{"id":12736,"date":"2026-04-02T08:56:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T08:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advisors3.bradcable.com\/hazelbakerfinancial\/weekly-market-performance-april-2-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T08:56:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T08:56:12","slug":"weekly-market-performance-april-2-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advisors3.bradcable.com\/hazelbakerfinancial\/weekly-market-performance-april-2-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Weekly Market Performance | April 2, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

LPL Research<\/a>
\nLast Updated: April 02, 2026<\/p>\n

LPL Financial and the stock market will be closed on Friday, April 3 for the Good Friday holiday.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

LPL\u00a0Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of\u00a0March\u00a030,\u00a02026.<\/b>\u00a0U.S. equities rallied during the holiday-shortened week, snapping a multi-week losing streak as easing Treasury yields, quarter end rebalancing, and hopes for a de-escalation in the U.S.\u2013Iran conflict supported risk assets, with the Nasdaq outperforming on strength in large cap technology. Internationally, European stocks advanced on improved risk sentiment and cooler inflation data, while Asian markets were mostly weaker.\u00a0Core bonds posted gains as Treasury yields pulled back on more dovish rate expectations pricing.\u00a0Crude prices continued to trend higher as the conflict in Iran\u00a0continued, while the U.S. dollar traded modestly lower amid volatile headlines.<\/p>\n

Stock Index Performance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Index<\/b><\/td>\nWeek-Ending<\/b><\/td>\nOne Month<\/b><\/td>\nYear to Date<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
S&P 500<\/b><\/td>\n3.18%<\/td>\n-4.51%<\/td>\n-4.01%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dow Jones Industrial<\/b><\/td>\n2.85%<\/td>\n-5.01%<\/td>\n-3.35%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nasdaq Composite<\/b><\/td>\n4.14%<\/td>\n-4.10%<\/td>\n-6.13%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Russell 2000<\/b><\/td>\n3.07%<\/td>\n-4.93%<\/td>\n1.73%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
MSCI EAFE<\/b><\/td>\n4.47%<\/td>\n-5.14%<\/td>\n2.05%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
MSCI EM<\/b><\/td>\n2.48%<\/td>\n-8.02%<\/td>\n3.40%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

S&P 500 Index Sectors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Sector<\/b><\/td>\nWeek-Ending<\/b><\/td>\nOne Month<\/b><\/td>\nYear to Date<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Materials<\/b><\/td>\n3.26%<\/td>\n-5.73%<\/td>\n10.42%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Utilities<\/b><\/td>\n1.23%<\/td>\n-2.02%<\/td>\n8.22%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Industrials<\/b><\/td>\n2.84%<\/td>\n-8.31%<\/td>\n5.60%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Consumer Staples<\/b><\/td>\n0.43%<\/td>\n-6.61%<\/td>\n6.84%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Real Estate<\/b><\/td>\n3.63%<\/td>\n-5.21%<\/td>\n3.70%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Health Care<\/b><\/td>\n2.20%<\/td>\n-7.42%<\/td>\n-5.39%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Financials<\/b><\/td>\n3.47%<\/td>\n-3.21%<\/td>\n-9.61%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Consumer Discretionary<\/b><\/td>\n2.51%<\/td>\n-5.47%<\/td>\n-10.07%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Information Technology<\/b><\/td>\n4.30%<\/td>\n-3.23%<\/td>\n-7.83%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Communication Services<\/b><\/td>\n6.14%<\/td>\n-5.52%<\/td>\n-5.92%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Energy<\/b><\/td>\n-5.35%<\/td>\n4.47%<\/td>\n32.50%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Fixed Income and Commodities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Indexes and Commodities<\/b><\/td>\nWeek-Ending<\/b><\/td>\nOne Month<\/b><\/td>\nYear to Date<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate<\/b><\/td>\n0.77%<\/td>\n-1.32%<\/td>\n-0.03%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bloomberg Credit<\/b><\/td>\n1.03%<\/td>\n-1.44%<\/td>\n-0.41%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bloomberg Munis<\/b><\/td>\n0.63%<\/td>\n-1.88%<\/td>\n0.05%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bloomberg High Yield<\/b><\/td>\n1.19%<\/td>\n-0.71%<\/td>\n-0.12%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oil<\/b><\/td>\n11.41%<\/td>\n55.85%<\/td>\n93.33%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Natural Gas<\/b><\/td>\n-9.56%<\/td>\n-5.44%<\/td>\n-24.06%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gold<\/b><\/td>\n3.94%<\/td>\n-12.23%<\/td>\n8.14%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Silver<\/b><\/td>\n4.16%<\/td>\n-18.70%<\/td>\n1.40%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Source: LPL Research, Bloomberg 4\/2\/26 @3:16 p.m. ET
\nDisclosures: Indexes are unmanaged and cannot be invested in directly.<\/i><\/p>\n

