Weekly Market Commentary: Stocks Rise Yet Again as Oil Falls Further

Sunflower Bank Weekly Market Commentary: June 1, 2026

Each week, our Wealth Management team analyzes the U.S. stock market and bond market activity and news of the previous week, summarizing their findings into a weekly market update report. The key points of this week's commentary, "Stocks Rise Yet Again as Oil Falls Further," include:

• Equity markets performed well during the holiday-shortened week as the S&P 500 Index notched its ninth consecutive positive week. The S&P 500 rose +1.4%, the Nasdaq 100 increased +2.9%, and the Russell 2000 gained +1.8%. International equity benchmarks also finished the week higher, with emerging markets performing particularly well.
• Bond yields fell across the curve as oil prices declined for the second consecutive week. Despite recent optimism that a resolution in the Middle East may be reached, traders continue to expect the Federal Open Market Committee’s next interest action to be a hike. As of Friday’s close, interest rate futures pricing indicated a 60% chance of a 25-basis point increase in the Fed Funds Rate by year-end.
• Focusing on inflation, last week’s economic data included the April Personal Income and Outlays report, which includes the PCE Price Index. Core PCE increased +0.2% month-over-month, below expectations for a +0.3% monthly increase and a slight deceleration from the +0.3% month-over-month increase in March. On a year-over-year basis, core PCE increased +3.3%, as expected, and a slight acceleration from the +3.2% increase in March.

  
  

Download This Week's Full Update