Evening Market Recap - Thursday, 8-Jan

US equities were stronger in the first full week of 2026, with the Dow, S&P 500, and the Russell 2000 ending at fresh record highs. There was a lot of evolution regarding Venezuela in the week following the US capture of Nicolas Maduro. December nonfarm payrolls rose 40K, below the Street. December ISM manufacturing printed below consensus and remained in contraction for the tenth straight month.

US equities finished mostly higher in Thursday trading. Breadth was notably positive with equal-weight S&P outperforming the benchmark by more than 110 bp. Several dynamics in focus as market continues to wait for NFP, SCOTUS decision on IEEPA tariffs, start of Q4 earnings and Fed chair pick by President Trump.

U.S. equities finished mostly lower in Wednesday trading, closing near the worst levels of the session. Geopolitics and a heavy data slate dominated attention, though economic releases did little to shift Federal Reserve expectations. In corporate news, political commentary from President Trump drove sharp moves in defense and housing-related stocks and mergers and acquisitions remained a key source of support for select names.

U.S. equities finished higher in Tuesday trading, ending near session highs with the S&P 500 posting a fresh record close; its first since 24-Dec. A few dynamics were in focus today, with notable movers in both directions following Nvidia's CES keynote. Memory/storage and select semiconductor stocks were the big AI trade beneficiaries, while semiconductors more broadly were also supported by Microchip's guidance raise and a pro-cyclical rotation that defined Monday's session.

US equities closed higher in Monday trading, though ended a bit off best levels. Geopolitics dominated the headlines amid developments in Venezuela, but the impact on broader market sentiment was fairly muted. In macro news, December ISM manufacturing printed at 47.9, below the 48.7 consensus and November's 48.2

Stocks ended lower this week with most discussion centered on the failed Santa Claus rally/lack of seasonal tailwind, while broader macro catalysts were limited. December FOMC minutes offered no surprises, and reinforced expectations for cautious, gradual easing in 2026 though division within the Fed remains a key focus point. Housing data modestly surprised to the upside, jobless claims declined w/w, and markets continued to look ahead to early-2026 catalysts.

It was another very quiet, low-volume session ahead of tomorrow's Christmas Eve early close. Big tech was mostly higher with Nvidia faring best. Today's economic data offered mixed macro takeaways with stronger hard data (GDP, ADP private payrolls) but weaker soft data (Consumer Confidence, Richmond Fed Index).

US equities finished higher in Monday trading, ending not far from best levels. It was a fairly quiet session from a headline perspective, but the momentum from late last week carried over into a broad risk-on day. A bit of Fedspeak today in macro news.

Major US equity indices were mixed this week. Major AI infrastructure names saw additional scrutiny after reports of stalled negotiations for a $10B Michigan datacenter with Blue Owl Capital, Oracle's largest datacenter partner (though Oracle says the project remains on track). However, other AI headlines from the week were more upbeat, including a very well-received earnings report from Micron.

US equities higher in Thursday trading, just off their best levels. Disinflation traction and better tech/AI sentiment were the big pieces to today's risk-on, broad-based rally. Additionally, the day saw the coolest core CPI print in nearly five years adding support to dovish Fed narrative.