stock market’s fluctuations.
Dow Is the Only Major Index to Rise
All figures below are closing data from the US regular session on August 5, 2026. Index levels and changes are measured in points, while percentage changes are measured in %.
| Major index | Close (points) | Change from previous day |
|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 | 7,723.55 | -12.97 points (-0.17%) |
| Nasdaq Composite | 26,363.44 | -221.55 points (-0.83%) |
| Dow Jones | 54,349.12 | +263.24 points (+0.49%) |
| Russell 2000 | 3,019.19 | -17.79 points (-0.59%) |
On August 5, 2026, the Dow Jones closed at 54,349.12 points, up 263.24 points, or 0.49%, from the previous day. In contrast, the Nasdaq Composite fell 221.55 points, or 0.83%, to 26,363.44 points. The difference between the two indexes’ percentage moves in the same trading session was 1.32 percentage points. Dow Jones closing data Nasdaq Composite closing data
The S&P 500 fell 12.97 points, or 0.17%, from the previous day to 7,723.55 points on August 5, 2026. The Russell 2000 also declined, falling 17.79 points, or 0.59%, to 3,019.19 points in the same session. The small- and mid-cap-focused Russell 2000 fell 0.42 percentage points more than the large-cap S&P 500. S&P 500 closing data Russell 2000 closing data
Editor’s interpretation: The August 5, 2026, close was less a session in which the entire US stock market moved in one direction than one marked by divergence between the Dow Jones and technology and small-cap stocks. However, the indexes’ divergent moves alone do not prove that a particular sector or news event caused them.
Nvidia Rises as Sandisk and Alphabet Plunge
Among the stocks tracked on August 5, 2026, Nvidia posted the largest gain, rising $7.28, or 3.43%, from the previous day to close the regular session at $219.22. Compared with the Nasdaq Composite’s 0.83% decline in the same session, the difference in their percentage moves was 4.26 percentage points. The closing trend and previous analysis are available through Nvidia closing data and the Nvidia stock hub.
At the other end, Sandisk fell $77.12, or 5.40%, from the previous day to close at $1,350.50 on August 5, 2026. After rising 10.84% on the previous day, August 4, 2026, it reversed sharply lower in the next regular session. Its decline on August 5, 2026, was 4.57 percentage points greater than the Nasdaq Composite’s. Sandisk closing data Sandisk stock hub
Alphabet closed at $362.43 on August 5, 2026, down $15.22, or 4.03%, from the previous day. Its decline was 3.20 percentage points greater than the Nasdaq Composite’s in the same session. Amazon fell $4.77, or 1.72%, to $272.65, while Tesla declined $5.80, or 1.77%, to $321.55. Alphabet closing data Alphabet stock hub Amazon stock hub Tesla stock hub
Microsoft also declined on August 5, 2026, falling $5.35, or 1.09%, from the previous day to close at $487.46. Apple, by contrast, rose $1.62, or 0.52%, to $311.00 in the same session, while Meta gained $0.83, or 0.14%, to $588.77. Micron edged up just $0.52, or 0.06%, to $893.19. Microsoft stock hub Apple stock hub Meta stock hub Micron stock hub
Editor’s interpretation: Nvidia’s strength on August 5, 2026, did not spread across other large technology stocks. The sharp declines in Sandisk and Alphabet and the limited gains in Apple, Meta, and Micron illustrate stock-by-stock divergence within the technology sector, but closing prices alone cannot identify the cause of each company’s rise or decline.
Closing Performance Diverges From the Previous Session’s Positive Reports
In explaining the S&P 500’s record close on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, a Reuters market report cited as background that 86% of the companies that had reported quarterly results at the time exceeded market expectations. That was the report’s interpretation of the previous trading session and cannot be carried over as a direct explanation for the S&P 500’s 0.17% decline and the Nasdaq Composite’s 0.83% drop on August 5, 2026. Original Reuters US market report
CAPIS’s morning note dated August 5, 2026, also described the previous session’s S&P 500 close of 7,736.52 points and Dow Jones close of 54,085.88 points on August 4, 2026, as new record closing highs. In the regular session on August 5, 2026, however, the S&P 500 declined while only the Dow Jones extended its advance, leaving the two indexes moving in different directions. Original CAPIS morning note
On August 5, 2026, the VIX fell 0.67 points, or 4.06%, from the previous day to 15.83 points. The US 10-year Treasury yield also declined in the same session, falling 0.010 percentage points to 4.617%. The VIX and the long-term yield both fell on a day when the Nasdaq Composite and Russell 2000 declined, but this combination of closing data alone cannot determine the direction or magnitude of the effect that lower volatility or interest rates had on stock prices. VIX closing data US 10-year Treasury yield data
Editor’s interpretation: The previous session’s record closing levels and earnings optimism did not lead to gains across all indexes and technology stocks on August 5, 2026. The session produced a complex combination of a rising Dow Jones, falling Nasdaq Composite and Russell 2000, and declining VIX, making it difficult to explain with a single variable.
Three Items to Monitor in the Next Regular Session
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It will be important to see whether the wide performance gap between Nvidia, which rose 3.43% on August 5, 2026, and Sandisk and Alphabet, which fell 5.40% and 4.03%, respectively, narrows in the next regular session.
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Watch whether the directional split between the Dow Jones, which rose 0.49% on August 5, 2026, and the Nasdaq Composite, which fell 0.83%, continues in the next regular session, as well as which index the Russell 2000, which declined 0.59%, tracks more closely.
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Monitor how the VIX, which closed at 15.83 points on August 5, 2026, and the US 10-year Treasury yield, which ended at 4.617%, move in relation to stock indexes in the next regular session. These are closing-data observations, not predictions about the next trading day’s direction or judgments about buying or selling.