Nightly Market Digest
Friday, August 7, 2026
Wall Street closed out the week on a high note this Friday, with both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hitting fresh record highs after a surprise contraction in the labor market fueled aggressive rate-cut bets. The tech-heavy Nasdaq paced the advance, climbing 1.30% to 26,690.615, while the S&P 500 added 0.62% to 7,757.64 and the Dow Jones edged up 0.28% to 54,036.93. Small caps also caught a strong bid, sending the Russell 2000 1.10% higher to 3,034.494, as July Nonfarm Payrolls unexpectedly fell by 23,000 jobs, dragging the 10-year Treasury yield down to 4.64% and pushing the VIX 1.65% lower to 14.9.
Sectors in focus:
- Tech & AI: Services-Computer Programming Services rocketed 8.61% higher, propelled by AI bellwethers like Nvidia (+2.3%) and a major post-earnings breakout for Palantir. Conversely, physical tech hardware dragged, with Wholesale-Computers (-2.07%), Computer Storage Devices (-2.01%), and Computer Communications Equipment (-1.72%) lagging the broader market.
- Precious Metals & Defense: Gold and Silver Ores surged 8.53%, perfectly mirroring physical Gold's 2.31% leap to 4,399/oz. The yellow metal posted its best week since January as the weak jobs data crushed the probability of a September rate hike to 44.1%. Meanwhile, Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles jumped 8.01%, finding support from safe-haven flows tied to Middle East tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and President Trump's remarks on the Iran conflict.
On the radar: Next week brings a massive slate of inflation and consumer data that will test the market's shifting rate expectations.
- Aug 11: NFIB Small Business Optimism (July)
- Aug 12: US Consumer Price Index (CPI)
- Aug 13: US Producer Price Index (PPI) and Initial Jobless Claims
- Aug 14: US Retail Sales (July), U. of Michigan Consumer Sentiment, and major earnings including Home Depot.
Market sectors
Upcoming earnings
Today's top bullish signals — top 5
Short squeeze setups — tonight's top 5
| # | Ticker | Company | Readiness | Short float | Days to cover |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | TBCH | 84 | 28% | 19.7 | |
| 3 | ALX | 83 | 32% | 12.0 | |
| 4 | SVV | 82 | 24% | 10.5 | |
| 5 | KOD | 82 | 33% | 13.7 |
View all short squeeze candidates →
Theme turnarounds
| Theme | Net flip | Bull / Bear | Names flipping bullish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Materials & Mining (181) | +49.70% | 50% / 0% | AA, AAUC, ABAT, AEM, AG |
| Nuclear Power (35) | +28.60% | 29% / 0% | CCJ, DNN, KEP, LTBR, NUCL |
| Space & Satellites (30) | +26.70% | 27% / 0% | ASTS, BKSY, KRMN, LUNR, MDA |
| Quantum Computing (12) | +25.00% | 25% / 0% | ARQQ, BTQ, INFQ |
| Autonomous Systems (87) | +19.60% | 21% / 1% | ACHR, AIRO, AMPX, ARBE, AVAV |
| Energy Storage & Batteries (77) | +15.60% | 18% / 3% | ABAT, ALB, AMPX, CBAT, CRML |