Stocks trade higher, lifted by crypto, commodities: AlphaCheck

Stocks trade higher, lifted by crypto, commodities: AlphaCheck

Grace O'Donnell · Editor, Special Projects

Fri, August 21, 2026 at 4:57 PM GMT+3 1 min read

Good morning. Stocks traded in the green at the open on Friday but were still pacing for weekly losses after this week's bond market intrigue. A rally in bitcoin (BTC-USD) lifted crypto stocks, while defensive names lagged.

Here's a check of the markets in the first few minutes of trading, based on a heat map powered by Yahoo Finance AlphaSpace data.

Stocks were broadly green, with the exception of Utilities (XLU). The Basic Materials (XLB) sector was the morning's leader as commodities like copper (HG=F) and gold (GC=F) rose. Financial stocks (XLF) also saw strength, propelled by gains in Robinhood (HOOD) and Coinbase (COIN) stocks. (Disclosure: Yahoo Finance has a partnership with Coinbase.)

Here are some notable stocks that Yahoo Finance readers are viewing this morning: Strategy (MSTR), SK Hynix (SKHY), Coinbase, Circle (CRCL), Alibaba (BABA), Robinhood, Freeport-McMoRan (FCX).

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