Financial insights for the week ending June 26, 2026
For the week ending June 26th, 2026, markets finished mixed in a choppy week. The S&P 500 finished off 2.1%, the Nasdaq fell 4.7%, the Dow increased 0.4%, and the Russell 2000 ended the week up 0.8%.
The report we circled last week finally showed up, and it was the big one for the Fed. Thursday brought Personal Income and Outlays for May, which carries the PCE price index, the inflation gauge the Fed leans on the most, and it came in hot at 4.1% over the past year, the highest reading in three years. Core PCE, which strips out food and energy, ran at 3.4%. Hot, but not a surprise. The annual number landed right where economists expected and the monthly figure actually came in a touch softer, so markets didn't have a lot of new information to chew on. The same report showed income and spending both up 0.7% for the month, comfortably ahead of forecasts, which tells you households are still opening their wallets even with prices climbing, though some of that income bump came from one time farm relief payments rather than steady paychecks. Thursday morning also brought the final read on first quarter GDP, revised up to 2.1% from the 1.6% we had before, which says the economy started the year on firmer footing than first thought. So the picture is growth that is holding up and inflation that won't quite cool, and that is the kind of backdrop that keeps the Fed leaning hawkish and keeps the rate cuts a lot of folks wanted looking unlikely. Stocks mostly shrugged it off though, the bigger story this week was pressure on the large technology names over worries about how much all the AI spending is going to cost, with a strong earnings report from chipmaker Micron helping steady that corner of the market.
Next week is a short one, with markets closed Friday for Independence Day ahead of the long weekend. Because of the holiday, the June jobs report gets bumped up a day to Thursday morning instead of its usual Friday slot, and that is the headliner, with forecasts calling for somewhere around 115,000 jobs added and the unemployment rate holding near 4.3%. Before that we get the May job openings report on Tuesday, then private payrolls from ADP along with the ISM manufacturing read on Wednesday, so there is actually a fair amount of labor market data packed into just a few days. Wednesday also brings Fed Chair Kevin Warsh to a policy panel at the European Central Bank's annual forum over in Portugal, so investors will be listening closely for any read on how firmly he is leaning after the hawkish tone the Fed set in June. A hot jobs number could get the rate hike chatter going again, while a softer one would take some of that pressure off, though with the holiday thinning out the crowd the reaction could be a little exaggerated either way.
This week's tip is one most people put off until they are already in the middle of it, and that is planning for the chance you become a caregiver. The odds are higher than people tend to assume, roughly one in five adults is already caring for an aging parent, a spouse, or another loved one, and many more will face that responsibility at some point, often with very little warning. It usually starts small. The financial piece matters, caregiving can pull on your time, your savings, and frankly your emotional energy all at once, so it is worth folding into your retirement plan the same way you would plan for healthcare or travel. A couple of things help here. Have the conversations early so you know everyone's wishes and where the important documents live, and build ties in your community before you actually need them, whether that is neighbors, a faith group, local senior services, or respite programs that can give you a breather when things get heavy. The point isn't to brace for the worst though, it is to make sure that if your time comes you are not scrambling, and that you still get to enjoy the retirement you worked for. Being a caregiver and living a full retirement don't have to be at odds when you have planned a little ahead. If you would like to walk through how this might fit into your own picture, that is exactly the kind of thing we are happy to sit down and map out with you.
Enjoy your day! Come back next Saturday for our latest commentary. We are here to answer any of your financial questions.