2026 | April 27

The Markets

Stocks Mixed

U.S. stock indexes posted mixed weekly results, flattening out after three consecutive weekly gains pushed the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ to record highs. Strong results for semiconductor stocks lifted the NASDAQ to a 1.5% weekly gain; the S&P 500 finished fractionally higher while the Dow ended slightly lower.

U.S. growth stocks outpaced their value counterparts for the fourth week in a row, chipping away at the value style’s year-to-date performance lead over growth. A growth benchmark gained more than 16% over the four-week stretch versus just 8% for its value counterpart.

Approaching the midpoint of earnings season, a handful of U.S. mega-cap technology stocks are expected to continue generating a disproportionate share of overall earnings growth. Analysts expect the group of stocks known as the Magnificent Seven to post average first-quarter growth of 22.8%, according to FactSet. In contrast, the other 493 companies in the S&P 500 are projected to produce growth of 10.1%.

Prices of U.S. government bonds fell, sending yields higher ahead of a U.S. Federal Reserve meeting. The 10-year U.S. Treasury finished the week at a yield of 4.30%, up from 4.24% at the end of the previous week. Even with the rise, the yield was well below a recent high of 4.44% on March 27. 

Bond market trading ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s next meeting continued to support expectations of a policy pause in the wake of recent rate cuts. Friday’s trading in rate futures markets implied a 99% probability that the Fed would keep rates unchanged when it concludes its two-day meeting on Wednesday, April 29, according to CME FedWatch. At its most recent meeting in mid-March, the Fed held steady after approving three rate cuts in late 2025. 

Shifting narratives about Middle East conflict and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz buffeted oil prices. U.S. crude was trading around $95 per barrel on Friday afternoon, up from roughly $83 at the end of the previous week. Even with the weekly rise, oil was well below its year-to-date peak of around $113 reached on April 7.

A monthly gauge of U.S. consumer sentiment extended a recent decline amid conflict in the Middle East and the resulting spike in energy prices. The University of Michigan’s survey results released on Friday showed that sentiment fell to a final April reading of 49.8. While that was slightly higher than a preliminary reading, it was down sharply from readings in March and February. 

U.S. retail sales surged in March, but the increase was driven largely by higher gasoline prices. The overall rise of 1.7% followed a 0.7% increase in February and marked the fastest one-month gain in more than three years. Excluding gasoline, sales rose 0.6% in March relative to February.

Source: John Hancock Investment Management

New AJA Website!

We’re excited to announce the launch of our brand-new website at www.ajadvice.com. This update reflects who we are today and where we’re headed – modern, client-focused, and built to deliver clarity in a complex financial world. Whether you’re exploring our services for the first time or have been with us for years, the new site is designed to make your experience faster, more intuitive, and more informative.

The refreshed platform offers a cleaner design, streamlined navigation, and enhanced resources to help you better understand your options and make confident decisions. You’ll find updated insights into our advisory approach, clearer breakdowns of our services, and improved ways to connect with our team. Every element was built with usability in mind, so you can quickly access the information that matters most to you.

You can continue to log into your Schwab, Advyzon and eMoney accounts using the “Client Login” button in the top right corner.

We invite you to visit the new site and explore everything it has to offer. As always, our commitment remains the same: providing thoughtful guidance, personalized strategies, and long-term partnership. This launch is just one more step in our mission to serve you better, and we’re excited to have you experience it.

Retirement Confidence Falls

Stock markets have been climbing higher, but many Americans are feeling less optimistic about retirement. In fact, retirement confidence in the United States dropped significantly in 2026 on worries about Social Security, Medicare and inflation, according to the 2026 Retirement Confidence Survey conducted by the Employee Benefits Research Institute and Greenwald Research.

In 2026, American workers are less confident than they were in 2025 that they’ll have enough money to pay for basic expenses in retirement. Just 58% of workers and 71% of retirees are confident they will have enough money to keep up with inflation and cost of living in retirement. People who participated in the Retirement Confidence Survey were:

Alicia Munnell and Gal Wettstein of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College reported on a survey that found Americans across the wealth spectrum have become more concerned about the impacts of potential changes to Social Security and Medicare on their retirement plans. The concerns have led some to begin saving more for emergencies, delaying retirement, and/or investing more conservatively.

Decisions like these should not be made lightly. For example, investing more conservatively may be a sound choice or it could be a choice that makes it more difficult to reach a comfortable retirement. It depends on individual circumstances and goals. Investing conservatively can reduce short-term ups and downs, but it also can limit long-term growth potential and the benefits of compounding.

If you have questions about retirement, please get in touch. We’re happy to review your plan or help you build one.

Phone: (615) 709-8709

Fax: (615) 709-8709

eMoney

Charles Schwab

Advyzon

Eli Culley

Associate Advisor

eli@ajadvice.com

Emily Triano

Operations Manager

emily@ajadvice.com

Maya Laws

Operations Associate

maya@ajadvice.com

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