Morning BriefNo. 10
S&P 500 climbs 1.1%; 10-year yield falls below 5.00%
In Thursday's session, the Nasdaq Composite added 1.7%, the Dow rose 0.6%, gold settled at $4,399.70 an ounce, and WTI crude fell to $101.91 a barrel.
This archive edition was compiled from official historical data on September 23, 2026, when Diurna began publishing.
- S&P 5007,637.76▲ +1.14%
- Nasdaq26,418.30▲ +1.69%
- Dow51,778.04▲ +0.61%
- 10-yr yield4.94%▼ −7 bp
- EUR/USD$1.1481▼ −0.48%
- Gold$4,399.70▲ +0.28%
- WTI crude$101.91▼ −0.51%
- Bitcoin$76,366▲ +0.21%
Stocks
The S&P 500 rallied 1.14% to 7,637.76, its biggest one-day gain since August 4, 2026. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.69%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.61% to 51,778.04. Smaller companies lagged: the Russell 2000 climbed 0.55%.
The S&P 500 has gained 11.6% so far in 2026 and stands 2.1% below its record close of 7,798.99, set on August 13, 2026. It also crossed above its 50-day moving average, now at 7,615.10. The Cboe Volatility Index, which tracks expected swings in the S&P 500 over the next 30 days, tumbled to 15.44, below its long-run average of about 19.4.
Rates
The 10-year Treasury yield declined 7 basis points to 4.94%. The 2-year yield, which is more sensitive to expectations for Federal Reserve policy, declined 7 basis points to 4.67%. At the long end, the 30-year yield fell to 5.29%.
That left the 10-year yield 27 basis points above the 2-year. The 3-month Treasury bill yielded 4.12%. The effective federal funds rate — the Fed's main policy rate — stood at 3.88%.
Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Currencies
The euro retreated 0.48% to $1.1481 in the European Central Bank's daily reference rates, while the dollar gained 0.41% against the yen to ¥155.69 and the British pound declined to $1.3376. Overall, the dollar strengthened against seven of the nine major currencies we track. The biggest move came from the Swiss franc, which fell 0.66% against the dollar.
Commodities and bitcoin
U.S. crude oil (WTI) dipped 0.5% to $101.91 a barrel, while Brent, the international benchmark, declined 1.0% to $104.82 a barrel.
Gold inched higher 0.3% to $4,399.70 an ounce, and silver rallied 1.8% to $65.47 an ounce. Copper, often watched as a barometer of industrial demand, climbed 2.4% to $6.587 a pound.
Bitcoin ticked up 0.2% to $76,366.
On the calendar
No major U.S. economic releases are scheduled today.
Coming up
- Tue Sep 2910 a.m.Job openings (JOLTS)Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Wed Sep 308:30 a.m.GDP (third estimate)Bureau of Economic Analysis
- Wed Sep 308:30 a.m.Personal income and spending (PCE inflation)Bureau of Economic Analysis
Chart of the day
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Labor force participation rate rose to 61.6% in August from 61.4% in the prior month. That is down from 62.3% a year earlier. Over the past 15 years it has ranged from 60.1% (April 2020) to 64.2% (September 2011).
What it measures. The share of the civilian population age 16 and older that is either working or actively looking for work.
Why it matters. Participation determines how many people are available to fill jobs. An aging population has weighed on the rate for more than two decades.
The numbers
| Instrument | Last | Chg | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stocks | |||||
| S&P 500 | 7,637.76 | +85.95 | +1.14% | ||
| Nasdaq Composite | 26,418.30 | +439.88 | +1.69% | ||
| Dow Jones Industrial Average | 51,778.04 | +316.14 | +0.61% | ||
| Russell 2000 | 2,874.63 | +15.82 | +0.55% | ||
| Cboe Volatility Index | 15.44 | −2.27 | −12.82% | ||
| Treasury yields | |||||
| 3-month Treasury bill | 4.12% | −2 bp | — | ||
| 2-year Treasury | 4.67% | −7 bp | — | ||
| 5-year Treasury | 4.78% | −8 bp | — | ||
| 10-year Treasury | 4.94% | −7 bp | — | ||
| 30-year Treasury | 5.29% | −6 bp | — | ||
| Currencies | |||||
| Euro (EUR/USD) | $1.1481 | −0.0056 | −0.48% | ||
| Japanese yen (USD/JPY) | ¥155.69 | +0.64 | +0.41% | ||
| British pound (GBP/USD) | $1.3376 | −0.0079 | −0.59% | ||
| Chinese yuan (USD/CNY) | 6.7075 | +0.0004 | +0.01% | ||
| Canadian dollar (USD/CAD) | 1.3995 | +0.0056 | +0.40% | ||
| Swiss franc (USD/CHF) | 0.8245 | +0.0055 | +0.67% | ||
| Australian dollar (AUD/USD) | $0.7114 | −0.0018 | −0.26% | ||
| Mexican peso (USD/MXN) | 17.1881 | +0.0499 | +0.29% | ||
| Commodities | |||||
| WTI crude oil | $101.91 | −0.52 | −0.51% | ||
| Brent crude oil | $104.82 | −1.01 | −0.95% | ||
| Natural gas | $2.901 | +0.010 | +0.35% | ||
| Gold | $4,399.70 | +12.20 | +0.28% | ||
| Silver | $65.47 | +1.18 | +1.84% | ||
| Copper | $6.587 | +0.155 | +2.41% | ||
| Digital assets | |||||
| Bitcoin | $76,366 | +158 | +0.21% | ||
Closing levels for September 17, 2026. Yields in percent; changes in basis points (bp). Currencies are ECB reference rates. Commodities are front-month futures settlements.
Diurna briefs are compiled from official and exchange data by our publishing system using fixed editorial rules; they describe market moves and do not speculate about causes. This is not investment advice. How we produce the Daily Brief.