Heading into the final session of the week, stocks have had a roller coaster ride. Through Thursday's close the Dow Jones Industrials have lost 137 points on the week, NASDAQ is off 30, and the S&P 500 is down 17 points. For all the volatility, stocks are essentially flat, which suggests that the only people making money are the sharp swing traders, who, in a market that's been pushed in either direction on an intraday basis, can profit nicely if they know what they're doing.
For a wider, more insane view of what's happening in different markets, consider that the Dow Transports are down a whopping 1331 points, a nearly six percent decline, owing largely to reporting by airline stocks (UAL, LUV, AAL) which have suffered declines of 10-12 percent just this week. Thus, it pays to be in the right sectors, no matter how one is trading.
This kind of uncertainty in markets isn't good for individual active investors, though it has benefitted passive patient ones who don't trade often and are reluctant to take profits, even at all-time highs, which is right where stocks currently reside.
As far as Trump tweets or truths are concerned, the prescient president must have not slept well, as at 1:13 am Friday, he posted this:
The Southern Poverty Law Center, one of the greatest political scams in American History, has been charged with FRAUD. This is another Democrat Hoax, along with Act Blue, and many others. If it is true, the 2020 Presidential Election should be permanently wiped from the books and be of no further force or effect! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT
It's refreshing to think that the president has more on his mind than blowing civilizations back to the stone age. The SPLC has been on his "unfriendly" list for some time and he's finally getting some well-deserved satisfaction.
That has nothing to do with stocks or finances, however, though it appears to be a step in the right direction.
On the warfront, signals coming out of Iran suggest that a delegation may actually find its way to Islamabad over the weekend. Reports are unconfirmed, but stock futures appear to be in favor of it, with Dow futures up 118, NASDAQ futures up 300, and S&P futures ahead by 15 points, though all three are off their earlier highs.
What may be the biggest stock story is Intel (INTC), which reported after the close Thursday, and is ripping higher premarket, to levels not seen since late 2000. It is being quoted pre-market at $83.33, +24.78%. Larry Ellison is smiling.
Friday, before the open the following companies reported first quarter earnings:
Proctor & Gamble (PG) - earnings beat, up 3% pre-market
Norfolk Southern (NSC) - profits, revenue, in-line, stock down 1%
Western Union (WU) - stock is trading below $10, down 9% pre-market
HCA Healthcare (HCA) - poor report, stock sliding 8%
Gentex (GNTX) - beat, revenue outlook positive, stock soaring 6.5%
Charter Communications (CHTR) - Loses 51,000 Pay TV Subscribers in 1Q, down 4.5%
Plenty out there to like, a few shorts available, making for an active session to close the week.
At the Close, Thursday, April 23, 2026:
Dow: 49,310.32, -179.71 (-0.36%)
NASDAQ: 24,438.50, -219.06 (-0.89%)
S&P 500: 7,108.40, -29.50 (-0.41%)
NYSE Composite: 22,952.74, -49.04 (-0.21%)
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