The first trading day of 2026 was choppy: indexes moved up and down throughout the session, DKNews.kz reports.
By the close:
- S&P 500 +0.2%
- Dow Jones +0.7%
- Nasdaq Composite — roughly flat
The morning looked optimistic — tech stocks rallied and Nasdaq gained more than 1%. But the enthusiasm faded, and declines in mega-caps dragged indexes back.
Even so, the overall tone remained mildly positive.
Tech stocks: fast start, quick fade
The information technology sector jumped more than 1.5% early on, then slipped back to nearly unchanged.
Notable laggards:
- Microsoft -2.2%
- Palantir -5.6%
Chipmakers helped prevent deeper losses across the sector.
Tesla and Amazon pressured consumer stocks
Selling in mega-cap names weighed on consumer discretionary.
Result:
- sector -1.1%
Key declines:
- Tesla -2.6%
- Amazon -1.9%
Investors are clearly becoming more cautious toward big tech and big-ticket spending.
Winners: energy and industrials
While tech cooled, other sectors caught a strong bid.
Eight S&P 500 sectors finished higher.
Leaders:
- Energy +2.1%
- Industrials +1.9%
Industrials were lifted by construction and defense names:
- Comfort Systems +7.5%
- Caterpillar +4.5%
- Boeing +4.9%
Materials (+1.5%) and utilities (+1.2%) also posted solid gains.
What it tells us
Three takeaways stand out:
- the market is still searching for direction
- mega-cap tech is no longer a “safe bet”
- money is rotating toward energy and the real economy
Investors appear to be shifting to a more pragmatic approach: less hype, more fundamentals.
Next moves will depend on data, earnings — and the Federal Reserve.
