Honestly, if you're looking at your portfolio today, Sunday, January 18, 2026, you're probably seeing the same numbers you saw on Friday afternoon. The markets are closed for the weekend, but the "vibe" is anything but quiet.
Wall Street basically limped into this long weekend. We're coming off a Friday where the major indices didn't just sit still—they actually slipped, ending a pretty choppy week on a sour note. Most people are focused on the raw numbers, but the real story is the underlying tension about who is going to run the Federal Reserve and some weirdly specific geopolitical drama involving, of all places, Greenland.
What Did the Stock Market Finish at Today?
Since today is Sunday, the prices we’re tracking are the closing marks from Friday, January 16, 2026. It wasn't a bloodbath, but it certainly wasn't a party.
The S&P 500 finished at 6,940.01. That’s a tiny drop of 0.06%. It sounds like nothing, right? But it means the index is now sitting just a bit below the all-time record it hit earlier this week on Monday. For the week as a whole, the S&P 500 lost about 0.38%.
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The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 49,359.33. It fell 83.11 points, or about 0.17%. The Dow has been struggling to find its footing as investors rotate out of big blue-chip names and try to figure out if the economy is actually cooling or just catching its breath.
The Nasdaq Composite ended the day at 23,515.39. Much like the S&P, it eased off by 0.06%. Tech has been the engine for this entire bull market, but even the mighty AI sector is starting to look a little tired after a massive three-year run.
Why the Market is Acting So Weird Right Now
You've probably noticed that the market is "inching closer to a threshold" we haven't seen since the dot-com era. Experts like Adam Spatacco have been sounding the alarm because the S&P 500 has been returning roughly 21% a year since 2023. That is triple the historical average.
Basically, we're in "overbought" territory.
But it’s not just about the charts. There's some serious "Fed drama" happening. Jerome Powell’s term is ending in May, and the White House is sending mixed signals. One minute it looks like Kevin Hassett is the front-runner, the next it’s Kevin Warsh. Investors hate uncertainty, especially when it involves the person who controls interest rates.
And then there's Greenland.
Yeah, you read that right. Markets are actually bracing for a rough Monday because of fresh tariff threats linked to a weird geopolitical push to acquire Greenland. It sounds like a movie plot, but the FTSE 100 and early Monday indicators are already suggesting a drop of 0.5% to 0.9% when trading resumes.
Winners and Losers: Beyond the Big Indices
While the big numbers were slightly red, some specific stocks were absolutely flying.
- Space Stocks: AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) went parabolic, jumping over 14% after snagging a prime government defense contract. Firefly Aerospace (FLY) followed suit, up 12.3%. It seems the "Space Economy" is finally becoming a real thing for retail investors.
- The AI Supply Chain: Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) is still the king. They announced a massive $250 billion investment plan for U.S. chip production. This helped pull up Super Micro Computer (SMCI), which gained nearly 11%, and Micron (MU), which rose 7.7%.
- Weight Loss Giants: Novo Nordisk (NVO) jumped nearly 9% because they got a big regulatory win for Wegovy in the U.K.
On the flip side, banking was a mess. Even though giants like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley actually beat their earnings estimates, their stocks didn't really pop. Why? Because the White House is talking about a 10% cap on credit card interest rates. That would bite into bank profits big time.
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The "Buffett Indicator" is Flashing Red
Warren Buffett has a favorite metric—it basically compares the total value of the stock market to the size of the economy (GDP). Right now, that indicator is screaming. We are seeing valuations that look like the year 2000.
Does that mean a crash is coming? Not necessarily. But it does mean the "easy money" has probably been made. History suggests that after a run like the one we've had in 2025, the "second year" of a bull market (which is where we are now in 2026) usually sees much smaller gains—maybe 17% instead of 70%.
What Should You Actually Do?
Look, "what did the stock market finish at today" is a good question to ask, but the answer for a Sunday is always "exactly where it was on Friday." The better question is: what are you doing with that info?
If you're a long-term investor, this weekend's noise about Greenland and Fed subpoenas is just that—noise. But if you’re trading short-term, Monday morning looks like it’s going to be a "gap down" situation.
- Watch the 10-Year Treasury Yield: It’s sitting at 4.23%. If that keeps climbing, tech stocks are going to feel the squeeze.
- Keep an eye on the "PCE" report: That’s coming next week. It’s the Fed’s favorite way to measure inflation. If it comes in hot, expect the market to sell off further.
- Don't ignore the "Small Caps": Interestingly, while the big boys (S&P/Dow) struggled, the Russell 2000 actually gained 2% this week. There’s a "rotation" happening. Money is moving out of overvalued AI giants and into smaller, "boring" companies.
Check your stop-losses if you're worried about Monday's open. The tariff news is real, and the weekend "sentiment" is definitely leaning toward a cautious, risk-off start to the week.
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Next Steps for Your Portfolio:
Check your exposure to the "Big Seven" tech stocks. If they make up more than 30% of your total holdings, you might want to look into diversifying into small-cap ETFs or even silver, which has been outperforming gold lately, up 10% this month alone.