Market Week: January 26, 2026
The Markets (as of market close January 23, 2026)
Last week was marked by volatility as investors moved cautiously ahead of this week’s Federal Reserve meeting. Wall Street struggled to find direction amidst tariff concerns and geopolitical tensions, resulting in sharp moves in key sectors, with several major market indexes ultimately ending the week lower. The Dow, the S&P 500, and the NASDAQ declined for the second straight week, impacted by disappointing corporate forecasts and geopolitical uncertainty. Toward the end of the week, a rebound in big tech, coupled with positive economic data, helped offset early-week losses. Among the market sectors, energy, materials, and consumer staples outperformed, while financials, information technology, industrials, and utilities lagged. Crude oil prices extended gains for the fifth consecutive week, supported by geopolitical and supply risks.
Market Week: January 19, 2026
The Markets (as of market close January 16, 2026)
The U.S. stock market endured quite a bit of volatility last week. A rally last Thursday wasn’t enough to prevent the three major market indexes, the Dow, the S&P 500, and the NASDAQ, from closing in the red. The Global Dow and the small caps of the Russell 2000 posted modest gains by last week’s end. After starting the week with mixed to higher returns, results turned choppy mid-week before Thursday’s rebound. Friday saw stocks tick lower. Consumer staples, industrials, and real estate led the market sectors, while financials underperformed. Last week marked the start of fourth-quarter earnings season, which delivered mixed results from some major banks, although the semiconductor sector provided a major boost. Investors had to decipher plenty of economic news and data, including a pending tariff ruling by the Supreme Court, domestic and international upheaval, the Justice Department’s investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, and inflation data that was unchanged on its face, but showed rising shelter prices, food costs, and energy prices. Crude oil prices rose for the second straight week, influenced by lingering geopolitical risks versus easing fears of an immediate U.S. strike on Iran.
Market Week: January 12, 2026
The Markets (as of market close January 9, 2026)
Wall Street responded to mixed economic data by closing higher last week. The Dow reached a record high, ending the week well above the 49,000 milestone, surpassing that mark for the first time in its history. Investors were not deterred by a rather lukewarm jobs report, as the S&P 500 closed at a new record high, while a mid-week profit-taking in tech and AI stocks wasn’t enough to prevent the NASDAQ from also closing notably higher. The Russell 2000, which is reactive to industrials, healthcare, and financials, outperformed the larger-cap indexes. Nine of the 11 market sectors ended the week higher, led by materials, industrials, and energy. Information technology and utilities closed marginally in the red. Ten-year Treasury yields ticked lower. Crude oil prices inched higher as markets responded to unrest in Iran and continued uncertainty over the Venezuelan crude oil supply.
Market Week: January 5, 2026
The Markets (as of market close January 2, 2026)
Wall Street began 2026 in rather lackluster style, with each of the major benchmark indexes listed here closing the week lower, with the exception of the Global Dow. A brief tech rally last Friday wasn’t enough to prevent stocks from closing the week in the red. The common year-end rally, known as the “Santa Claus rally,” never materialized as the market notched four straight losing sessions to close out December. Investors appear to be exercising caution as they await the Federal Reserve’s next move in response to sticky inflation and a cooling labor market. Among the 11 S&P 500 market sectors, only energy, utilities, industrials, and materials moved higher, while consumer discretionary, information technology, and financials saw associated stocks fall the furthest. Ten-year Treasury yields edged slightly higher, reflecting ongoing fiscal and inflation concerns. Crude oil prices ticked higher, while gold prices edged lower.
Market Week: December 22, 2025
The Markets (as of market close December 19, 2025)
The stock market declined for most of last week, only to rally last Thursday and Friday. The last two weeks have been “catch-up” periods for the economy with the release of a large influx of economic data following the 43-day government shutdown. While last week started with heavy selling, particularly in the tech sector, a cooler-than-expected Consumer Price Index (see below) last Thursday helped drive the market higher. The S&P 500 and the NASDAQ ended the week higher, while the Dow, the Global Dow, and the small caps of the Russell 2000 closed down. Of the 11 S&P 500 market sectors, only consumer discretionary and health care outperformed. The remaining sectors closed the week in the red, with energy falling nearly 4.0%. Crude oil declined for a second straight week with prices falling to their lowest levels in nearly five years, as concerns over a global supply glut and trade tensions outweighed geopolitical risks. Despite unemployment rising (see below), evidence of waning inflationary pressures is leading some analysts to suggest a “Santa Claus” rally (historically occurring over the last five days of December) is in the offing.
