August is done, and markets climbed to new all-time highs again 📈.
With earnings season nearly over, some companies impressed while others disappointed. August gave us plenty to look back on.
Which of our stocks stood out, which ones fell behind, and what changes did we make this month? Check out our full August recap! 👇
📢 Don’t miss it: tomorrow (or Monday at the latest) we’ll share our Best Buys for September, so make sure to check your inbox! Next week we’ll be a bit quieter than usual, as we will enjoy a week of sun ☀️.
What Moved the Markets in August?
August was a relatively quiet month, even as the major indexes climbed to even higher all-time highs.
On the macro side, inflation stayed in the spotlight. Core inflation ticked a little higher to 2.9%, but at Jackson Hole Fed Chair Jerome Powell sounded more dovish and kept hopes for a September rate cut alive.
The U.S. government surprised markets by taking a 10% stake in Intel. Officials also hinted that similar moves in other chip companies could follow, which underlines how strategic semiconductors have become.
Software stocks came under further pressure this month, with many big names sliding. Monday.com fell more than 30%, Atlassian dropped 11%, and even SAP slipped 5%, as the launch of GPT-5 added to fears that AI could disrupt existing software businesses. Earlier this month we published an article on this topic: Is AI Really Killing Software?
The big event of the month was Nvidia’s earnings. The company once again beat expectations, but it wasn’t enough to push the overall market higher. That shows how much optimism is already priced in.
Overall, August brought record highs but also a wait-and-see mood. Investors are now looking to September for the next real drivers: the Fed’s rate decision and fresh economic data.
Now let’s see how the three major indexes performed in August:
S&P 500: +1.9% (+9.8% YTD) 📈
Nasdaq: +1.6% (+11.1% YTD) 📈
Dow Jones: +3.2% (+7.1% YTD) 📈
Portfolio Performances: How Did We Do?
Curious how our portfolios performed this month?
Let’s dive in — see how we stacked up against the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Dow Jones, which stocks were the top performers, and what moves we made last month!
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