As of the market close on June 18, 2026 (latest comprehensive data available), here are the Year-to-Date (YTD) performance figures for the requested indexes and groups. Major Indexes (Price Returns, unless noted) S&P 500: +9.57% (Total Return ~+10.20%, including ~0.63% dividends). NASDAQ Composite: ~+14.09% (stronger recent momentum; Nasdaq-100, a related tech-heavy gauge, at +20.42%). Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA): +7.29%. Wilshire 5000 (FT Wilshire 5000 Full Cap): +9.74%. S&P 500 Breakdown and Magnificent 7 S&P 493 (S&P 500 excluding the Magnificent 7): Has generally outperformed the Mag 7 in 2026 so far, contributing to broader market gains. Exact current YTD not pinned in all sources, but it has led relative performance amid Mag 7 weakness (e.g., earlier in the ye

My Investing Muse (22Jun2026) Layoffs, closures and Delinquencies Meta’s CTO says morale is near “the worst it’s ever been” — leadership will offer increased snack budgets to lift spirits. Freight Distress Report: more carriers shut down, logistics firms cut jobs Bankruptcy filings from Texas to California were accompanied by hundreds of layoffs at Expeditors, Alan Ritchey, DHL and others - FreightWaves My muse The market is returning to a backdrop shaped by a peace deal that still lacks important details, alongside continued restrictions around access to the Straits of Hormuz. There also appear to be different interpretations of the agreement. In my view, this is consistent with the uncertainty we have seen since the start of the conflict, and I would not be surprised if tensions remain e

Economic Preview: Key Data Releases (week of 22Jun2026) Business Activity · S&P Global Services PMI: The June Services PMI is forecast at 51.0, suggesting modest growth in the services sector. · S&P Global Manufacturing PMI: The June Manufacturing PMI is forecast at 54.8, indicating continued expansion in the manufacturing sector. Housing and Energy Markets · New Home Sales: May new home sales are expected to come in at 637,000 units, up from the previous 622,000 units. This will be an important reference point for assessing momentum in the real estate market. · Crude Oil Inventories: Crude oil inventory data remains a key near-term indicator. A drawdown in inventories may signal stronger demand expectations and provide insight into how oil m

News and my thoughts from the past week (15Jun2026) The preferred sequence should be legislation to governance to innovation but now, governance and legislation are catching up with innovations. There's risk. Without governance, aligning innovation with legislation can be painful. - Pukka Solutions "people gotta understand... [SpaceX] raised $75 billion... [and only] floated 5% of the stock... it's a very small float". "[But its valuation], that's a different story". "$1.7 trillion did not go to SpaceX. [It is] $75 billion. So people need to understand that". "then when Anthropic and OpenAI, if they ever make it to IPO, they're going to raise about $100 billion each. So the total raised actual real money is about $300 billion between these three IPOs". "Their valuations, that's a different

Economic Preview: Key Data Releases (week of 15Jun2026) Consumer and Demand Indicators May retail sales are expected to rise by 0.5%. Together with core retail sales, this release should provide a clearer view of consumer demand and spending momentum. Energy Market Indicator Crude oil inventory data will also be closely watched, as it offers insight into how producers are positioning for expected market demand. Federal Reserve and Labour Market The Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision will be the week’s most closely watched event. Rates are expected to remain unchanged at 3.75%, but the accompanying statement and updated economic projections are likely to have the greatest market impact by shaping expectations for the months ahead. We expect this announcement to introduce volatility ac

My Investing Muse (08Jun2026) Layoffs, closures and Delinquencies US-based technology employers announced 38,242 job cuts in May, the highest monthly total since August 2024, according to Challenger Gray data. Year-to-date, tech sector job cuts rose +66% YoY, to 123,653, the highest among all sectors, and 3x larger than transportation, the next closest sector. AI was the most cited reason for job cuts for the 3rd consecutive month, with 38,579 cuts attributed to AI in May alone, the highest since Challenger began tracking in 2023. This accounts for 40% of all layoffs announced last month, up from just 7% in January. Year-to-date, AI has been cited in 87,714 job cuts in 2026, or 22% of the total, already surpassing the 54,836 recorded in all of 2025 and 12,742 in 2024. AI continues to resha

Economic Preview: Key Data Releases (week of 08Jun2026) Housing Market Existing home sales data for May will be released, with forecasts pointing to an annualized rate of 4.08 million units. This will be an important indicator for the direction of the U.S. housing market. Inflation Indicators The main focus in the coming week will be the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for May. Headline CPI is expected to rise 4.2% year over year, up from 3.8% in the previous month. Core CPI is also projected to increase, with a monthly gain of 0.5%, compared with 0.4% previously. Another key release will be the Producer Price Index (PPI) for May. PPI measures inflation at the producer level and often provides an early signal of price pressures that may later be passed on to consumers. The forecast stands at 0.