U.S. stocks have kicked off 2026 on a strong note, but could face turbulence in the coming days with the start of corporate earnings season, fresh inflation data and rising geopolitical uncertainty. The S&P 500 (.SPX), s up nearly 2% already in January, on the heels of the benchmark index in 2025 closing out its third straight year of double-digit percentage gains. Stocks jumped on Friday after mixed jobs data that saw traders maintain expectations for more interest rate cuts

Wilmer Parra loads his fishing boat docked next to Petroleos de Venezeula’s oil rigs in Cabimas, Venezuela, on Nov. 23, 2022. Despite the Trump administration’s claims that it was targeting Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro over the flow of illegal drugs into the United States, the administration is now fixated on a very different Venezuelan export: oil. (Adriana Loureiro Fernández/The New York Times) By IVAN PENN Western oil companies have been fighting to recoup tens of b

Wall Street was mixed on Thursday, as Nvidia and other technology stocks dipped, while defense companies advanced after President Donald Trump called for an enlarged $1.5 trillion military budget. Nvidia (NVDA.O), slid 2.3%, Broadcom (AVGO.O), declined 3% and Microsoft (MSFT.O), dipped 1.2%. The S&P 500 technology index (.SPLRCT), lost 1.7%, leaving it down about 1% so far in 2026, as investors grew more finicky about AI-related stocks whose valuations have been inflated by o

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq gained on Wednesday, with the benchmark index at record highs, as technology stocks extended their rally from the previous session, while investors shrugged the latest labor market reports. Technology stocks on the S&P 500 (.SPLRCT), were the biggest boosts, up 0.7%. Microsoft (MSFT.O), was up 2%, while Nvidia (NVDA.O), and Broadcom (AVGO.O), added 1.5% each. On the flip side, big banks slipped after rallying for the last three sessions, with Bank o

Containers at the Seagirt Marine Terminal at the Port of Baltimore in Maryland on June 30, 2025. Goods often take weeks to reach U.S. ports, meaning the actual tariffs that companies paid rose more slowly than what the president announced throughout the year. (Alyssa Schukar/The New York Times) By ANA SWANSON President Donald Trump raised the taxes that the United States charges on imports last year to levels not seen in a century. Prices of goods have increased as a result,

More governments are rolling out chatbots in schools. Some experts warn the tools could erode teaching and learning. (Raven Jiang/The New York Times) By NATASHA SINGER In early November, Microsoft said it would supply artificial intelligence tools and training to more than 200,000 students and educators in the United Arab Emirates. Days later, a financial services company in Kazakhstan announced an agreement with OpenAI to provide ChatGPT Edu, a service for schools and univer

Wall Street’s main indexes surged ‌on ​Monday, with the blue-chip Dow hitting an ‌all-time high on a boost from surging financial stocks, while energy firms rose after a U.S. ​military strike that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Investors bet the move against Venezuela’s leadership would allow American firms access to the world’s largest oil ‍reserves. A U.S. embargo on Venezuelan oil remained ​in full effect, U.S. President Donald Trump said. S&P’s energy index

The headquarters of Venezuela’s state-run oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela, or PDVSA, in Caracas, Venezuela, Feb. 6, 2019. There was little immediate clarity on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, as to how the White House envisions the United States profiting from Venezuela’s oil. (Meridith Kohut/The New York Times) By STANLEY REED Venezuela’s oil industry would “make a lot of money” with the United States behind it, President Donald Trump said Saturday in a news conference to confir