Nasdaq announced the launch of the Nasdaq Economic Institute on June 09, 2026, a new research platform designed to help policymakers, regulators, and market participants better understand the dynamics shaping capital markets. The Institute will serve as a dedicated platform for original research, expert analysis, and convenings on critical issues affecting the financial ecosystem. This initiative aims to connect ground-level market data to broader economic trends, leveraging Nasdaq's client community of over 10,000 corporates and technology infrastructure embedded across 140+ markets.

"Better markets are built on better insights," said Jeremy Skule, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Nasdaq. He emphasized the need for rigorous, independent, and data-driven economic research amidst rapidly evolving economies and technologies. The Institute will focus on three core areas: Capital Formation, Market Modernization, and Financial Resiliency.

As its first major initiative, the Institute debuted a research series focused on how AI is transforming the global economy. The inaugural report explores the impact of generative AI on entrepreneurship, revealing that new business applications have accelerated sharply since early 2025. The timing of this increase aligns closely with advances in generative AI and the introduction of agentic AI tools.

Key Findings from the AI Research Series

The report highlights several significant trends regarding business formation and productivity:

"What's striking isn't just that entrepreneurship is increasing — it's who's driving it and where," said Phil Mackintosh, Chief Economist at Nasdaq. He noted that solo operators forming in sectors with consistent productivity growth provide a meaningful signal for where AI's economic impact may appear first.

Beyond publishing research, the Institute will function as a convening platform. It will bring together market participants, policymakers, regulators, and academic experts through roundtables and forums. These discussions will focus on topics such as access to public markets, the modernization of market infrastructure, and the evolving role of regulation in maintaining transparent and efficient markets.

The NASDAQ Composite Index closed the latest session in negative territory, ending lower by 42.01 points or 0.16 percent at 25,796.93. This decline reversed the early optimism seen at the open, when the index had gained 42.82 points or 0.17 percent to reach 25,881.76, ultimately surrendering those gains as the session progressed.

Session Performance Summary

The table below captures the progression of the NASDAQ across recent sessions, highlighting the index's latest reversal after a multi-session winning streak.

Intraday Reversal

After opening with a modest gain of 42.82 points or 0.17 percent at 25,881.76, the NASDAQ was unable to sustain its upward momentum through the session. The index ultimately closed at 25,796.93, down 42.01 points or 0.16 percent, marking a shift from the positive tone that had characterised the open.

Prior Session Recap

The preceding session had delivered a notably strong performance, with the NASDAQ advancing 519.99 points or 2.05 percent to an unofficial close of 25,846.12. That session had itself opened with a gain of 157.75 points or 0.62 percent to 25,483.88, before accelerating through the day to close well above the 25,800 level. Prior to that, the index had posted an unofficial close of 25,325.62, up 257.82 points or 1.03 percent, underscoring a consistent pattern of positive momentum across consecutive sessions before the latest pullback.