US Stock Post-Market Report - January 15, 2026

Market overview

The U.S. equity market finished modestly higher as investors digested mixed large-cap tech performance and rotated into select defensive and cyclical areas. The session reflected a cautious, risk-on tilt concentrated in a handful of sectors and large-cap names.

Index closes & ranges

The S&P 500 closed at 6,944.47, up 17.87 points or +0.26%. The Nasdaq (NDX) finished at 23,530.02, up 58.27 points or +0.25%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 49,442.44, rising 292.81 points or +0.60%. Intraday ranges: S&P 6,937.93–6,979.34; Nasdaq 23,502.18–23,721.11.

Breadth & volumes

Investor sentiment was cautiously constructive with mixed market breadth: large-cap technology showed uneven performance while utilities and select cyclicals attracted flows. Overall traded volumes on major names were in line with seasonal norms, and no single headline dominated price action during the session.

Sector performance

• Utilities (XLU) up +1.02% to $43.61
• Industrials (XLI) up +0.92% to $165.78
• Real Estate (XLRE) up +0.75% to $41.70
• Technology (XLK) up +0.48% to $145.40
• Communication Services (XLC) down -0.37%
• Healthcare (XLV) down -0.57%
• Energy (XLE) weakest, down -0.97% to $47.60

Notable movers

Top individual movers in the sampled set:

• Nvidia (NVDA): close $186.99, up $3.85 (+2.10%), volume 200,858,124, market cap 45,447.92
• Meta Platforms: close $620.80, up $5.28 (+0.86%), volume 12,844,215, market cap 15,647.44
• Amazon: close $238.21, up +0.66%, volume 42,609,793, market cap 25,464.84
• Apple: close $258.21, down $1.75 (-0.67%), volume 38,660,999, market cap 37,951.51
• Microsoft: close $456.66, down -0.59%, volume 22,636,062, market cap 33,940.70
• Alphabet (GOOGL): close $332.78, down -0.91%, volume 28,177,791, market cap 40,156.56
• Tesla: close $438.57, down -0.14%, volume 48,496,272, market cap 14,586.05

News, macro & policy data

News-item and market-news queries to the Tavily service returned an API usage limit error during the data pull. As a result, there were no service-verified company-specific earnings items, macroeconomic prints (CPI/PPI, employment, GDP, FOMC commentary) or policy/geopolitical announcements included in this report. This summary therefore focuses on observed price, volume and sector ETF moves; readers should consult primary news sources or the vendor directly for any breaking updates that may have emerged after the data snapshot used here.

Closing summary

Major indexes closed modestly higher with the Dow outpacing the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. Sector rotation favored Utilities and Industrials while Energy lagged, and tech leadership was mixed—Nvidia and Meta outperformed while Apple, Microsoft and Alphabet were modestly lower. Notable volumes in large-cap names (e.g., Nvidia 200.9M, Tesla 48.5M) underscore the role of big-cap flows in the session.