NeQuit Wealth & Investment Management, LLC

05/31/2026

Monthly Market Update - May 2026

U.S. equities sealed a record-setting May with the longest weekly winning streak since 2023, powered by an Iran ceasefire framework, a 20% pullback in crude, blockbuster Nvidia earnings, and the orderly arrival of Kevin Warsh as the eleventh Chair of the Federal Reserve.

05/29/2026

Curious about how markets react to new Fed Chairs? Learn more here:

How the U.S. stock market has reacted to every new Federal Reserve Chair since 1970 - the patterns, the anomalies, and the live transition to Kevin Warsh on May 22, 2026.

05/28/2026

Curious about the history of the Federal Reserve? Learn more here:

A plain-English guide to America's central bank - its history, how it works, the tools it uses, and what it means for your money in 2026.

05/23/2026

Market Intelligence Report Summary - Week Ending May 22,2026

The S&P 500 just notched its eighth straight weekly win. The longest streak since 2023, closing at a record 7,473.47. The Dow hit its own record at 50,579.70, and the Russell 2000 jumped 2.72%, remembering it exists.

A few highlights from a week that started ugly and ended in a victory lap:

- Bonds threw a tantrum, then took a nap. The 30-year briefly poked above 5.20% Tuesday before the 10-year drifted back to 4.56% by Friday.
- Iran peace progress dragged WTI crude down 7.2% to $96.60 as talks via Oman gained momentum.
- Nvidia did Nvidia things: Record $81.6B in revenue and an $80B buyback. Not mention a big dividend raise
- Split-screen consumer: Target comps up +5.6%; Walmart fell -6.8% on soft guidance.
- Kevin Warsh was sworn in as Fed Chair Friday, promising a reform-oriented Fed.

Next up: A holiday-shortened week with April core PCE Thursday as the headliner.

Full report (data tables, sector breakdowns, week-ahead calendar) here:
https://www.nequitco.com/blog-articles/market-intelligence-report---week-ending-may-22-2026

Stay invested, stay caffeinated, and enjoy the long weekend.

U.S. equities extended their rally to eight consecutive weekly gains - the longest streak since 2023 - despite an early-week bond market scare. The S&P 500 added +0.88% to a record close of 7,473.47, the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped +2.13% to a record 50,579.70, and the Nasdaq Composite gaine...

05/19/2026

Every spring, like clockwork, the financial press dusts off a 19th-century English investing adage and presents it as wisdom: "Sell in May and go away, come back on St. Leger's Day." (St. Leger is a horse race in Doncaster. Yes, really.) We are here to politely retire the phrase.

That is one of three topics in this month's issue of The NeQuit Advisory:

1. The Sell-in-May Myth. What the numbers actually say about summer markets, and what deliberate investors do instead.

2. Your Kid's Leftover 529 Just Got a Glow-Up. A SECURE 2.0 provision quietly turning overfunded college accounts into retirement money, in the beneficiary's name, tax-free. Especially worth a read during graduation season.

3. Hurricane Season Starts June 1. Is Your Money Ready? The unglamorous financial prep most families skip, plus why FEMA's current funding situation makes personal preparedness matter more than usual this year.

Read the full May issue here:

Every year about this time, three things appear without fail: pollen, graduation gowns, and pundits intoning the phrase "sell in May and go away" as if reciting scripture. We are here to retire one of those three (the one that does not give you allergies or a diploma).

05/17/2026

Market Intelligence Report Summary - Week Ending May 15, 2026

This week, inflation came in hot, the bond market threw a small tantrum, Jerome Powell turned in his Chair badge after eight years, and Trump returned from Beijing with one deal for 200 Boeing planes and not much else. Stocks ended roughly flat, which feels less like calm and more like exhaustion.

