35. Weekly Market Recap: Key Movements & Insights
📊 Nasdaq’s Best Week Since 2022: What’s Driving the Rally?
Trade War Chaos Fuels Market Volatility, but Stocks End the Week Higher
The financial markets endured a rollercoaster week as escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and China rattled investors. China retaliated against the U.S. by raising tariffs on American goods to 125%, following the U.S.’s hike to 145%. While Beijing signaled it would not impose further increases, the damage was evident. The trade war, coupled with fears of a slowing economy, sent shockwaves through global markets. Despite the turmoil, U.S. stocks staged a remarkable rebound, with the Nasdaq surging 7.3% for the week—its best performance since 2022—while the S&P 500 and Dow Jones gained 5.7% and 4.95%, respectively. Gold soared to a record $3,255.30 per ounce, reflecting investor anxiety, while the U.S. dollar suffered its worst week since 2022, falling for five consecutive days. Treasury yields also spiked, with the 10-year yield rising 50 basis points to 4.49%, marking its largest weekly jump since 2001.
Economic data painted a mixed picture, adding to the uncertainty. The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index plunged to 50.8 in April, its lowest level in decades, as inflation expectations surged to 6.7%, a level not seen since the early 1980s. However, the Producer Price Index (PPI) showed signs of cooling inflation, falling 0.4% month-over-month. Amid the chaos, the Federal Reserve stepped in to calm markets, with Boston Fed President Susan Collins stating that the central bank is “absolutely” prepared to deploy tools to stabilize financial markets if needed. Her comments helped ease Treasury yields and provided a late-day boost to stocks on Friday.
Looking ahead, investors are bracing for another volatile week as earnings season ramps up. Major banks like Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, and Bank of America are set to report, while geopolitical tensions and inflation fears remain front and center. The resilience of U.S. stocks this week highlights the market’s ability to weather uncertainty, but the road ahead remains fraught with challenges. As history has shown, patience and discipline will be key for investors navigating these turbulent times.
Upcoming Key Events:
Monday, April 14:
Earnings: The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS)
Economic Data: None
Tuesday, April 15:
Earnings: Citigroup Inc. (C), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Bank of America Corporation (BAC)
Economic Data: API Crude Oil Stock Change
Wednesday, April 16:
Earnings: ASML Holding N.V. (ASML), Abbott Laboratories (ABT), Kinder Morgan, Inc. (KMI)
Economic Data: Retail Sales MoM, Fed Chair Powell Speech
Thursday, April 17:
Earnings: Netflix, Inc (NFLX), UnitedHealth Group (UNH), American Express Company (AXP)
Economic Data: Initial Jobless Claims, Housing Starts, Building Permits Prel
Friday, April 18:
Earnings: Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (300750)
Economic Data: None
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Index Insights: How Major Benchmarks Performed Last Week
Price>MA10: 🟢
Price>MA20: 🔴
MA10>MA20: 🔴
Market Trend*:🔴
Trend Signal: 🔴
*When Price and Moving Averages are all green, the Market Trend will also be green
Price>MA10: 🟢
Price>MA20: 🔴
MA10>MA20: 🔴
Market Trend: 🔴
Trend Signal: 🔴
Price>MA10: 🔴
Price>MA20: 🔴
MA10>MA20: 🔴
Market Trend: 🔴
Trend Signal: 🔴
Sector Performance: Winners and Losers from Last Week
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Winners
💻 Technology (+8.87%)
Leading all sectors with the strongest performance, showcasing significant strength and investor confidence in growth stocks.
🛠️ Basic Materials (+6.66%)
Second-best performer, benefiting from improved commodity demand and market optimism.
🏭 Industrials (+5.8%)
Strong gains as the sector shows resilience amid improving global manufacturing sentiment.
📱 Communication Services (+5.66%)
Solid performance, reflecting positive investor sentiment in advertising and media-related industries.
💰 Financial (+4.87%)
Notable gains, suggesting renewed confidence in banking and financial services.
🛒 Consumer Defensive (+3.58%)
A steady performer, benefiting from its defensive nature during market uncertainty.
