{"id":31696,"date":"2026-01-14T22:09:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T03:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/2026\/01\/14\/stock-indexes-settle-lower-on-tech-weakness\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T22:09:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T03:09:00","slug":"stock-indexes-settle-lower-on-tech-weakness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/2026\/01\/14\/stock-indexes-settle-lower-on-tech-weakness\/","title":{"rendered":"Stock Indexes Settle Lower on Tech Weakness"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"layout__region nsdq-l-grid__item syndicated-article-body\">\n<section class=\"jupiter22-c-article-body\">\n<div class=\"body\">\n<div class=\"body__content\">\n<p>The\u00a0S&#038;P 500 Index ($SPX) (SPY) on Wednesday closed down -0.53%,\u00a0the Dow Jones Industrials Index ($DOWI)\u00a0(DIA) closed down -0.09%, and the\u00a0Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX) (QQQ) closed down -1.07%.\u00a0 March E-mini S&#038;P futures (ESH26) fell -0.56%, and March E-mini Nasdaq futures (NQH26) fell -1.08%.<\/p>\n<p>Stock indexes settled lower on Wednesday, with the S&#038;P 500 and Nasdaq 100 posting 1.5-week lows.\u00a0 The weakness in chip makers and the Magnificent Seven technology stocks on Wednesday weighed on the broader market.\u00a0 Rising geopolitical risks also undercut stocks as markets await the US response to the turmoil in Iran.\u00a0 Reuters reported that some US personnel have been advised to leave the US Al Udeid Air base in Qatar.\u00a0 The facility was targeted by Iran in retaliatory airstrikes last year after the US attacked Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities.\u00a0 However, on Wednesday afternoon, President Trump said he had been assured that Iran would stop killing protesters, in a signal he could hold off on a threatened military response to the widespread demonstrations.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>  <span>Join 200K+ Subscribers: <\/span> Find out why the midday Barchart Brief newsletter is a must-read for thousands daily.  <\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The heightened geopolitical risks in Iran pushed WTI crude oil up to a 2.5-month high on Wednesday, and precious metals soared as investors sought safe-haven assets.\u00a0 Gold, silver, and copper jumped to new all-time highs on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Stocks bounced from their worst levels on Wednesday afternoon after an upbeat Fed Beige Book noted that US economic activity picked up at a &#8220;slight to modest pace&#8221; in most parts of the country since mid-November. \u00a0&#8220;This marks an improvement over the last three report cycles, where a majority of Fed districts reported little change.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Stocks also found modest support on stronger-than-expected US economic news on Nov retail sales, Nov producer prices, and Dec existing home sales, along with dovish comments from Philadelphia Fed President Anna Paulson, who said she sees Fed rate cuts later this year.\u00a0 The 10-year T-note yield fell -4 bp to 4.14%.<\/p>\n<p>US Nov PPI final demand rose +3.0% y\/y, stronger than expectations of +2.7% y\/y.\u00a0 Nov PPI ex-food and energy also rose +3.0% y\/y, stronger than expectations of +2.7% y\/y\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>US Nov retail sales rose +0.6% m\/m, stronger than expectations of +0.5% m\/m.\u00a0 Also, Nov retail sales ex-autos rose +0.5% m\/m, stronger than expectations of +0.4% m\/m.<\/p>\n<p>US Dec existing home sales rose +5.1% m\/m to a 2.75-year high of 4.35 million, stronger than expectations of 4.22 million.<\/p>\n<p>US MBA mortgage applications rose +28.5% in the week ended January 9, with the purchase mortgage sub-index up +15.9% and the refinancing mortgage sub-index up +40.1%.\u00a0 The average 30-year fixed rate mortgage fell -7 bp to 6.18% from 6.25% in the prior week.<\/p>\n<p>Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said the US economy is showing &#8220;resilience&#8221; and he doesn&#8217;t see the &#8220;impetus&#8221; for the Fed to cut interest rates this month.<\/p>\n<p>Philadelphia Fed President Anna Paulson said, &#8220;I see inflation moderating, the labor market stabilizing, and growth coming in around 2% this year.\u00a0 If all of that happens, then some modest further adjustments to the funds rate would likely be appropriate later in the year.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Supreme Court didn\u2019t rule on challenges to President Trump\u2019s tariffs on Wednesday.\u00a0 The court did not say when it will issue its next opinions, but could schedule more decisions for next Tuesday and Wednesday, when the justices are again in session.