August ETF Review

August was a positive month for stocks, which ended higher as measured by the S&P 500, and bonds, which rose modestly. Stocks are up in 2026, aiming for a 20% return for large-caps and better for smaller ones.

During July, I decided to stop writing at Seeking Alpha, as I explained in writing. Not to worry! I am still writing a lot, and I am working on finding a new spot.

The Market

July was a rough month, and August was better. The S&P 500 has returned 13.1% with dividends included, and the price is up 12.5% for SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) in 2026 so far. This leaves the market on track to post a return for the full year just below 20%. At the same time, iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF (AGG) has declined in price in 2026. With dividends included, the return has been -0.2%, which is negative and well below cash.

During August, the S&P 500 rose in price by 2.6% to 7686.14. SPY was fractionally higher, rising 2.7%.

Here is the entire list of 88 ETFs sorted by total return for August:

ETF Model Portfolio Update

Looking at the sectors in the S&P 500, the returns in August ranged from -4.8% for Utilities to 7.4% for Energy. Technology, now up 29.9% year-to-date, is the largest sector, while Energy, up 45.0% year-to-date, is much smaller. Here are these two sectors year-to-date in price:

Consumer Discretionary and Communication Services are down year-to-date.

I am attaching my data for the ETFs that I follow sorted alphabetically:

ETF Focus List as of 08-31-26.xlsx

Download XLSX • 51KB

Here is the model portfolio: