What Happened Today, Wednesday August 05, 2026, 5:00 PM ET close
Dow closes at a record on Mideast optimism as SpaceX and AMD weigh on the Nasdaq
A split tape: blue chips hit a record, growth tech cooled, and the broad market finished close to flat.
ES and NQ at the close
NQ, Nasdaq 100 futures
29,600.25
-0.88% on the day
Day range 29,530.75 to 30,074.00
ES, S&P 500 futures
7,758.75
-0.09% on the day
Day range 7,745.75 to 7,820.25
How did our Futures Trading Algo Do Today?
Trades
8
ES/NQ/RTY/BTC ยท live + forward-test
Result
-$141.73
net for the day
Discipline
One oversized loser can erase a clean day, so position sizing matters more than hit rate.
The book fired 8 trades for 3 wins and 5 losses, netting $-141.73 on the day. The standout was SH_VBO_NQ_LonClose_1h, a short that booked +$603, and SH_BBR_NQ_NYAM_15m added a small +$2.46, but SH_LDR_NQ_NYAM_1h gave it all back with a single long that lost $614. The Asia-session setups, MZ_NQ_asia_sess_5m and OU_NQ_Asia_Sess_5m, also chipped away, so the winners were solid but one bad long tipped the day red.
Follow every signal
Telegram, Discord, X
SPY and QQQ
The story
US stocks split down the middle on Wednesday as the Dow closed at a fresh record while the Nasdaq 100 fell about 0.88 percent. Optimism around cooling Middle East tensions supported blue chips, but weakness in SpaceX-linked names and AMD dragged on growth tech. The S&P 500 finished close to flat, down roughly 0.09 percent, showing how the strength in industrials and value offset the softness in high-multiple technology. It was a day where the index you watched decided whether the market felt strong or weak.
The MAG7 and the megacaps
The megacap technology group was the soft spot on Wednesday, and that shows up clearly in the Nasdaq 100 lagging the Dow by a wide margin. AMD was a notable drag, and pressure on SpaceX-linked names added to the caution around richly valued growth. When these leaders cool off, the Nasdaq tends to underperform even on a day when the broader market holds up.
After the bell
Dow record on Middle East optimism
Signs of easing tension in the Middle East supported cyclical and industrial names, pushing the Dow to a record close even as growth tech slipped.
Tech leaders drag the Nasdaq
Weakness in SpaceX-linked names and a decline in AMD pressured the Nasdaq 100 to a roughly 0.88 percent loss, the clear laggard among the major indexes.
Energy and refining in focus
Phillips 66 beat quarterly estimates as conflict-driven strength boosted US refining margins, keeping the energy sector in the spotlight.
Ongoing geopolitical crosscurrents
Iran threatened Gulf states over potential new US strikes, while an Iran and Oman understanding on a Hormuz route and lifted sanctions on Fly Baghdad signaled some easing, leaving markets weighing both sides.
Crypto
Bitcoin bucked the softer tech tone and added about 0.87 percent to close near 64,613 dollars, trading between roughly 63,870 and 64,935 on the day. The steadier crypto tape offered a small counterpoint to the weakness in growth stocks. As always, digital assets march to their own rhythm and can diverge sharply from equities.
Into the night
Overnight attention stayed on the Middle East, where reports of Iran threatening Gulf states if the US launches new strikes kept headline risk elevated. At the same time, news that Iran and Oman reached an understanding on a route through Hormuz and that the US lifted sanctions on Fly Baghdad pointed to some easing at the margins. That mix of tension and thaw helped explain the split between record blue chips and a cautious tech tape.
What is coming next
Nasdaq 100 futures
29,600.25
Closed down about 0.88 percent, the day's weakest major
S&P 500 futures
7,758.75
Held near flat, down roughly 0.09 percent
Bitcoin
64,613.02
Up about 0.87 percent, diverging from soft tech
Middle East headlines
Watch closely
Tension and easing signals both in play
With the Dow at a record and the Nasdaq lagging, the key question is whether value and industrials can keep leading or whether megacap tech steadies and pulls the broad market higher. Middle East headlines remain the swing factor, since fresh escalation or further easing could quickly change the tone. Keep an eye on whether the S&P 500 breaks decisively away from flat in either direction.
Want this live, for free?
We send market moving news the moment it hits, straight to Telegram, Discord and X. Then this recap pulls the day together every evening: ES and NQ, the MAG7, crypto, and what is next.
Educational market recap, not financial advice. Futures and options trading carry substantial risk of loss. Prices reflect the 2026-08-05 session close; charts are live and interactive. Always verify before acting.