Weekly Trading Recap: July 13–17, 2026
S&P 500 / ES-MES Futures | Quanntick DT Algorithm
---
Market Overview
It was a rough week for the bulls. The MES opened Monday at 7,583.75 and by Friday's close was sitting at 7,495.00 — a loss of 88.8 points, or roughly 1.2% on the week. The weekly range was 153.25 points, spanning from a high of 7,632.00 down to a low of 7,473.00, which tells you there was real two-sided volatility at play, not just a slow grind lower.
Monday set the tone. The session opened near 7,593 and sold off steadily throughout the day, closing at 7,565.75 for a 27.5-point loss — the worst day of the week. There wasn't much of a bounce; price just bled. Tuesday reversed some of that damage, with the S&P 500 closing higher, boosted by semiconductor stocks after June CPI came in at 3.5% — below the consensus forecast of 3.8%. That cooler-than-expected inflation print gave the market room to breathe, and the MES followed, posting a modest +8.0 point gain on the session, closing at 7,591.75.
Wednesday extended the bid. Price pushed up to an intraday high of 7,626.25 — the high of the entire week — before fading into the close at 7,614.25, up another 7.2 points. Wednesday's session was relatively muted at the index level as chipmakers suffered losses and traders continued to digest cooling inflation data. That chip weakness started showing up as overhead resistance near the 7,626 level, which would prove meaningful.
Thursday confirmed what Wednesday's fade was hinting at. Stocks fell as a sell-off in technology stocks overshadowed solid earnings reports, with the S&P 500 losing 0.51% and the Nasdaq declining 1.47%. Chip stocks slid after weakness in Taiwan. The MES dropped 24 points on the session, closing at 7,573.00 — a clean rejection off the week's high.
Then came Friday, which was the most dramatic session of the week. A selloff in chip stocks deepened as investors reassessed the sustainability of this year's AI-fueled rally, while a weak forecast from Netflix added to the pressure. Oil rose above $80 per barrel as conflict intensified in the Middle East. The MES opened Friday at 7,485.25 — a massive gap lower — and immediately pushed down to the weekly low of 7,473.00. From there it actually found buyers, rallying +20.2 points to close at 7,505.50. That intraday reversal off the week's low is notable, though it wasn't enough to close the gap or change the weekly narrative. The VIX reflected the stress all week — opening at 16.32 and closing at 18.77, a +15% jump.
Bottom line on the market: it peaked mid-week at 7,626, got smacked by tech and semiconductor weakness, and closed the week near the lower end of its range. The 7,473 low and 7,626 high are now the key levels to watch going forward.
---
DT Algorithm: 6W / 4L | -37.8 pts | -$189
This was a grind of a week for the DT algo — six wins, four losses, and a net negative on the week. That's the reality of trading in a market that doesn't trend cleanly, and I'd rather be transparent about it than spin it.
The week opened with a loss. Monday's long entry at 7,605.00 got stopped out at 7,589.00 for -16 points ($-80). Given that Monday's session was the weakest day of the week — opening near 7,593 and closing at 7,565 — that long entry was swimming against the current from the start.
Tuesday was the algo's best session. Three separate long entries, all profitable. The first entry at 7,591.00 exited at T2 for +5.0 points ($+25). A second long at 7,586.25 was managed with a trail stop and captured +5.3 points ($+26). A third entry at 7,594.50 was closed at end-of-day for +1.0 point ($+5). That's exactly the kind of day the DT algo is designed to exploit — a clear directional move with room to work, supported by the CPI catalyst driving a morning rally.
Wednesday split. The first long at 7,621.25 — right near the week's high — got stopped out for -16.1 points ($-80). That entry was chasing strength at resistance, and the market rejected it hard. The second long at 7,603.75 recouped some of that, hitting T1 for +8.4 points ($+42), and an EOD close at 7,612.00 added another +2.5 points ($+12).
Thursday's single trade was another stop — long at 7,611.25, stopped at 7,594.85 for -16.4 points ($-82). The session dropped 24 points, so this was another instance of the algo entering long into a session that had no intention of going higher.
Friday showed some resilience. A long at 7,530.25 hit T1 for +5.0 points ($+25) — that entry caught the intraday reversal off the weekly low, which was the right read on the tape. A second entry at 7,535.00 reversed and stopped out for -16.4 points ($-82), which is just the nature of a volatile, gap-down Friday session.
The algo's lifetime record stands at 178W / 83L (68% win rate), and weeks like this — where the market chops and reverses at key levels — are where drawdowns accumulate. No surprises there.
---
TF Algorithm: 0W / 1L | -18.0 pts
The TF algo posted one loss and no wins this week, finishing -18.0 points. In a week defined by failed breakouts — price tagging 7,626 and reversing hard — trend-following setups had no follow-through to work with. When the market reaches a weekly high mid-week and then sells off 150+ points into Friday, trend signals get whipsawed. It's a difficult environment for that strategy and the numbers reflect that honestly.
---
Next Week
We're closing the week near 7,495 on the MES — roughly in the middle of the weekly range but well off the 7,626 high, and only about 22 points above the 7,473 low. That's a precarious spot. If Friday's reversal off the low was genuine accumulation, there's a case for a bounce early next week. If it was just short-covering into the weekend, expect another test of 7,473 and potentially a breakdown.
The semiconductor narrative is the dominant theme heading into next week. Earnings season is in full swing — any major tech or chip-related reports will be the primary catalyst. Watch the VIX: closing above 18.75 means the market is still in "risk-off" mode, and both algos will need clean, definitive price action to generate quality setups. Choppy, headline-driven sessions remain the hardest environment to trade systematically.
---
Paper Trade With Quanntick
If you've been watching the algo results and want to see how the system performs in real-time without putting capital on the line, now is a good time to start paper trading. You'll get a feel for how entries are timed, how stops are managed, and — importantly — how a week like this one fits into the broader 68% win rate picture. [Start your free paper trading trial at Quanntick.com.]