🛍️ Consumer Cyclical (+3.52%)
Positive performance, reflecting optimism in consumer spending and discretionary sectors.
⚡ Utilities (+3.22%)
Modest gains, supported by its defensive positioning in the market.
🏥 Healthcare (+1.13%)
The weakest performer among the gainers, showing limited growth despite its traditionally defensive characteristics.
Losers
🛢️ Energy (-0.61%)
A slight decline, reflecting ongoing challenges in the energy market.
🏢 Real Estate (-0.96%)
The only other sector in the red shows minor losses as concerns about interest rates and property demand persist.
🌟 Weekly Industry Leaders: Precious Metals and Energy Shine
🏆 Gold (+19.95%)
Leading all industries with exceptional gains, reflecting strong investor demand for safe-haven assets.
⛏️ Other Precious Metals & Mining (+18.58%)
Second-best performer, benefiting from rising commodity prices and increased market optimism.
⚡ Utilities - Renewable (+15.83%)
Strong performance as renewable energy continues to attract significant investment.
💻 Semiconductors (+14.59%)
Impressive gains, driven by robust demand for advanced technology and chip manufacturing.
🥈 Silver (+14.47%)
Solid performance, mirroring the strength in precious metals markets.
🔥 Coking Coal (+13.81%)
Notable gains as demand for steel production fuels the coal market.
🔋 Utilities - Independent Power Producers (+12.63%)
Strong growth, reflecting increased focus on energy independence and sustainability.
🔧 Semiconductor Equipment & Materials (+12.3%)
Positive momentum is supported by the ongoing expansion of the semiconductor industry.
🌡️ Thermal Coal (+11.44%)
Significant gains as energy markets remain robust.
🖥️ Computer Hardware (+10.7%)
Strong performance, driven by demand for advanced computing solutions.
🚀 Top Market Gainers: Crypto Integration and Strategic Expansions Drive Explosive Growth
JNVR Janover Inc (+1200.00%)
📈 Crypto Integration: The former Kraken team acquired majority ownership, implementing a treasury policy to allocate reserves to digital assets, primarily Solana (SOL). Plans include acquiring Solana validators and staking SOL, signaling a strategic pivot to bridge Traditional Finance and DeFi.
NAOV NanoVibronix Inc (+196.61%)
🏥 Distribution Expansion: Announced renewal and expansion of distribution agreement with Dukehill Healthcare in Australia, boosting investor confidence in their market reach.
MRM Medirom Healthcare Technologies Inc (+102.88%)
💰 Strategic Financing: Secured new JPY350 million (approximately $2.4 million) unsecured loan financing, maintaining strong momentum following the announcement.
MSPR MSP Recovery Inc (+94.70%)
💼 Debt Restructuring: Announced strategic term sheet to remove over $1.2 billion in corporate guaranteed debt and implement new agreements aimed at driving future growth.
NUTX Nutex Health Inc (+87.05%)
📊 Record Revenue: The Q4 2024 earnings call highlighted unprecedented revenue and strategic expansion plans, attracting investor interest.
🔻 Biggest Decliners: Manipulation Schemes and Failed Studies Devastate Valuations
FMTO FemtoTechnologies Inc (-94.48%)
⚠️ Market Collapse: Shares plummeted in what analysts describe as a pump and dump fraud scheme, commonly attributed to Chinese market manipulators.
MULN Mullen Automotive Inc (-69.94%)
📉 Dilution Concerns: Described as "a total fraud" and "dilution machine" following the recent reverse split, with company valuation approaching worthless.
AREB American Rebel Holdings Inc (-67.70%)
💹 Post-Surge Crash: After initially skyrocketing on Trump tariff policies benefiting "Made in USA" products, shares are now cratering following another reverse split.
IBIO iBio Inc (-64.39%)
🧪 Study Disappointment: Announced IBIO-600 non-human primate data showing extended half-life and muscle growth, but the study lacked statistical significance with only a single administration, failing to attract investor interest.
STAK STAK Inc (-62.91%)
💸 Suspected Manipulation: Described as "another pump and dump liquidation fraud from China," with rapid collapse erasing previous artificial gains.
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