Midweek Pulse — Apr 15, 2026

📊 Midweek Pulse — Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Week-to-date performance through Tuesday Apr 14 close | S&P 500 nearing all-time high of 7,002


🏛️ Market Overview

The Nasdaq just posted its 10th consecutive winning session — the longest streak since 2021 — finishing at 23,639 on Tuesday with a cumulative 8% gain over those 10 sessions. The S&P 500 is within striking distance of its January 28 all-time high of 7,002.28. Wednesday futures are flat as markets digest the rally.

Key Themes This Week:


📈 Top 10 Portfolio Performers WTD

# Ticker Company WTD % Friday Close → Now Portfolio
1 IONQ IonQ Inc +24.21% $28.79 → $35.76 FTM
2 IREN IREN Limited +20.47% $39.32 → $47.37 FTM
3 QBTS D-Wave Quantum +19.09% $14.25 → $16.97 FTM
4 OKLO Oklo Inc +16.58% $50.25 → $58.58 FTM
5 AFRM Affirm Holdings +15.02% $48.53 → $55.82 Quarantine
6 RGTI Rigetti Computing +14.92% $14.68 → $16.87 FTM/Quarantine
7 CRWV CoreWeave +14.90% $102.00 → $117.20 FTM
8 QUBT Quantum Computing +14.87% $7.06 → $8.11 FTM
9 LMND Lemonade Inc +14.73% $54.45 → $62.47 Quarantine
10 NNE NANO Nuclear Energy +13.29% $20.76 → $23.52 FTM

Notable runners-up: AUR +12.5%, WGS +12.1%, SNOW +11.9%, NBIS +11.7%, OWL +11.4%, SMR +11.3%, ZETA +10.9%, APP +10.8%, MU +10.7%, SOFI +10.4%

Theme: Quantum computing is the clear leader (IONQ, QBTS, RGTI, QUBT all top 10). AI/data center infrastructure (IREN, CRWV, NBIS) and nuclear (OKLO, NNE, SMR) also surging. The “Follow the Money” portfolio is absolutely dominating this week.


📉 Bottom 10 Portfolio Performers WTD

# Ticker Company WTD % Friday Close → Now Portfolio
1 ASTS AST SpaceMobile -6.67% $94.90 → $88.57 FTM
2 MO Altria Group -2.61% $67.38 → $65.62 Bahnsen
3 GIS General Mills -2.50% $35.59 → $34.70 Bahnsen
4 XOM Exxon Mobil -2.14% $152.51 → $149.24 Bahnsen
5 CF CF Industries -1.95% $121.32 → $118.96 Katusa
6 EOG EOG Resources -1.91% $136.19 → $133.59 Loring WC
7 FSLR First Solar -1.41% $203.47 → $200.61 FTM
8 WMT Walmart -1.36% $126.77 → $125.05 Bahnsen
9 NEM Newmont Corp -1.32% $120.90 → $119.30 Gold
10 VZ Verizon -1.22% $46.04 → $45.48 Bahnsen

ASTS is the biggest loser — down nearly 7% despite a rising market. The drop is attributed to competition fears from Amazon’s Globalstar deal and SpaceX IPO rumors. The stock is down 25%+ from YTD highs.

Energy weakness: XOM (-2.1%), EOG (-1.9%), CVX (-0.8%) are pulling back as oil retreats from $104 highs. Paradoxically, the oil pullback is good for the broader market but bad for energy names.

Defensive laggards: GIS, MO, WMT, VZ, KO (-2%), PG (-0.5%) — classic defensive/dividend stocks underperforming as money rotates into growth.


🌍 Global Country ETF Performance WTD

Rank ETF Country/Region WTD %
1 EWY 🇰🇷 South Korea +5.73%
2 ECH 🇨🇱 Chile +3.30%
3 EWO 🇦🇹 Austria +2.97%
4 EWD 🇸🇪 Sweden +2.85%
5 IEMG 🌏 Emerging Markets +2.76%
6 GREK 🇬🇷 Greece +2.75%
7 EFNL 🇫🇮 Finland +2.70%
8 EIDO 🇮🇩 Indonesia +2.69%
9 EPOL 🇵🇱 Poland +2.42%
10 SPY 🇺🇸 United States +2.21%

Key Comparison: - SPY (US): +2.21% - VT (Total World): +2.15% - IEMG (EM): +2.76% — EM outperforming US - VGK (Europe): +1.50% — lagging - IWM (Small Cap): +2.84% — small caps leading

Bottom: EWW 🇲🇽 Mexico -0.96%, QAT 🇶🇦 Qatar -0.67%, NORW 🇳🇴 Norway -0.50%, ARGT 🇦🇷 Argentina -0.12%

Standout: South Korea (+5.7%) is dramatically outperforming, likely driven by Samsung memory earnings confirming AI chip demand. Norway and Qatar (both energy-heavy) are down as oil pulled back.