<\/p>\n<p>Better-than-expected trade news from China on Wednesday is supportive of global growth prospects.\u00a0 China Dec exports rose+6.6% y\/y, stronger than expectations of +3.1% y\/y.\u00a0Dec imports rose +5.7% y\/y, stronger than expectations of +0.9% y\/y.<\/p>\n<p>Stocks also have some negative carryover from Monday on concerns about Fed independence, after Fed Chair Powell said the Justice Department was threatening a criminal indictment tied to his June testimony on Fed headquarters renovations, in retaliation for the Fed&#8217;s refusal to go along with President Trump\u2019s calls for lower interest rates.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The market\u2019s focus this week will be on economic news and any fresh news on the Federal Reserve.\u00a0 On Thursday, initial weekly unemployment claims are expected to increase by 7,000 to 215,000.\u00a0 Also, the Jan Empire manufacturing survey of general business conditions is expected to rise by 4.9 points to 1.0.\u00a0 On Friday, Dec manufacturing production is expected to fall -0.1% m\/m.\u00a0 Also, the Jan NAHB housing market index is expected to increase by +1 to 40.<\/p>\n<p>Q4 earnings season is set to begin this week as bank earnings start to roll in.\u00a0 According to Bloomberg Intelligence, S&#038;P earnings growth is expected to climb by +8.4% in Q4.\u00a0 Excluding the Magnificent Seven megacap technology stocks, Q4 earnings are expected to increase by +4.6%.<\/p>\n<p>The markets are discounting the odds to 5% for a -25 bp rate cut at the FOMC\u2019s next meeting on January 27-28.<\/p>\n<p>Overseas stock markets settled mixed on Wednesday.\u00a0 The Euro Stoxx 50 fell from a new record high and closed down -0.41%. \u00a0China\u2019s Shanghai Composite fell from a 10.5-year high and closed down -0.31%.\u00a0 Japan\u2019s Nikkei Stock 225 rallied to a new all-time high and closed up by +1.48%.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Interest Rates<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>March 10-year T-notes (ZNH6) on Wednesday closed up by +6.5 ticks.\u00a0 The 10-year T-note yield fell -3.9 bp to 4.140%.\u00a0 Concerns over a US response to the protests in Iran have boosted some safe-haven demand for T-notes after Reuters reported that some US personnel have been advised to leave a US air base in Qatar.\u00a0 The base had been attacked last year by Iran in retaliation for US air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. \u00a0T-notes added to their gains on Wednesday on dovish comments from Philadelphia Fed President Anna Paulson, who said she sees additional Fed rate cuts later this year.<\/p>\n<p>Gains in T-notes were limited after US Nov retail sales, Nov producer prices, and Dec existing home sales rose more than expected.\u00a0 Also, hawkish comments from Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari undercut T-note prices when he said he doesn&#8217;t see the &#8220;impetus&#8221; for the Fed to cut interest rates this month.<\/p>\n<p>European government bond yields moved lower on Wednesday.\u00a0 The 10-year German bund yield fell -3.3 bp to 2.814%. \u00a0The 10-year UK gilt yield fell to a 13-month low of 4.336% and finished down -5.9 bp to 4.340%.<\/p>\n<p>ECB Vice President Luis de Guindos said Eurozone inflation &#8220;remains in a good place,&#8221; though global uncertainty is weighing on the economy.<\/p>\n<p>UK gilt yields tumbled on Wednesday due to comments from BOE Deputy Governor Ramsden, who said, \u201cThe labor market is continuing to weaken,\u201d as UK businesses are beginning to actively lay off workers rather than just scaling back hiring.<\/p>\n<p>Swaps are discounting a 1% chance of a +25 bp rate hike by the ECB at its next policy meeting on February 5.<\/p>\n<p><strong>US Stock Movers<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Weakness in the Magnificent Seven technology stocks on Wednesday was a bearish factor for the overall market.\u00a0 Amazon.com\u00a0(AMZN), Meta Platforms\u00a0(META), and Microsoft\u00a0(MSFT) closed down more than -2%.\u00a0 Also,\u00a0Nvidia\u00a0(NVDA) and\u00a0Tesla\u00a0(TSLA) closed down more than -1%.\u00a0 In addition, Apple\u00a0(AAPL) closed down -0.33% and\u00a0Alphabet (GOOGL) bucked the trend and closed up +0.03%.<\/p>\n<p>Chip makers slid on Wednesday, weighing on the broader market.\u00a0 Broadcom\u00a0(AVGO) closed down more than -4%.\u00a0 Also, ARM Holdings\u00a0(ARM), Marvel Technology\u00a0(MRVL),\u00a0and Lam Research\u00a0(LRCX) closed down more than -2%.\u00a0 In addition, Applied Materials\u00a0(AMAT)\u00a0and Micron Technology\u00a0(MU) closed\u00a0down more than -1%.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Travel stocks fell after the US State Department said it would soon suspend visas for 75 countries.