NEW YORK – September 26, 2026 (STL.News) — U.S. stocks finished higher Friday and recorded their first winning week in three as renewed buying in artificial-intelligence-related companies and a retreat in oil prices helped Wall Street overcome another week of pressure from rising Treasury yields.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 478.64 points, or 0.9%, to 51,828.62 Friday. The S&P 500 rose 39.28 points, or 0.5%, to 7,743.41, while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 129.34 points, or 0.5%, to 27,068.72.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies edged up 1.98 points, or 0.1%, to 2,837.55.
For the full week ending Sept. 25, the S&P 500 gained 1.2%, the Nasdaq climbed 2.1%, and the Dow added 0.3%. The Russell 2000 moved in the opposite direction, declining 0.8%. The S&P 500 finished Friday approximately 0.7% below its all-time high set in August.
U.S. Stock Market Snapshot
| Index | Friday Close | Friday | Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow Jones Industrial Average | 51,828.62 | +0.9% | +0.3% |
| S&P 500 | 7,743.41 | +0.5% | +1.2% |
| Nasdaq Composite | 27,068.72 | +0.5% | +2.1% |
| Russell 2000 | 2,837.55 | +0.1% | -0.8% |
AP’s final weekly calculations show the S&P 500 gained 92.91 points, the Dow gained 145.98 points, and the Nasdaq gained 546.17 points. The Russell 2000 lost 22.85 points.
The weekly results illustrate the market’s uneven performance. Technology-heavy large-cap stocks outperformed, while smaller companies represented by the Russell 2000 finished lower.
AI Stocks Help Lead Friday’s Rally
Artificial-intelligence-related technology companies were among Friday’s strongest contributors.
Microsoft shares climbed 3.7% after the company unveiled additional capabilities for its Copilot application, including a coding tool and an always-on AI agent. Qualcomm gained 4%, while Dell Technologies advanced 5%, according to Reuters’ final Friday market report.
Akamai Technologies rose 3.2% following an $11.6 billion cloud-services agreement with Anthropic. Reuters reported that the agreement includes a warrant that could give Anthropic an ownership stake of as much as 5% in Akamai.
The technology gains continued a theme visible since the beginning of the week: investors remained willing to buy companies positioned to benefit from continued spending on artificial intelligence.
Oil Retreat Gives Markets Relief
Oil provided another source of relief Friday.
AP reported that Brent crude fell below $98 per barrel during Friday’s trading, helping ease some of the pressure that had built in the bond market.
The move in oil mattered because energy prices had been moving sharply during the week and fueling inflation concerns.
Friday’s decline in crude helped Treasury yields retreat after the 10-year Treasury yield had briefly moved near its highest level since 2007.
The relationship between oil, inflation expectations, and Treasury yields became one of the week’s central market themes.
Higher oil prices can raise costs for businesses and consumers, adding to inflationary pressure. Higher inflation expectations can in turn put upward pressure on bond yields and expectations for monetary policy.
For stocks, rising Treasury yields create an additional challenge because higher government-bond returns compete with equities for investor capital and increase borrowing costs across the economy.
Monday Rally Starts Week Strongly
Wall Street began the week with a powerful rally Monday as both oil prices and Treasury yields retreated.
The S&P 500 jumped 114.20 points, or 1.5%, to 7,764.70, leaving the index only about 0.4% below its record.
The Dow gained 366.19 points, or 0.7%, to 52,048.83.
The Nasdaq surged 599.55 points, or 2.3%, to a record 27,122.09, while the Russell 2000 gained 14.96 points, or 0.5%, to 2,875.36.
Artificial-intelligence and semiconductor stocks were among the strongest performers.
Advanced Micro Devices jumped 9.9%, pushing its market capitalization to $1 trillion, while Nvidia gained 2.3%, AP reported.
The rally was further supported by the energy and bond markets.
