Today's War Room Trading Recap

📉 Broad Market Movement

Despite early rallies, the major U.S. stock indexes closed lower:

• The S&P 500 dipped 0.4%, finishing around 6,339.4

• The Dow Jones fell 0.7%, closing near 44,131 

• The Nasdaq Composite slipped slightly, ending just under 21,123

• The Russell 2000 (small-cap index) declined 0.9% to 2,211.65 

For the week, the S&P 500 lost 0.8%, the Dow dropped 1.7%, and the Russell 2000 slid 2.2%, while the Nasdaq edged up 0.1%. Year-to-date, the Nasdaq leads with a 9.4% gain, followed by the S&P (7.8%) and the Dow (3.7%) 

📊 Key Catalysts

• Tech Leaders Shine:

  • Microsoft climbed about 4%, pushing its market cap near $4 trillion The Wall Street Journal

  • Meta Platforms soared 11–12%, powered by strong earnings and advertising momentum 

  • Amazon had mixed results — gains in cloud and sales, but shares slipped in after-hours trading The Wall Street Journal

  • Apple posted better-than-expected iPhone sales and climbed about 3%

• Inflation Pressure Persists:
  June’s core PCE inflation jumped to 2.8%, weakening expectations for a near-term Fed rate cut and weighing on sentiment

• Trade Uncertainty Resurfaces:
  President Trump extended tariffs on Mexican goods by 90 days and imposed a steep new 50% tariff on imported copper, contributing to volatility

• Market Flow Dynamics:
  After a strong open, markets drifted lower in a back-and-forth session influenced by month-end rebalancing and macro headlines

🔍 The Bigger Picture

Winners: Tech giants continue to lift sector sentiment — especially those with strong moves into AI.
Pressure Points: Elevated inflation and trade policy risks are clouding the outlook for broader market gains.
Outlook: Markets appear treading carefully into end-of-week developments, especially with the jobs report ahead and persistent macro headwinds.