CNBC Daily Open: Investors had much to cheer in 2025 - but 2026's starting out rocky
CNBC••general
Key Points:
- The S&P 500 rallied 16.39% in 2025, driven largely by enthusiasm over artificial intelligence, with Alphabet leading the top-performing tech stocks known as the Magnificent Seven.
- Early 2026 has been marked by a major geopolitical event: a U.S. military operation that overthrew Venezuela's president Nicolás Maduro, who faces a federal indictment for narco-terrorism.
- Despite U.S. intervention in Venezuela, analysts do not expect this to provoke similar actions from China regarding Taiwan, though global tensions remain high.
- U.S. stocks showed volatility at the start of 2026, with the S&P 500 initially rising but then retreating, while Asia-Pacific markets saw significant gains, particularly in defense