📊 THE SCORECARD: WEEK ENDING MAY 15, 2026

• S&P 500 ............... 7,408.50 ▲ +0.13% week ▲ +8.22% YTD
• Dow Jones ........... 49,526.17 ▼ -0.17% week ▲ +3.04% YTD
• Nasdaq ................. 26,225.15 ▼ -0.08% week ▲ +12.83% YTD
• Russell 2000 ........... 2,793.30 ▼ -2.37% week ▲ +12.55% YTD
• NYSE Composite .... 22,799.43 ▼ -0.62% week ▼ -1.20% YTD

The S&P 500 briefly traded above 7,500 for the first time in history on Thursday, then immediately changed its mind. The Russell 2000 snapped a seven-week winning streak.

🔥 THE WEEK IN ONE PARAGRAPH

April CPI hit 3.8% YoY (highest since May 2023). PPI then ran +1.4% MoM, the biggest monthly jump since March 2022, with annual PPI at 6%. The Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh as the next Fed Chair on Wednesday, and Jerome Powell stepped down as Chair on Friday after eight years. The bond market promptly hiked rates on Warsh's behalf: the 10-year Treasury yield surged to 4.59% (highest since February 2025), the 30-year topped 5.12%, and markets now price a 25% probability of a June rate HIKE. Trump met Xi for two days in Beijing and came home with a 200-plane Boeing order, no deal on Iran, no progress on Nvidia chip exports, and a stern Chinese warning about Taiwan. Tech stocks dropped sharply Friday: Intel -6%, AMD -5.7%, Micron -6.6%, Nvidia -4.4%. Boeing fell 5% Thursday plus another 3.7% Friday. The week was rough on records and on AI.

👀 NEXT WEEK (MAY 18 to 22)

• Mon-Fri: Fed speakers parade, with markets parsing every syllable for Warsh's first official policy lean
• Wed: FOMC Minutes from the April 28-29 meeting (the 8-4 dissent meeting); Target Q1 earnings
• Thu: Walmart Q1 earnings; May Flash PMIs
• All week: Watch the 10-year yield. Above 4.70% likely breaks equities. Below 4.40% on dovish Warsh signals would relieve significant pressure.

Walmart's commentary on Thursday is the closest read we get to whether American consumers are quietly buckling under higher gas prices and inflation. It tends to matter more than people expect.

📖 READ THE FULL REPORT:

05/09/2026

Market Intelligence Report Summary - Week Ending May 8, 2026

This week, U.S. forces and Iranian forces exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz, oil swung wildly, and Michael Burry compared the stock market to the 1999 dot-com bubble. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed at record highs anyway.

📊 THE SCORECARD: WEEK ENDING MAY 8, 2026

• S&P 500 ............... 7,398.93 ▲ +2.34% week ▲ +8.08% YTD ← NEW ATH
• Dow Jones ........... 49,609.16 ▲ +0.22% week ▲ +3.22% YTD
• Nasdaq ................. 26,247.08 ▲ +4.51% week ▲ +12.93% YTD ← NEW ATH
• Russell 2000 ........... 2,861.21 ▲ +1.72% week ▲ +15.28% YTD
• NYSE Composite .... 22,942.15 ▼ -0.43% week ▼ -0.58% YTD

Six consecutive winning weeks for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq: the longest streak since 2024.

📦 THE WEEK IN ONE PARAGRAPH

April nonfarm payrolls came in at +115K, nearly DOUBLE the +62K consensus, and unemployment held at 4.3%. The 10-year yield jumped 11 basis points to 4.38% as traders trimmed rate-cut bets. Three U.S. Navy destroyers reportedly intercepted Iranian missile and drone attacks in the Strait of Hormuz mid-week, but Trump dismissed the incidents as "unimportant" and the ceasefire technically held. Oil ended the week DOWN 7.3% to $94.68 anyway, because markets. AI infrastructure stocks led the rally with the S&P tech sector up 3.27% on Friday alone. Caterpillar and Alphabet hit fresh all-time highs. Michael Burry, of "Big Short" fame, said it all looks like 1999. Markets, predictably, did not appear to be listening.

