U.S. stock indexes finished the holiday-shortened week narrowly mixed, fluctuating throughout the week amid a slew of headlines regarding escalating tensions in the Middle East. Smaller-cap indexes performed best for the week, followed by the Nasdaq Composite, which posted modest gains. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve kept the funds rate unchanged. The Fed’s Summary of Economic Projections showed that policymakers expect to make two interest rate cuts through the remainder of the year, unchanged from their previous projection; however, expectations for inflation and unemployment by the end of 2025 both rose, while projections for GDP growth declined. On Friday, Fed Governor Christopher Waller made comments suggesting the central bank could be in a position to cut rates as soon as July.

Meanwhile, we look into the proposed budget proposal of President Trump and a nuclear tech company with soaring stocks. Each week, the Syz investment team takes you through the last seven days in seven charts.

U.S. stocks declined during the week with the Dow Jones Industrial Average shedding 1.32% and dropping back into negative territory for the year. The S&P 500 Index and Nasdaq Composite fell to a lesser extent and remained positive year-to-date. Major indexes were broadly higher through Thursday, buoyed by some better-than-expected economic data releases as well as reports that trade talks between the U.S. and China had led to a preliminary agreement to ease recent trade tensions. However, sentiment quickly turned negative on Friday morning on news that Israel had launched a series of airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities and military leaders, with a pledge of more attacks to come, to which Iran reportedly responded with a retaliatory attack later on Friday.

Plus, gold leaves its commodity counterparts behind as President Trump and Elon Musk feud. Each week, the Syz investment team takes you through the last seven days in seven charts.

Main U.S. equities indices closed higher for the 2nd week in a row. The Russell 2000 Index outperformed (up +3.2%), while the Nasdaq (+2.2%) and the Dow (+1.2%) both advanced to join the S&P 500 Index in positive territory for the year. At the sector level, Tech outperformed, due in part to upbeat sentiment around AI-related stocks. Tesla was a notable underperformer on the back of Trump-Musk breakdown. On the trade side, tensions between the U.S. and China continued to re-escalate and then eased on Thursday, as Trump and Xi Jinping held a phone call that “resulted in a very positive conclusion for both countries,” according to a social media post from Trump. The highlight of the week’s economic calendar arguably came from Friday’s closely watched US nonfarm payrolls report, which seemed to indicate the labor market is cooling but at a slower pace than many were anticipating. This helped offset the “Musk-Trump tantrum”.

Plus, the Magnificent 7 carries the S&P 500. Each week, the Syz investment team takes you through the last seven days in seven charts.

U.S. stocks rebounded during the holiday-shortened week, although major indexes faced some selling pressure late in the week and finished below their best levels. The Nasdaq led the way, gaining 2.01%, followed by the S&P 500 Index (1.88%). Smaller-cap indexes lagged. Equity markets opened higher following a weekend announcement from President Trump that he would delay the introduction of a new 50% tariff on imports from the EU until July 9. Later in the week, the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that President Trump did not have the authority to impose the vast majority of the global tariffs that have been implemented since the start of his second term, sending stocks sharply higher on Thursday morning; however, the administration quickly appealed the ruling, and a federal appeals court put a temporary hold on the ruling Thursday evening, which led to stocks giving back some gains by the end of the week.

Meanwhile, credit markets are expecting the US credit rating to be cut by six levels, and we see the world’s most expensive Papa John’s pizzas. Each week, the Syz investment team takes you through the last seven days in seven charts.

US stocks pulled back this week as investors have been digesting a Moody's downgrade of US debt, the House's passage of a budget bill that could further increase the Federal deficit, a slew of retailer earnings that suggest that the US consumer has been so-far undaunted by tariff uncertainties, and Friday's social media post from President Trump indicating that the EU could be hit with a much higher import tariff rate as soon as the end of next week if trade negotiations fail US small- and mid-cap indexes fared worst, while the S&P 500 Index and Dow Jones both fell back into negative territory for the year after ending the prior week slightly positive.

Meanwhile, everyone’s in on gold—it's the most crowded trade by a mile. Each week, the Syz investment team takes you through the last seven days in seven charts.