Mary Ellen McGonagle

Big Tech may grab the headlines, but some of this rally’s strongest participation is showing up elsewhere. The broader participation becomes clearer when Mary Ellen compares the S&P 500’s cap-weighted sectors with their equal-weight counterparts; the gap points to smaller stocks contributing more than the headline indexes suggest. From there, Mary Ellen turns to SCTR to show how longer-term performance can still shape a stock’s rank after a recent pullback.

The market’s rally is gaining support, and it’s not just from higher prices. Strong earnings, improving technicals, and supportive policy developments are creating opportunities across more areas of the market. Mary Ellen looks beyond the major indexes to highlight where leadership is emerging, along with the key technical signals she’s watching to determine whether this rally can continue. This episode originally premiered on August 7, 2026. New videos from Mary Ellen premiere weekly on Fridays.

The S&P 500 ($SPX) surged to a fresh all-time high last week, marking its strongest weekly advance since April and reinforcing the resilience of this bull market. However, beneath the surface of rising prices lies a growing challenge for investors focused on income. S&P 500 Sees Strongest Weekly Advance Since April. Chart source: StockCharts.com. As valuations expand, dividend yields across the index have been compressed to near-generational lows, hovering close to 1%.