Traders are returning to their terminals after the holidays, and what a start to 2026!
Recapping 2025 performance with a few key charts:
US equities delivered solid gains, with the S&P 500 up around 16.4% for the year, continuing the bull run driven by AI and tech.
Meanwhile, European stocks had an even stronger year, significantly outperforming US indices in many cases.
VIX Futures traded a few times above 20 and 4 times above 23 with shortly lived VOL spikes.
And the news dominating headlines today: Nicolás Maduro has been captured in a large-scale US operation and is reportedly being flown to New York to face long-standing charges.
This geopolitical shock could have major ripple effects across risk assets, commodities, and emerging markets in the coming sessions. Stay vigilant.
#Markets #Trading #2026
