What's Driving the Markets Today? -- WSJ

By WSJ Staff

U.S. stocks trade lower this morning after ending the day with small gains yesterday.

Here are the main things driving the markets today:

Bond yields back up: After a bond selloff earlier this week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stepped in to increase buybacks of long-term Treasuries to increase liquidity-and lower government borrowing costs. But the impact of Treasury's intervention was short-lived. Yields on 30-year Treasury bonds have climbed back to about 5.24%.

Popping crypto stocks: Bitcoin has had a rocky 2026, down around 18% so far this year. But it jumped to nearly $72,000 after President Trump urged Congress to pass the Clarity Act, and with it, crypto-adjacent stocks popped. Coinbase, Strategy, and Mara stocks trade at least 6% higher.

This item is part of a Wall Street Journal live coverage event. The full stream can be found by searching P/WSJL (WSJ Live Coverage).

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 20, 2026 10:13 ET (14:13 GMT)