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Weekly Market Snapshot: Geopolitical Fog Meets Earnings Season as Markets Grind Higher

Week ending April 24, 2026 | Canadian Money Brief – moneysavings.ca Markets this week found themselves caught between two powerful forces: a roaring U.S. earnings season pushing stocks to fresh records, and a simmering Middle East conflict keeping oil elevated and investor nerves frayed. For Canadians, that makes for a complicated but important picture heading into the last week of April. TSX Composite: Stuck in the Mud The S&P/TSX Composite spent the week trading in a tight band near the 34,000 mark, unable to mount a meaningful rally. Tuesday delivered a sharp blow — the index plunged over 550 points to close at 33,808 as U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks collapsed after U.S. Vice President JD Vance abruptly cancelled his Pakistan trip, where he was set to lead negotiations. Wednesday brought a partial recovery, with the TSX adding roughly 0.4% to close at 33,955 , helped by gains in energy and mining stocks following President Trump's announcement of an indefinite ceasefire ex...

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Premarket: Nasdaq and S&P 500 Poised for a Dip After Record Highs



The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq are expected to open lower today, following robust gains in the previous session. Investors celebrated the Federal Reserve’s commitment to its rate-easing stance, eagerly awaiting commentary from Chair Jerome Powell later in the day.

Market Highlights:

  • Record Highs: All three major U.S. indexes achieved fresh record closing highs on Thursday. Chip stocks rallied after Micron Technology’s optimistic forecast, and the Fed signaled its intention to proceed with three interest-rate cuts this year.
  • Rate Cut Expectations: Traders now anticipate a 70% chance of the first rate cut occurring in June, up from 56% earlier this week, according to the CME’s FedWatch Tool.
  • Bull Market Momentum: Policymakers’ commitment to summer rate cuts and limited bond yield recovery has injected fresh impetus into the bull market, according to Raffi Boyadjian, lead investment analyst at XM.
  • Dow’s Milestone: The blue-chip Dow index ended Thursday less than 1% away from the historic 40,000-mark for the first time.
  • Weekly Performance: Both the S&P 500 and the Dow are on track for their best weekly performance so far this year. Meanwhile, the tech-heavy Nasdaq is set to notch its best week since mid-January.

Pre-Market Numbers:

  • At 08:21 a.m. ET:
    • Dow e-minis were up 4 points (0.01%).
    • S&P 500 e-minis were down 5.25 points (0.1%).
    • Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 48.25 points (0.26%).
  • Most rate-sensitive megacap growth and technology stocks eased in premarket trading.
    • Tesla led losses, down 4.0%, following a report of reduced car production at its China plant.
    • Nike fell after a disappointing revenue forecast.
    • Lululemon Athletica also forecasted lower revenue and profit.
    • Reddit (RDDT.N) lost 2.3% a day after its strong market debut.
    • FedEx jumped 11.5% after beating Wall Street expectations for quarterly profit.

As we await further cues from central bankers, the market remains dynamic and full of surprises. Keep an eye on earnings reports and policy updates as we navigate this exciting landscape.


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