A rally on Friday couldn’t spare US stocks from weekly losses. The Dow fell roughly 3.1% for its worst week since March 2023. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq both dropped more than 2% and posted their fourth consecutive losing week. Ongoing uncertainty surrounding trade policy seemed to drive much of the negative sentiment as new tariff announcements continued throughout the week. Growth concerns and increasing recession fears—which were amplified by comments from President Trump regarding a “period of transition” for the U.S. economy—also weighed on sentiment during the week.

Global fixed income markets saw historic moves last week, with German yields posting their second-largest weekly surge on record, the ECB delivering another rate cut, and U.S. rate expectations shifting higher.

ReArm Europe’s €800bn defence plan is boosting European defense stocks while Germany’s historic debt move sends bond yields to their worst drop since 1990. Each week, the Syz investment team takes you through the last seven days in seven charts.

Stocks suffered their worst week in six months as an avalanche of geopolitical and macro-economic headlines crossed paths with an ugly technical situation. The S&P 500, Nasdaq and Russell 2000 indices all fell by over 3%, while the Dow Jones shed 2.37%, erasing most of its year-to-date gains. Ongoing uncertainty around trade policy remained a focal point throughout the week. Macro data shows manufacturing growth slowing while services activity is accelerating. The U.S. economy added 151,000 jobs in February, slightly below expectations but ahead of January’s reading of 125,000. In Europe, the STOXX Europe 600 Index ended 0.69% lower, snapping 10 weeks of gains.

Flash note

Flash note

The fixed-income landscape is shifting as U.S. Treasury yields drop, the UST-Bund spread collapses, and EM credit markets navigate widening spreads and political risks—setting the stage for a crucial month of central bank decisions.

Nvidia crushes expectations, bitcoin reacts to liquidity crunch, and the Fed’s recession alarm blinks red! Each week, the Syz investment team takes you through the last seven days in seven charts.

Most U.S. stock indexes declined for the 2nd consecutive week, although the Dow finished 0.95% higher, adding to its year-to-date outperformance versus the other major indexes. Growth stocks significantly underperformed, and the Nasdaq recorded its worst weekly drop since early September as shares of NVIDIA fell 8.5% on Thursday following the chipmaker’s highly anticipated earnings report. Tariff fears also continued to be a drag on equities as President Trump reiterated plans to impose new levies on several trade partners by March 4. On the macro side, the US core personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index rose by 0.3% in January, in line with expectations.

Gold has been trading near record highs, consolidating for the past few weeks around USD 2900.