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(Updates story with closing stock prices.)
August has been a strong month for broad U.S. stock indexes — the best since the April bounce-back from the pandemic lows in March.
In addition to the technology rally, there have been partial rebounds for troubled industries, including cruise lines, airlines, and hotel and casino operators.
Below are lists of the month’s best performers among the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.78%, S&P 500 SPX, -0.21% and Nasdaq-100 NDX, +0.95% indexes.
The Dow rose 7.6% during August and ended the month down 0.4% for 2020. (All price changes in this article exclude dividends.) The S&P 500 Index was up 7% for August and up 8.3% for 2020. The Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, +0.68% was up 9.6% for August and up 31.2% for the year, while the Nasdaq-100 Index (which includes the largest 100 nonfinancial companies in the Nasdaq) was up 11% for August and up 38.7% for 2020.
As the market opened Monday, shares of Apple Inc. AAPL, +3.39% underwent a four-for-one split, while Tesla Inc. TSLA, +12.56% completed a five-for-one split. Apple’s split-adjusted stock ended the session up 21.4% for August and up 75.8% for 2020. Tesla was up 74.1% for August and 495.6% for 2020.
The modified Dow
On Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average underwent three changes:
Salesforce.com Inc. CRM, +0.57% replaced Exxon Mobil Corp. XOM, -1.84%, Amgen Inc. AMGN, +0.07% replaced Pfizer Inc. PFE, -0.31%, and Honeywell International Inc. HON, -1.68% replaced Raytheon Technologies Corp. RTX, -1.99%.
Here’s how all 30 components of the Dow performed in August and for 2020 (you will need to scroll the table to see all the data):
| Company | Ticker | Price change – August | Price change – 2020 | Price change – 2019 |
| Salesforce.com Inc. | CRM, +0.57% | 39.9% | 67.6% | 18.7% |
| Apple Inc. | AAPL, +3.39% | 21.4% | 75.8% | 86.2% |
| Nike Inc. Class B | NKE, -0.35% | 14.6% | 10.4% | 36.6% |
| Walt Disney Co. | DIS, -2.70% | 12.8% | -8.8% | 31.9% |
| Visa Inc. Class A | V, -1.72% | 11.3% | 12.8% | 42.4% |
| Honeywell International Inc. | HON, -1.68% | 10.8% | -6.5% | 34.0% |
| Microsoft Corp. | MSFT, -1.47% | 10.0% | 43.0% | 55.3% |
| McDonald’s Corp. | MCD, -0.06% | 9.9% | 8.1% | 11.3% |
| Dow Inc. | DOW, -2.02% | 9.9% | -17.6% | N/A |
| American Express Co. | AXP, -0.92% | 8.9% | -18.4% | 30.6% |
| Boeing Co. | BA, -2.26% | 8.7% | -47.3% | 1.0% |
| 3M Co. | MMM, -1.59% | 8.3% | -7.6% | -7.4% |
| Home Depot Inc. | HD, -0.43% | 7.4% | 30.5% | 27.1% |
| Walmart Inc. | WMT, -1.03% | 7.3% | 16.8% | 27.6% |
| Caterpillar Inc. | CAT, -0.91% | 7.1% | -3.6% | 16.2% |
| Intel Corp. | INTC, +1.03% | 6.7% | -14.9% | 27.5% |
| Merck & Co. Inc. | MRK, -0.44% | 6.3% | -6.2% | 19.0% |
| Procter & Gamble Co. | PG, -0.31% | 5.5% | 10.8% | 35.9% |
| Johnson & Johnson | JNJ, -0.15% | 5.2% | 5.2% | 13.0% |
| Coca-Cola Co. | KO, -0.60% | 4.8% | -10.5% | 16.9% |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co. | JPM, -2.51% | 3.7% | -28.1% | 42.8% |
| Amgen Inc. | AMGN, +0.07% | 3.5% | 5.1% | 23.8% |
| Goldman Sachs Group Inc. | GS, -0.77% | 3.5% | -10.9% | 37.6% |
| UnitedHealth Group Inc. | UNH, -0.57% | 3.2% | 6.3% | 18.0% |
| Verizon Communications Inc. | VZ, +0.01% | 3.1% | -3.5% | 9.2% |
