TCM BLOG

Markets ended mixed last week, with the S&P 500 slipping 0.47 percent and the Nasdaq falling 0.71 percent, while the Dow edged up 0.41 percent. Tech stocks swung both ways: an AI-led rebound and merger chatter among megacap names lifted the averages midweek, before renewed AI debt worries and rising oil prices triggered the steepest one-day declines for the Nasdaq and S&P since the summer. Housing also flashed warning signs, as September housing starts fell 5.2 percent and pending home sales hit a record low, partly due to higher mortgage rates. This week, investors will watch a Fed rate decision on Wednesday, GDP and PCE data on Thursday, and earnings from major names including Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, and Mastercard.

Stocks slid last week as hot inflation data, rising oil prices, and AI valuation worries weighed on investors. The S&P 500 lost 1.95 percent and the Nasdaq fell 4.48 percent, its worst week since June, while the Dow gained 0.67 percent as investors favored more defensive, value-oriented names. September’s Consumer Price Index rose 3.7 percent, above the 3.6 percent economists expected, and wholesale inflation hit 6.6 percent year over year, the highest level in four years. With oil at its highest level since May, all eyes turn to the Fed’s meeting in late October and a heavy week of earnings from names like Meta, Tesla, and Lockheed Martin.

Medicare Open Enrollment runs October 15 through December 7, giving current beneficiaries a chance to review their coverage and make changes that take effect January 1, 2027. Your health needs, medications, providers and plan costs can shift from year to year, so it’s worth comparing premiums, deductibles, copayments, drug coverage and out-of-pocket limits, even if you’re happy with your current plan. During this window you can switch between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, change Advantage plans, or join, change or drop a Part D drug plan. Keep in mind that returning to Original Medicare doesn’t guarantee the right to buy a Medigap policy without medical underwriting, so confirm your options before making a switch.

U.S. stocks finished higher last week, with the S&P 500 up 1.15%, the Dow up 0.93%, and the Nasdaq up 0.64% for its fourth straight weekly gain, while developed overseas markets (MSCI EAFE) slipped 0.45%. The S&P 500 closed above 7,800 for the first time on AI chipmaker strength, but the path was bumpy, including the Nasdaq’s worst one-day drop since mid-August on Thursday. Midweek, 10-year and 30-year Treasury yields hit 24-year highs and pushed mortgage rates to a near-three-year high, though a well-received 10-year auction helped calm markets and keeps the Fed’s upcoming rate decision a close call.