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Stocks Finish Strong After Slow Start to the Week

Rising oil prices and elevated Treasury yields were in focus this week

Deputy Editor
May 22, 2026 at 1:09 PM
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    Wall Street's week was marked by elevated Treasury yields, rising oil prices, and geopolitical concerns, with stocks struggling to maintain momentum at the start. Semiconductor profit taking in particular dented sentiment, with the 30-year Treasury yield hitting its highest level since 2007 on Tuesday. Markets staged a sharp rebound Wednesday, however, after oil prices and yields cooled. Thursday’s volatile session also finished higher, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) securing a fresh record close after its second-straight triple-digit gain. Investors additionally unpacked Nvidia’s (NVDA) earnings report and the latest Fed meeting minutes, both released Wednesday.

    At this point, the major benchmarks are higher once again during Friday's session and headed for weekly gains, with the S&P 500 Index (SPX) eyeing its eighth-straight weekly win and longest weekly win streak since 2023, while the Dow trades at record highs. 

    Earnings Season Continues

    Though all eyes were on Nvidia this week, Wall Street unpacked plenty of other reports as well. Lowe’s (LOW) and Target (TGT) both reported upbeat results, though the latter suffered a post-earnings drop, while Walmart (WMT) slid after disappointing current-quarter guidance overshadowed an otherwise solid report.  

    Tech Stocks Stay in Focus

    Outside of earnings season, speculative momentum remained alive in several high-volatility corners of the market. ServiceNow (NOW) rallied after a fresh bullish analyst call and stakeholder investment boosted sentiment around the cloud stock, while Alphabet (GOOGL) drew attention after announcing a new AI partnership with Blackstone. Quantum computing stocks entered the spotlight later in the week after government grants sparked renewed buying interest in names such as Infleqtion Quantum (INFQ), D-Wave Quantum (QBTS), and Rigetti Computing (RGTI). 

    Elsewhere, Analog Devices (ADI) pulled back from record highs ahead of earnings amid pressure in semiconductor stocks, and SanDisk (SNDK) cooled off following its historic rally. Fintech name Futu Holdings (FUTU) plummeted due to multiple catalysts on Friday. It's also worth noting that AI stocks BigBear.ai (BBAI), C3.ai (AI), SoundHound AI (SOUN), and Tempus AI (TEM), while DigitalOcean (DOCN) all sport extremely elevated short interest. 

    Looking Ahead

    Next week will be shortened due to Memorial Day on Monday, May 25. There will still be plenty for investors to parse through the rest of the week, however, including retail earnings and PCE inflation data. In the meantime, take a look at why a pause in S&P 500 momentum shouldn't scare bulls, plus, a closer look at the rapid shift in stock sentiment

     

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