If you're checking your portfolio right now, take a breath. It’s Sunday, January 18, 2026. The short answer to how many points did the stock market drop today is actually zero. Why? Because the U.S. markets—the NYSE and the Nasdaq—don't trade on Sundays.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a trick question most weekends, but today is a little different. We are currently in a long holiday weekend. Tomorrow is Monday, January 19, which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. That means Wall Street is staying dark for an extra 24 hours.
But just because the "big board" isn't moving doesn't mean the world has stopped. If you’ve seen some scary headlines about a "plunge" or "drop" today, you're likely seeing the "Weekend Wall Street" or futures markets. And they are, frankly, looking a bit messy.
What Really Happened With the Stock Market This Weekend
Since the regular market closed on Friday, some pretty massive geopolitical news has hit the wires. President Trump just threatened a 25% tariff on several European allies—including the UK, France, and Germany—over the ongoing Greenland acquisition saga.
You can imagine how that’s going over.
International markets that trade on Sundays or early Monday morning (like those in Thailand or the Middle East) are already feeling the heat. Early indicators from weekend brokerages like IG suggest that when the Dow Jones Industrial Average finally opens on Tuesday morning, it could be looking at a drop of around 0.5%, which translates to roughly 250 points based on Friday’s close.
Let’s look at where we left off on Friday, January 16:
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped about 83 points to finish at 49,359.
- The S&P 500 was basically flat, losing just 4 points to end at 6,940.
- The Nasdaq eased back about 14 points, closing at 23,515.
So, while the market didn't drop today, the pressure is building for a rough start to the week.
Why Does "How Many Points Did the Stock Market Drop Today" Matter?
It's easy to get obsessed with the "points." Seeing the Dow drop 500 points sounds like a catastrophe, but you’ve gotta remember where we are. With the Dow sitting near 50,000, a 500-point drop is only about 1%. Back when the Dow was at 10,000, that same 1% move was only 100 points.
Perspective is everything.
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The reason people are panicking about the "points" this weekend is the uncertainty. Markets hate uncertainty more than they hate bad news. We’ve got new tariffs on the table, a Federal Reserve leadership change coming in May (goodbye Jerome Powell, maybe hello Kevin Warsh?), and a government that just survived a 43-day shutdown.
Basically, the "drop" people are looking for today is a reflection of fear about what happens Tuesday.
What to Watch When Markets Reopen
Once the holiday is over, we aren't just looking at tariffs. This is a massive week for earnings. If you own tech or travel stocks, you’re going to want to pay attention.
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- Netflix and Intel Earnings: These are the big ones. Tech has been the engine for this 2026 bull market, and if these guys miss, that "point drop" could get much uglier.
- The Davos Speeches: President Trump is headed to the World Economic Forum on Wednesday. Anything he says about housing reform or trade could swing the Dow by hundreds of points in minutes.
- Safe Havens: Gold is already nudging all-time highs ($4,625 an ounce as of this morning). When the stock market drops, people run to gold. If gold keeps climbing on Monday, expect stocks to open in the red on Tuesday.
Navigating a Volatile Market
It’s easy to feel like you need to sell everything when the news cycle turns toxic. Don't. Most of the "drops" we've seen in early 2026 have been followed by quick rallies once the initial shock of a headline wears off. For example, defense stocks like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman actually rose earlier this month when most of the market was struggling, thanks to talk of a $1.5 trillion defense budget.
The "point drop" is often just noise.
If you're worried about your 401(k) or brokerage account, focus on the percentages, not the points. A 0.5% dip is a Tuesday. A 10% dip is a correction. We aren't even close to the latter yet, despite the Greenland drama.
Next Steps for Investors
Check the S&P 500 futures on Monday evening around 6:00 PM EST. This is when the electronic "pre-market" trading begins for the post-holiday session. It will give you a much more accurate number for the actual "drop" than any Sunday headline. Also, keep an eye on the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX); if it stays below 20, the market isn't actually panicking—it's just breathing. Finally, review your exposure to European exporters. If these tariffs stick, those are the companies that will feel the most literal "point drop" in their share prices over the coming weeks.