Stocks fell sharply last week, with each of the benchmark indexes posting declines as rising energy prices, tensions in the Middle East, and renewed stagflation fears dampened risk sentiment.

Wall Street saw a third straight week of losses as rising oil prices sparked inflation fears.

Stocks ended last week sharply lower, impacted by renewed inflation and geopolitical events.

The U.S. stock market ended the month on a rather sour note, with both the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ closing February in the red, while the Dow managed to just edge into the black.

The U.S. stock market continued its April momentum through May. Each of the benchmark indexes listed here posted notable monthly gains, with several indexes reaching historic highs. The May rally was largely dominated by the information technology sector, particularly AI shares. An exceptional Q1 corporate earnings performance helped support Wall Street’s May surge. The S&P 500 and the NASDAQ each set new records in May, and while the Dow lagged somewhat behind those benchmarks, it nonetheless rose well past the 50,000 threshold. However, while headlines throughout May focused on stocks at record highs, the broader economy showed signs of stagflation.

U.S. equities spent most of last week trending lower, ultimately rebounding in a major way last Friday to close the week higher.

Investors experienced another turbulent week for U.S. stocks last week, although a fairly mild inflation report brought the market some relief on Friday (see below).

Last week was defined by volatility as stocks whipsawed between deep, tech-led losses and a late-week rally.

The U.S. stock market delivered a strong performance to kick off 2026.

Equities ended the week mostly lower as investors parsed through a heavy slate of fourth-quarter earnings data, economic reports, high valuations, and the Federal Reserve’s decision to maintain interest rates at their current levels.