Dow Jones| Nasdaq | US Stock Market Today | Highlights: US stocks post weekly gains as earnings, inflation data loom

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Business News›Markets›US Stocks›Wall St Guide›Dow Jones| Nasdaq | US Stock Market Today | Highlights: US stocks post weekly gains as earnings, inflation data loom LIVE BLOG Dow Jones Live Updates: Wall Street’s main indexes trade higher on Friday as oil prices retreat. Synopsis Dow Jones Today | US Stock Market Highlights: Wall Street ended higher on Friday as investors shifted their focus to next week, with third-quarter earnings season set to start and inflation data expected, which could shed light on the Federal Reserve's next policy decision. The S&P 500 gained 46.35 points, or 0.60%, to end at 7,811.71 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 172.83 points, or 0.64%, to 27,365.00. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 429.90 points, or 0.84%, to 51,661.54. 1 New Update The S&P 500 gained 46.35 points, or 0.60%, to end at 7,811.71 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 172.83 points, or 0.64%, to 27,365.00. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 429.90 points, or 0.84%, to 51,661.54. (Read) US natural gas futures climbed on Friday to a two-week high, with output dropping as energy firms evacuated platforms in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of Hurricane Isaias. Front-month gas futures for November delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 5.2 cents, or 1.6%, to settle at $3.22 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), their highest close since September 24. For the week, the contract gained about 6% after losing about 5% last week. An Anthropic artificial intelligence model submitted a false homicide tip through a Philadelphia police website, the department said in a statement. Anthropic notified the police earlier this week and said that an automated testing process was responsible for the submission, according to the police. Dental firm vVardis on Friday revealed a more than threefold rise in first-half revenue in its filing for an initial public offering in the US. The Zug, Switzerland-based company had a net loss of $27.8 million on revenue of $28.6 million for the six months ended June 30 2026, compared to a net loss of $32.1 million on revenue of $9.1 million, a year ago. The US stock bull market is approaching its fourth anniversary with few obvious signs of strain. Corporate earnings remain strong, the S&P 500 is close to a record high and market volatility is subdued, Bloomberg News reported. (Read) US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Russia had agreed to immediately supply over 300,000 tons of diesel fuel to the American and global marketplace after what Trump described as a "highly successful" discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Africa-focused digital payments company OPay on Friday revealed in its US initial public offering filing that its revenue more than doubled in the first six months of the year. The filing comes as surging bond yields and elevated interest rates dampen investor appetite for new listings, prompting several companies to delay their flotation plans. US producers in the Gulf of Mexico shut in about 1.5 million barrels per day of oil production and 1.3 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas, an increase from Thursday, as Hurricane Isaias churned toward the coast ahead of an expected landfall along the Florida Panhandle late on Friday. The shut-ins represent nearly 72% and 59% of US oil and natural gas production in the Gulf, respectively, according to the Marine Minerals Administration. President Donald Trump will soon issue a directive to some of his department heads to find ways to control prices of diesel fuel which are near record highs in the weeks before the November 3 congressional elections that will determine control of Congress, three industry sources told Reuters on Friday. US energy firms this week added rigs for the fourth time in five weeks, energy services firm Baker Hughes said in its closely followed report on Friday. The total oil and gas rig count, an early indicator of future output, rose by five to 603 in the week to October 9, its highest since May 2024. Baker Hughes said this week's increase put the total rig count up 56 rigs, or 10% above this time last year. Big banks including JPMorgan Chase will kick off the reporting season for the July-September period on Tuesday, as Wall Street remains optimistic about robust earnings that could keep the rally going despite the shaky geopolitical landscape and towering government bond yields. The race to fund artificial intelligence is unsettling investors in the more than $10 trillion US corporate debt market, prompting a reassessment of risks tied to major technology companies. The concerns are reflected in rising credit insurance costs, increased volatility and deteriorating market performance. Companies including Oracle Corp., Broadcom Inc. and SpaceX have issued nearly half a trillion dollars in new debt this year to finance the infrastructure needed for AI, according to Bloomberg data. Borrowing is expected to expand dramatically over the coming months and years. Broadcom alone could raise around $600 billion to fund computing capacity in the years ahead, based on Bloomberg calculations. The scale and speed of debt issuance, coupled with uncertainty over AI technology and rising interest rates, are intensifying pressure on the sector. Technology has ranked among the weakest-performing areas of the credit market in recent months, leaving investors with losses. Daily trading volumes in technology bonds and credit derivatives have also surged. Companies that own cell towers were also at the front of the market, including leaps of 14.8% for Crown Castle and 8.5% for American Tower. They rallied after SpaceX announced a purchase that could help it become a major mobile carrier in the United States. It still needs to get approval from U.S. regulators, but SpaceX said the purchase of low-band spectrum would allow its Starlink Mobile business to have a signal that can penetrate walls and connect customers inside buildings who may not be able to access its satellites. SpaceX's stock rose 1.6%. The threat of another big competitor sent stocks lower across the wireless industry, including drops of 12.8% for T-Mobile US, 10% for AT&T and 10.1% for Verizon. US diesel prices remain at near-record highs, up 70% since the US-Israeli war on Iran began despite two recent moves by President Donald Trump to