Insights

Wall Street experienced a week marked by volatility, with big tech and AI stocks faltering after carrying the market for much of the year. Concerns about overvaluations drove investors from semiconductor and AI shares.

A strong finish on Friday helped U.S. equities close last week on a positive note. Despite the end-of-week rally, stocks experienced significant volatility as investors swayed between optimism over potentially strong corporate earnings versus concerns over elevated Treasury yields and sticky inflation.

Wall Street saw an uptick in volatility last week, resulting in a mixed performance among the major market indexes, despite a Friday rally that reduced the week's losses. Investors weighed pressure from high Treasury yields and concerns about inflation against optimism that a weakening labor market might forestall another Federal Reserve rate increase.

Stocks closed last week generally higher as tech and AI shares attracted investors, while Treasury yields continued to rise as a notable sell-off pulled bond prices lower. This result is likely due to traders trying to balance strong corporate earnings and solid economic momentum with stubborn inflation and the likelihood of additional Federal Reserve policy tightening.

Last week marked the first adjustment in interest rates in the last three years as investors spent the latter part of the week trying to figure out the implications of monetary tightening, rising Treasury yields, persistent inflation, and advancing crude oil prices.

Despite strong returns last Friday, it was not enough to offset losses accumulated earlier in the week. Each of the benchmark indexes listed here closed the holiday-shortened week in the red as investors tried to reconcile rising energy prices, increasing inflation, climbing Treasury yields, and the increasing likelihood of an interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve.

Most of the major market indexes closed the week moderately higher, despite a late-week pullback.

Major U.S. stocks ended the last full week of trading in August modestly higher. Strong AI company earnings boosted tech shares, while the war with Iran, persistent inflation, and a more hawkish Federal Reserve dampened investor enthusiasm for risk.