U.S. and International Equities<\/h2>\n

U.S. Equities:\u00a0<\/b>Despite capping a down month and the first quarterly loss over the last four,\u00a0the S&P 500 snapped a five-week losing streak, posting a healthy four-day advance\u00a0over the holiday shortened week.\u00a0\u00a0After rate-sensitive trading on Monday sent equities lower alongside Treasury yields,\u00a0following\u00a0calming\u00a0remarks from Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Powell, major averages\u00a0delivered a stout two-day relief rally on optimism around U.S.-Iran offramps.\u00a0Fueling the surge was reports that President Trump told aides he is willing to end hostilities in Iran\u00a0should the Strait of Hormuz be re-opened, with\u00a0separate\u00a0reports\u00a0later\u00a0indicating\u00a0that Iranian President Pezeshkian\u00a0stated\u00a0he is ready to end the war accelerating gains.\u00a0Improved market positioning, month- and quarter-end\u00a0rebalancing\u00a0dynamics,\u00a0and\u00a0mostly higher big tech names\u00a0also\u00a0broadly\u00a0padded gains\u00a0helping lift the Nasdaq a bit more than the S&P 500. The abbreviated week\u00a0ended on a mixed note, as stocks pared early Thursday losses\u00a0on a report that Iran is drafting a protocol with Oman to\u00a0monitor\u00a0traffic through the Strait of Hormuz\u00a0after President Trump threatened potentially intensifying attacks over the last few weeks of the conflict.\u00a0While\u00a0remaining\u00a0lower on the day, the development was seen as a step in the right direction by investors given the reversal of a 1.5% loss in the S&P 500.<\/p>\n

International Equities:\u00a0<\/b>European equities also advanced\u00a0through Thursday trading.\u00a0Utilities and basic resources industry groups led the charge with the latter receiving support from metals and mining names on the prospect for record aluminum prices following Iranian strikes on aluminum plants in Bahrain and the UAE, threatening a supply strain.\u00a0Risk appetite was lifted on hopes of a ceasefire in the Mideast, with sentiment further buoyed by hopes that price pressures may be less than initially feared following a slightly cooler than expected preliminary consumer inflation report for March.\u00a0After recent outperformance, energy shares were relative underperformers with the lion’s share of gains arriving on Thursday as\u00a0crude prices turned higher.<\/p>\n

On the other side of the coin, major Asian markets traded mostly lower heading into the first Friday of the month.\u00a0South Korea\u00a0remained\u00a0a standout as the KOSPI remained\u00a0highly sensitive\u00a0to\u00a0the vast swings in geopolitical headlines, with some downward pressure to start the week also stemming from pension authorities warning over the need to stabilize the won.\u00a0Chipmakers were also a weak spot, with a similar dynamic weighing\u00a0on\u00a0Taiwan, while\u00a0Japanese benchmarks also dropped on raised fiscal jitters from\u00a0recent\u00a0yen weakness, firmer crude prices, and central bank minutes discussing more rate hikes.\u00a0Greater China\u00a0continued to display some relative insulation to\u00a0geopolitical\u00a0worries\u00a0as Hong Kong moved higher while mainland losses were subdued as Hong Kong moved higher while mainland losses were subdued.<\/p>\n

Fixed Income, Currency, and Commodity Markets<\/h2>\n

Fixed Income: <\/b>Core bonds, measured by the Bloomberg Aggregate\u00a0Index,\u00a0traded\u00a0higher\u00a0on the week heading into Friday\u2019s abbreviated session.\u00a0The Treasury market enjoyed some upside this week as bonds rallied alongside equity markets on hopes that an end to\u00a0U.S.-Iran\u00a0hostilities is around the corner. Yields pulled back as traders began to re-price a chance of a Fed rate cut in 2026\u00a0\u2014 or more likely a hold\u00a0which is still more dovish\u00a0than a rate hike \u2014\u00a0and\u00a0continued to\u00a0fall on\u00a0Thursday\u00a0despite\u00a0speculation\u00a0that\u00a0elevated oil prices\u00a0could\u00a0stick around after\u00a0Wednesday\u2019s\u00a0Presidential address.<\/p>\n

