
How Major US Stock Indexes Fared Aug. 18
Later this week will come profit reports from Walmart and other big U.S. retailers, which could show how households are navigating a slowing job market and worries about tariffs. The week's highlight will likely arrive Friday, when the Federal Reserve's chair will give a speech that Wall Street hopes will hint at cuts to interest rates coming soon.
On Monday:
The S&P 500 fell 0.65 points, or less than 0.1 percent, to 6,449.15.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 34.30 points, or 0.1 percent, to 44,911.82.
The Nasdaq composite rose 6.80 points, or less than 0.1 percent, to 21,629.77.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 7.95 points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,294.47.
For the year:
The S&P 500 is up 567.52 points, or 9.6 percent.
The Dow is up 2,367.60 points, or 5.6 percent.
The Nasdaq is up 2,318.98 points, or 12 percent.
The Russell 2000 is up 64.31 points, or 2.9 percent.

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Bloomberg
17 minutes ago
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Powell's Last Stand at Jackson Hole
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Yahoo
21 minutes ago
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Billionaires Buy a Brilliant Vanguard Index Fund That Could Turn $500 Per Month Into $442,400 With Help From the "Magnificent Seven" Stocks
Key Points A few wealthy hedge fund managers added shares of the Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF in the second quarter. The Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF has nearly 60% of its assets invested in "Magnificent Seven" stocks. The Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF has returned 669% since its inception, compounding at 12.2% annually. 10 stocks we like better than Vanguard World Fund - Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF › Recently filed Forms 13F indicate these billionaire-led hedge funds bought shares in the Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF (NYSEMKT: MGK) during the second quarter: Cliff Asness' AQR Capital Management added 6,205 shares, doubling its stake. Ken Griffin's Citadel Advisors added 10,498 shares, starting a small position. David Shaw's D.E. Shaw added 8,190 shares, starting a small position. While none of these hedge funds have particularly large positions in the Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF, it's still a worthwhile holding as part of a diversified portfolio. The index fund provides heavy exposure to the "Magnificent Seven" stocks, and history says it can turn $500 per month into $442,400 in the next 20 years. Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF is heavily invested in the "Magnificent Seven" stocks The Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF tracks 69 large U.S. companies that account for 70% of U.S. equities by market value. In particular, the index fund is focused on growth-oriented stocks in the technology sector, but a large percentage of its assets are also invested in the consumer discretionary sector. Here are the top 10 holdings in the Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF, listed by weight: Nvidia: 14.4% Microsoft: 13.9% Apple: 10.8% Amazon: 7.7% Broadcom: 4.9% Meta Platforms: 4.6% Alphabet: 4.5% Tesla: 3.1% Eli Lilly: 2.3% Visa: 2.2% The Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF has nearly 60% of its assets in the "Magnificent Seven" stocks, some of the most competitively advantaged and fundamentally sound companies in the world. Compared to the other 493 members of the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC), the "Magnificent Seven" have consistently reported faster earnings growth, as detailed below: The "Magnificent Seven" reported earnings growth of 31% in 2023, while the remaining 493 companies in the S&P 500 reported an earnings decline of 4%. The "Magnificent Seven" reported earnings growth of 40% in 2024, while the remaining 493 companies in the S&P 500 reported an earnings decline of 4%. More importantly, Wall Street analysts expect the "Magnificent Seven" to keep outperforming the other S&P 500 companies through at least 2026 as the artificial intelligence (AI) market expands. The Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF could turn $500 per month into $442,400 in 20 Years The Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF has returned 669% since its inception in December 2007, which is equivalent to 12.2% annually over the last 18 years. That period covers such a broad range of economic and market conditions -- two recessions, three bear markets, and eight market corrections -- that investors can reasonably expect similar returns in the future. Assuming the index fund continues to gain 12.2% annually, $500 invested monthly would be worth $106,300 in one decade and $442,400 in two decades. But some investors may prefer to save more or less. The chart details how different monthly contribution amounts would grow over time, assuming the index fund returns 12.2% annually. Holdings Period $200 Per Month $400 Per Month $600 Per Month Five years $15,300 $30,600 $45,900 10 years $42,500 $85,000 $127,500 20 years $176,900 $353,900 $530,900 Returns determined with the compound interest calculator. Table by author. The last item of consequence is the expense ratio. The Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF has a reasonable expense ratio of 0.07%, meaning shareholders will pay $7 per year on every $10,000 invested in the fund. 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Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $668,155!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,106,071!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,070% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 184% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of August 18, 2025 Trevor Jennewine has positions in Amazon, Nvidia, Tesla, and Visa. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, Tesla, and Visa. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Billionaires Buy a Brilliant Vanguard Index Fund That Could Turn $500 Per Month Into $442,400 With Help From the "Magnificent Seven" Stocks was originally published by The Motley Fool Connectez-vous pour accéder à votre portefeuille


The Hill
37 minutes ago
- The Hill
Asian shares retreat, tracking tech losses on Wall Street
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