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ARCHIVED DAILY TAPEYou are reading the Wednesday, October 21, 2026 close.
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Constructive

S&P 500 rises 0.58%

7 of 11 sectors advanced. Technology ranked first; Comm. Services ranked last.

Participation
Russell 2000 +0.27%; 0.31 pp behind the S&P 500. Equal-weight RSP +0.36% vs SPY +0.53%.
Large caps
7 of 9 tracked stocks rose. TSLA +3.41%; GOOGL -1.62%.
Rates & commodities
10-year yield 5.15% (+3 bps). Dollar -0.03%; gold +0.22%.
1D
S&P 500 close
Full chart ↗
5-minute bars · 2026-10-21
Open
7,736.43
High
7,770.40
Low
7,709.34
Prev. close
7,712.57

Session read

Claude interpretation · Oct 21 close

The reading

Technology and a handful of large caps led, while equal weight trailed cap weight, suggesting gains concentrated in bigger names rather than spreading evenly.

The counterpoint

Over the past week and month equal weight actually outpaced cap weight, and technology still trails the index over those longer windows, so today's leadership may be a short-lived swing.

What would change it

If technology and large caps fade while the sectors that fell today recover, today's narrow leadership reading would weaken.

Supporting evidence · 8 observations

  • Technology (XLK) +1.67%, 1.09 percentage points ahead of the S&P 500.

    2026-10-21 · Report data

  • Equal-weight S&P 500 (RSP) +0.36% versus SPY +0.53%; RSP lagged by 0.17 percentage points.

    2026-10-21 · Report data

  • Among tracked large caps, TSLA led at +3.41%; GOOGL trailed at -1.62%. 7 of 9 tracked large caps advanced.

    2026-10-21 · Report data

  • RSP minus SPY over 5d: +1.69 percentage points of total return.

    2026-10-21 · Report data

  • RSP minus SPY over 1m: +1.82 percentage points of total return.

    2026-10-21 · Report data

  • XLK minus SPY: 1d +1.14 pp, 5d -1.44 pp, 1m -3.91 pp.

    2026-10-21 · Report data

  • 7 of 11 sector ETFs rose; 4 fell.

    2026-10-21 · Report data

  • 6 of 11 tracked sector ETFs above 50d.

    2026-10-21 · Report data

Sectors

Sector ETF returns over 1 session, ranked highest to lowest
Sector / ETFReturn relative to zero1D
TechnologyXLK+1.67%
IndustrialsXLI+0.91%
FinancialsXLF+0.57%
UtilitiesXLU+0.29%
EnergyXLE+0.28%
MaterialsXLB+0.18%
Consumer DiscretionaryXLY+0.03%
HealthcareXLV-0.49%
Consumer StaplesXLP-0.73%
Real EstateXLRE-0.76%
Communication ServicesXLC-1.11%

Large caps

Large-cap closing prices and returns over 1 session
Close
TSLATesla$386.47+3.41%
NVDANvidia$221.97+2.54%
MUMicron Technology$913.67+1.96%
AAPLApple$343.99+1.32%
AVGOBroadcom$337.80+1.03%
METAMeta Platforms$697.52+0.47%
MSFTMicrosoft$532.95+0.20%
AMZNAmazon$262.37-0.10%
GOOGLAlphabet$334.76-1.62%

Next session

Next session · Thursday, Oct 22

  1. Unemployment Claims

    EmploymentImportance: Medium

    Actual
    —
    Consensus
    200K
    Previous
    199K
    Source
  2. CB Leading Index m/m

    Economic dataImportance: Low

    Actual
    —
    Consensus
    -0.1%
    Previous
    -0.1%
    Source
  3. Natural Gas Storage

    EnergyImportance: Low

    Actual
    —
    Consensus
    80B
    Previous
    67B
    Source
  4. Time unavailable
    4-Week Bill auction (reopening)

    Treasury auctionCUSIP 912797VY0

    Source
  5. Time unavailable
    5-Year Note auction

    Treasury auctionOffering $26B · CUSIP 91282CRR4

    Source
  6. Time unavailable
    8-Week Bill auction (reopening)

    Treasury auctionCUSIP 912797WG8

    Source
Previous session · 5 events

Report session · Wednesday, Oct 21

  1. Crude Oil Inventories

    EnergyImportance: Low

    Actual
    —
    Consensus
    -0.1M
    Previous
    -8.6M
    Source
  2. Time unavailable
    META earnings