🏦 US Treasury Curve Snapshot

Maturity Current Yield Weekly Chg
2-Year 3.761% +0.01%
5-Year 3.889% +0.018%
10-Year 4.272% +0.016%
30-Year 4.883% +0.014%

Spreads: - 2s10s: +51.1 bps (positively sloped — normal) - 10s30s: +61.1 bps (steep long end) - 2s30s: +112.2 bps

Curve Shape: The yield curve remains positively sloped across all maturities. The long end (30Y near 4.9%) reflects persistent inflation concerns driven by the Hormuz energy shock. The 2Y at 3.76% suggests the market still expects the Fed to eventually cut, but the timeline has stretched significantly. The steepness of the 10s30s spread (61 bps) signals term premium repricing — the market wants more compensation for holding long-duration risk amid geopolitical uncertainty.


🏛️ Fed & Monetary Policy

Next FOMC Meeting: April 28-29, 2026 (13 days away) - Market expects a hold — Fed funds rate remains at current level - The Hormuz energy shock has complicated the rate path: inflation is reaccelerating via energy, but growth is at risk - No rate cuts priced until at least June 16-17 meeting

Remaining 2026 FOMC Dates: Apr 28-29, Jun 16-17, Jul 28-29, Sep 15-16, Oct 27-28, Dec 8-9 (Summary of Economic Projections)

Fed Speakers This Week: - Austan Goolsbee (Chicago Fed President) — spoke at Semafor World Economy 2026 on April 14, panel on global economic outlook - Michael Barr (Fed Governor) — scheduled for April 19, speaking on AI and consumer issues at the National Fair Housing Alliance - IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings (Apr 13-18) ongoing — Fed officials likely participating in sideline discussions


📰 Newsletter Drops This Week

✉️ David Bahnsen — Weekly Portfolio Holdings Report

✉️ Mauldin Economics (7 emails this week!)

✉️ Hoya Capital Real Estate — Weekly Outlook

✉️ Rational Optimist Society

✉️ Seeking Alpha Quant Alerts (6 alerts!)

Notable: 4 of 6 SA Quant Alerts are for stocks in Carlos’s portfolios (CEG, HII, NBIS, IONQ, IDR). The BWET alert is notable given it’s Carlos’s tanker shipping pick — down 9.7% WTD as oil pulls back.


📢 Portfolio Stock News

Quantum Computing Sector Explosion

Semiconductors / AI Infrastructure

Space

Energy

Fintech Rally

Gold


📅 Calendar — Rest of This Week


📊 Benchmark Summary

Index WTD % Level
SPY (S&P 500) +2.21% $694.46
DIA (Dow 30) +1.30%
IWM (Russell 2000) +2.84%
Nasdaq Composite ~+2.0% 23,639 (10-day win streak!)
Gold (GLD) +1.82% $445.08
WTI Crude ~$91/bbl (volatile — $104 Sun → $91 Wed)
Brent Crude ~$94-95/bbl (from $102 Sunday)
Bitcoin ~$71,170 +0.9%

🔑 Key Takeaways

  1. Nasdaq’s 10-day streak is historic — longest since 2021. The rally is tech-led, quantum-led, and AI-led. S&P 500 within 1% of all-time highs.

  2. Hormuz blockade paradox: The blockade is bearish for energy supply, but the oil pullback from $104→$91 on talk hopes is fueling the equity rally. If talks collapse again, expect a sharp reversal.

  3. Follow the Money portfolio is on fire — 7 of the top 10 WTD performers are FTM holdings. Quantum, nuclear, and data center themes are dominating.

  4. Defensive rotation OUT — Bahnsen portfolio names (MO, GIS, WMT, VZ, PG, MCD) are all lagging as money chases growth.

  5. Gold quietly strong — +2.6% average across the gold portfolio despite the “risk-on” tape. Geopolitical bid providing support.

  6. ASTS is the concern — down 7% against a surging market. Competitive headwinds from Amazon-Globalstar and SpaceX IPO chatter.

  7. FOMC in 13 days — April 28-29 meeting approaching. Energy-driven inflation complicates rate path. Hold expected.


Report generated: April 15, 2026 9:19 AM ET | Data through April 14 close Next report: Friday April 17 — “Week Close”