👀 NEXT WEEK (MAY 11 to 15)

• Tue: April CPI report (consensus +3.7% YoY headline, +2.7% core)
• Wed: April PPI; Cisco earnings
• Thu: Retail Sales; Walmart earnings (real-time consumer health gauge)
• Fri: Powell's final day as Fed Chair; preliminary May Michigan Sentiment
• This week: Possible Senate vote on Kevin Warsh as next Fed Chair

Tuesday's CPI is the print to watch. A cool reading extends the streak. A hot one ends it.

📖 READ THE FULL REPORT

For the complete data dashboard, all five major indexes, key macro indicators, and full week-ahead breakdown:

👉

U.S. equity markets posted their sixth consecutive weekly gain: the longest winning streak for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq since 2024. The S&P 500 surged +2.34% for the week to close at a new all-time high of 7,398.93. The Nasdaq Composite climbed +4.51% to a fresh record of 26,247.08, propelled by an AI...

05/02/2026

Market Intelligence Report Summary – Week Ending May 1, 20026

The Fed held rates, GDP missed, inflation jumped, four members of the Magnificent Seven reported earnings, and Powell gave what may be his final press conference as Chair. The market processed all of it in roughly 90 minutes and finished the week at a new all-time high anyway.

It was, as they say, a lot. 😊

📊 THE SCORECARD: WEEK ENDING MAY 1, 2026

• S&P 500 ............... 7,230.12 ▲ +0.91% week ▲ +5.62% YTD ← NEW ATH
• Dow Jones ........... 49,499.27 ▲ +0.55% week ▲ +2.99% YTD
• Nasdaq ................. 25,114.44 ▲ +1.12% week ▲ +8.06% YTD ← NEW ATH
• Russell 2000 ........... 2,812.82 ▲ +0.93% week ▲ +12.33% YTD
• NYSE Composite .... 23,041.15 ▲ +0.46% week ▼ -0.16% YTD

Fourth straight weekly gain. April was the best month for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq since 2020.

🏛️ THE WEEK IN ONE PARAGRAPH

Wednesday's FOMC vote came in 8-4 to hold rates: the most dissent since October 1992. Q1 GDP grew 2.0% (vs. 2.3% expected). PCE inflation jumped to 3.5% YoY, up from 2.8%. Apple beat with iPhone revenue hitting a March-quarter record of $57B. Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta beat. Amazon's AWS slightly missed. Oil climbed back above $102 as the UAE announced it is leaving OPEC. Powell's term as Chair ends May 15. Stocks went up anyway.

👀 NEXT WEEK (MAY 4 to 8)

• Mon: Palantir earnings (the AI software bellwether)
• Tue: ISM Services PMI for April
• Wed: ADP payrolls; Disney earnings
• Fri: April Jobs Report (consensus +150K)
• Possible full Senate vote on Kevin Warsh as next Fed Chair

Friday's jobs number is the one to watch. Soft print pulls cut hopes forward; hot print pushes them well into 2027.

📖 READ THE FULL REPORT

For the complete data dashboard, all five major indexes, key macro indicators, and full week-ahead breakdown:

👉

04/25/2026

This week, oil prices spiked, peace talks stalled, the Strait of Hormuz stayed closed, and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed at brand new all-time highs anyway.

If you are wondering how that math works, the answer is roughly: "Intel."

