White House moves reshape U.S. stock market at start of 2026

President Trump’s administration is having a big influence on the stock market at the start of 2026, driving large moves in specific sectors from oil to credit-card lenders and technology. The U.S. attack on Venezuela sent the value of some oil stocks surging, a social media post by Mr.

Trump calling for a cap on credit card interest rates caused credit-card issuers to slump, and a proposal for new rules on Nvidia’s chip sales to China pushed that company’s stock lower, weighing on the rest of the market. "The adage used to be 'Don't fight the Fed,'" said Hardika Singh, a stock analyst at Fundstrat.

"This year I think it will be 'Don't fight the White House.'" The administration said it intends to sell "30 million to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil, 'controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States,'" Mr.

Trump wrote in a social media post. The energy sector of the S&P 500 was up 7.5 percent for the year through Thursday, with SLB and Halliburton up over 20 percent and 15 percent respectively and oil majors like Chevron and Exxon Mobil about 10 percent higher. Ms. Singh noted the actual price of oil had risen just over 2 percent and remained below $60 a barrel, and wrote that the market reaction was "the first example we're seeing this year (and many more to come) about how Trump's politics are upending the last fringes of the traditional market playbook." Mr.

Key Topics

Business, Trump Administration, Venezuela, Nvidia, Slb, Halliburton