Weekly Stock Market Update | Dow, S&P 500, NASDAQ News – January 18, 2026

The markets this week were primarily influenced by company earnings and interest rate outlook, impacting a broadening stock market. Major banks such as JPMorgan, Citigroup, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo saw a downturn this week after disappointing investors. The investment firms Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley however showed signs of a promising year ahead. These fluctuations indicate that the financials are not representative of the overall market and investors might be in for a strong reporting period.

The S&P 500 is forecasted to post an overall earnings growth of 12% to 15% for 2026. The overall market outlook for the year is reliant on corporate executives’ confidence in their forward guidance, with a predicted ending on a roughly 10% gain for the S&P 500. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 83.11 points, the S&P 500 fell 0.06% and closed at 6,940.01, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.06% to settle at 23,515.39.

Shares in Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley rose, whereas JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America showed a fall of 5% each over the week. The week also witnessed shares in Taiwan Semi and other chip stocks, as well as PNC and Regions Financial bank shares, rise following a strong quarterly report. Other market fluctuations included a 15% weekly rise of silver prices and a sharp fall in Capital One, Citi and JPMorgan shares due to President Donald Trump’s warning to credit card issuers on capping interest rates.

For the upcoming week, investors will closely observe macroeconomic reports including Construction Spending, Consumer Price Index reading and earnings reports from enterprises such as Fastenal, Netflix, United Airlines, and more. The markets will be closed on January 19 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

In the volatile week, US stock market witnessed a mixed performance with the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 displaying little change, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average underwent a slight decline. The three major averages lost less than 1% for the week and the small-cap index, Russell 2000, managed to close at a recording high, extending year-to-date gains to 8%. Tensions around geopolitical matters, speculation over the choice of the next Fed chair and strong bank earnings all contributed to the stock market’s behavior this week.

TSMC and Nvidia experienced a rise, attributing to a promising US-Taiwan trade deal that may lead to a significant boost in American chip and tech manufacturing. Bank stocks such as PNC and Regions Financial witnessed a climb following their strong quarterly results while Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley benefited from profit gains. Silver prices saw a slight fall due to the easing of the threat of US tariffs.

The S&P 500 slipped to 6,940.01 while the Dow Jones lost 83.11 points to close at 49,359.33. The Nasdaq composite fell to 23,515.39, but Silicon Valley giants Broadcom and Micron Technology saw gains. On the other hand, the regional banks displayed mixed results with PNC surging by 3.8% and Regions Financial falling by 2.6%.

Earnings season saw an optimistic trend as 7% of S&P 500 companies reported a promising 8.2% increase in earnings per share for Q4, marking the 10th consecutive quarter of annual earnings growth. Big Tech continues its influential role with increased earning expectations, especially for tech companies. The forthcoming week is expected to be eventful with President Trump’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos and continued speculation about the next Federal Reserve Chair.