Markets Insights
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Insight Into 2026
The S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq ended lower over the week, influenced by light holiday trading and profit-taking as 2025 closed out.
Santa Is On His Way. Will He Deliver On Time?
US stocks turned sharply lower on Friday, with the Nasdaq leading the way lower amid a broader rotation from tech to value names.
AI Cash Burn
A “tame” inflation report toward the end of the week boosted expectations that Federal Reserve would cut interest rates, which helped lift stocks.
Will The Santa Rally Continue?
The week opened with a strong rally on Monday: the S&P 500 rose ~1.5%, and Nasdaq jumped nearly 2.7%.
Did The Year-End Rally Start On Friday?
Strong earnings reports (for example from Nvidia) failed to fully offset worries about stretched valuations and rising yields.
The Dip Was Bought, But Is The Low In?
Dividends are on the ropes—but investors might not want to give up just yet.
Are We Bottoming?
Elon Musk thanked Tesla shareholders after they approved an unprecedented pay package making the world’s richest person a trillionaire for meeting certain business targets.
Stock Market Valuations
At the start of the week, the major indexes reached record highs: the S&P 500 rose about 1.2% on Monday (Oct 27), the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed ~0.7%, and the Nasdaq Composite jumped ~1.9%.
Bad News Doesn't Matter
A key anchor for the market was softer-than-expected inflation data, which reduced fears of aggressive rate hikes and bolstered expectations that the Fed could begin easing policy.
Do Bank Earnings Hold The Key?
Tech, especially semiconductor and AI-related stocks, were a strong driver. For example, Broadcom surged nearly 10 % after an AI-processor deal with OpenAI.