Winter Storm Fern Freezes Q1 GDP — But ETFs Could Be Set Up For Spring Rebound

Winter Storm Fern is expected to deliver a sharp but temporary hit to U.S. economic growth, with Bank of America estimating a 0.5–1.5 percentage point drag on the first quarter 2026 GDP, according to Yahoo Finance. Drawing comparisons to Winter Storm Viola in 2021, the bank argues that most of the disruption reflects delayed economic activity rather than permanent demand destruction, and this is a critical distinction for investors.Extreme weather shocks can trigger brief rotations into defensive ETFs, incl ...