📊 THE SCORECARD: WEEK ENDING APRIL 24, 2026

• S&P 500 ............... 7,165.08 ▲ +0.55% week ▲ +4.67% YTD ← NEW ALL-TIME HIGH
• Dow Jones ........... 49,212.00 ▼ -0.48% week ▲ +2.39% YTD
• Nasdaq ................. 24,836.60 ▲ +1.50% week ▲ +6.86% YTD ← NEW ALL-TIME HIGH
• Russell 2000 ........... 2,784.26 ▲ +0.26% week ▲ +11.18% YTD
• NYSE Composite .... 23,022.00 ▼ -0.76% week ▼ -0.27% YTD

🔥 THE BIG STORY: A SEMICONDUCTOR SUPERCYCLE

Intel rose 23.6% on Friday alone, its best day since 1987, after blowout Q1 earnings and a casual mention from Elon Musk that Tesla might spend $3 billion at Intel's chip foundry. AMD added 13.9%. Nvidia reclaimed the $5 trillion market cap milestone. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index rose for an 18th consecutive session, which analysts called possibly the strongest semi rally in history.

Meanwhile, the software sector had a quiet little meltdown. IBM fell 7.5%, ServiceNow dropped 17%, and the broader software space had its worst day in months. The takeaway: in 2026, chips are eating software's lunch.

🛍️ OIL'S ROUND TRIP

Last week, WTI crude plunged 14% on ceasefire optimism. This week, it jumped 15% on the same ceasefire failing to materialize. Nothing says "market efficiency" like erasing two weeks of price action in eight trading days.

• WTI Crude Oil ......... $95.13/bbl ▲ +15.2% on the week
• Gold ......................... $4,712/oz ▼ -3.4% (broke 4-week win streak)
• 10-Year Treasury ..... 4.32% ▲ +6 bps
• US Dollar (DXY) ..... 98.40 ▲ +0.2%
• Fed Funds Rate ........ 3.50 to 3.75% (unchanged, FOMC meets next week)
• CPI Inflation (March) 3.3% YoY (Core: 2.6%)

👀 NEXT WEEK IS THE BIG ONE (APR 28 to MAY 1)

This is the most consequential week on the 2026 calendar:

• 📅 Tue Apr 28: Visa earnings, Iran peace talks resume in Islamabad
• 📅 Wed Apr 29: Apple and Amazon earnings
• 📅 Wed Apr 30: FOMC rate decision, Q1 GDP advance estimate, Meta and Microsoft earnings (yes, all on the same day)
• 📅 Thu May 1: PCE inflation, weekly jobless claims

Between Powell, GDP, and four members of the Magnificent Seven all reporting in 48 hours, next Wednesday may be the busiest economic day of the year. Plan accordingly.

📖 READ THE FULL REPORT

For the complete data dashboard, all five major indexes, key macro indicators, and the full week-ahead breakdown:

👉 www.nequitco.com/blog-articles/market-intelligence-report---week-ending-april-24

As always, markets go up, markets go down, and once in a great while a 60-year-old chip company has its best day since the Reagan administration. We are here to help you make sense of all of it.

04/21/2026

Benjamin Franklin said there were only two certainties in life. Last week, at least one of them went away for another year.

Now that the tax deadline has passed, we would like to suggest something mildly radical: the most valuable financial moves of 2026 are the ones you make in the next thirty days, not the next three hundred. That is the focus of this month's issue of The NeQuit Advisory.

Three topics, three action lists, zero filler:

- What your 2025 return is actually telling you, and the one W-4 adjustment worth making this week.

- The new 2026 retirement contribution limits ($24,500 for 401(k)s, $7,500 for IRAs, up to $11,250 in super catch-ups for ages 60 to 63), including a SECURE 2.0 twist that surprises a lot of high earners.

- Why the gap between the average savings rate (0.39%) and top high-yield accounts (up to 5.00%) is quietly costing more than most people realize.

You can read the full April issue here:
www.nequitco.com/blog-articles/the-nequit-advisory---april-2026

We kept it brief, readable, and (we hope) genuinely useful. If anything inside raises a question about your own situation, just reply to this email. A real person will write back.

The IRS envelopes have been mailed, the accountants have been hugged (or avoided), and the country has collectively exhaled. But if you think April 15 was the finish line, we have news for you: it was the starting gun.