| Travelers Cos. Inc. | TRV, +0.12% | 1.4% | -15.3% | 14.4% |
| International Business Machines Corp. | IBM, -1.40% | 0.3% | -8.0% | 17.9% |
| Chevron Corp. | CVX, -1.98% | 0.0% | -30.4% | 10.8% |
| .Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. | WBA, -1.90% | -6.6% | -35.5% | -13.7% |
| Cisco Systems Inc. | CSCO, +0.04% | -10.4% | -12.0% | 10.7% |
| Source: FactSet | ||||
S&P 500
Here’s how the 11 sectors of the S&P 500 have performed in August and for 2020:
| S&P 500 Sector | Price change – August | Price change – 2020 | Price change – 2019 |
| Information Technology | 11.8% | 34.8% | 48.0% |
| Consumer Discretionary | 9.4% | 27.1% | 26.2% |
| Communication Services | 9.1% | 15.1% | 30.9% |
| Industrials | 8.3% | -4.6% | 26.8% |
| Consumer Staples | 4.6% | 3.8% | 24.0% |
| Materials | 4.2% | 2.5% | 21.9% |
| Financials | 4.1% | -18.7% | 29.2% |
| Health Care | 2.5% | 6.0% | 18.7% |
| Real Estate | -0.1% | -6.6% | 24.9% |
| Energy | -2.1% | -41.6% | 7.6% |
| Utilities | -3.1% | -8.8% | 22.2% |
| Source: FactSet | |||
Here are the top 20 performers in August among the S&P 500:
| Company | Ticker | Price change – August | Price change – 2020 | Price change – 2019 |
| Royal Caribbean Group | RCL, -1.82% | 41.5% | -48.4% | 36.5% |
| Salesforce.com Inc. | CRM, +0.57% | 39.9% | 67.6% | 18.7% |
| MGM Resorts International | MGM, -5.70% | 39.8% | -32.4% | 37.1% |
| Mosaic Co. | MOS, -3.59% | 35.3% | -15.8% | -25.9% |
| FedEx Corp. | FDX, -0.92% | 30.5% | 45.4% | -6.3% |
| Gap Inc. | GPS, -0.85% | 30.1% | -1.6% | -31.4% |
| Quanta Services Inc. | PWR, -0.27% | 28.2% | 25.9% | 35.2% |
| Nvidia Corp. | NVDA, +1.72% | 26.0% | 127.4% | 76.3% |
| Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. | NCLH, -3.27% | 25.4% | -70.7% | 37.8% |
| Delta Air Lines Inc. | DAL, -3.56% | 23.7% | -47.2% | 17.2% |
| Marriott International Inc. Class A | MAR, -3.15% | 22.8% | -32.0% | 39.5% |
| Varian Medical Systems Inc. | VAR, +0.53% | 21.7% | 22.3% | 25.3% |
| Southwest Airlines Co. | LUV, -3.16% | 21.7% | -30.4% | 16.1% |
| Apple Inc. | AAPL, +3.39% | 21.4% | 75.8% | 86.2% |
| Live Nation Entertainment Inc. | LYV, -3.25% | 21.3% | -20.5% | 45.1% |
| Expedia Group Inc. | EXPE, -2.71% | 21.2% | -9.2% | -4.0% |
| Freeport-McMoRan Inc. | FCX, -0.25% | 20.8% | 19.0% | 27.3% |
| Wynn Resorts Ltd. | WYNN, -4.47% | 20.7% | -37.0% | 40.4% |
| L Brands Inc. | LB, -0.91% | 20.4% | 62.3% | -29.4% |
| Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. | HLT, -1.49% | 20.4% | -18.5% | 54.5% |
| Source: FactSet | ||||
Nasdaq-100
Here are the 10 best-performing stocks among the Nasdaq-100 during August:
| Company | Ticker | Price change – August | Price change – 2020 | Price change – 2019 |
| Tesla Inc. | TSLA, +12.56% | 74.1% | 495.6% | 25.7% |
| Workday Inc. Class A | WDAY, -1.71% | 32.5% | 45.8% | 3.0% |
| Zoom Video Communications Inc. Class A | ZM, +8.63% | 28.0% | 377.8% | N/A |
| Nvidia Corp. | NVDA, +1.72% | 26.0% | 127.4% | 76.3% |
| Marriott International Inc. Class A | MAR, -3.15% | 22.8% | -32.0% | 39.5% |
| Apple Inc. | AAPL, +3.39% | 21.4% | 75.8% | 86.2% |
| Expedia Group Inc. | EXPE, -2.71% | 21.2% | -9.2% | -4.0% |
| Ulta Beauty Inc. | ULTA, -2.04% | 20.3% | -8.3% | 3.4% |
| Advanced Micro Devices Inc. | AMD, +6.16% | 17.3% | 98.0% | 148.4% |
| Facebook Inc. Class A | FB, -0.15% | 15.6% | 42.9% | 56.6% |
| Source: FactSet | ||||
