Fast food for thought

Insights and research on global events shaping the markets

Nvidia tops the charts with record market cap, and Germany’s economy appears sluggish, while American purchasing power recedes. Each week, the Syz investment team takes you through the last seven days in seven charts.

Most major U.S. stock indexes finished the week lower as optimism surrounding large-cap technology and AI-related stocks was largely outweighed by concerns around accelerating inflation, rising Treasury yields, elevated oil prices, and lingering geopolitical uncertainty. Within the S&P 500 Index—which closed at a record high on Thursday before pulling back Friday—the energy sector advanced the most, while consumer staples and IT also posted gains. On the other hand, the consumer discretionary, real estate, and materials sectors led declines. U.S. Treasuries fell over the week as yields increased across most maturities in response to higher energy prices and inflation fears. As of Friday afternoon, the yield on the benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury note had increased to around 4.59%, the highest level in over a year.

Meanwhile, we compare the AI bubble to the internet bubble. Each week, the Syz investment team takes you through the last seven days in seven charts.

US equities extended their rally to a sixth consecutive weekly gain, the longest streak since 2024. The S&P 500 advanced 2.3% on the week, while the Nasdaq surged 4.5%, both setting fresh record highs. The Dow lagged at +0.2%. AI infrastructure remained the dominant engine — AMD jumped roughly 20% on the week and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index added more than 10%, bringing its 2026 gain to 65%. April nonfarm payrolls printed at 115,000 vs. 65,000 expected, with unemployment steady at 4.3%, reinforcing the soft-landing narrative but strengthening hawkish FOMC voices as markets now flirt with bets of a Fed hike later this year.

Meanwhile, nearly half of Google’s quarterly profit driven by mark-to-market gains on private AI investments. Each week, the Syz investment team takes you through the last seven days in seven charts.

The S&P 500 closed at a fresh all-time high on Friday, rising for a 5th consecutive week, its longest weekly winning streak since 2024. This brings the index up +15% since the March 30 low, also marking April as the best month for stocks since November 2022. Stocks largely shrugged off the stream of sometimes conflicting headlines about the war in the Middle East and a surprisingly hawkish Federal Reserve policy meeting to post solid gains in most major indexes. Large-cap stocks outpaced small-caps, and value outperformed growth. Five of the “Mag 7” companies reported earnings, with financial results generally meeting or exceeding expectations for these bellwether firms. Meanwhile, major central banks keep rates on hold amid war uncertainty.

1 2 3 4 5

Investing with intelligence

Our latest research, commentary and market outlooks