S&P 500 Crosses 7,600 for the First Time as Nasdaq Surges 2.2%
As seen on the 24/7 Wall St. homepage on August 3, 2026.
- S&P 500+1.47%
- Dow Jones Industrial Average+1.37%
- Nasdaq Composite+2.23%
The S&P 500 closed above 7,600 for the first time, and the Nasdaq's 2.2% gain says money moved back into AI and software names ahead of a heavy earnings week. Sitting out days like this is how benchmarks get away from you.
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The S&P 500 closed at 7,600.22, a gain of 110.42 points or about 1.5% on the day, marking the first time the index has ever finished a session above the 7,600 level. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added roughly 1.4% in tandem, but it was the Nasdaq Composite's 2.2% advance that stood out, pointing to a concentrated burst of buying in AI and software stocks ahead of what is shaping up to be a busy stretch of corporate earnings.
The intraday pattern on the S&P 500 was telling: the index opened well above its prior close of 7,489.80 and ground steadily higher through the session rather than gapping up and fading, a sign that buyers were willing to add exposure throughout the day rather than simply reacting to an early catalyst. That kind of broad, persistent bid tends to carry more weight than a sharp open-and-stall move.
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The earnings week ahead will be a key test of whether the momentum holds. Technology and software names drove much of the session's outperformance, and results from major players in those sectors will either validate the optimism priced in today or give the market a reason to give some of it back.