Daily Market Report – July 18, 2026

Markets New concerns about the AI sector and the escalation in the Iran war pushed the S&P 500 (SPX) down by 1.01 percent to 7,458 points. The Nasdaq 100 (NDX) lost 1.49 percent to 28,593 points. The Dow Jones (DJI) decreased by 0.77 percent to 52,146 points, while the Euro Stoxx 50 (SX5E) fell by 0.84 percent to 6,231 points. In Asia, the Nikkei 225 (NI225) plummeted by 4.03 percent to 64,141 points. Following attacks on energy facilities in Kuwait and renewed disruptions in shipping, Brent crude oil (UKOIL) increased by 4.59 percent to $88.10 per barrel.

Company Additional headwinds faced memory chip manufacturers due to the upcoming IPO of the Chinese DRAM manufacturer ChangXin Memory Technologies, which is set to be listed on the Shanghai STAR Market on July 27 and aims to raise fresh capital for further capacity expansion; SK Hynix (000660) lost 11.53 percent. Samsung Electronics (005930) dropped 8.77 percent. Applied Materials (AMAT) declined by 5.57 percent as a result of the reevaluation of semiconductor and AI investments.

Due to the weak yen, Apple (AAPL) increased the prices for the iPhone 17 and other products in Japan by 10 percent. SpaceX (SPCX) fell below the issue price a few weeks after the IPO. Discussions with the Pentagon regarding AI computing capabilities and a new test flight for Monday were in focus. Netflix (NFLX) lost 7.26 percent. Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) plummeted by 14.15 percent to 345.42 dollars.

Boeing (BA) maintained its demand forecast despite the consequences of the Iran war. For this year, the company expects only about 2.3 percent growth in global passenger traffic.

Macroeconomics

Ahead of the Fed meeting at the end of July, monetary policy once again came into focus. Several Fed members signaled a more restrictive stance in light of persistent inflation risks. Although the futures markets still predominantly expect unchanged key interest rates in July, the probability of an interest rate increase in September has recently risen.

In addition, attention is focused on the trade relations of North America. On the sidelines of the soccer World Cup final, discussions between US President Donald Trump and the heads of government of Mexico and Canada are expected. Investors are particularly attentive to possible signals regarding tariffs and the future of the USMCA trade agreement.

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*Created on 07/18/2026 / 08:05 AM (ET)*