Stocks Fall, Oil Rises as Investors Eye Bonds | The Close 5/18/2026

Watch on YouTube ↗  |  May 18, 2026 at 22:47  |  1:29:30  |  Bloomberg Markets
Speakers
Stephanie Guild — Chief Investment Officer, Robinhood
Christine Benz — Director of Personal Finance and Retirement Planning, Morningstar

Summary

The episode covers market reactions to rising bond yields, oil price spikes due to Iran tensions, and anticipation of NVIDIA earnings. Guests discuss retail buying in semiconductors, technical exhaustion in tech, bonds and gold as recession hedges, and international diversification. Consumer spending concerns and AI capex sustainability are also debated.

  • S&P 500 closes near flat after a volatile day.
  • Oil prices spike on Iran conflict headlines.
  • Bond yields remain elevated, stoking inflation fears.
  • Robinhood CIO sees continued retail buying in Micron and Intel.
  • Technicals suggest high-flying tech names may be overextended.
  • Morningstar's Christine Benz advocates bonds and gold as recession hedges.
  • She also recommends international equity exposure for young investors.
  • Guests debate AI capex sustainability and consumer weakness.
Trade Ideas
Stephanie Guild Chief Investment Officer, Robinhood 3:12
Retail buying Micron and Intel
Retail investors continue to net buy semiconductors and memory stocks, specifically Micron and Intel, as they are the biggest buys in the last week.
MU INTC HIGH
Stephanie Guild Chief Investment Officer, Robinhood 4:31
Tech names technically exhausted
From a technical perspective, high-flying tech names like Marvell and Coherent have reached extreme levels indicating exhaustion, warranting caution.
COHR MRVL MED
Christine Benz Director of Personal Finance and Retirement Planning, Morningstar 78:01
Bonds gain in recessions
Bonds have consistently gained value during recessionary periods, making them a reliable portfolio ballast.
TLT HIGH
Christine Benz Director of Personal Finance and Retirement Planning, Morningstar 80:14
Gold positive in recessions
Gold has earned positive returns in 6 of 8 recessionary periods, making it a decent diversifier.
GLD HIGH
Christine Benz Director of Personal Finance and Retirement Planning, Morningstar 81:04
30% international equities for diversification
Younger investors should consider a global market-cap weighted allocation, with roughly 30% in non-U.S. stocks, given lower valuations and higher dividend yields.
International stocks MED
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This Bloomberg Markets video, published May 18, 2026, features Stephanie Guild, Christine Benz discussing MU, INTC, COHR, MRVL, TLT, GLD, International stocks. 5 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.

Speakers: Stephanie Guild, Christine Benz  · Tickers: MU, INTC, COHR, MRVL, TLT, GLD, International stocks