Despite rallying during the first half of the week, the S&P 500 fell on Thursday and Friday, driven by concerns regarding AI, employment, and inflation.
Stocks
The S&P 500 sold off to begin the week after the White House announced a new 15% global tariff. The Supreme Court had ruled that the Trump Administration cannot utilize the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs the week before. New concerns over the potential impact of AI triggered losses in the software and financial sectors, adding to the early-week bearishness. Stocks finished Monday down over 1%. On Tuesday and Wednesday, however, tech and software stocks rebounded, helping the index recover a chunk of its Monday losses. A highly anticipated earnings report from NVIDIA (
Bonds
US Treasury yields were lower to start the week as the market digested the White House's announcement of a 15% global tariff. They dropped substantially on Friday following the latest Producer Price Index update, which suggested inflation remains stronger than expected. 10-year Treasurys fell below 4%. Continued uncertainty regarding tensions in the Middle East further added to market sentiment.
Oil
Oil indexes were relatively quiet to start the week, falling modestly on Tuesday on developments regarding geopolitical tensions. They then experienced some volatility later in the week that ultimately resolved in a modest push higher, though never conclusively breaking out. During the prior week, oil prices traded to highs they haven't broken since September 2025.
Gold
Gold prices closed another week in the green, marking its fourth-straight up week. Overall, they remained below their recent all-time high around $5,598, but continue to climb higher since a precipitous drop to $4,402 in early February. Investors are currently watching geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, as well as developments regarding domestic tariff policy.
Crypto
Crypto was arguably the big story outside equities during the first half of the week. On Wednesday, bitcoin posted a sizable 6% rally after dropping over 4% on Monday. Ethereum rallied over 11%, and altcoins across the board followed. Nevertheless, it retraced a chunk of those gains on Friday, trading back below $66,000. Overall, it continues to trade below the $69,000 mark, the all-time high it made during the previous bull run. It remains to be seen whether this rally will be sustained, or is simply a temporary bounce before it resumes its downtrend.
| Past week | Year-to-date | 5-year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 | –0.6% | 0.1% | 78.7% |
| Oil (WTI crude) | 2.6% | 17.3% | 1.8% |
| Gold (New York) | 2.0% | 22.4% | 210.1% |
| Bitcoin | –2.9% | –26.0% | 45.4% |
Source: Yahoo Finance, as of February 27, 2026.
KEY DATA FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 2
The earnings calendar features updates from large retailers and mid-sized tech companies. More employment data is also on deck.
| MongoDB ( |
ISM manufacturing index – Monday |
| CrowdStrike ( |
ADP employment report – Wednesday |
| Sea Limited ( |
EIA petroleum status report – Wednesday |
| Broadcom ( |
International trade in goods and services – Thursday |
| Costco ( |
Jobless claims – Thursday |
| Marvell Technology ( |
Employment situation – Friday |
| See the full earnings calendar (login required). | See the full economic calendar. |
Source: Fidelity.com, as of February 27, 2026.