Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq rise as bitcoin surges

LIVE Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq rise as bitcoin surges Grace O'Donnell · Editor, Special Projects Updated Fri, August 21, 2026 at 5:47 PM GMT+2 2 min read US stocks rose on Friday as investors awaited more details on President Trump's "economic warfare" plan against Iran and bitcoin's price ( BTC-USD ) soared. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI ) rose 0. 9%, while the S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) added 0.

6%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC ) gained 0. 6% after stocks closed down the day before.

Stocks were headed for weekly losses after a bond sell-off this week put pressure on capital-intensive AI and tech names like Nvidia ( NVDA ) and SpaceX ( SPCX ). Bitcoin ( BTC-USD ) continued to rise, reaching $77,000 as the cryptocurrency headed for its best week in nearly three years. On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent shared plans to expand bond buybacks and increase the program's size beyond $4 billion per issue.

"Part of it is signaling here to show that we believe yields don't reflect the underlying fundamentals," Bessent told CNBC. But relief in the bond market lasted only a short while as markets viewed the measure as a limited fix, with the 10-year ( ^TNX ) and 30-year Treasury yields ( ^TYX ) snapping back to previously held higher levels. Investors are now looking ahead to Bessent's press conference on Monday, where he will unveil the details of the US's plan to economically isolate Iran in the latest phase of the Middle East war.

Earlier in the week, Trump threatened to inflict "TREMENDOUS Economic Consequences" on any country that trades with Iran, which put the focus on China, which sources oil from the Gulf. The Fed's Jackson Hole Symposium and Nvidia's second quarter earnings next week are also coming into view. In the meantime, quarterly results from BJ's Wholesale Club ( BJ ) showed that the warehouse club's value proposition resonated with cost-conscious consumers.

LIVE 10 updates 18 mins ago Grace O'Donnell Negotiators say Canada tariff deal is 'very close,' with concessions on the table from autos to liquor The US and Canada are touting progress on trade talks ahead of Friday’s midnight deadline, and some concessions are emerging, Yahoo Finance’s Ben Werschkul reports. He writes: Following a three-day pause announced earlier this week , the teams met Thursday at the offices of the US Trade Representative in Washington, D. C.

, led by Dominic LeBlanc, a top Canadian negotiator. He told reporters, "We're very close, we continue to make progress," but said talks would continue today. President Trump has been even more optimistic in public statements as details emerge that could lead to significant tariff relief.

The broader deal is aiming to span sectors from automobiles to metals to farm goods if the remaining areas of disagreement are ironed out. The talks have high economic stakes. The US and Canada are the largest recipients of each other's exports, with the US accounting for roughly 62% of Canada's trade.

Failure in the talks could see Trump go forward with plans for 50% tariffs on a range of Canadian goods in response to what the US claims are discriminatory trade practices around automobiles , alcohol , and dairy products. Read more. A sign for the Gordie Howe International Bridge that connects Detroit, Michigan, with Windsor, Ontario, on July 27, 2026, in Detroit, Michigan.

(Bill Pugliano/Getty Images) · Bill Pugliano via Getty Images Today at 3:59 PM UTC Grace O'Donnell BJ's Wholesale CEO: 'The K-shaped economy persists' BJ’s Wholesale Club ( BJ ) stock popped by over 3% on Friday after the warehouse club said its value proposition is resonating with consumers. Same-store sales grew a strong 11. 9% year over year, and the retailer‘s adjusted earnings per share of $1.

36 topped analysts’ forecasts by $0. 19. On the earnings call, BJ’s CEO Robert Eddy stated that the bifurcation between lower-income and higher-income households remains in place — even as Wall Street has begun to see the consumer start to close that divide.

“Taking a step back to assess the consumer environment, the K-shaped economy persists, though we did see some sequential improvement during the quarter,” Eddy said. A BJ's Wholesale Club is shown on May 23, 2023, in Falls Church, Virginia. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) · Win McNamee via Getty Images He noted that the retailer drove comparable sales growth across all income cohorts, though “the vast majority of our growth continues to be driven by our higher income members, which is consistent with what we've seen for some time now.