Market Week: December 15, 2025
The Markets (as of market close December 12, 2025)
Wall Street experienced a mixed week highlighted by the Federal Reserve’s policy decision (see below) and a retreat from technology shares. Illustrative of the week’s volatility, the Dow and the S&P 500 reached record highs mid-week following the Fed’s latest rate cut, before retreating at the end of the week. Despite a negative close last Friday, the Dow, the Global Dow, and the Russell 2000 ended the week higher, while the NASDAQ and the S&P 500 finished the week in the red. Investors moved out of technology and AI stocks and into more cyclical shares like financials, materials, and small-cap stocks. Treasury yields, which move inversely to bond prices, were mixed for the most part, ultimately trending upward by week’s end. The Fed’s overall sentiment that the economy, particularly the labor market, should hold up in 2026 reduced the demand for long-term bonds. Ongoing expectations of a global surplus pulled crude oil prices lower again last week.
Market Week: December 8, 2025
The Markets (as of market close November 5, 2025)
The stock market was largely driven by mixed labor data and optimism over a possible interest rate cut following the Federal Reserve’s meeting next week. Each of the benchmark indexes listed here ended last week higher, with AI stocks playing a significant role. The NASDAQ and small caps of the Russell 2000 led the way, while the S&P 500 approached a new record high. Information technology, energy, and consumer discretionary outperformed among the market sectors, while health care and utilities lagged. Bonds experienced a challenging week, with Treasury yields climbing over 10 basis points, as a selloff in bonds resulted in a drop in price. The latest inflation data (see below) showed consumer prices were up 0.8 percentage point over the Fed’s 2.0% target. Crude oil prices ticked up as concerns about global oversupply were offset somewhat by ongoing geopolitical tensions and the expectation for a rate cut by the Federal Reserve.
Market Week: December 1, 2025
The Markets (as of market close November 28, 2025)
Wall Street experienced a strong Thanksgiving week, largely erasing losses from the preceding volatile period. Increasing hopes of an interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve next month helped fuel the rally. After a shaky few weeks, tech stocks surged last week, driving the NASDAQ to its largest weekly gain in quite some time. As more economic data is released following the reopening of the federal government, investors are able to get a better grasp on the state of the economy. For instance, initial job claims fell, while durable goods orders and retail sales rose. However, producer prices also advanced, further evidence of escalating inflationary pressures. Each market sector ended last week with gains, led by consumer discretionary, communication services, materials, and information technology. The yield on 10-year Treasuries continued to slip as growing expectations of a rate cut help push bond prices higher, weighing on yields. Oversupply continued to drag crude oil prices lower.
Market Week: November 24, 2025
The Markets (as of market close November 21, 2025)
Volatility continued to characterize the stock market last week. Wall Street endured significant swings driven by a mix of key corporate earnings reports, important economic data following the government’s reopening, and shifting expectations for the Federal Reserve interest rate policy. Each of the benchmark indexes listed here ended the week in the red, unable to recover from a sharp midweek sell-off, despite a rally last Friday. Most of the negative market returns were within the consumer discretionary and information technology sectors. Communication services outperformed last week. Tech shares took a notable downturn last week, despite a favorable earnings report from a major AI/tech giant. The release of the September jobs report (see below), delayed due to the government shutdown, provided mixed signals on the state of the U.S. economy in general and Federal Reserve policy in particular. Better-than-expected job growth was offset by an increase in the unemployment rate, which reinforced the Fed’s dilemma regarding future interest rate cuts. The yield on 10-year Treasuries eased slightly, ending the week down eight basis points. Oversupply concerns drove crude oil prices to a four-week low.
Market Week: November 17, 2025
The Markets (as of market close November 14, 2025)
Last week was marked by the re-opening of the U.S. government after a prolonged shutdown. However,
despite a significant boost to the stock market at the beginning of the week, the positive momentum waned as the week progressed as investors were concerned about high valuation of AI stocks and uncertainty over Federal Reserve policy. The NASDAQ and the Russell 2000 ended the week in the red, while the S&P 500, the Dow, and the Global Dow closed higher. The AI sector, which has been a major market mover for much of the year, experienced significant volatility as investors worried about long-term sustainability. Health care, energy, and materials were market sector gainers, while consumer discretionary and communication services underperformed. Ten-year Treasury yields rose, likely reflecting reduced expectations for another interest rate cut at the next Federal Reserve meeting in December. Crude oil prices moved very little from the prior week as ongoing concerns surrounding increasing U.S. inventories and overproduction weighed on prices.