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U.S. stocks ended mostly lower on Thursday, with the Dow recording its third straight day of losses, as oil prices and Treasury yields rose, and uncertainty about the Middle East continued to dent investors’ sentiment.
How Did the Benchmarks Perform?
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) declined 0.3%, or 161.61 points, to close at 51,349.98 points.
The S&P 500 slid 0.02% to finish at 7,704.13 points. Materials and utilities stocks were the worst performers, while communication services and healthcare stocks were the biggest gainers.
The Utilities Select Sector SPDR (XLU) lost 1%, while the Materials Select Sector SPDR (XLB) fell 1.2%. The Communication Services Select Sector SPDR (XLC) gained 1.3%, while the Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) added 0.6%. Eight of the 11 sectors of the benchmark index ended in negative territory.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.01% to end at 26,939.37 points.
The fear gauge, the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), was up 3.23% to 15.67. Decliners outnumbered advancers on the S&P 500 by a 1.9-to-1 ratio. A total of 16.8 billion shares were traded on Thursday, higher than the last 20-session average of 16.7 billion.
On the Nasdaq, there were 53 new 52-week highs and 238 new lows. On the S&P 500, there were 14 new 52-week highs and 41 new lows.
Treasury Yields, Oil Prices Remain Elevated
Stocks bounced back from their session lows on Thursday after a report said negotiators from the United States and Iran held talks in New York and were considering a deal that could bring a phased end to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. The deal would reportedly see the United States lifting economic sanctions on Iran, while Tehran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
This came after both the United States and Iran threatened each other over the weekend to intensify attacks.
However, oil prices and Treasury yields continued to surge. Brent crude prices jumped more than 3% to settle near $107 per barrel. The U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures rose 2.7% to settle at $94.61 a barrel.
Bond yields also continued their northbound journey. The 30-year Treasury yield jumped to 5.501% to hit its highest level since June 2004, while the 10-year Treasury yield raced to 5.223%, hitting its highest level since June 2007.
Fears have gripped markets that the Federal Reserve could implement more interest rate hikes. Markets are pricing in a 71% chance of a rate hike by the Fed in its October policy meeting, according to the CME FedWatch tool, up from 66% a day ago and 8.8% a month ago.
Meanwhile, AI stocks also performed mixed on Thursday. Shares of Broadcom Inc. ((AVGO - Free Report) ) declined 1.3%, while Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. ((AMD - Free Report) ) gained 2.4%.
Oracle Corporation ((ORCL - Free Report) ) suffered on Thursday, with shares declining 3.5% following a report that the company was invoking force majeure to shield itself from potential liability if a data center project under construction in New Mexico gets delayed. Oracle has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Economic Data
The Labor Department reported that jobless claims totaled 197,000 for the week ending Sept. 19, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week’s revised level of 198,000. The four-week moving average was 202,250, a decrease of 1,750 from the previous week’s revised average of 204,000.
Continuing claims came in at 1,719,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week’s revised level of 1,717,000. The 4-week moving average was 1,744,000, a decrease of 13,000 from the previous week's revised average of 1,757,000.
In other economic data, U.S. new home sales jumped 6.4% in August to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 684,000 units, hitting the highest level since December 2025, the Commerce Department reported.
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Image: Bigstock
Stock Market News for Sep 25, 2026
U.S. stocks ended mostly lower on Thursday, with the Dow recording its third straight day of losses, as oil prices and Treasury yields rose, and uncertainty about the Middle East continued to dent investors’ sentiment.
How Did the Benchmarks Perform?
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) declined 0.3%, or 161.61 points, to close at 51,349.98 points.
The S&P 500 slid 0.02% to finish at 7,704.13 points. Materials and utilities stocks were the worst performers, while communication services and healthcare stocks were the biggest gainers.
The Utilities Select Sector SPDR (XLU) lost 1%, while the Materials Select Sector SPDR (XLB) fell 1.2%. The Communication Services Select Sector SPDR (XLC) gained 1.3%, while the Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) added 0.6%. Eight of the 11 sectors of the benchmark index ended in negative territory.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.01% to end at 26,939.37 points.
The fear gauge, the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), was up 3.23% to 15.67. Decliners outnumbered advancers on the S&P 500 by a 1.9-to-1 ratio. A total of 16.8 billion shares were traded on Thursday, higher than the last 20-session average of 16.7 billion.
On the Nasdaq, there were 53 new 52-week highs and 238 new lows. On the S&P 500, there were 14 new 52-week highs and 41 new lows.
Treasury Yields, Oil Prices Remain Elevated
Stocks bounced back from their session lows on Thursday after a report said negotiators from the United States and Iran held talks in New York and were considering a deal that could bring a phased end to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. The deal would reportedly see the United States lifting economic sanctions on Iran, while Tehran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
This came after both the United States and Iran threatened each other over the weekend to intensify attacks.
However, oil prices and Treasury yields continued to surge. Brent crude prices jumped more than 3% to settle near $107 per barrel. The U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures rose 2.7% to settle at $94.61 a barrel.
Bond yields also continued their northbound journey. The 30-year Treasury yield jumped to 5.501% to hit its highest level since June 2004, while the 10-year Treasury yield raced to 5.223%, hitting its highest level since June 2007.
Fears have gripped markets that the Federal Reserve could implement more interest rate hikes. Markets are pricing in a 71% chance of a rate hike by the Fed in its October policy meeting, according to the CME FedWatch tool, up from 66% a day ago and 8.8% a month ago.
Meanwhile, AI stocks also performed mixed on Thursday. Shares of Broadcom Inc. ((AVGO - Free Report) ) declined 1.3%, while Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. ((AMD - Free Report) ) gained 2.4%.
Oracle Corporation ((ORCL - Free Report) ) suffered on Thursday, with shares declining 3.5% following a report that the company was invoking force majeure to shield itself from potential liability if a data center project under construction in New Mexico gets delayed. Oracle has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Economic Data
The Labor Department reported that jobless claims totaled 197,000 for the week ending Sept. 19, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week’s revised level of 198,000. The four-week moving average was 202,250, a decrease of 1,750 from the previous week’s revised average of 204,000.
Continuing claims came in at 1,719,000, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week’s revised level of 1,717,000. The 4-week moving average was 1,744,000, a decrease of 13,000 from the previous week's revised average of 1,757,000.
In other economic data, U.S. new home sales jumped 6.4% in August to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 684,000 units, hitting the highest level since December 2025, the Commerce Department reported.