Market Volatility Hits 2026 Low as S&P 500 Trading Ranges Compress

Market volatility has been historically low this month. On Tuesday, the S&P 500's intraday trading range was just 0.46%, near its lowest since December, and for most of August the index's intraday range has not exceeded 0.75%.
Since the start of the month, this indicator has surpassed 1.00% in only two sessions, on August 3 and August 4, making August the least volatile month so far in 2026 by this metric.
Meanwhile, the $VIX is trading below 17 points for a third consecutive week, the longest such streak since the final two weeks of 2025 and the first week of this year.