Daily Market Report – January 15, 2026
Market Overview – Thu., January 15, 2026
USA (Labor Market): Initial claims for unemployment benefits fell to 198,000 (week ending January 10) and were clearly below expectations (Reuters cites ~215,000). This supported the "soft landing" narrative. The Philly Fed Index - a monthly "Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey" from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia - turned positive: General Activity 12.6 (up from -8.8 in December), New Orders 14.4. These data points bolster market sentiment.
Banks/financial stocks set the tone: Goldman Sachs GS had a strong quarter with tailwinds from trading and investment banking; +25% investment banking revenue, record asset management fees ($3.09 billion). Morgan Stanley MS: Earnings exceeded expectations; investment banking revenue +47% to $2.41 billion, EPS $2.68 vs. consensus $2.44, along with strong wealth management dynamics. BlackRock BLK: Record AUM of $14.04 trillion, earnings beat expectations, $13.16 EPS vs. $12.21 est., driven by ETF inflows and market rally.
TSMC TSM: Q4 profit +35% to record levels; also a capex outlook for 2026 of $52–$56 billion (above market expectations). Chip stocks subsequently rose worldwide: Nvidia NVDA, AMD AMD, Broadcom AVGO, Micron MU, and Intel INTC all gained. ASML ASML surpassed a $500 billion market capitalization.