” “In an environment where consumers remain discerning with their dollars, we know our job is to make sure we're putting the right products at the right value in front of every member who walks through our doors,” he added. “All told, it was a strong quarter across the board. ” Today at 3:02 PM UTC Claire Boston Bond yields are heading higher again Stocks are shrugging it off, but bond yields are moving up for a second straight day in the latest sign that the US Treasury's intervention efforts have been a bust.

The 30-year Treasury yield is up around 2 basis points to 5. 27% — inching back toward the 5. 3% level that spooked markets earlier this week, while the 10-year yield is also around 2 basis points higher, hitting 4.

73%. Bond market watchers have been skeptical that the Treasury's plan to lower yields by boosting long-dated bond buying would work. Multiple factors outside of the Treasury's control, including inflation fears, Federal Reserve communication changes, and a boom in corporate debt issuance have contributed to higher yields.

"We believe these measures will struggle to offset either declining Fed credibility or rising rate expectations," BNP strategists led by Guneet Dhingra wrote in a note this week. Today at 2:49 PM UTC Grace O'Donnell $32 million: The number incoming Apple CEO John Ternus has to beat to measure up to Tim Cook Incoming Apple ( AAPL ) CEO John Ternus will have a tall order to fill when he enters the same chief executive class as outgoing CEO Tim Cook, Yahoo Finance’s Brian Sozzi notes. He writes: And one clever new number compiled by Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan shows what Ternus is up against: $32 million.

According to Mohan's calculations, Apple's market cap has grown at a rate of roughly $32 million per hour, every hour, for nearly 15 years, for a total of $4. 5 trillion under Cook. Apple's market capitalization has climbed to $4.

5 trillion from around $350 billion during Cook's time as CEO, according to Yahoo Finance AlphaSpace analysis. "Tim Cook took Apple from a company driven by a small number of product cycles into an institution capable of producing growth, cash flow, customer loyalty, and innovation at enormous scale and SKU complexity," Mohan said. Read more.

Today at 1:37 PM UTC Grace O'Donnell Stocks gain at the open as bitcoin jumps US stocks rose at the open as Treasury yields stabilized and cryptocurrencies rallied. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI ) rose 0. 5%.

The S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC ) added 0. 4%. Bitcoin's ( BTC-USD ) 7% jump stood out, as a rally in cryptocurrency lifted digital exchange stocks.

Here's a check of the markets in the first few minutes of trading, based on a heat map powered by Yahoo Finance AlphaSpace data . AlphaSpace heatmap Here are some notable stocks that Yahoo Finance readers are viewing this morning: Strategy ( MSTR ), SK Hynix ( SKHY ), Coinbase ( COIN ), Circle ( CRCL ), Alibaba ( BABA ), Robinhood ( HOOD ), Freeport-McMoRan ( FCX ) Today at 1:10 PM UTC Grace O'Donnell Crypto stocks are the winners of today's crypto rally Crypto stocks are emerging as winners on Friday amid a crypto market rally. Strategy ( MSTR ), which pioneered the bitcoin treasury model, jumped by over 7% following another 7% gain on Thursday.

Mara Holdings ( MARA ) rose 6%. Circle ( CRCL ) and Robinhood ( HOOD ) popped by 5%. And Hut 8 ( HUT ), Galaxy Digital ( GLXY ), and Coinbase ( COIN ) advanced by 4%.

(Disclosure: Yahoo Finance has a partnership with Coinbase. ) The stocks moved in sympathy with rising bitcoin prices after President Trump urged Congress to pass crypto regulation on Thursday following a meeting with industry executives, including from Coinbase and Robinhood. Bitcoin ( BTC-USD ) swung 7% higher to $77, 163 on Friday, reclaiming its highest level since May.

