Wall Street experienced a bloodbath last week. The S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq Composite lost about 2.3%, 3.1% and 2.4%, respectively. Investors worry that tariffs imposed by the Trump administration could lead to a recession. These levies may drive prices higher, potentially making it more difficult for the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates.
In an interview on Fox News, Trump addressed concerns about a possible recession, describing the economic situation as "a period of transition," as quoted on CNBC.Several banks, including Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, recently downgraded their outlook on U.S. equities due to growth fears. Prominent market forecasters, such as Ed Yardeni, have also moderated their previously bullish projections for 2025.
Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq entered correction territory last week, worsened by uncertainty surrounding President Donald Trump’s shifting trade policies and ongoing government job cuts.
Inflation Relief Temporary?
Although inflation came in softer than expected in February, many analysts believe that this relief is temporary. February’s eased inflation marked the first decline in five months. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.8% year over year, down from January’s 3% rate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as quoted on CNN.
On a monthly basis, prices increased by 0.2%, slowing from January’s 0.5% rise. Economists’ expectation was a 0.3% monthly increase and 2.9% annual inflation, citing falling gas prices and lower housing-related costs.
Economists warn that February’s inflation progress may be momentary. Sung Won Sohn, an economist at Loyola Marymount University, noted that new tariffs could soon boost inflation, as quoted on CNN (read: Is Easing February Inflation Actually a Relief? ETFs in Focus).
ETFs in Focus
Against this backdrop, below we highlight a few winning leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs) of last week.
GraniteShares 2x Long INTC Daily ETF INTW – Up 32.7% past week
The GraniteShares 2x Long INTC Daily ETF seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 2 times the daily percentage change of the common stock of Intel Corp.
Shares of Intel surged about 18% last week as Wall Street cheered its decision to name the former board member Lip-Bu Tan as CEO. Tan departed in August due to disagreements over the chipmaker's direction, following several years of market underperformance.
MicroSectors Travel -3x Inverse Leveraged ETN FLYD – Up 18.1% past week
The MicroSectors Travel -3x Inverse Leveraged ETN is linked to a three times inverse leveraged participation in the performance of the MerQube MicroSectors U.S. Travel Index, compounded daily, minus the applicable fees. Recession fears probably weighed on consumer discretionary areas like the travel industry.
Defiance Daily Target 2X Long SMCI ETF SMCX – Up 17.6% past week
THE SMCI stock gained 11.6% last week.The Defiance Daily Target 2x Long SMCI ETF seeks daily leveraged investment results of two times the daily percentage change in the share price of Super Micro Computer, Inc.
STKd 100% SMCI & 100% NVDA ETF SPCY – Up 17.5% past week
The NVDA stock has surged 10.8% last week. As a result, this ETF, which offers exposure to both SMCI and NVDA, jumped last week. Many investors are probably buying the dip in NVDA shares. The once-rockstar of Wall Street — chipmaker NVDA — has seen its shares falling 12% this year.
Direxion Daily MU Bull 2X Shares MUU – Up 15.8% past week
Like many other semiconductor companies, Micron shares also jumped 12.4% last week. The Direxion Daily MU Bull 2X Shares seek daily investment results, before fees and expenses, of 200% of the performance of the common shares of Micron Technology, Inc.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
