Stock Market Today, Aug. 17: Markets Inch Lower and Treasury Yields Rise as Investors Wait for Retail Earnings

The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) fell 0.50% to 7,747, the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) slipped 0.31% to 26,647, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES:^DJI) lost 0.51% to 53,460 as indices drifted near record levels ahead of pivotal retail corporate earnings reports. Gold prices rose 0.80% to $4,472.90 as of U.S. market close, and the 10-Year Treasury yield climbed 0.05% to 4.68% while Industrials led sector gainers, Communication Services finished as the primary laggard, and Utilities also fell. Today's biggest moves Space Exploration Technologies (NASDAQ:SPCX) shares rebounded 4.5% on new positive notes from analysts, while Carvana (NYSE:CVNA) was today's biggest loser on the S&P 500, dropping 7.3%. Sandisk (NASDAQ:SNDK) gained 9% as memory chipmakers showed strength, though Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) faced selling pressure amid broader communications sector weakness. What this means for investors It was a largely unspectacular day for the market, as investors mostly seemed curious to see how earnings from retailers like Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) , Home Depot (NYSE:HD) , and Target (NYSE:TGT) will turn out this week. In this sense, it seemed like a "risk-off" day as the market took a wait-and-see approach on further buying. The U.S. 30-year Treasury yield hit 5.3% -- its highest mark since 2007 -- highlighting this cautious stance. As bond yields rise alongside the potential for rising interest rates from the Fed, it will be interesting to see how growth stocks fare -- especially those tied to the AI realm. Really, there was no single major event that caused the market to dip today. With U.S. markets still near an all-time high, today's breather is nothing to panic over one way or the other. Should you buy stock in Invesco QQQ Trust right now? Before you buy stock in Invesco QQQ Trust, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Invesco QQQ Trust wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $421,511 !* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,381,960 !* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 981 % — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 216% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor , and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of August 17, 2026. Josh Kohn-Lindquist has positions in Space Exploration Technologies. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Home Depot, Meta Platforms, Target, and Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy .

The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) fell 0.50% to 7,747, the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) slipped 0.31% to 26,647, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES:^DJI) lost 0.51% to 53,460 as indices drifted near record levels ahead of pivotal retail corporate earnings reports.

Gold prices rose 0.80% to $4,472.90 as of U.S. market close, and the 10-Year Treasury yield climbed 0.05% to 4.68% while Industrials led sector gainers, Communication Services finished as the primary laggard, and Utilities also fell.

Space Exploration Technologies (NASDAQ:SPCX) shares rebounded 4.5% on new positive notes from analysts, while Carvana (NYSE:CVNA) was today's biggest loser on the S&P 500, dropping 7.3%.

Sandisk (NASDAQ:SNDK) gained 9% as memory chipmakers showed strength, though Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) faced selling pressure amid broader communications sector weakness.

It was a largely unspectacular day for the market, as investors mostly seemed curious to see how earnings from retailers like Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) , Home Depot (NYSE:HD) , and Target (NYSE:TGT) will turn out this week. In this sense, it seemed like a "risk-off" day as the market took a wait-and-see approach on further buying.

The U.S. 30-year Treasury yield hit 5.3% -- its highest mark since 2007 -- highlighting this cautious stance. As bond yields rise alongside the potential for rising interest rates from the Fed, it will be interesting to see how growth stocks fare -- especially those tied to the AI realm.

Really, there was no single major event that caused the market to dip today. With U.S. markets still near an all-time high, today's breather is nothing to panic over one way or the other.