Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq mixed as Home Depot leads out big retail earnings

by | Aug 19, 2025 | AI News

US stocks mostly fell on Tuesday as weakness in Big Tech weighed on the broader indexes.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) ended the session just above the flat line, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) slipped about 0.6%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) fell roughly 1.5%, extending a muted start to the week for the major gauges. Losses in tech were led by a 9% plunge in Palantir (PLTR) and a more than 5% slide in AMD (AMD). Chip giant Nvidia (NVDA) also dropped about 3.5%.

After months of concentration in a handful of growth giants, leadership has begun to broaden out, with more economically sensitive sectors like Health Care (XLV), Homebuilders (XHB), and small- and mid-cap stocks playing a larger role in powering this summer’s move to record highs.

On Tuesday, the gains were concentrated in more defensive corners of the market, with Real Estate (XLRE), Consumer Staples (XLP), Utilities (XLU), and Health Care among the standouts.

Earlier in the session, a steady march of earnings reports from retail giants began with Home Depot’s (HD) second quarter results before the bell, slightly missing Wall Street’s estimates. But shares of the company closed up 3% as Tuesday’s report marked its return to consistent same-store sales growth in the US amid signs that a prolonged slump in the US housing market is starting to thaw.

Target (TGT) will post its earnings results on Wednesday, followed by Walmart (WMT) on Thursday. Taken together, the group’s results will provide insight into how companies and consumers are faring as Trump’s tariffs kick in.

Read more: The latest on Trump’s tariffs

In the tech world, Intel (INTC) stock got a boost after SoftBank said it will take a $2 billion stake in the chipmaker, which is in the middle of a turnaround bid. That lifeline followed a Bloomberg report that the Trump administration is looking to take a 10% stake in the struggling company.

Meanwhile, President Trump continued to press for further Ukraine talks, reportedly asking Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky. European leaders rallied around the Ukrainian president at his meeting with Trump on Monday, but markets hit pause as uncertainty loomed over his country’s fate.

LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER 22 updates

  • US stocks slid Tuesday as weakness in Big Tech dragged on the broader market.

    The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) barely held above the flat line, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell around 0.6% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq (^IXIC) dropped 1.5%, led by sharp losses in Palantir (PLTR) and AMD (AMD).

  • Yahoo Finance’s Jennifer Schonberger reports:

    Read more here.

  • Palantir (PLTR) stock slid further in afternoon trading on Tuesday, falling more than 9%, as the AI-led tech sell-off dragged the major indexes lower and extended a multiday slide for one of 2025’s top S&P 500 performers.

    With Tuesday’s losses, the tech and defense name is now on track for its fifth consecutive day in the red, its longest losing streak since March.

    The pressure on AI names comes at a moment when the broader market rally is starting to show signs of rotation beyond Big Tech.

    After months of concentration in a handful of growth giants, sectors like Health Care (XLV) and Homebuilders (XHB), along with small- and mid-cap stocks, have taken on a larger role in driving this summer’s move to record highs.

    Still, given Big Tech’s outsized weighting in the index, if the group isn’t leading, gains in the S&P 500 are unlikely to be as sharp or one-sided as they’ve been over the past two years — a dynamic on display in Tuesday’s trading.

    Read more about the rotation trade here.

  • Yahoo Finance’s Ines Ferre reports:

    Bitcoin (BTC-USD) hit a record high last week, but analysts at Bernstein think the current crypto bull market could see the world’s largest cryptocurrency hit an even bigger milestone in the near future: $200,000.

    In a note to clients published Tuesday, Gautam Chhugani and the digital assets team at Bernstein said they see bitcoin reaching its cycle peak between $150,000 and $200,000 in the next 6-12 months during what the firm is calling a “long, exhausting bull run” for crypto into 2027.

