The S&P 500 fell 0.48% this week to close at 7,622.86, the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.71% to 25,955.34, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.41% to finish at 52,215.16. Smaller-cap stocks outperformed, with the Russell 2000 up 2.00% on the week, and volatility eased as the VIX fell 2.70% alongside a decline in the 10-year Treasury yield.
| Index | Close | A week earlier | Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 | 7,622.86 | 7,659.44 | -0.48% |
| Dow Jones Industrial Average | 52,215.16 | 52,002.41 | +0.41% |
| Nasdaq Composite | 25,955.34 | 26,140.03 | -0.71% |
| Russell 2000 | 2,775.90 | 2,721.37 | +2.00% |
| VIX (volatility index) | 19.45 | 19.99 | -2.70% |
| 10-year Treasury yield | 4.989% | 5.100% | -2.18% |
Source: Index closing levels · as of October 23, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET · Against the close on Friday, October 16, 2026. The 10-year yield's change is the percentage change in the yield.
Sectors
Energy led all sectors this week, up 1.58%, followed closely by Health Care at +1.45%. Real Estate, Utilities, Materials, Consumer Staples, Financials and Consumer Discretionary all posted modest gains between roughly 0.6% and 1%.
At the other end, Communication Services was the week's weakest sector by a wide margin, down 4.34%. Industrials also lagged, falling 1.87%, while Technology was roughly flat, down just 0.11%.
| Sector | Week |
|---|---|
| Energy | +1.58% |
| Health care | +1.45% |
| Real estate | +0.97% |
| Utilities | +0.83% |
| Materials | +0.77% |
| Consumer staples | +0.73% |
| Financials | +0.68% |
| Consumer discretionary | +0.57% |
| Technology | -0.11% |
| Industrials | -1.87% |
| Communication services | -4.34% |
Source: S&P 500 sector fund closing prices · as of October 23, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET
The week's biggest movers
Weekly movers are not available this week, so we are not naming individual S&P 500 gainers or decliners.
Earnings and filings
Seventy-six S&P 500 companies reported results this week: 63 beat earnings-per-share estimates, 12 missed and 1 matched. The largest by market value was Meta Platforms, which reported earnings per share of $7.40 against an estimate of $6.54, a beat.
Other large reporters beating estimates included Tesla, Procter & Gamble, Philip Morris International, GE Aerospace, Lam Research, Netflix, Texas Instruments, RTX Corporation and Thermo Fisher Scientific. Separately, 99 stock trade disclosures by members of Congress reached us this week; these are disclosures of transactions, not evidence of any particular motive.
| Reported | Stock | Company | EPS | Estimate | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 21, 2026 | META | Meta Platforms | $7.40 | $6.54 | Beat |
| October 21, 2026 | TSLA | Tesla, Inc. | $0.48 | $0.46 | Beat |
| October 22, 2026 | PG | Procter & Gamble | $2.00 | $1.88 | Beat |
| October 21, 2026 | PM | Philip Morris International | $2.36 | $2.30 | Beat |
| October 20, 2026 | GE | GE Aerospace | $2.25 | $2.01 | Beat |
| October 21, 2026 | LRCX | Lam Research | $2.20 | $2.18 | Beat |
| October 20, 2026 | NFLX | Netflix | $0.87 | $0.82 | Beat |
| October 21, 2026 | TXN | Texas Instruments | $2.62 | $2.44 | Beat |
| October 20, 2026 | RTX | RTX Corporation | $2.26 | $1.78 | Beat |
| October 21, 2026 | TMO | Thermo Fisher Scientific | $6.68 | $6.40 | Beat |
Source: Company earnings reports and sell-side analyst consensus estimates · as of October 23, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET · 76 S&P 500 companies reported: 63 beat, 12 missed and 1 matched the EPS estimate.