Brent crude fell 3.4% to $100.34 per barrel, down from nearly $110 the previous week. At the same time, the 10-year Treasury yield eased to 4.95% from 5.01% late Friday.
Those moves eased two pressures that had recently weighed on equities: expensive energy and rising bond yields.
Nasdaq Reaches Another Record Tuesday
Tuesday produced a much more divided market.
The S&P 500 slipped just 0.06 points to 7,764.64, essentially unchanged for the session.
The Dow declined 185.14 points, or 0.4%, to 51,863.69.
Technology remained stronger. The Nasdaq gained 122.18 points, or 0.5%, to a record 27,244.28. The Russell 2000 gained 14.56 points, or 0.5%, to 2,889.92.
Oil continued falling early in the session.
Brent crude briefly traded below $98 before recovering and settling at $99.25 per barrel, down 1.1% for the day.
Treasury yields remained relatively steady.
The Nasdaq’s second consecutive record close reinforced the strength of technology shares even as the broader market lost some of Monday’s momentum.
By Tuesday’s close, the S&P 500 remained just 0.4% below its record.
Bond Yields Hit Stocks Wednesday
Wednesday marked the week’s sharpest reversal.
The S&P 500 dropped 58.61 points, or 0.8%, to 7,706.03.
The Dow lost 352.10 points, or 0.7%, to 51,511.59, while the Nasdaq declined 308.24 points, or 1.1%, to 26,936.04.
Small-cap stocks were hit even harder. The Russell 2000 dropped 51.26 points, or 1.8%, to 2,838.66.
The bond market was a major source of pressure.
AP reported that the 10-year Treasury yield jumped to 5.11% after economic data showed U.S. business activity and costs rising at their fastest pace in years.
That returned the benchmark yield to territory last seen in 2007.
The market reaction highlighted a recurring challenge for investors.
Stronger economic activity can support corporate earnings, but if it is accompanied by stronger price pressures, it can also increase concerns that inflation will remain elevated.
That can push bond yields higher and weigh on stock valuations.
Wednesday’s selloff erased much of the market’s gains from the first two trading sessions.
Stocks Swing but Finish Nearly Flat Thursday
Thursday brought another volatile session, but the major indexes ultimately finished close to where they started.
The S&P 500 slipped 1.90 points, or less than 0.1%, to 7,704.13.
The Dow declined 161.61 points, or 0.3%, to 51,349.98.
The Nasdaq edged up 3.34 points, or less than 0.1%, to 26,939.37, while the Russell 2000 lost 3.09 points, or 0.1%, to 2,835.57.
Oil and Treasury yields again contributed to the volatility.
AP reported that Brent crude moved from about $102 to roughly $99 within minutes during midday trading before later settling at $100.22 per barrel, up 2.1% from Wednesday.
The 10-year Treasury yield ultimately rose to 5.20% from 5.11% late Wednesday, returning to levels last seen in 2007.
Those movements helped produce several reversals in stocks during the session.
By Thursday’s closing bell, the S&P 500 was up 0.7% for the week, while the Dow had fallen 0.6%. The Nasdaq remained ahead by 1.6%.
Friday Rally Secures Winning Week
Friday’s advance changed the final weekly picture.
The Dow’s 478.64-point rally was large enough to turn what had been a weekly loss through Thursday into a 0.3% weekly gain.
The S&P 500’s 0.5% Friday increase lifted its weekly advance to 1.2%.
The Nasdaq’s 0.5% gain left the technology-heavy index up 2.1% for the week, making it the strongest of the four major indexes tracked here.
The Russell 2000 gained slightly on Friday but remained down 0.8% for the week.
Friday therefore reinforced the week’s central divide: large technology-oriented companies remained strong enough to lift the major large-cap indexes, while smaller stocks did not keep pace.
Nasdaq Leads as AI Trade Returns
The Nasdaq’s 2.1% weekly gain was nearly seven times the Dow’s 0.3% increase.