    “We believe we are in the middle of a digital assets revolution backed by regulatory reform,” the firm wrote. “Now we believe the Trump admin. is in mission-critical mode (incl. SEC/CFTC) to build U.S into the crypto capital of the world, so market peak is not anywhere near. We expect a long Crypto bull market, continuing the surge into 2026 and potentially peak in 2027.”

    Read more here.

  • Yahoo Finance’s Dan Howley reports:

    Read more here.

  • Rotation is at the forefront of the market action on Tuesday.

    Eight of the 11 sectors in the S&P 500 are in the green, led by Real Estate (XLRE), Consumer Staples (XLP), and Healthcare (XLV). Nearly 400 stocks in the benchmark index are higher on the day too.

    But the S&P 500 is down about 0.4% as the most loved sector of the bull market — large-cap technology stocks — is lagging on Tuesday. That downside action is being led by a 2% decline in Nvidia (NVDA), an almost 6% decline in Palantir (PLTR), and over 3% losses for both AMD (AMD) and Netflix (NFLX).

    Rotating out of recent winners and into market laggards has been an emerging trend in August. Market strategists have pointed out that, for the long run, this could be the “healthiest path” higher for the benchmark index.

    But Tuesday’s action is a reminder to index investors that, given its weighting in the index, if Big Tech isn’t the group leading the market higher, the gains in the S&P 500 won’t be as aggressively up and to the right as they have been for the past two years.

  • NorthWestern Energy shares jumped nearly 6% Tuesday after announcing that it is merging with fellow utility company Black Hills to create a “premier regional regulated electric and natural gas utility company.”

    The two companies will have a combined value of about $15.4 billion and serve over 2 million customers across eight states: Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

    “Together, we will be better positioned to meet rising demand, accelerate investment in energy and grid infrastructure, and support customers and communities through a rapidly evolving energy landscape,” said NorthWestern Energy President and CEO, Brian Bird.

    Black Hills stock rose a more modest 1% on the news.

  • Yahoo Finance’s Francisco Velasquez reports:

    Read the story here.

  • Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin company, has appointed former White House cryptocurrency adviser Bo Hines, Yahoo Finance’s David Hollerith reports.

    Hollerith writes:

    Read the full story here.

  • Opendoor Technologies (OPEN) stock rallied 6% at the market open before paring gains on Tuesday morning as the company continues its executive search following CEO Carrie Wheeler’s departure, Yahoo Finance’s Jake Conley reports.

    Conley writes:

    Read the full story here.

  • Nexstar Media Group (NXST) is set to expand its dominance in US broadcasting with a $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna Inc. (TGNA), a deal that will create the nation’s largest local TV station group.

    The transaction, which includes Tegna’s net debt and fees, is expected to close in the second half of 2026 pending regulatory approvals. The Wall Street Journal first reported earlier this month that Nexstar was in advanced talks to acquire Tegna.

    Shares of Nexstar jumped over 6% shortly after the opening bell on Tuesday, while Tegna shares rose around 4% on the news.

    According to the release, the combination will create a leading local media company with 265 full-power television stations in 44 states and Washington, D.C., covering 132 of the nation’s 210 television markets and reaching about 80% of US TV households. The new entity will hold stations in nine of the top 10 designated market areas (DMAs) and 41 of the top 50.

    Nexstar Chairman and CEO Perry Sook said the merger reflects both companies’ commitment to local broadcasting and builds on Nexstar’s “record of growth” through acquisitions, which includes its 2019 purchase of Tribune Media and its majority stake in The CW network in 2022.

    Sook added that deregulatory initiatives from the Trump administration have created an opportunity for broadcasters “to expand reach, level the playing field, and compete more effectively with the Big Tech and legacy Big Media companies.”

    The companies expect about $300 million in annual net synergies and project the transaction will be more than 40% accretive to Nexstar’s free cash flow in the first 12 months post-closing.

    Citi analyst Jason Bazinet said the transaction adds about $25 per share of M&A value to Nexstar’s outlook. He raised his price target on the stock to $218 from $186 as a result, while maintaining a Neutral rating.

