On September 14, 2026, Michael Pistillo was seen working on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Wall Street, after weeks of volatility, experienced a lift as oil prices decreased. The S&P 500 gained 0.5%, breaking a three-day losing streak. This upswing brought the index close to its all-time high of the previous month, just 0.7% shy.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 478 points, or 0.9%, with the Nasdaq composite increasing by 0.5%. Brent oil prices dropped 2.8% to $97.44 per barrel, influenced by uncertainty regarding the war with Iran, which affected the Strait of Hormuz and subsequently oil distribution.
Despite some market shakiness on Friday, driven by consumer sentiment reports, there was a notable rise in Treasury yields. The University of Michigan reported that consumers foresee inflation rising to 4.6% over the next year, compared to last month’s expectation of 4%. Consumer sentiment was lower than economists forecasted, setting a four-month low.
The fears of rising inflation could spur purchasing behavior that drives prices higher if many choose to buy now to avoid future costs.
The 10-year Treasury yield briefly spiked to 5.22% from the previous day’s 5.18%, nearing its highest point since 2007. High yields can slow the economy through increased borrowing costs, impacting stocks and investments negatively. Since the onset of the Iran conflict, these yields have climbed from 3.97%. Contributors to rising yields include inflation concerns, hefty government debt, costly oil, and consistent economic strength.
Later, when oil prices dropped, yields eased to 5.15%, supporting a rebound in stocks. Akamai Technologies drove part of this upturn, increasing 3.2% in stock value after securing an $11.6 billion agreement with Anthropic. Costco’s share price also climbed by 2.9% following a quarterly profit exceeding expectations.
These corporate earnings successes bolstered the market amidst inflation and oil price worries. Overall, the S&P 500 climbed 39.28 points to reach 7,743.41. The Dow Jones leaped 478.64 points to 51,828.62, and the Nasdaq increased by 129.34 points to 27,068.72.
Abroad, market indices showed mixed results. European stocks varied, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose by 1.3%, contrasted with a 1% decline in Hong Kong’s Hang Seng.
Chan Ho-him and Michelle Chapman from AP Business contributed to this report. All rights reserved by the Associated Press, 2026.
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