FINANCIAL BLOG

A strong quarter across major indexes. The second quarter is winding down and what a quarter it has been with the S&P 500 up 12.6% quarter to date, while the Nasdaq-100 and Russell 2000 are both up over 20%. Despite some twists and turns, the path of least resistance for stocks broadly remained up and to the right for much of the last three months.

LPL Research provides its Weekly Market Performance for the week of June 22, 2026. The last full week of the first half was marked by a push-and-pull between AI-driven optimism and concerns of stretched positioning, leaving global equities broadly lower. In the U.S., simultaneous quarter-end rebalancing and mixed mega-cap news also weighed on sentiment, though broader market strength helped put a floor under index-level losses.

LPL Research examines Warsh’s evolving Fed approach, infrastructure-led growth, and the impact of China demand on oil prices.