Major U.S. stock indexes rose to record highs during the week; Small-cap stocks rallied, with the Russell 2000 Index gaining 2.16%. The Nasdaq advanced 2.21% for the week, while the S&P 500 Index and Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1.22% and 1.05%, respectively. As expected, the Fed lowered short-term interest rates. Recent weakness in the labor market appeared to be the driver of the central bank’s decision to lower borrowing costs. The Fed’s Summary of Economic Projections indicated that most policymakers expect to lower the central bank’s policy rate by an additional 50 basis points by the end of the year, representing more easing than their last projections made in June. Expectations for rate cuts in 2026 and 2027 also increased.

Most major U.S. stock indexes finished the week higher ahead of the Fed September 16–17 monetary policy meeting, at which the central bank is widely expected to lower short-term interest rates. Enthusiasm surrounding the ongoing AI boom—supported by Oracle’s announcement of a substantial guidance increase amid several large new AI deals—also helped lift major indexes. The Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all notched new record highs during the week, although the Dow and S&P 500 both pulled back modestly in a relatively quiet trading session on Friday. The Russell 2000 Index also advanced, logging its sixth straight week of gains.

Most U.S. equity indexes finished the holiday-shortened week higher. The Nasdaq Composite finished the week 1.14% higher, supported by shares of Apple and Google parent Alphabet, which both rose in the wake of an antitrust ruling that some investors viewed as less severe than expected. Smaller-cap stocks, which can be more sensitive to interest rate movements than larger companies, also advanced for the week. The S&P 500 Index added 0.33%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.32%. The week’s economic calendar brought several reports that painted a bleak picture of the health of the U.S. labor market.

Most U.S. equity indexes ended the week modestly lower on relatively light trading volumes as markets headed into a holiday weekend and the unofficial end of summer. Small-cap stocks outperformed the S&P 500 Index for the third week in a row. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average logged a new record high during the week before losing ground on Friday, ultimately finishing the week lower. Much of the attention was focused on chipmaker NVIDIA’s earnings release after the market closed on Wednesday. Nvidia reported results that generally beat consensus estimates, and while the stock pulled back some on Thursday, the numbers appeared strong enough to ease some recent concerns around the AI-driven rally that has helped propel indexes to all-time highs this year.

The S&P 500 Index rallied on Friday and ended modestly higher after losing ground for the first four days of the week. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s prepared remarks on Friday morning at a symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, appeared to open the door to rate cuts, lifting investor sentiment. The dollar dumped as stocks, bonds, gold, crypto, and oil all ripped higher. US small caps led the charge higher on Friday ripping over 3% higher on the week. The Dow closed at its first new record high since December.

U.S. equities gained this week, largely driven by bets that the Fed would lower rates at its next meeting in September. The Russell 2000 Index outperformed the S&P 500 Index by the widest weekly margin since April. July CPI US inflation data - published on Wednesday - showed that headline inflation cooled modestly in July, with MoM inflation dropping to 0.2% from June’s reading of 0.3%. However, core inflation accelerated to 0.3% from 0.2% in the prior month. Year-over-year jumped to 3.1%, the highest since February. Later in the week, however, the BLS reported that its producer price index (PPI) reaccelerated in July, rising 0.9% compared with estimates for around a 0.2% increase.

U.S. equity indexes advanced for the week, rebounding from the prior week’s sell-off. The Nasdaq Composite performed best, closing the week at a record high, followed by the S&P 500 and Russell 2000 indexes. Apple announced that it would invest $100 billion—in addition to a previously announced $500 billion—in developing U.S.-based manufacturing over the next four years, which would reportedly exempt the company from the Trump administration’s steep tariffs on semiconductors. Shares of the iPhone maker closed the week 13.3% higher, helping support the broader indexes. The Trump administration’s new round of global tariffs kicked in on Thursday but the market reaction appeared to be more muted compared with other recent tariff actions.

U.S. stock indexes recorded their worst week since the early April sell-off. The Russell 2000 fell 4.2%, followed by the Dow Jones (down 2.92%) and S&P 500 (down 2.36%). The Nasdaq Composite held up best (down “only” 2.17%) helped by Microsoft and Meta which reported strong earnings. According to data from FactSet, of the 66% of S&P 500 companies that have reported through Friday morning, 82% have beaten consensus earnings estimates, with a blended earnings growth rate of 10.3%. On Thursday, President Trump signed an executive order to raise tariffs on the vast majority of U.S. trading partners, effective August 7, which appeared to weigh heavily on stock indexes on Friday.

US stocks posted gains for the week, pushing the S&P 500 Index and Nasdaq Composite to record highs for the 2nd consecutive week. The Dow Jones rose 1.26%, while the Russell 2000 index climbed over 0.9%. Stocks were supported by headlines around several new trade deals during the week, including announcements that the U.S. had reached agreements with Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Reports that the U.S. and EU are progressing toward a deal ahead of August 1 also appeared to boost sentiment during the week. On the earnings front, Alphabet gained more than 4% as results beat consensus estimates, while the company’s commentary around AI appeared to provide a tailwind for AI-related stocks.

The major U.S. stock indexes finished the week modestly lower, with the Nasdaq Composite Index holding up best. New tariffs were announced this week in more than 20 countries, with the 90-day pause extended to August 1. However, market reaction was muted compared with previous tariff announcements. NVIDIA hit the $4 trillion market capitalization threshold for the first time, helping put the “mega” in the so-called Mag 7 group of mega-cap stocks. On the macro side, US inflation, both June CPI and PPI came in on the low side with little signs that tariffs are pressuring prices higher. US core retail sales rose 0.5% MoM in June, and US industrial Production was up 0.3% - highlighting the resilience of the US consumer and manufacturing base amidst so much policy uncertainty.