US Stocks Close Mixed

2026-08-19 20:17 By Isabela Couto 1 min. read

US stock indices closed mixed on Wednesday as losses in AI infrastructure and bank stocks offset gains in other sectors.

The S&P 500 added 0.2% and the Dow gained 120 points, while the Nasdaq shed 0.2%.

The Treasury doubled the limit on buybacks of long-term securities for next quarter, adding to a series of measures aimed at controlling the recent surge in longer-term benchmark borrowing costs.

Alongside lower rates, the prospect of increased dollar liquidity from the Treasury’s intervention also supported equities.

This was combined with FOMC minutes confirming that some policymakers believe rate hikes may be appropriate this year.

Retail stocks were mostly higher after TJX (-4.2%), Target (+4.3%) and Lowe’s (+2%) reported earnings.

The pharmaceutical sector rallied, with Merck up 12.6% and Moderna surging 177% after a trial of their joint vaccine reduced melanoma recurrence.

Meanwhile, tepid results from OpenAI pressured chip producers, with AMD (-3.7%) and Intel (-4%) dropping.



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US Stocks Close Mixed
US stock indices closed mixed on Wednesday as losses in AI infrastructure and bank stocks offset gains in other sectors. The S&P 500 added 0.2% and the Dow gained 120 points, while the Nasdaq shed 0.2%. The Treasury doubled the limit on buybacks of long-term securities for next quarter, adding to a series of measures aimed at controlling the recent surge in longer-term benchmark borrowing costs. Alongside lower rates, the prospect of increased dollar liquidity from the Treasury’s intervention also supported equities. This was combined with FOMC minutes confirming that some policymakers believe rate hikes may be appropriate this year. Retail stocks were mostly higher after TJX (-4.2%), Target (+4.3%) and Lowe’s (+2%) reported earnings. The pharmaceutical sector rallied, with Merck up 12.6% and Moderna surging 177% after a trial of their joint vaccine reduced melanoma recurrence. Meanwhile, tepid results from OpenAI pressured chip producers, with AMD (-3.7%) and Intel (-4%) dropping.
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US stocks were mixed on Wednesday as losses for AI infrastructure and banks offset gains in other sectors. The S&P 500 and the Dow were 0.3% higher, while tech losses drove the Nasdaq 100 to the red. The Treasury doubled the limit on buybacks of long-term securities for next quarter, adding to a series of other measures it took to control the recent surge in longer benchmark borrowing costs. Besides reducing rates, the outlook of higher dollar liquidity from the Treasury's intervention also supported equities. This was combined with minutes from the FOMC confirming some calls that rate hikes may be appropriate this year. Retail stocks were mostly higher after TJX, Target, and Lowe's reported their earnings results. Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical sector surged, with Merck advancing 12% and Moderna surging 150% after a trial on their joint vaccine cut recurrence in melanoma. On the other hand, tepid results by OpenAI pressured chip producers with AMD and Intel dropping 4%.
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