Benzinga examined the prospects for many investors’ favorite stocks over the last week — here’s a look at some of our top stories.
U.S. stocks finished the week with modest gains as cooling inflation data eased concerns about an imminent Federal Reserve rate hike and helped push the S&P 500 to another record close. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite advanced for the week, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped, as investors balanced strong technology earnings and AI optimism against rising oil prices and persistent geopolitical risks. The S&P 500 reached its 27th record close of 2026, while the Russell 2000 also climbed to an all-time high.
Technology and semiconductor stocks remained key drivers of the rally, with memory and data-storage companies attracting particular attention. Strong corporate earnings and continued expectations for heavy AI infrastructure spending helped offset weakness in several individual technology and consumer stocks, reinforcing the market’s focus on AI-driven growth.
Meanwhile, softer inflation data strengthened expectations that the Fed could keep interest rates unchanged at its September meeting. July’s Producer Price Index was flat from the previous month, while earlier consumer inflation data also showed easing price pressures, prompting traders to reduce bets on another rate hike.
