Thursday, August 13, 2026

QNTM Day Wrap — Thursday, August 13, 2026

The QNTM model portfolio returned +1.81% today, well ahead of SPY's +0.66%. Conviction across the 1,422-name universe sat at 50.2, with only 3.7% of stocks flagged high-conviction — a selective, RISK_ON tape with VIX near 14.7.

What drove it: The model's 50-name book skewed toward the session's actual leadership — AI-adjacent momentum and small/mid-cap names — which is where today's real gains concentrated. The S&P 500 added 0.65% and topped 7,800 for the first time, while the Nasdaq gained 0.81%, boosted by Meta Platforms, Micron, and Netflix . The Russell 2000 hit a record 3,067, up over 23% year-to-date — consistent with the breadth QNTM's quality/momentum pillars tend to reward in a low-vol, risk-on regime. Names tied to slower earnings reactions likely lagged: Cisco and Cerebras both fell after earnings, per reports.

Market recap: The July producer price index came in unchanged , extending Wednesday's cool CPI print. Brent fell over 2% to $87.07 and WTI slid to $81.25 as traders weighed falling oil demand amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict — matching QNTM's $81.21 WTI read. Treasury yields eased on lower rate-hike odds.

What's next: Watch Applied Materials' after-hours results and next week's retail sales for confirmation the soft-inflation, risk-on setup holds.

Educational research only — not investment advice.