S&P 500: streak and surprises
The S&P 500 just logged its fifth consecutive week of losses — a run not seen since the early pandemic era — even as 100% of S&P 500 earnings reports released this week beat analyst expectations, underscoring a split between corporate results and investor sentiment. Market commentators are flagging rising volatility, stubborn inflation and geopolitical risk as the drivers keeping investors defensive into Q2. (youtube.com) (seekingalpha.com)
The S&P 500 has slid roughly 7.2% so far in March, its largest monthly drop to date this year. (forbes.com) The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged about 793 points on March 27 and officially moved into correction territory after falling more than 10% from its January record high. (forbes.com) The Cboe Volatility Index spiked to about 31.05 on March 27, while March’s VIX readings have averaged in the mid‑20s, underscoring elevated option‑implied fear versus recent levels. (cboe.com) U.S. consumer inflation remained sticky in February as headline CPI rose 0.3% month‑over‑month and 2.4% year‑over‑year, with core CPI (ex‑food and energy) up 0.2% for the month. (bls.gov) Wholesale prices also accelerated: the Producer Price Index for final demand climbed 0.7% in February and was up 3.4% year‑over‑year, the largest 12‑month advance since February 2025. (bls.gov) Crude oil prices jumped alongside the Middle East escalation, with Brent trading near $106.70 and U.S. WTI just above $100 per barrel as markets cite the Iran war for the supply shock. (forbes.com) This week’s corporate calendar included a small cohort of S&P names — about a dozen constituents reporting — where beats were concentrated in consumer and information‑technology groups, even as heavyweight megacaps erased roughly $300 billion in market value in a single session. (seekingalpha.com)