    EarningsRelease time not provided

    Actual
    —
    Consensus
    EPS est. 6.80
    Previous
    —
    Source
  3. Time unavailable
    TSLA earnings

    EarningsRelease time not provided

    Actual
    —
    Consensus
    EPS est. 0.45
    Previous
    —
    Source
  4. Time unavailable
    17-Week Bill auction

    Treasury auctionCUSIP 912797XA0

    Source
  5. Time unavailable
    19-Year 10-Month Bond auction (reopening)

    Treasury auctionOffering $13B · CUSIP 912810UX4

    Source

Headlines

No verified headlines for this session.

    Closing levels

    S&P 500
    7,757.17
    VIX
    16.68
    10Y yield
    5.15%
    Sectors advancing
    7 / 11

    Market data

    Regime historyConstructive
    LAST 60 SESSIONS15 constructive27 mixed18 defensive
    ConstructiveWed, Oct 21, 2026S&P 500 +0.58% · VIX -3.64% · 7/11 sectors upPublished in that day's issue

    Solid cells were published in an archived issue (24); outlined cells are reconstructed from daily closes with the same rule, using only that day's moves. Constructive: S&P 500 up, VIX down, all 11 sector ETFs reporting and at least 60% advancing. Defensive: S&P 500 down, VIX up, all 11 reporting and at most 40% advancing. Otherwise mixed.

    Versus prior sessionsBreadth +9.1 pp vs average · S&P 5-session +0.50%
    Breadth vs prior average
    +9.1 pp
    VIX rank in sample
    81%
    Regime streak
    2
    Top-sector streak
    Technology · 1
    S&P 5-session
    +0.50%
    Rates & credit10Y 5.15% · +3 bps
    TREASURY YIELDSSESSION CLOSE (CBOE INDEX) · OFFICIAL PAR CURVE (U.S. TREASURY)
    TenorSession close1DOfficial pard/d
    3M4.060%-2 bps——
    2YNo index———
    5Y4.970%+4 bps——
    10Y5.150%+3 bps——
    30Y5.440%+1 bps——

    The official Treasury curve was unavailable at generation; no substitute is shown. U.S. Treasury ↗

    CURVEBASIS POINTS
    2s10s—Not recorded2Y → 10Y · official curve
    3M–10Y—Not recorded3M → 10Y · official curve
    5s30s—Not recorded5Y → 30Y · official curve
    5s10s+18.0 bpsSession close5Y → 10Y · Cboe yield indexes
    CREDITSPREADS ARE ACTUAL OAS · ETF ROWS ARE PRICE PROXIES
    HIGH-YIELD OAS—UnavailableICE BofA option-adjusted spread via FRED
    INVESTMENT-GRADE OAS—UnavailableICE BofA option-adjusted spread via FRED
    HYG ETF proxy$76.98+0.20% priceHigh-yield corporate bond ETF. A price, not a spread.LQD ETF proxy$103.21-0.01% priceInvestment-grade corporate bond ETF. A price, not a spread.
    REAL YIELDS & RATE VOLATILITYTREASURY REAL PAR CURVE · ICE BOFA MOVE
    5Y REAL YIELD—Not recordedTreasury real par curve
    10Y REAL YIELD—Not recordedTreasury real par curve
    TIP ETF proxy$105.55+0.07% priceTIPS bond ETF price, not a real yield.MOVE INDEX95.92-5.68%Treasury implied volatility · Yahoo Finance
    Breadth & internals64% of sectors positive
    SECTORS ADVANCING7 / 11

    4 declined · 63.6% positive

    EQUAL VS CAP WEIGHT · 1D-0.17 pp

    RSP minus SPY. Cap weight led.

    EQUAL VS CAP · 5D / 1M+1.7 pp / +1.8 pp

    Total-return spread. Persistent positives favor broader participation.

    20-SESSION HIGHS / LOWS6 / 2

    Closing highs vs lows across 24 tracked instruments.

    SECTORS ABOVE 20-DAY73%

    8 of 11 sector ETFs above their moving average.

    SECTORS ABOVE 50-DAY55%

    6 of 11 sector ETFs above their moving average.

    SECTORS ABOVE 200-DAY55%

    6 of 11 sector ETFs above their moving average.

