Trade Offs

February 23, 2026

  Equity markets rose on Friday to close higher for the week following the Supreme Court decision to overturn the Trump Administration’s use of unilateral emergency tariffs. For the week, the S&P 500 Index was +1.1%, the Dow Jones Industrials +0.3%, and the NASDAQ +1.2%. The Communication Services, Industrials, and Consumer Discretionary sectors led the …

Couldn’t Stick the Landing

February 17, 2026

  Despite upbeat economic and corporate earnings news, stocks fell for a second consecutive week. For the week, the S&P 500 Index was -1.3%, the Dow Jones Industrials -1.2%, and the NASDAQ -1.3%. The Utility, Real Estate, and Materials sectors led the S&P 500 Index for the week, while the Financials, Communication Services, and Consumer …

Fickle Investor Sentiment

February 9, 2026

  Concerns over large AI-related capital expenditure announcements rattled technology stocks. This pressured the NASDAQ, whereas the Dow Jones Industrial Average eclipsed 50,000 for the first time in its history. For the week, the S&P 500 Index was -0.1%, the Dow Jones Industrials +2.5%, and the NASDAQ -1.9%. The Consumer Staples, Industrial, and Energy sectors …

Digging Out

January 26, 2026

  Geopolitical tensions around Greenland improved last week after some high-profile meetings at the World Economic Forum in Davos. A choppy week left stocks mixed with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrials lower and the NASDAQ higher. For the week, the S&P 500 Index was -0.3%, the Dow Jones Industrials -0.5%, and the NASDAQ …

Mixed Signals

January 20, 2026

  A positive fundamental outlook for stocks risks being blunted by geopolitical concerns. Last week, the S&P 500 Index was -0.4%, the Dow Jones Industrials -0.3%, and the NASDAQ -0.9%. The Real Estate, Consumer Staples, and Industrial sectors led the S&P 500 Index for the week, while the Financials, Consumer Discretionary, and Communication Services sectors …

Opening Moves

January 5, 2026

  Stocks posted a positive return on 2026’s first trading day, but a negative return for the week. Last week, the S&P 500 Index was -1.0%, the Dow Jones Industrials -0.7%, and the NASDAQ -1.7%. The Energy, Utilities, and Industrial sectors all had positive returns and led the S&P 500 Index for the week, while …

Last Call

December 29, 2025

  Stocks head into the final week of trading with double-digit gains for the year. Last week, the S&P 500 Index was +1.4 %, the Dow Jones Industrials +1.2%, and the NASDAQ +1.2%. The Materials, Technology, and Financial sectors led the S&P 500 Index for the week, while the Consumer Staples, Consumer Discretionary, and Health …

Christmas Market

December 22, 2025

  Stocks finished mixed again last week. The S&P 500 Index was +0.1%, the Dow Jones Industrials -0.6%, and the NASDAQ +0.6%. The Consumer Discretionary, Materials, and Health Care sectors led the S&P 500 Index for the week, while the Energy, Real Estate, and Consumer Staples sectors lagged. The 10-year U.S. Treasury note yield was …

Mixed

December 15, 2025

  The Federal Reserve followed-through and provided an interest rate cut but concerns over the AI trade left markets mixed last week. The S&P 500 Index finished last week -0.6%, the Dow Jones Industrials +1.1%, and the NASDAQ -1.9%. The Materials, Financials and Industrials sectors led the S&P 500 Index, while the Communication Services, Technology, …