JUST THE FACTS

Wall Street closed out with a bang Friday to claw back much of the losses from an extended tech selloff. The Dow scored its first finish above 50,000 to win the week, but the S&P and Nasdaq came up short.  

Before Friday's rebound, numerous tech names got pummeled this past week. At issue, a jaw-dropping spending increase coming this year in AI. This report details the figures and the fallout that followed.

Precious metals remain a major topic for investors, and in the case of silver, also a major source of angst. In the week since last Friday's tumble, gold regained some stability, but silver continued a wild ride.

The markets' tumble on Thursday would only get worse after a new report for the labor sector. Planned layoffs last month surged by 118% over the same period in 2025, the worst for a January since 2009.

The latest sentiment survey delivered an unexpected surprise, but there's a catch. Overall sentiment topped estimates, but it all depended on who was being asked. The most optimistic: large stock holders.

The incoming week will feature a load of economic reporting that will be watched closely by the Fed. The delayed January jobs report and the latest CPI will be the biggest along with new retail sales data.