S&P 500 Snapshot: Strong Start To Jackson Hole Week

 | Aug 19, 2014 01:17AM ET

The S&P 500 rallied at the open and drifted higher to its 0.87% intraday high during the lunch hour. It then traded in a narrow range to its 0.85% close. The popular press attributes the gain to reduced tensions in Ukraine. It also comes in advance of potential Fed signals in Wednesday's release of the FOMC minutes for their July meeting and more significantly, from the Fed's Jackson Hole summit that starts on Thursday. The index is up 6.67% year-to-date and only 0.82% off its record close.

Treasury yields again headed lower. The yield on the 10-year Note closed at 2.39%, up 5 bps from Friday's close.

Here is a 15-minute chart of the past five sessions.