The Markets (as of market close April 17, 2026)

Stocks surged last week with the easing of geopolitical tensions that had weighed on equities for weeks. The S&P 500 crossed the 7,000 point barrier, while the NASDAQ achieved its longest winning streak (12 straight sessions) since 1992. Investor optimism was fueled by the ceasefire announced last week and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Large-cap stocks enjoyed a strong performance. Along with the S&P 500 reaching a record high last week, the Dow jumped more than 800 points on Friday alone. Demand for AI and tech shares was also reignited following a period of investor trepidation. Among the market sectors, information technology climbed nearly 8.5%, followed by consumer discretionary and communication services. Utilities, energy, and consumer staples lagged. Crude oil prices fell nearly $13.00 per barrel, or more than 13.0%, by the end of last week, hitting a five-week low. Gold and silver prices remained stable but saw some profit taking as investors rotated back to equities.

Stock Market Indexes

Market/Index	2025 Close	Prior Week	As of 4/17	Weekly Change	YTD Change
DJIA	48,063.29	47,916.57	49,447.43	3.19%	2.88%
NASDAQ	23,241.99	22,902.89	24,468.48	6.84%	5.28%
S&P 500	6,845.50	6,816.89	7,126.06	4.54%	4.10%
Russell 2000	2,481.91	2,630.44	2,776.90	5.57%	11.89%
Global Dow	6,169.34	6,506.80	6,640.71	2.06%	7.64%
fed. funds target rate	3.50%-3.75%	3.50%-3.75%	3.50%-3.75%	0 bps	0 bps
10-year Treasuries	4.16%	4.31%	4.24%	-7 bps	8 bps
US Dollar-DXY	98.26	98.67	98.18	-0.50%	-0.08%
Crude Oil-CL=F	$57.46	$96.17	$83.12	-13.57%	44.66%
Gold-GC=F	$4,323.90	$4,779.60	$4,872.10	1.94%	12.68%

Chart reflects price changes, not total return. Because it does not include dividends or splits, it should not be used to benchmark performance of specific investments.

Last Week’s Economic News

• Prices at the producer level rose 0.5% in March following increases of 0.5% and 0.6% in February and January, respectively. Producer prices rose 4.0% for the 12 months ended in March, the largest 12-month advance since February 2023. A 1.6% increase in prices for goods accounted for the overall gain in producer prices in March. Prices for services were unchanged last month. Nearly half of the March advance in prices for goods was attributable to a 15.7% rise in gasoline prices. Producer prices less food and energy rose 0.1% last month and 3.8% for the year.
• Import prices rose 0.8% in March after rising 0.9% in February. Prices for imports advanced 2.1% from March 2025 to March 2026, which was the largest 12-month increase since the year ended December 2024. Prices for exports rose 1.6% in March after increasing 1.9% the previous month.
• Industrial production (IP) dropped 0.5% in March but grew 0.7% over the last 12 months. Manufacturing output ticked down 0.1% in March yet increased 0.5% since March 2025. Mining and utilities moved down 1.2% and 2.3%, respectively, last month. Over the last 12 months, mining inched down 0.2%, while utilities rose 3.1%.
• Existing home sales decreased by 3.6% in March 2026 and 1.0% since March 2025. The median existing home price rose to $408,800 in March, 2.7% above the February price of $398,000 and 1.4% over the March 2025 price. Inventory sat at a 4.1-month supply at the current sales pace. Sales of existing single-family homes declined 3.5% last month and 0.3% from March 2025. The median existing single-family home price in March was $412,400, 1.3% above the March 2025 price of $407,300.
• For the week ended April 11, there were 207,000 new claims for unemployment insurance, a decrease of 11,000 from the previous week’s level, which was revised down by 1,000. According to the Department of Labor, the advance rate for insured unemployment claims for the week ended April 4 was 1.2%, unchanged from the previous week’s rate. The advance number of those receiving unemployment insurance benefits during the week ended April 4 was 1,818,000, an increase of 31,000 from the previous week’s level, which was revised down by 7,000. States and territories with the highest insured unemployment rates for the week ended March 28 were Massachusetts (2.5%), New Jersey (2.5%), Rhode Island (2.5%), Washington (2.3%), Minnesota (2.2%), California (2.1%), Oregon (2.1%), Illinois (1.9%), New York (1.9%), Michigan (1.8%), Connecticut (1.7%), and Nevada (1.7%). The largest increases in initial claims for unemployment insurance for the week ended April 4 were in New Jersey (+5,603), Pennsylvania (+2,513), Oregon (+2,182), California (+2,130), and Illinois (+1,652), while the largest decreases were in New York (-1,592), Texas (-1,299), Tennessee (-838), Hawaii (-422), and Louisiana (-315).
• The national average retail price for regular gasoline was $4.123 per gallon on April 13, $0.003 per gallon above the prior week’s price and $0.955 per gallon higher than a year ago. Also, as of April 13, the East Coast price decreased $0.046 to $3.954 per gallon; the Midwest price rose $0.115 to $3.886 per gallon; the Gulf Coast price declined $0.046 to $3.741 per gallon; the Rocky Mountain price ticked up $0.002 to $3.895 per gallon; and the West Coast price decreased $0.019 to $5.377 per gallon.

Eye on the Week Ahead

There’s very little in the way of economic data released this week. The most noteworthy report available is the retail sales report for March. Retail sales jumped 0.6% in February and may be in line for a reduction in sales in March.