The difference reflected, in part, renewed strength in technology and AI-related companies.
Chip and AI stocks led Monday’s rally. The Nasdaq hit record highs Monday and Tuesday. Microsoft and other technology companies then helped drive Friday’s rebound.
That does not mean artificial intelligence was the only factor affecting the market.
The week’s trading repeatedly showed that enthusiasm for AI ran alongside significant pressure from energy prices and the bond market.
When oil and yields retreated Monday, technology stocks surged.
When Treasury yields jumped Wednesday, all four major indexes declined.
When oil cooled again on Friday, stocks rebounded.
Treasury Yields Become Critical Market Indicator
The clearest change of the week occurred in the Treasury market.
The benchmark 10-year yield began the week at 4.95% on Monday, after closing the previous Friday around 5.01%.
By Wednesday, it had climbed to 5.11%.
On Thursday, it rose further to 5.20%.
That is a significant move for financial markets.
Treasury yields influence borrowing costs throughout the economy. They affect mortgage rates, corporate financing and the relative attractiveness of stocks compared with government debt.
For growth stocks in particular, higher yields can pressure valuations because investors discount expected future earnings at higher interest rates.
The Nasdaq nevertheless finished the week substantially higher, showing strong investor demand for technology and AI-related shares despite the increasingly challenging bond-market backdrop.
Small Caps Finish Week Lower
The Russell 2000 painted a different picture.
The small-cap benchmark gained Monday and Tuesday but dropped 1.8% Wednesday, followed by another slight decline Thursday.
Friday’s 0.1% gain was not enough to erase those losses.
The Russell finished the week down 0.8%, compared with gains of 2.1% for the Nasdaq, 1.2% for the S&P 500 and 0.3% for the Dow.
That divergence is important because it shows the week’s positive headline performance was not shared evenly across U.S. equities.
Attributing the entire difference to one cause based solely on index performance would be inappropriate. The verified numbers show that large-cap and technology-heavy indexes substantially outperformed smaller-company stocks during the week.
Oil and Bonds Remain Central to Market Direction
The week’s trading demonstrated how closely Wall Street is watching oil and Treasury yields.
On Monday, Brent fell to $100.34, and the 10-year Treasury yield declined to 4.95%. Stocks rallied strongly.
Tuesday, Brent settled at $99.25, while stocks remained near record territory.
Wednesday, the 10-year Treasury yield surged to 5.11%, and stocks sold off.
Thursday, Brent settled at $100.22, and the 10-year Treasury yield rose to 5.20%, while stocks finished an unusually volatile session almost unchanged.
Friday, AP reported Brent trading below $98 during the session, easing pressure on Treasury yields as stocks rallied.
The sequence does not establish that oil or Treasury yields independently caused every stock-market movement.
It does establish that contemporaneous market reporting repeatedly identified both as important forces influencing investor sentiment during the week.
Wall Street Ends Week Near Record Territory
Despite significant volatility, the S&P 500 ended Friday only about 0.7% below its August all-time high.
The Nasdaq finished up 2.1% for the week after reaching record closing levels earlier in the week.
The Dow recovered from its midweek decline to finish up 0.3%, while the Russell 2000 ended down 0.8%.
The final scorecard shows a positive week for the major large-cap U.S. indexes, but also a market facing several competing forces.
Artificial-intelligence investment continued to support technology shares.
Higher Treasury yields increased borrowing costs and offered investors increasingly attractive alternatives to equities.
Oil prices remained volatile and continued to fuel inflation concerns and weigh on the bond market.
Those forces produced sharp swings from one session to the next, but by Friday’s closing bell, technology strength and the retreat in oil prices had helped the S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq finish the week higher.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and news purposes only and does not constitute investment, financial, or trading advice. Market prices and economic conditions can change rapidly. Investors should conduct independent research and consider their individual financial circumstances and risk tolerance before making investment decisions.