  • US stocks were mixed on Tuesday.

    The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) edged up 0.1%, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell about 0.2%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) declined 0.4%, continuing Wall Street stocks’ muted start to the week.

    Home Depot (HD) led out this week’s results from retail giants, with its earnings report on Tuesday showing a return to consistent same-store sales growth in the US amid signs that the housing market could begin to recover.

    In the tech world, Intel (INTC) shares jumped after SoftBank said it’s taking a $2 billion stake, and the Trump administration reportedly weighed taking its own stake worth up to 10% of the troubled chipmaker.

    Wall Street is looking ahead to Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s highly anticipated speech in Jackson Hole on Friday, signaling the central bank’s latest views on interest rates.

  • Yahoo Finance’s Daniel Howley reports:

    Read more here.

  • Viking Therapeutics (VKTX) stock tumbled 35% in premarket trading after a phase 2 trial of its weight-loss pill showed a high patient dropout rate.

    The GLP-1 obesity treatment showed some promising results: Patients lost 12.2% of body weight after 13 weeks. However, 28% of patients dropped out of the trial before it was completed.

    Viking’s oral obesity drug, VK2735, aims to compete with Eli Lilly’s drug, orforglipron, which saw a 12% weight-loss rate after 72 weeks. Eli Lilly shares rose 1.5% in premarket trading.

    “Data look inferior to LLY on almost all metrics and the thing to consider here is that patients discontinued at such a high rate over 13-weeks vs. LLY in the mid 20% range — but over 72-weeks,” Mizuho analyst Jared Holz wrote in a note. “A much longer trial, and [therefore] LLY looks far better head-to-head.”

    Read more here.

  • US stock futures were muted after the S&P reiterated its credit rating for the US. The 10-year Treasury yield (^TNX) and 30-year yield (^TYX) fell by about 2 basis points to 4.32% and 4.92%, respectively.

    Bloomberg reports:

    Read more here.

  • American shoppers have kept the engine of the nation’s GDP humming along. But it’s worth pinpointing where all that resilience is coming from, as Yahoo Finance’s Hamza Shaban lays out in today’s Morning Brief.

    Read more here.

  • Shares of medical device maker Medtronic (MDT) fell 3% premarket after the company announced it would add two new independent directors to its board.

    Veteran med-tech executives John Groetelaars and Bill Jellison were appointed, the company said. The change comes as activist investor Elliott Investment Management has become one of its largest shareholders.

    Additionally, the board formed two new committees, helmed by CEO Geoff Martha. The Growth Committee will evaluate M&A opportunities, R&D investments, and potential divestitures. The Operating Committee will focus on margin expansion and operational efficiency.

  • Home Depot (HD) released its second-quarter earnings on Tuesday. The retailer’s stock fell about 2% premarket before recovering.

    Yahoo Finance’s senior reporter Brooke DiPalma looks at the latest from the home improvement retailer and how the US housing slump has impacted its bottom line.

    Read more here.

  • The stock market’s record rally is showing early signs of broadening beyond Big Tech as investors rotate into lagging sectors, but strategists warn its durability hinges on earnings and Fed policy.

    Yahoo Finance’s Allie Canal reports:

    Read more here.

  • Here’s a look at some of the top stocks trending in premarket trading:

    Palo Alto Networks (PANW) shares rose 5% in premarket trading on Tuesday after the Santa Clara cybersecurity firm forecast fiscal 2026 revenue and profit above analysts’ estimates, citing growing demand for its AI powered cybersecurity solutions.

    Digital banking group Nu holdings (NU) stock rose 2% before the bell after Morgan Stanley (MS) analyst Jorge Kuri reiterated a Buy rating on the company and set a price target of $18.00.

    Intel (INTC) stock rose premarket more than 6% after Softbank Group (9984.T) announced a $2 billion capital injection into the US chipmaker that is currently in the middle of a turnaround effort.

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