boost supplies: pressuring allies to release emergency reserves and expanding access to tax-exempt red-dyed diesel. The wars in Iran and Ukraine have triggered a severe global fuel supply crunch, pushing the average US diesel price to $6.28 a gallon on Friday, according to motorist group AAA. High fuel prices have made it harder for Trump and his Republican Party to defend narrow congressional majorities in the November 3 midterm elections. The cost of living is the top item cited by voters in a Reuters/Ipsos poll, and high diesel prices put particular pressure on traditional Republican constituencies: farmers, truckers and rural voters. The administration has touted a G7 agreement to release 100 million barrels of oil and petroleum products as a major step to help ease prices, but those barrels appear to largely cover what remains of a March emergency release by International Energy Agency members, rather than new supply. A White House official disputed that characterization, saying the earlier commitments were not specifically for refined products. The administration negotiated for the previously committed barrels to be front-loaded with diesel and released on a tight timeline beginning immediately, the official said. The dollar rally is forging ahead as soaring oil prices weigh on currencies of energy-importing nations and global inflation fears persist, according to a Bloomberg report. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index is extending its advance into a fourth week to notch about a 3% gain in the period — its longest winning streak since early 2025. The gauge rose 0.2% Friday as the 10-year Treasury yield climbed four basis points to 5.27%. The dollar has been supported by elevated oil prices amid fresh attacks from Iran threatening energy flows in the Middle East and pushing investors into the safety currency. Saudi Aramco has told European oil refiners it will provide them with all the crude they asked for in November after the kingdom’s key cross-country pipeline resumed operation following attacks, offering relief to customers who’ve been forced to find alternative supplies, Bloomberg reported. At least three European refiners said they will receive full allocations of crude oil from Saudi Arabia’s state oil company next month, according to people with knowledge of the matter, asking not to be identified because the information is not public. US consumer sentiment deteriorated further in early October as rising prices because of the Middle East conflict soured households' views of the economy, a survey showed on Friday. The University of Michigan's Surveys of Consumers said its Consumer Sentiment Index dropped to 46.3 this month from a final reading of 48.1 in September. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the index at 47.8. US President Donald Trump said on Friday that there will be a big announcement coming up on diesel, as diesel prices remain at near record highs as the Nov. 3 congressional elections approach. US natural gas futures were little changed on Friday as a drop in output offset expectations that Hurricane Isaias will curb demand for the fuel when it crashes ashore tonight. Front-month gas futures for November delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 1.1 cents, or 0.3%, to $3.179 per million British thermal units (mmBtu). For the week, the contract was on track to rise about 5% after losing about 5% last week. US President Donald Trump announced a committee to investigate Fed Governor Lisa Cook, according to a notice posted on the White House website on Friday. "To assist me in carrying out that responsibility, the Committee shall investigate the allegations against Governor Cook and report to me whether there is “cause” for Governor Cook’s removal," according to the noticedated Oct. 7 The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 67.32 points, or 0.13%, at the open to 51,298.96. The S&P 500 rose 22.35 points, or 0.29%, to 7,787.71, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 149.59 points, or 0.55%, to 27,342.93. OpenAI on Friday hit back at three former safety researchers who accused the ChatGPT-maker of firing them for warning about the dangers of artificial intelligence. Refuting claims that the exits were related to safety, the AI firm said an internal probe had uncovered "a significant breach of trust" beyond what they had disclosed. The benchmark 10-year US Treasury yield could rise to 6% for the first time since 2000 as elevated oil prices fuel inflation concerns and mounting public debt worries weigh on the bond market, Pimco Chief Investment Officer Dan Ivascyn said, Reuters reported. (Read) US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has hired Judy Shelton, President Donald Trump's former pick for the Federal Reserve Board, as an adviser with a particular focus on China, the Treasury Department said on Friday. Gold advanced more than 1% on Friday, hitting its highest in a week, on a combination of cooling oil prices and a softer US dollar, with markets weighing the likelihood of further Federal Reserve interest-rate hikes. Spot gold rose 1.2% to $4,182.59 by 1200 GMT, heading for a weekly gain of around 1%. The blue-chip Dow was also on track for slim weekly gains and the equal-weighted S&P 500 index was on track to snap a seven-week losing streak. "Strong earnings, guidance and evidence of sustained AI demand could quickly rebuild conviction and put new highs back on the radar," said Chris Weston, head of research at Pepperstone. SpaceX gained 3.9% after the rocket and satellite maker struck a deal to acquire a nationwide low-band spectrum portfolio, mounting a direct, orbital challenge to legacy wireless giants across the US. US stock index futures rose on Friday as oil prices retreated on easing Middle East supply concerns, though telecom shares remained under pressure after SpaceX's spectrum acquisition raised competitive concerns across the sector. At 7:05 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were up 38 points, or 0.07%, S&P 500 E-minis were up 27.5 points, or 0.35%, and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up 224.5 points, or 0.72%. US Treasury yields were also calmer, with the benchmark 10-year yield steady at 5.24% but holding close to the 24-year high of 5.364% hit on Wednesday. Oil prices decline after US President Donald Trump says Washington will not attack Iran before next month’s midterm elections, easing concerns about further disruptions to global energy supplies. Brent crude drops more than 1% but remains above the psychologically important $100-a-barrel level.