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A Choppy Start to the New Year: The first trading session of 2026 opened with a sense of hesitation as major indexes fluctuated following a banner 2025. After three consecutive years of double-digit percentage gains, investors are navigating a landscape defined by technical rotations and shifting political headwinds. While the Dow Jones Industrial Average managed a modest gain, the tech-heavy Nasdaq struggled to maintain early momentum, highlighting a divergence between traditional sectors and high-flying software stocks.
Tech Giants and AI: The “Magnificent 7” Lose Steam
The tech sector, which spearheaded a 20% jump in the Nasdaq last year, faced immediate pressure as the new year began.
The Laggards: Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Tesla all slipped into the red by midday. AppLovin saw a sharp 8% drop, triggering sell rules and snapping a long winning streak.
The Outperformers: Nvidia remained a bright spot, gaining ground ahead of a major keynote address scheduled for early January. Meanwhile, Intel shares surged 6% following news that Nvidia had finalized a massive $5 billion all-cash stake in the company.
The OpenAI Factor: Speculation is swirling that OpenAI may be eyeing an acquisition of Pinterest to tap into its vast image database for AI training, sending Pinterest shares up over 3%.
Tesla’s Reality Check and Tariff Relief
The electric vehicle market faced a sobering start to 2026. Tesla reported fourth-quarter deliveries of 418,227 vehicles, missing analyst forecasts and marking a second straight annual decline in delivery growth. Despite the miss, shares found some support as the broader market digested the numbers.
Conversely, the retail sector received an unexpected boost. Stocks for furniture giants like Wayfair and RH jumped between 4% and 7% after the White House announced a delay in planned tariff hikes for the furniture category, providing immediate relief to supply-chain-sensitive businesses.
The Post-Buffett Era Begins
In a historic shift, Berkshire Hathaway traded for the first time in decades without its legendary leader as CEO. As the conglomerate enters a new chapter under Greg Abel, the stock dipped below its 50-day moving average on higher-than-average volume. Investors are closely watching how the company navigates its massive portfolio in the “post-Buffett” landscape.
Commodities Reach New Milestones
While stocks wavered, the commodities market signaled continued inflationary or industrial pressure:
Precious Metals: Gold and silver held steady near record highs, building on their strongest annual performance in decades.
Industrial Metals: Aluminum crossed the $3,000 per ton threshold for the first time since 2022, driven by supply chain disruptions and tightening global inventories.
What to Watch In January
The month of January is packed with high-impact events that could dictate the market’s direction for the rest of the quarter:
The Fed’s Future: The President is expected to name a successor to the current Fed Chair this month, a move that could fundamentally shift interest rate expectations.
IPO Fever: Investors are bracing for a potential wave of high-profile listings, with SpaceX, Anthropic, and Kraken all rumored to be preparing for market debuts.
Policy Wild Cards: The fate of sweeping trade tariffs remains the primary source of volatility as the administration clarifies its stance on international trade.