Ethereum ( ETH-USD ) and Solana ( SOL-USD ) rose 5%. This embedded content is not available in your region. Today at 11:39 AM UTC Grace O'Donnell Why bitcoin prices are suddenly rallying big-time Yahoo Finance’s Brian Sozzi reports: The bitcoin bulls are back.

Over the last 48 hours, the price of bitcoin is up about 18% to more than $77,600 as of the time of this writing. Bitcoin prices hadn't traded above the $70,000 level since late May prior to this latest push, per Yahoo Finance AlphaSpace data. "The strong trigger in bitcoin was driven by Treasury's move to buyback bonds at the longer end of the yield curve,” Bernstein strategist Gautam Chhugani explained in a note today.

“We are not macro experts, but we do know bitcoin historically has had a positive reaction to liquidity expansion. And this year's apathy towards bitcoin and crypto markets was a combination of tighter markets post Iran conflict, with rising risks of inflation and a very strong AI/semis trade pulling all the liquidity away. " Read more.

Today at 10:02 AM UTC Jared Blikre Amid the chip bear market, healthcare is breaking out Moderna ( MRNA ) stock doubled on Wednesday and stole the show. But healthcare had already been quietly breaking out for months — just as chips were sliding into a bear market. Since semiconductors peaked on June 22, the iShares Biotechnology ETF ( IBB ) has climbed more than 20%, and the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLV ) has gained roughly 16%.

The iShares Semiconductor ETF ( SOXX ) has fallen just under 20% over the same stretch. Healthcare has surged since the June chip peak, with IBB up more than 20% as SOXX has fallen nearly 20%. · Yahoo Finance AlphaSpace XLV gave some of it back Thursday, turning in its worst day in five weeks after Wednesday's 3.

5% surge — its biggest one-day gain in more than a year. But neither Wednesday's surge nor Thursday's pullback is where this story starts. Read more.

Today at 9:00 AM UTC Grace O'Donnell Good morning. Here's what's happening today. Economic data: S&P Global US manufacturing PMI, August preliminary meeting (53.

8 expected, 53. 9 previously); S&P Global US services PMI, August preliminary meeting (53. 9 expected, 54.

6 previously); S&P Global US composite PMI, August preliminary meeting (54. 5 previously); Earnings calendar: Ubiquiti ( UI ), BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings ( BJ ) Catch up on some stories you might have missed overnight: Anthropic could publicly file IPO paperwork as soon as this month Nvidia to ship AI chip for China by year-end: The Information How the US government pushed the national debt to $40 trillion Tensions flare as CME, Kalshi execs clash over prediction markets in DC Samsung Elec to convene board meeting Friday to discuss shareholder return plan, says source Why the US economy is ringing alarm bells Today at 8:00 AM UTC Grace O'Donnell Bessent to detail US plans to isolate Iran’s economy on Monday Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent intends to lay out the US’s plans to isolate Iran from the world’s economy soon, echoing President Trump’s rhetoric to unleash the “toughest sanctions in history” to end the war in the Middle East. Bloomberg reports: Bessent, in a CNBC interview, said he would hold a press conference on Monday to "talk about exactly what we're going to do" and sought to ratchet up pressure on US allies to join the effort.

"Economic pressure means that we are going to all of our allies — and this is going to be the greatest coordinated economic isolation in the history of the world — and we are going to them and saying, 'You are either with us or against us,' " Bessent said. The threats — echoing language used by then-President George W. Bush in the wake of the Sept.

11, 2001 attacks — come after months of military strikes and a full naval blockade of Iran's ports failed to force Tehran to capitulate. Neither Trump nor Bessent specified exactly what measures they would take or which countries would be targeted, but the warnings put an immediate focus on China, which buys the bulk of Iran's oil. Brent crude prices advanced for a fifth day to about $94 a barrel, reaching the highest this month.

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