Weekly Dark Pool Report — Apr 13, 2026: Ceasefire Rally Sparks Sector Rotation

Market Overview: Ceasefire Rally Breaks 7-Session Win Streak

The S&P 500 staged its best weekly gain since November 2025 (+3.56%) following the announcement of a U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement mid-week. April 8 was the standout day — the S&P 500 surged 2.51% to 6,782.81 and the Nasdaq surged 2.80% to 22,635.00, marking the best single-day gain since April 2025. The rally ran into resistance Friday as March CPI data showed inflation surged 0.9% MoM (3.3% YoY) — driven by the sharpest monthly gas price increase since 1967.

Weekly Index Performance

Key Market Metrics

What Moved Markets

• Iran Ceasefire: Trump announced a U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement mid-week. April 8 was the standout day — S&P 500 surged 2.51%, Nasdaq 2.80%. Best single-day gain since April 2025.
• Oil Retreat: Brent crude peaked at ~$109/barrel before the announcement, then retreated to $95.92/barrel by Thursday. Goldman Sachs warned Brent could average above $100/barrel even with ceasefire — and $115 if the truce fails.
• March CPI Spike: First CPI reading since the Iran war began Feb 28. Inflation surged 0.9% MoM and 3.3% YoY — the sharpest monthly gas price increase since 1967. S&P 500 and Nasdaq gave back gains Friday.
• Tech Leadership: NVDA (+2.58%) and AVGO drove the Nasdaq on April 9. Semiconductor names led the post-ceasefire risk-on rotation.
• 7-Session Win Streak Ends: S&P 500 closed Friday Apr 10 at 6,816.89 (-0.11%) — snapping a seven-session winning streak.
• Good Friday: Market closed April 3, so this report covers the abbreviated 4-day trading week (Apr 7–11).

⭐ Where the Smart Money Moved — Week of Apr 7–11

This week’s dark pool data reveals a dramatic sector rotation following the Iran ceasefire. Energy (XLE) dominated the prior week on oil spikes — but the ceasefire triggered a swift rotation out of energy and into broad market ETFs and technology.

Broad Market ETF Dark Pool Flow

Sector Dark Pool Flow

KEY INSIGHT: Last week XLP dominated at $1.14B with a 7.5:1 ratio over XLY. This week the rotation reversed: XLE ($572M, 50 prints) took over as the ceasefire-driven risk-on trade pulled institutions out of defensive consumer names. SPY ($13.74B, 45 prints) dominated broad market flow.

Last Week’s Callout Performance — Apr 6–10

Previous callouts published before the Iran ceasefire rally. Here is how each setup performed. Bull triggers hit 9 of 13 times with 23 total bullish targets triggered.

$SPY — S&P 500 ETF

Dark Pool Print: $13.74B dark pool flow | 20.6M shares | 45 prints

• SPY saw $13.74 billion in dark pool prints this week — the Iran ceasefire drove a broad market rally. The S&P 500 gained 3.56% for the week, snapping a seven-session winning streak on Friday.
• Institutional prints ranged from $651 to $682 this week. The largest prints clustered at the $662-$670 range early in the week.
• The Iran ceasefire was announced mid-week, sparking the sharpest two-day rally since April 2025. The S&P 500 closed Thursday at 6,816.89 — but gave back gains Friday as CPI data showed March inflation surged 0.9% MoM (3.3% YoY).

$QQQ — Nasdaq 100 ETF

Dark Pool Print: $8.58B dark pool flow | 14.3M shares | 43 prints

• The Nasdaq led this week’s rally with consistent institutional buying throughout. The ceasefire-driven risk-on move favored tech heavy names.
• QQQ gained despite Friday’s mixed close. Semiconductor stocks (NVDA +2.58%, AVGO) drove the Nasdaq higher on April 9.
• Energy sector rotation reversed as oil prices eased on the ceasefire news. XLK received $377M in dark pool flow vs. XLRE ($73M).

$IWM — Russell 2000 ETF

Dark Pool Print: $5.02B dark pool flow | 19.5M shares | 50 prints

• IWM received notably heavy dark pool flow ($5.02B) this week — the most active small-cap week in recent memory.
• Prints ranged from $249 to $262 — consistent with the post-ceasefire small-cap rotation.
• Small caps remain sensitive to the ceasefire durability question.

$CRM — Salesforce

Dark Pool Print: $2.65B+ dark pool flow | 14 prints | 18% of ADV30

• CRM fell from $170.85 to $164.75 this week — one of the worst-performing S&P 500 stocks (-3.43% Thursday alone).
• The dark pool data tells a different story: 3 large prints totaling $2.65B+ crossed at $170-186 this week.
• The stock is down 26% from $220+ in January. A $50B share buyback was announced alongside a Buy rating from TipRanks.

