For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – April 17, 2026 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY, Barclays iPath Series B S P 500 VIX Short Term Futures ETN Series B VXX, Vanguard Mega Cap Growth Index Fund ETF Shares MGK, First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund FDN, iShares U.S. Financials ETF IYF and Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth Index Fund ETF VOT.
Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:
Iran War Priced In? 4 Beaten ETFs to Buy on Renewed Momentum
The second quarter of 2026 kicked off on a shaky note, with the Iran war grabbing major headlines. The activity in the Strait of Hormuz – a vital route connecting the Persian Gulf to global markets – remains largely stalled as the conflict enters its seventh week. The United States has imposed a blockade on Iranian traffic, while Tehran has restricted access for most other vessels.
The U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz triggered a familiar market response initially — higher crude prices and a rise in bond yields. However, this time, the reaction has been relatively muted outside of oil, as quoted on CNBC. Benchmark U.S. treasury bond yields rose from 4.29% on April 9 to 4.31% on April 10, while the same fell to 4.26% on April 14 and recorded 4.29% at the close of April 15.
The equities ETF State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust added about 4% over the past week. Volatility-based exchange-traded product Barclays iPath Series B S P 500 VIX Short Term Futures ETN Series B lost about 8% over the past week. This suggests that equity investors have largely priced in geopolitical risks and are becoming less sensitive to such developments.
Investor Sentiment: Peak Uncertainty?
Market participants appear to view recent developments as part of broader negotiation tactics rather than a lasting escalation, as mentioned in the same CNBC article. This shift in perception has reduced the intensity of market reactions compared to the earlier phases of the conflict.
Despite near-term volatility, many analysts expect oil prices to eventually decline as geopolitical tensions ease. A possible resolution between the United States and Iran could quickly relax the current risk premium in energy markets, as quoted in the same CNBC article.
As per the latest update, Washington and Tehran are considering an extension of the existing two-week truce to allow more time to negotiate a peace deal, per Bloomberg, as quoted on Yahoo Finance. As a result, oil prices held steady on Wednesday.
Equities Poised for Recovery
U.S. stocks saw strong trading on Wednesday while E-Mini S&P 500 Jun 26 futures topped the 7000-mark for the first time, at the time of writing.
The current scenario indicates that equities are likely to rebound if the situation does not worsen materially. Overall, markets are entering a mixed phase – where geopolitical concerns linger but no longer trigger extreme reactions, as mentioned in the above-mentioned CNBC article.
Upbeat Earnings Season in Focus
Meanwhile, we are off to a strong start to the Q1 earnings season, with companies not only comfortably surpassing consensus estimates but also offering a reassuring outlook on the economy despite elevated energy costs and other risks. Early in the reporting cycle, the momentum is especially evident on the revenue front, both in terms of growth rates and the magnitude of positive surprises.
ETFs to Play
Against this backdrop, we highlight select exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that have seen short-term gains over the past week and month, but remain in the red on a year-to-date (YTD) basis.
Vanguard Mega Cap Growth Index Fund ETF Shares– Zacks Rank #2 (Buy)
YTD Return: Down 0.5%
One-Month Return: Up 6.6%
One-Week Return: Up 6.5%
First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund– Zacks Rank #2
YTD Return: Down 2.6%
One-Month Return: Up 6.4%
One-Week Return: Up 4.5%
iShares U.S. Financials ETF– Zacks Rank #2
YTD Return: Down 3.9%
One-Month Return: Up 6.5%
One-Week Return: Up 2.3%
Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth Index Fund ETF– Zacks Rank #2
YTD Return: Down 1.2%
One-Month Return: Up 4.2%
One-Week Return: Up 2.9%
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
#1 Semiconductor Stock to Buy (Not NVDA)
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See This Stock Now for Free >>State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY): ETF Research Reports
iPath Series B S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN (VXX): ETF Research Reports
First Trust Dow Jones Internet ETF (FDN): ETF Research Reports
iShares U.S. Financials ETF (IYF): ETF Research Reports
Vanguard Mega Cap Growth Index Fund ETF Shares (MGK): ETF Research Reports
Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth Index Fund ETF Shares (VOT): ETF Research Reports
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