More broadly in fixed income markets, the ongoing conflict in Iran\u00a0has\u00a0pushed global bond yields higher in March, weighing on the national municipal market as well.\u00a0While March is typically a challenging month for\u00a0munis\u00a0\u2014 the average return over the past 10 years is \u20110.32% \u2014 last month\u2019s \u20112.5% decline was the worst March performance since March 2022, which coincided with the most aggressive Fed tightening cycle in decades. It was also the worst monthly return since September 2023,\u00a0with negative returns broad\u2011based across credit quality.\u00a0With the drawdown, however, valuations have improved meaningfully\u00a0and relative value versus Treasuries and taxable corporates has also improved, making\u00a0munis\u00a0competitive for investors with marginal tax rates as low as roughly 29%.<\/p>\n

One\u00a0caveat: April has historically been a difficult seasonal month for\u00a0munis, with six of the past 10 Aprils producing negative returns and an average return of \u20110.40% over the past decade. Elevated supply, weak reinvestment flows, and tax\u2011related redemptions tend to pressure the market during this period.\u00a0Nonetheless, value has returned to the municipal market, particularly in the intermediate\u00a0portion\u00a0of the curve.<\/p>\n

Commodities and Currencies: <\/b>The broader commodities complex\u00a0was poised for a weekly advance Thursday afternoon\u00a0as crude oil prices continued to march higher as April begins. Despite relatively rangebound trading, and even dipping lower on Wednesday, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude prices soared back into positive territory\u00a0Thursday after President Trump\u2019s primetime address from Pennsylvania Avenue\u00a0disappointed investors by not providing a clear resolution timeline on the conflict in Iran or when the Strait of Hormuz will reopen, remarking that attacks may escalate as the U.S. campaign nears its end.\u00a0\u00a0WTI remained near weekly highs despite\u00a0the\u00a0reports that Iran is working with Oman on a protocol to\u00a0monitor\u00a0traffic through the waterway.\u00a0Elsewhere, gold prices\u00a0continued to bounce off key technical levels reached last week, adding over 3% through\u00a0Thursday afternoon trading, while silver also gained ground.\u00a0\u00a0In currencies, the U.S.\u00a0Dollar\u00a0Index\u00a0faced choppy trading amid volatile geopolitical headlines, rate expectations, and economic outlooks,\u00a0ultimately\u00a0trading\u00a0slightly lower\u00a0but\u00a0still\u00a0hovering near 100.<\/p>\n

Economic Weekly Roundup<\/h2>\n

Tuesday\u2019s release of the\u00a0JOLTS jobs report\u00a0indicated\u00a0hiring and job openings fell but, not across all sectors.\u00a0Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggested the\u00a0quits rate and hiring rate fell in February as the labor market cooled\u00a0from the headwinds of inflation and tariff uncertainty. We\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0see the potential impact of Operation Epic Fury until next month.\u00a0Across most industries, the February quits rate is below pre-pandemic levels,\u00a0indicating\u00a0workers\u2019 uncertainty within the job market.\u00a0On the other side of the equation, we see hiring rates have also weakened, particularly in healthcare services. This is important given the driving force in payrolls recently. Expect\u00a0weakness\u00a0in Friday\u2019s nonfarm payroll report within cyclicals like retail trade and construction. But\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0not all\u00a0bad\u00a0news.\u00a0In contrast, hiring rates (a signal from firms) and quit rates (a signal from workers) rose in the information technology space.\u00a0Product demand is supportive of a decent job market for this industry.<\/p>\n

For many workers, the uncertainty within the job market has suppressed the desire to move from one job to another. On the labor demand side, firms have pulled back on hiring rates. The one anomaly is within the information technology sector as solid labor demand has bucked the trend.<\/p>\n

The Week Ahead<\/h2>\n

The following economic data is slated for the week\u00a0ahead:<\/p>\n