Robertson Stephens Weekly Commentary – March 16, 2026

Data availability is critical to financial markets, economists, and businesses, and data can come from many organizations, including but not exclusively agencies of the Federal Government. A number of well-established industries have created surveys and other forms of data collection with long track records; some examples are residential construction National Association of Home Builders Index), autos (the Michigan Survey of Consumer Confidence), and small business (the National Federation of Independent Business Survey). The S&P 500 fell for the third week in a row, with the Nasdaq down eight times in the last nine weeks. The dollar strengthened against the major currencies as investors moved toward safer assets and ended at its strongest level of the year, albeit still down year over year. On the wealth planning front, we discuss the silent driver of wealth erosion.