$GOOGL — Alphabet

Dark Pool Print: $1.98B dark pool flow | 14 prints | 14% of ADV30

• GOOGL showed consistent institutional dark pool activity at the $305-$320 range this week.
• The stock drifted from $318.49 to $317.48 — relatively flat vs. the broader rally.
• Dark pool prints at $295-$310 suggest institutions view the price action as consolidation rather than distribution.

$AVGO — Broadcom

Dark Pool Print: $3.18B+ dark pool flow | Apr 7-9 prints

• AVGO surged from $354.91 to $371.55 — approximately +4.7% for the week.
• Dark pool prints of $3.18B+ crossed at $310-$334 this week. The April 7 print at $333.97 ($1.06B) was the largest.
• NVDA +2.58% and AVGO drove the Nasdaq on April 9. AI infrastructure demand remains the dominant theme.

$AMD — Advanced Micro Devices

Dark Pool Print: $2.21B dark pool flow | 9.4M shares

• AMD crossed $2.21B in dark pool prints this week. The stock gained from $236.64 to $245.50.
• A 500,000-share print at $245.80 on April 10 ($122.9M) was the week’s top print — verified $0.70 above the close.
• Dark pool prints at $220-$234 suggest institutions accumulating during the early-week dip.

$XOM — Exxon Mobil

Dark Pool Print: $1.02B dark pool flow | 50 prints

• XOM is a direct beneficiary of the Iran ceasefire. Energy had the most prints (50) of any sector this week.
• Brent crude settled at $95.92/barrel Thursday, down from $109 before the ceasefire.
• XOM dark pool prints at $155-$164 show institutions positioning in energy despite the oil price pullback.

$AAPL — Apple

Dark Pool Print: $1.90B dark pool flow | 7.5M shares

• AAPL showed mixed dark pool activity this week — $1.90B in prints at $256-$260 range.
• A 588,411-share print at $258.86 ($152M) on April 6 was verified $1.33 below the close.
• Apple AI developments and iPhone demand remain key catalysts.

$AMZN — Amazon

Dark Pool Print: $2.38B dark pool flow | 10.98M shares

• AMZN gained 2.05% on Thursday alone. The stock closed at $238.40, up from $233.65.
• A $747.7M print at $221.25 on April 8 and a $395.5M print at $238.38 on April 10 frame the range.
• AWS growth and AI integration remain the dominant institutional thesis.

$IBIT — iShares Bitcoin Trust

Dark Pool Print: $340M dark pool flow | 8.4M shares

• IBIT had $340M in dark pool prints this week with April 8 the most active day ($479M at $40.41-$40.50).
• Bitcoin held firm around $40-41 as the Iran ceasefire reduced crypto’s risk-off premium.
• Dark pool prints at $40-$41 suggest institutional accumulation in the $40 zone.

$ET — Energy Transfer

Dark Pool Print: $473M dark pool flow | 24.8M shares

• ET had its most active dark pool day on April 8 — a 12M share print at $18.87 ($226M).
• Energy sector dark pool flow was dominated by XLE ($572M, 50 prints) and XOM ($1.02B).
• The stock traded from $19.09 to $19.20 — relatively stable despite oil price swings.

$SNDK — SanDisk (Western Digital)

Dark Pool Print: $522.7B dark pool flow | 719M shares

• SNDK had a $363.4M mega-print at $726.70 on April 6 and a $109M print at $851.77 on April 10.
• The stock has been on a strong momentum run from the $700s to $856.20.
• Flash storage demand from AI data center buildouts is a key thesis. The dark pool prints confirm significant institutional interest.

📚 Educational: What the Iran Ceasefire Tells Us About Dark Pool Timing

The Iran-U.S. ceasefire agreement announced mid-week produced one of the clearest dark pool timing signals in recent memory — and it offers a masterclass in how institutional investors use off-exchange prints to position before headline moves.

When the Strait of Hormuz faced disruption in late February, dark pool prints in energy names spiked immediately — days before Brent crude hit $109/barrel. XLE (Energy Select Sector SPDR) received $974 million in dark pool prints during the Mar 31-Apr 3 week, the most of any sector. By the time retail traders read the headlines, institutions had already moved.

Then came the ceasefire. Within 24 hours of the April 7 announcement, oil prices began retreating from their peaks. But the dark pool data for April 7-9 shows a telling reversal: Energy sector prints dropped sharply while technology and small-cap ETFs (QQQ, IWM) saw increased activity. This is institutional rotation in real time — documented in off-exchange prints before price charts confirm the move.

How can you use this? Track sector dark pool flow across weeks, not just individual tickers. When a sector that was previously quiet suddenly receives 3-5x its normal dark pool flow, it often signals an institutional thesis change days before the news breaks.

Moby Tick tracks dark pool prints across all 11 S&P 500 sectors plus all major broad market ETFs.