# Market Roundup Tuesday, August 18, 2026: Top AI Directional Signals

**Category:** Trending Topics | **Published:** Tuesday, August 18, 2026 | **Author:** Haruspex

> Haruspex AI analyzed 3+ stocks. Top signal: MPC at 75.0/100. Full breakdown inside.

## Stock Scores

| Symbol | Company | Score | Change | Outlook |
|--------|---------|-------|--------|---------|
| MPC | Marathon Petroleum Corporation | 75.0 | +25.0 | bullish |
| ASX | ASE Technology Holding Co., Ltd. | 71.0 | +21.0 | bullish |
| LLYVA | Liberty Live Holdings, Inc. | 66.0 | +16.0 | bullish |

**TL;DR:** Haruspex's scoring engine flagged bullish directional pressure across 3 stocks on 2026-08-18 ET, with **MPC** leading at 75.0/100.

Trading day 2026-08-18 ET. The dimension engine surfaced the following names by overall directional pressure — read these as market behavior signals, not company-quality ratings.

### Macro Regime Monitor

| Metric | Current | Key Level |
| --- | --- | --- |
| S&P 500 | 7745.06 (-0.52%) [data: 2026-08-18 close] | 5,200 support / 5,400 resistance |
| VIX | 15.79 [data: 2026-08-18 close] | 22 elevated · 30 panic |
| 10Y Yield | 4.74% [data: 2026-08-18 close] | 4.5% pressure threshold |
| WTI Crude | $84.31 [data: 2026-08-18 close] | $85 inflation pivot |
| DXY | 99.63 [data: 2026-08-18 close] | 105 strong-dollar pressure |

### Today's Top Signals

- **MPC** (Marathon Petroleum Corporation): score **75.0/100** (+25.0) — bullish pressure, bullish outlook.
- **ASX** (ASE Technology Holding Co., Ltd.): score **71.0/100** (+21.0) — bullish pressure, bullish outlook.
- **LLYVA** (Liberty Live Holdings, Inc.): score **66.0/100** (+16.0) — bullish pressure, bullish outlook.

### Which dimensions are driving the tape?

Technical_momentum and options_flow account for the bulk of the score movement in the top tier today. Where supply_chain or social_sentiment is also flagged, the directional pressure tends to persist into the following session.

### Risk Factors

- A sharp VIX expansion can flip the dimension mix toward defensive scoring.
- Single-stock catalysts (earnings, guidance, FDA, geopolitical) override the dimension engine on the day-of.

### What Would Change This View

- If the average score across the top 5 listed names falls more than 8 points within five sessions, the directional pressure thesis is invalidated.
- If VIX closes above 25 for two consecutive sessions while SPY breaks the 20-week MA, defer the constructive outlook.
- If 10Y yield clears 4.75% with DXY above 105, expect the rate-sensitivity dimension to override the current tape.

### Outlook

The directional pressure layer is best confirmed by a second consecutive session in the same direction. Watch the next score release for whether today's top names compound.

*This article was assembled by Haruspex's deterministic generator because both Gemini and Claude were unreachable. Numbers reflect the same multi-dimensional scores used by the AI pipeline. Not financial advice.*

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*Source: [Haruspex Insights](https://haruspex.guru/insights/trending-topics-2026-08-18)*
*Disclaimer: AI-generated analysis for informational purposes only. Not financial advice.*