This Week on Wall Street
Your weekly cheat sheet — what's moving markets, what's coming up, and what it means for your portfolio. No jargon, just clarity.
This Week in Markets
Wall Street held mostly steady on Wednesday as the Federal Reserve left its benchmark rate unchanged at 3.75%-4.00%, a widely expected hold that drew a modest, orderly reaction into the close: the S&P 500 added 0.25% to 7,741.91, the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.52% to 26,615.49, and the Dow Jones ticked up 0.08% to 52,419.47. Week-to-date, Technology leads at +4.10% and Consumer Discretionary has added 1.95%, while Energy has slid 3.65% and Consumer Staples is down 1.95% as oil extended its retreat on Middle East ceasefire progress. The VIX eased to 16.84 and the 10-Year Treasury yield slipped to 4.94% as the Fed's hold removed a key source of uncertainty; WTI crude fell to roughly $99.40 and gold climbed to about $4,075 on continued haven demand. After the bell, both Microsoft and Alphabet topped earnings estimates on strong cloud and AI-driven demand, setting an upbeat tone heading into Thursday's session. Sentiment firmed slightly — the Fear & Greed Index rose to 34, still in the Fear zone — with Amazon reporting after today's close alongside the first look at Q3 GDP and the Fed's preferred PCE inflation gauge, ahead of Friday's Employment Cost Index.