    SECTOR ADVANCE / DECLINE · 20 SESSIONS+24Cumulative net advancing sector ETFs. Daily total return including dividends.
    Sep 24: net -5, cumulative -5Sep 25: net +5, cumulative +0Sep 28: net -5, cumulative -5Sep 29: net -3, cumulative -8Sep 30: net -9, cumulative -17Oct 1: net -1, cumulative -18Oct 2: net +9, cumulative -9Oct 5: net +9, cumulative +0Oct 6: net +9, cumulative +9Oct 7: net -9, cumulative +0Oct 8: net +5, cumulative +5Oct 9: net +7, cumulative +12Oct 12: net +5, cumulative +17Oct 13: net -1, cumulative +16Oct 14: net -5, cumulative +11Oct 15: net +5, cumulative +16Oct 16: net +1, cumulative +17Oct 19: net -5, cumulative +12Oct 20: net +9, cumulative +21Oct 21: net +3, cumulative +24

    Universes: 11 S&P sector ETFs; SPY and RSP; 20-session highs and lows across sector ETFs, tracked mega-caps, SPY, RSP, QQQ and IWM. Not covered by current data sources: NYSE and Nasdaq advance/decline counts; Exchange-wide new highs and new lows; Share of index constituents above moving averages. These are left out rather than approximated.

    Relative strength vs SPY1D · 5D · 1M
    RELATIVE STRENGTH VS SPYPERCENTAGE POINTS OF TOTAL RETURN · LEADING = AHEAD OF SPY IN ALL THREE WINDOWS
    Sector ETFs
    Name1D5D1MTrend
    EnergyXLE-0.25 pp+0.33 pp+10.37 ppMixed
    HealthcareXLV-1.02 pp+2.41 pp+5.36 ppMixed
    Cons. StaplesXLP-1.26 pp+0.76 pp+5.32 ppMixed
    UtilitiesXLU-0.24 pp+0.22 pp+3.68 ppMixed
    Cons. DiscretionaryXLY-0.50 pp+3.16 pp+2.89 ppMixed
    FinancialsXLF+0.04 pp+2.33 pp+2.28 ppLeading
    MaterialsXLB-0.35 pp+2.87 pp+1.60 ppMixed
    Real EstateXLRE-1.29 pp+0.92 pp-0.99 ppMixed
    IndustrialsXLI+0.38 pp+0.31 pp-1.12 ppMixed
    TechnologyXLK+1.14 pp-1.44 pp-3.91 ppMixed
    Comm. ServicesXLC-1.64 pp-2.13 pp-3.99 ppLagging
    Tracked large caps
    Name1D5D1MTrend
    MicrosoftMSFT-0.33 pp-0.60 pp+7.03 ppMixed
    AmazonAMZN-0.63 pp+2.81 pp+2.94 ppMixed
    TeslaTSLA+2.88 pp+4.80 pp+2.03 ppLeading
    AppleAAPL+0.79 pp-0.15 pp+1.29 ppMixed
    NvidiaNVDA+2.01 pp-0.16 pp-2.99 ppMixed
    AlphabetGOOGL-2.15 pp-4.16 pp-4.64 ppLagging
    Meta PlatformsMETA-0.06 pp-5.88 pp-5.27 ppLagging
    BroadcomAVGO+0.50 pp-2.88 pp-7.28 ppMixed
    Micron TechnologyMU+1.43 pp-0.51 pp-16.60 ppMixed
    Global markets & cryptoNikkei -1.30% · ETH +1.79%
    MarketLast1D
    Nikkei 225 · JapanLocal close Oct 2064,075.42-1.30%
    Euro Stoxx 50 · Europe6,207.52+1.40%
    FTSE 100 · U.K.10,752.88+0.19%
    Hang Seng · Hong KongLocal close Oct 2023,867.74-1.32%
    Bitcoin$84,488+1.86%
    Ethereum$2,490+1.79%
    Solana$108+1.51%
    XRP$1.3900+4.51%
    Data & sourcesSome feeds unavailable · 100% coverage · generated Oct 21, 2026, 3:34 PM CDT

    Moves compare the latest completed U.S. session with the prior close. Breadth is the share of the 11 sector ETFs that finished higher. Market data from Yahoo Finance via yfinance, with Stooq as a fallback for core indexes.