U.S. markets are closed Saturday. The S&P 500 finished Friday up 0.62%, the Nasdaq gained about 1.3%, and the Dow added about 0.3%. Weak hiring reduced pressure for an immediate rate hike, but it can also point to softer customer demand.
Read the market without a finance degree.
One page for the numbers that moved, the reports coming up, and what all of it means if you are just getting started.
Markets in plain English
The Pit
What moved, what is coming, and why a beginner should care.
The VIX is Wall Street’s fear meter, built from S&P 500 options. It finished at 14.90, down 1.65% for the day; a reading near 15 implies relatively calm expected swings, not an absence of risk.
CNBC Cboe VIX closing quote ↗The 10-year Treasury yield helps set mortgage, business-loan, and stock values. It was 2.7 basis points below Thursday’s close after the jobs report, meaning bond buyers expected less immediate pressure for higher Federal Reserve rates.
CNBC 10-year Treasury quote ↗The important moves
Stock news, translated
Not every headline matters. These are the stories changing what investors expect next.
CFTC restricts sportsbook-style displays on prediction markets
The regulator told event-contract platforms to use market prices or probabilities instead of American plus-minus betting odds.
Source: Commodity Futures Trading CommissionS&P 500 closes 0.62% higher after the jobs report
The index finished at 7,758.01, up 48.05 points from Thursday’s close.
Source: CNBC closing quoteU.S. payrolls fall and prior gains are revised lower
Payrolls fell by 23,000 in July, unemployment slipped to 4.1% because fewer people participated in the labor force, and May-June gains were cut by a combined 103,000.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCloudflare grows 36% and raises its full-year outlook
Cloudflare reported $696.1 million in quarterly revenue, $56.4 million in free cash flow, and a new full-year revenue forecast of $2.864 billion to $2.870 billion.
Source: Cloudflare investor relationsSweetgreen cuts its outlook as outbreak fear hurts demand
Sweetgreen expects same-store sales to fall 7% to 8% in 2026 and adjusted EBITDA to be a $23 million to $27 million loss, even though the chain is not implicated in the cyclospora outbreak.
Source: CNBCDraftKings volume grows while quarterly revenue falls
Sports consumer volume rose 15% to $13.1 billion, but revenue fell 5% to $1.443 billion because of customer-friendly results and heavier promotions.
Source: DraftKings investor relationsWendy’s U.S. same-restaurant sales fall 7%
Wendy’s withdrew its 2026 outlook after U.S. systemwide sales fell 8.2%, and it cut its quarterly dividend to $0.07 from $0.14 to preserve cash for a turnaround.
Source: Wendy’s investor relationsCompany report cards
Earnings coming up
Revenue means sales. EPS means profit per share. Guidance is management's forecast.
Wendy’s
Wendy’s is a global quick-service burger chain with more than 7,000 company-operated and franchised restaurants.
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Wendy’s quarterly results ↗Traffic, value-menu response, U.S. restaurant margin, franchisee health, and the details of new leadership’s turnaround plan.
Cloudflare
Cloudflare provides website security, content delivery, network services, and developer infrastructure used to build and run AI applications and agents.
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Cloudflare quarterly results ↗Whether agent products keep revenue growth above 30%, whether free cash flow keeps improving, and whether the official net loss narrows after restructuring costs.
DraftKings
DraftKings operates online sports betting, casino games, fantasy sports, lottery tools, and prediction markets.
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DraftKings quarterly results ↗Promotion spending, prediction-market growth, state legal challenges, and whether the company can maintain its unchanged full-year guidance.
Sweetgreen
Sweetgreen operates fast-casual restaurants centered on salads, bowls, and other fresh prepared foods.
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CNBC earnings and outlook report ↗How quickly guest traffic recovers from broad produce fears, whether restaurant margins stabilize, and whether digital demand offsets weaker store visits.
New to the market
IPO watch
An IPO is the first public sale of a private company's stock. The opening price can move far beyond the advertised range.
Jersey Mike’s Subs
$23 IPO price · opened at $21Jersey Mike’s is a sandwich franchise that earns much of its money from royalties and advertising fees tied to restaurant sales.
CNBC IPO report ↗Reformation
$15 IPO priceReformation sells fashion online and through stores, using small production runs to test demand before committing more inventory.
CNBC consumer IPO report ↗