Historical note: compiled on October 4, 2026; the observation cutoff is the date in this article (2026-08-04, New York close).
At the August 4 New York close, semiconductor ETF SMH gained about 5.5%, Micron 7.6% and Nvidia 2.6%, against QQQ’s 3.4% and SPY’s 1.8%. After lagging in the previous session, the chip basket moved ahead; Micron was stronger still.
VIX also rose, from 15.86 to 16.50, about 4.0%. Cboe defines it as near-term expected volatility reflected in S&P 500 index options, not a direct probability of a decline. BLS had scheduled July’s employment report for August 7 and July CPI for August 12. Both results were still unknown on August 4, although that calendar alone does not establish what caused VIX to rise.
Long-duration Treasury ETF TLT gained about 0.8%. Chips, long bonds and implied volatility rose together.
Sources: Yahoo Finance historical daily prices SMH, MU, NVDA, SPY, QQQ, ^VIX, TLT; Cboe VIX definition; BLS August release calendar. Market data refer to the 2026-08-04 New York close; daily changes compare adjacent trading sessions in the retrieved close series. The vendor’s adjustment rules have not been independently verified; investor total returns were not calculated. Mechanism interpretations are research judgments. Personal research and opinion for information only; not investment advice.
NVDA and MU are mentioned solely as research subjects, not as KSINQ recommendations to buy, sell or hold them. The cited price changes reflect past performance and do not predict future results.