07/28/2026 ValuEngine Weekly Market Summary & Commentary

Weekly Market Recap – Week Ending July 24, 2026

U.S. equity markets were mixed this week, with continued pressure on growth-oriented benchmarks offset by strength in defensive, industrial, and energy-related sectors. The NASDAQ 100 ETF (QQQM) declined 1.71%, while the S&P 500 ETF (SPYM) slipped 0.46%, weighed down by sharp weakness in Consumer Discretionary (XLY) and Communication Services (XLC). In contrast, Utilities (XLU), Energy (XLE), Industrials (XLI), Materials (XLB), Health Care (XLV), Real Estate (XLRE), and Dividend Equity (SCHD) posted gains, suggesting a rotation toward value, defensive, and cyclicals outside mega-cap growth. Stock-specific momentum remained strong in selected global energy, defense, health care, refining, and technology names, led by Equinor (EQNR), Tenet Healthcare (THC), Suncor Energy (SU), Marathon Petroleum (MPC), Apple (AAPL), and SAAB (SAABY).

Trade ValuEngine supported portfolio strategies, www.ValuEngineCapital.com

In the below tables we use major ETF’s as a proxy for some major indexes as well as each of the sector groups into which we divide the overall markets. Tracking these over time provides a more defined picture of the US markets than simply tracking major indexes. This is followed by notable individual stock movers over the past month, and finally our full strategy outlook.

ETF Weekly Performance:

Free Trial: Direct Access to ValuEngine Research on over 5,000 stocks and 700 ETFs HERE

Top 3 Stock Performers (Global):

Top 3 Stock Performers (US):

Current ValuEngine reports on all covered 5000+ stocks and ETFs can be viewed HERE

Strategy Note:

Last week, 177 S&P 500 companies (roughly 27% of the index) reported Q2 results. The reporting period showed extreme polarization, heavily punishing high-spending mega-caps while aggressively rewarding strong operational execution and guidance upgrades in defensively postured spaces. Notably, Tenet Healthcare (THC) surged +17.2% for the week closing at $233.20, following a massive Q2 earnings surprise. Another earnings-season winner, 3M Company (MMM) jumped +7.3% on upgraded full-year outlooks.

Even more notable, two “Mag 7” companies had less well-received analyst calls following their earnings announcements. Tesla (TSLA) plunged -18.3% for the week after a severe 38% miss on adjusted EPS and unexpected negative free cash flow driven by AI infrastructure capital spending. Despite a very strong earnings report and strong projections, Alphabet (GOOGL) fell -6.9% post-earnings as investors heavily penalized its massive capital expenditure hikes. As a result of the fact that both these companies dominate the market-float-weighted Select Sector SPDRs to which they belong, Tesla’s Consumer Discretionary Sector SPDR, XLY, lost 5.2% while  Alphabet’s Communications Services Sector SPDR, XLC, lost 4%. In ValuEngine’s forecast ratings, Tesla has been rated 3 (Hold) for several months. On the other hand, our forecast rating for Google (GOOGL) indicated that the overreaction to increasing capital expenditures has created a buying opportunity. We maintain out 5 (Strong Buy) rating on Google.

Looking ahead we can evaluate how the market is positioning itself by analyzing the weekly price action of key high- and low-momentum look-ahead equities. Two of the most promising movers are rated 5 strong buy by ValuEngine. These include Applied Digital Corporation (APLD) and Celestica (CLS). APLD gained 5.4% last week while CLS rose 1.3%. On the other side of the spectrum among S&P reporters, ServiceNow (NOW) lost 4.3% and Nativis Semiconductor (NVTS) lost 4.7%. NOW is rated 2 (Sell) by our forecast model while NVTS is rated 3. In our experiences, bottom-of-spectrum week-before price changes do not normally portend significant positive earnings surprises. Of course, that is no guarantee as surprises, by definition, can defy expectations in both directions.

With four Mag 7 companies set to report this week, only one has our buy signal. That is Apple (AAPL) with a 4 rating. The other three: Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN) and Meta Platforms (META) are all rated 3 (Hold). An interesting observation about AAPL is that its price held up while its Select Sector SPDR (XLK) was getting crushed last week. As the single largest weight inside the Technology sector (XLK), Apple should have been severely dragged down by the sector’s massive $8.7 billion net institutional outflow. The fact that AAPL finished the week virtually flat (-0.2%) indicates a significant active-passive divergence: while passive baskets were sold mechanically, institutional active buyers simultaneously hoarded single-stock Apple shares as a flight-to-safety shield ahead of its Thursday report. We look forward to an interesting week.

www.ValuEngine.com (ValuEngine, Inc) is a stock valuation and forecasting service founded by Ivy League finance academics. VE utilizes the most advanced quantitative techniques and analysis available to analyze over 4,200 US stocks, 700 US ETFs, and 1,000 Canadian stocks. Fair market valuations, forecast target prices, and buy/hold/sell recommendations are updated DAILY.

www.ValuEngineCapital.com (ValuEngine Capital Management, LLC) is a Registered Investment Advisory firm that trades a variety of different portfolios based upon the ValuEngine.com research models. Each portfolio has a different risk/return profile, so clients can be placed in strategies that fit their specific investment needs.

BLOG.VALUENGINE.COM for the full history of ValuEngine.com financial blog posts

____________________________________________________________________________

5,000 stocks, 600 ETFs, 16 sector groups, and 140 industries updated on www.ValuEngine.com

Full Two Week Free Trial HERE

Financial Advisory Services based on ValuEngine research and Portfolios available through www.ValuEngineCapital.com