Morning BriefNo. 32
Stocks rise across the board; 10-year yield edges up to 5.24%
In Friday's session, the Nasdaq Composite added 0.6%, the Dow rose 0.8%, gold settled at $4,216.30 an ounce, and WTI crude rose to $91.85 a barrel.
- S&P 5007,811.54▲ +0.59%
- Nasdaq27,366.17▲ +0.64%
- Dow51,654.95▲ +0.83%
- 10-yr yield5.24%▲ +2 bp
- EUR/USD$1.1206▲ +0.18%
- Gold$4,216.30▲ +1.43%
- WTI crude$91.85▲ +0.39%
- Bitcoin$82,543▲ +1.09%
Stocks
The S&P 500 gained 0.59% to 7,811.54. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 0.64%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.83% to 51,654.95.
The S&P 500 has gained 14.1% so far in 2026. The Cboe Volatility Index, which tracks expected swings in the S&P 500 over the next 30 days, slumped to 14.84, below its long-run average of about 19.4.
Rates
The 10-year Treasury yield ticked up 2 basis points to 5.24%. The 2-year yield rose 5 basis points to 4.80%.
That left the 10-year yield 44 basis points above the 2-year, a flatter curve than a day earlier. In the inflation-protected market, the 10-year real yield was 2.87% and the 10-year breakeven rate — a market-implied gauge of expected inflation — was 2.33%, as of Thursday. Freddie Mac's latest weekly survey put the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate at 7.40% (October 8).
Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Currencies
The euro crept higher 0.18% to $1.1206 in the European Central Bank's daily reference rates, while the dollar was steady against the yen at ¥158.25 and the British pound edged up to $1.3220. Overall, the dollar weakened against seven of the nine major currencies we track. The biggest move came from the Mexican peso, which fell 1.03% against the dollar.
Commodities and bitcoin
West Texas Intermediate crude inched higher 0.4% to $91.85 a barrel, while Brent, the international benchmark, ticked up 0.4% to $104.72 a barrel.
U.S. natural gas futures rose 1.6% to $3.220 per million British thermal units. Gold advanced 1.4% to $4,216.30 an ounce, and silver advanced 2.7% to $61.05 an ounce. Copper, often watched as a barometer of industrial demand, climbed 1.9% to $6.692 a pound.
Bitcoin climbed 1.1% to $82,543.
On the calendar
No major U.S. economic releases are scheduled today.
Coming up
- Wed Oct 148:30 a.m.Consumer Price Index (CPI)Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Thu Oct 158:30 a.m.Producer Price Index (PPI)Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Wed Oct 282 p.m.Fed policy decisionFederal Reserve (FOMC)
Chart of the day
Source: U.S. Department of Labor.
Initial jobless claims declined to 197,000 in the week ending October 3 from 199,000 in the week before. That is down from 233,000 a year earlier. Over the past 5 years it has ranged from 189,000 (July 2026) to 291,000 (October 2021).
What it measures. The number of people filing a first claim for state unemployment insurance each week, seasonally adjusted.
Why it matters. Because it arrives every week, claims data is one of the earliest signals that layoffs are picking up or easing — well before the monthly jobs report.
The numbers
| Instrument | Last | Chg | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stocks | |||||
| S&P 500 | 7,811.54 | +46.18 | +0.59% | ||
| Nasdaq Composite | 27,366.17 | +172.83 | +0.64% | ||
| Dow Jones Industrial Average | 51,654.95 | +423.31 | +0.83% | ||
| Russell 2000 | 2,806.98 | +12.85 | +0.46% | ||
| Cboe Volatility Index | 14.84 | −0.57 | −3.70% | ||
| Treasury yields | |||||
| 3-month Treasury bill | 4.25% | +2 bp | — | ||
| 2-year Treasury | 4.80% | +5 bp | — | ||
| 5-year Treasury | 5.02% | +3 bp | — | ||
| 10-year Treasury | 5.24% | +2 bp | — | ||
| 30-year Treasury | 5.60% | 0 bp | — | ||
| Currencies | |||||
| Euro (EUR/USD) | $1.1206 | +0.0020 | +0.18% | ||
| Japanese yen (USD/JPY) | ¥158.25 | −0.03 | −0.02% | ||
| British pound (GBP/USD) | $1.3220 | +0.0013 | +0.10% | ||
| Chinese yuan (USD/CNY) | 6.6921 | −0.0102 | −0.15% | ||
| Canadian dollar (USD/CAD) | 1.4226 | −0.0036 | −0.25% | ||
| Swiss franc (USD/CHF) | 0.8311 | −0.0027 | −0.32% | ||
| Australian dollar (AUD/USD) | $0.6981 | +0.0038 | +0.54% | ||
| Mexican peso (USD/MXN) | 18.2001 | +0.1874 | +1.04% | ||
| Commodities | |||||
| WTI crude oil | $91.85 | +0.36 | +0.39% | ||
| Brent crude oil | $104.72 | +0.44 | +0.42% | ||
| Natural gas | $3.220 | +0.052 | +1.64% | ||
| Gold | $4,216.30 | +59.30 | +1.43% | ||
| Silver | $61.05 | +1.62 | +2.73% | ||
| Copper | $6.692 | +0.123 | +1.88% | ||
| Digital assets | |||||
| Bitcoin | $82,543 | +886 | +1.09% | ||
Closing levels for October 9, 2026. Yields in percent; changes in basis points (bp). Currencies are ECB reference rates. Commodities are front-month futures settlements.
Worth reading
Selected coverage from other publishers, chosen for relevance to today's markets.
- EU says trade deal could cut up to 50% of Chinese EV and plug-in hybrid imports and lower tariffs for some European exports to China
- European bank stocks slide as bond yields spark investor caution
- Palantir’s billionaire CEO says only two kinds of people will succeed in the AI era: trade workers—‘or you’re neurodivergent’
- Will rising French bond spreads disrupt the rally in European stocks?
- A friend in her 80s fell down her basement stairs. Is this a hidden danger lurking in people’s home?
- ‘I have no children’: My aunt gave me $50,000 for a down payment. Now she wants me to leave my home to her two children.
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.