Stock Market Today: Tech Gets Respite From Recent Selling
Treasury yields cooled off Friday, and so did the Dow and S&P 500, while the recently maligned Nasdaq and several of its tech components enjoyed a modest rebound.


Wall Street flipped the week's script on Friday, with a cooling-off in interest rates stunting value-oriented stocks while providing much-needed relief for "growthier" names.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average lagged the broader indices with a 1.5% decline to 30,932, while the S&P 500 declined 0.5% to 3,811. The Nasdaq Composite, meanwhile, got a lift from the recently sold-off technology and communications sectors; stocks such as Facebook (FB, +1.2%), Nvidia (NVDA, +3.1%) and Microsoft (MSFT, +1.5%) helped lead a modest 0.6% rebound in the tech-heavy index.
Despite the rebound, the Nasdaq remained down 4.9% for the week, the result of interest-rate fears, versus 1.8% and 2.4% losses for the Dow and S&P 500, respectively.

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
"Many market participants have referenced the infamous 'Taper Tantrum' in 2013 as a similar playbook to today as a reason why we're seeing equity market weakness," says Brian Price, head of investment management for Commonwealth Financial Network. But he also points out that "the notable difference today ... is that the Fed seems very committed to letting the economy run a little hotter than normal and will tolerate higher inflation."
Other action in the stock market today:
- The small-cap Russell 2000 eked out a marginal gain to 2,201.
- U.S. crude oil futures sank 3.2% to $61.50 per barrel, but still finished February up 18%.
- Gold futures sank, too, dropping 2.6% to $1,728.80 per ounce, plumbing nine-month lows.
- Bitcoin prices, at $48,870 on Thursday, dropped 5.1% to $46,381. (Bitcoin trades 24 hours a day; prices reported here are as of 4 p.m. each trading day.)
Earnings Estimates Are Looking Up!
Whatever the market faces in the short term, analysts see better times further on in the year.
Economic expectations are improving as more Americans are inoculated against COVID-19; nearly 14% of the population has received at least one dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That has analysts quickly scaling up their earnings estimates. Current-quarter profit expectations have improved by 5% over the first two months of Q1. According to FactSet Senior Earnings Analyst John Butters, that's "the second-highest increase in the bottom-up EPS estimate during the first two months of a quarter since FactSet began tracking this metric in Q2 2002," trailing only Q1 2018's 5.7% increase.
That augurs well for much of the market – including a number of dividend-rich sectors and industries. Many real estate investment trusts (REITs), especially in the retail and hospitality industries, are poised for better results as foot traffic picks up. And an economic recovery bodes well for business development companies (BDCs), as well as the small and midsized businesses in which they invest.
Investors will find plenty of attractive income opportunities across the equity board – though if you're looking for somewhere to start, we suggest you begin with our list of 21 high-quality (and high-yielding) stocks that are suitable for those looking to retirement (or even in it). These names offer an appealing blend of payout potential and income stability that just about any long-term buy-and-holder can appreciate.
Kyle Woodley was long NVDA and Bitcoin as of this writing.
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.
Kyle Woodley is the Editor-in-Chief of WealthUp, a site dedicated to improving the personal finances and financial literacy of people of all ages. He also writes the weekly The Weekend Tea newsletter, which covers both news and analysis about spending, saving, investing, the economy and more.
Kyle was previously the Senior Investing Editor for Kiplinger.com, and the Managing Editor for InvestorPlace.com before that. His work has appeared in several outlets, including Yahoo! Finance, MSN Money, Barchart, The Globe & Mail and the Nasdaq. He also has appeared as a guest on Fox Business Network and Money Radio, among other shows and podcasts, and he has been quoted in several outlets, including MarketWatch, Vice and Univision. He is a proud graduate of The Ohio State University, where he earned a BA in journalism.
You can check out his thoughts on the markets (and more) at @KyleWoodley.
-
How to Invest as the AI Industry Grows Up
Here’s where to find the winners as artificial intelligence transitions from an emerging technology to an adolescent one.
-
I’m 62 and worried about Social Security’s future. Should I take it early?
A Social Security shortfall may be coming soon. We ask financial experts for guidance.
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Slip Ahead of Big Earnings, Inflation Week
Perhaps uncertainty about tariffs, inflation, interest rates and economic growth can only be answered with earnings.
-
Stock Market Today: Solid Signals Lift Stocks Despite Tariff Noise
Markets are whistling over the White House in an ongoing display of corporate America's enduring ability to survive and advance.
-
Stock Market Today: Trump's Copper Comments Cause a Stir
Markets remain resilient and monetary policy makers stand fast against a rising tide of new terms of trade, including around copper.
-
Stock Market Today: President Trump Reboots the Tariff Trade
A broad consensus that markets hate uncertainty more than anything else is being tested on an almost daily basis in 2025.
-
Stock Market Today: Another Quarter, More Mixed Price Action
"Up and to the right" remains the general trend despite persistent uncertainty around critical policy issues.
-
AI vs the Stock Market: How Did Alphabet, Nike and Industrial Stocks Perform in June?
AI is a new tool to help investors analyze data, but can it beat the stock market? Here's how a chatbot's stock picks fared in June.
-
Are These the Next Stocks to Split?
Interactive Brokers' recently split its stock to makes its shares more accessible to investors. Could these high-priced stocks be next?
-
Stock Market Today: S&P 500, Nasdaq Near New Highs
The S&P 500 hasn't hit a new high since February. It's been since December for the Nasdaq.