Struggling Stocks, Alternative Assets, and CPI Highs

February 23, 2026 | 2 min read

CPI High – The January 2026 Consumer Price Index increased by 0.2%, bringing the 12-month average to 2.4%. Both the food and shelter indexes rose by 0.2% in January 2026, while the energy index fell by 1.5% (source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Star-Studded Stock – Sandisk Corporation, a technology hardware and storage company, took the top spot on the S&P 500 with a 142.75% return in January 2026. This comes after a 559.4% share price return in 2025 (source: Yahoo Finance).
Sector Spotlight – Energy was the strongest sector performer in January 2026, with a 14.18% return. Materials, Staples, and Industrials were close behind at 8.64%, 7.51%, and 6.65%, respectively. The Financial sector was the worst performer with a -2.43% decline (source: Y Charts).
Unemployment Update – The January 2026 unemployment rate was 4.3%, with 130,000 job gains spread across the health care, social assistance, and construction sectors. The Federal government and financial activities sectors reported job losses. However, the unemployment rate is 0.3% higher compared to January 2025’s figure of 4.0% (source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
IT Troubles – Stocks in the Information Technology sector had a tough January 2026, taking six out of the ten worst-performing slots on the S&P 500. Applovin Corp led the decreases with a -29.8% share price decline, followed by Intuit at -24.7%. ServiceNow had a -23.6% drop, Salesforce reported a -19.9% decrease, GoDaddy had a -19.0% decline, and Tyler Technologies solidified a -18.6% decrease (source: Y Charts).
Stopped Sales – Existing home sales dropped by 8.4% in January 2026, which is the slowest sales pace in more than two years. Despite the slowdown in home sales, the median home price is still up 0.9% from January 2025 (source: Realtor).
Day Declines – On January 30, 2026, gold prices fell by 10%, which was the worst one-day decline since 1983. Similarly, silver declined by more than 28%, marking the worst single-day loss since 1980. However, both gold and silver posted 301% and 105% gains from January 2025 through January 2026, excluding the last day (source: Y Charts).
Moving Manufacturing – The S&P Global US Manufacturing PMI increased to 52.4 in January 2026, with output having the strongest rise since August 2025. This beat preliminary estimates of 51.9 (source: Trading Economics).
Widening Wealth – Pew Research Center found that the median wealth of Baby Boomer households is higher than that of earlier generations of older adults. Baby Boomers in 2022 had a median wealth of $432,200, while the Silent Generation had $335,900 in 2001, and the Greatest Generation had $185,300 in 1983 (source: Pew Research Center).
Warm Weather – The average temperature in January 2026 was 33.2°F, which is 3.1°F above the 20th-century average. Similarly, January 2026 was the 11th-driest January in the past 132 years, with the average precipitation being 0.78 inches below the 20th-century average (source: National Centers for Environmental Information).

This newsletter is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or a recommendation regarding any specific product or security. Past performance is not indicative of future results. You cannot invest directly in an index. All references to tax or legal matters are provided for informational purposes only. You should consult your legal or tax professional regarding your specific situation. All investing is subject to risk, including possible loss of principal.

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