Michael Pistillo was on the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange on Monday, September 14, 2026. U.S. stocks finally broke a losing streak last Friday, marking their first winning week in three. The S&P 500 rose by 0.5%, snapping a three-day losing trend. This put the index within 0.7% of its record high from the previous month.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 478 points, or 0.9%. The Nasdaq composite also registered a 0.5% gain. The decrease in oil prices was a significant factor. Brent crude fell 2.8% to $97.44 a barrel. The fluctuation was due to ongoing uncertainties about the conflict with Iran and future oil supplies from the Middle East. Market conditions improved with hopes of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers.
Despite the positive finish, Friday’s trading was unstable. This was particularly noticeable after the University of Michigan released a report on U.S. consumer sentiment. According to the report, consumers are expecting inflation to reach 4.6% in the next year, higher than the previous forecast of 4%. Consumer sentiment was lower than projected, hitting the lowest in four months, but it wasn’t as dire as economists had feared.
Rising inflation expectations can negatively impact the economy. Consumers might rush to buy goods now to avoid future price hikes, potentially leading sellers to increase prices even more. Following the report, the yield on the 10-year Treasury saw a brief increase to 5.22%, the highest since 2007, before settling back to 5.15%. High yields result in costlier borrowing and often negatively affect stock prices.
The 10-year yield had been increasing since the conflict with Iran began, starting from 3.97%. These rising yields have unsettled various financial markets due to inflation concerns, expensive oil, and government debt. As oil prices fell later, the stock market regained strength.
Among the market’s drivers, Akamai Technologies saw a 3.2% increase in its stock. This came after announcing a significant $11.6 billion deal with Anthropic, the developer of the Claude AI chatbot. Costco Wholesale also saw a gain of 2.9% following a quarterly profit report that exceeded analyst expectations. Strong corporate profits have helped sustain the stock market amidst worries about inflation and oil prices.
Overall, the S&P 500 added 39.28 points, reaching 7,743.41. The Dow Jones climbed 478.64 to 51,828.62, and the Nasdaq rose 129.34 to 27,068.72. Meanwhile, international markets had mixed results. European indexes varied after larger movements in Asia. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose by 1.3%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell by 1%.