\u00a0Airbnb\u00a0(ABNB)\u00a0closed down more than -5%, Expedia Group\u00a0(EXPE)\u00a0closed down more than -3%, and Booking Holdings\u00a0(BKNG)\u00a0closed down more than -2%.<\/p>\n<p>Energy producers and energy service providers are climbing today, with WTI crude oil hitting a 2.5-month high.\u00a0 ConocoPhillips (COP) closed up more than +4%, and APA Corp (APA) closed up more than +3%.\u00a0 Also, Marathon Petroleum (MPC), Exxon Mobil (XOM), Devon Energy (DVN), Phillips 66 (PSX), Valero Energy (VLO), Baker Hughes (BKR), Occidental Petroleum (OXY), and Chevron (CVX) closed up more than +2%.<\/p>\n<p>Cryptocurrency-exposed stocks are rallying today with Bitcoin (^BTCUSD) up more than +3% at a 2-month high.\u00a0Galaxy Digital Holdings\u00a0(GLXY) closed up more than +5%, and Strategy\u00a0(MSTR)\u00a0and Riot Platforms\u00a0(RIOT)\u00a0are up more than +3%.\u00a0 Also, Coinbase Global\u00a0(COIN) and Mara Holdings\u00a0(MARA) closed up more than +1%.<\/p>\n<p>Trip.com (TCOM) ADRs closed down more than -7% after Chinese regulators said the company is being investigated over alleged antitrust conduct.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Rivian Automotive\u00a0(RIVN) closed down more than -7% after UBS downgraded the stock to sell from neutral with a price target of $15.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Glaukos Corp\u00a0(GKOS) closed down more than -5% after forecasting 2026 net sales of $600 million to $620 million, the midpoint below the consensus of $612.3 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Wells Fargo &#038; Co.\u00a0(WFC) closed down more than -4% after reporting Q4 net interest income of $12.33 billion, below the consensus of $12.43 billion.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Bank of America\u00a0(BAC) closed down more than 3% after reporting Q4 FICC trading revenue excluding DVA of $2.52 billion, below the consensus of $2.62 billion.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Intuitive Surgical\u00a0(ISRG) closed down more than -2% after forecasting full-year da Vinci Procedure growth of 13% to 15%, below the consensus of 15.2%.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>LyondellBasell Industries\u00a0(LYB) closed up more than +6% to lead gainers in the S&#038;P 500 after Citigroup removed its 90-day downside catalyst watch on the stock as polyethylene prices improved and ethane prices fell, helping to boost integrated margins.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Mosaic\u00a0(MOS) closed up more than +5% after Morgan Stanley raised its price target on the stock to $35 from $33, citing higher potash demand.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>TG Therapeutics\u00a0(TGTX) closed up more than +5% after reporting preliminary full-year 2025 revenue of $616 million, stronger than the consensus of $606.1 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Weyerhaeuser (WY) closed up more than +4% after Citigroup raised its price target on the stock to $30 from $26.<\/p>\n<p>CNH Industrial NV\u00a0(CNH) closed up more than +3% after Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock to buy from neutral with a price target of $13.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Earnings Reports(1\/15\/2026)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Blackrock Inc (BLK), First Horizon Corp (FHN), Goldman Sachs Group Inc\/The (GS), JB Hunt Transport Services Inc (JBHT), Morgan Stanley (MS).<\/p>\n<p class=\"body__disclaimer\">     On the date of publication,      Rich Asplund              did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes.          For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy      here. <\/p>\n<p class=\"body__disclaimer\">The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"jupiter22-c-tags jupiter22-c-tags-default\">\n<h3 class=\"jupiter22-c-tags-title\">         Tags       <\/h3>\n<div class=\"jupiter22-c-tags-container\">Stocks<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The\u00a0S&#038;P 500 Index ($SPX) (SPY) on Wednesday closed down -0.53%,\u00a0the Dow Jones Industrials Index ($DOWI)\u00a0(DIA) closed down -0.09%, and the\u00a0Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX) (QQQ) closed down -1.07%.\u00a0 March E-mini S&#038;P futures (ESH26) fell -0.56%, and March E-mini Nasdaq futures (NQH26) fell -1.08%. Stock indexes settled lower on Wednesday, with the S&#038;P 500 and Nasdaq 100 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"","ocean_second_sidebar":"","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"","ocean_custom_header_template":"","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"","ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stock","entry","has-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31696\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sharewatch.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}