10 things that mattered on Thursday, September 3, 2026
The S&P 500 had its best day in a month and closed within 0.6% of its record. Bitcoin and Snowflake led the gains, while the July trade deficit widened sharply.
- 01
The S&P 500 rose 1.05% and sits 0.6% below its record
SPY closed at $773.17, its best day since August 4. The Nasdaq 100 gained 1.2%, and small caps rose 0.4%.
SPY, last six months SPY, last six months - 02
Snowflake jumped 16.6% after raising its outlook
Product revenue rose 37% to $1.49 billion, and the full-year product revenue guide rose to $6.07 billion from $5.84 billion. The stock closed at $356.47, its highest since December 2021.
SNOW, last six months SNOW, last six months - 03
Bitcoin climbed above $81,000 and crypto stocks followed
The bitcoin fund IBIT rose 5.8% to its highest close since May. Coinbase gained 10.1%, and Circle rose 16.5% to close above $100 for the first time since June 2.
IBIT (bitcoin fund), last six months IBIT (bitcoin fund), last six months - 04
The trade deficit widened to $88.6 billion in July
The gap grew from $71.2 billion in June, a $17.4 billion jump in one month. A wider deficit subtracts from GDP.
US trade balance ($ millions), last five years US trade balance ($ millions), last five years - 05
Jobless claims stayed low at 207,000
First-time claims rose by 3,000 in the week to August 29. Continuing claims held near 1.78 million, so layoffs remain low.
Initial jobless claims, last five years Initial jobless claims, last five years - 06
The 30-year mortgage rate rose to 6.71%
Freddie Mac's weekly rate climbed from 6.66% to its highest since July 2025. It follows the 10-year Treasury yield with a lag.
30-year mortgage rate (%), last five years 30-year mortgage rate (%), last five years - 07
The 10-year yield eased to 4.76%
The Treasury yield fell about 3 basis points, pulling back from its highest close since January 2025. Stocks rallied on the same day.
10-year Treasury yield (%), last twelve months 10-year Treasury yield (%), last twelve months - 08
The VIX fell to 14.32 and Fear & Greed returned to Neutral
Volatility dropped 0.88 points to its lowest close since August 14. Fear & Greed rose to 51 from 44.
VIX, last six months VIX, last six months - 09
NYSE new highs beat new lows
On the NYSE, 64 stocks made new 52-week highs and 43 made new lows. The net of 21 was the best reading since August 25.
NYSE-listed new highs minus new lows, last twelve months NYSE-listed new highs minus new lows, last twelve months - 10
Due Friday: the August jobs report
Payrolls, the unemployment rate and wage growth come out before the open. July added just 21,000 jobs, so the August number will get close attention.
Data as of the Thursday, September 3, 2026 close. The ten items are picked by fixed rules from the site's daily data (the size of each move, signals that changed state, and economic releases weighted by importance), then checked and written by hand. Charts end on the brief's date. Research and education, not financial advice.