August saw the equity market make good the losses it experienced post its mid-July peak, with earnings and benign data helping the fightback. With August in the rearview mirror, here's a look at the leaders and laggards among the S&P 500 Index, a broader gauge of market performance.

3-Part Trend: The month's trading could be characterized as a tale of three trends. Stocks extended the weakness into August, with the S&P 500 bottoming on Aug. 5, coinciding with the collapse of the global equity markets. The unwinding of the yen carry trades due to the yen's strength...