Why it matters
- The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite both closed at record highs, while small-company stocks fell.
- The 10-year Treasury yield dropped 4 basis points to 5.27%, and traders cut bets on a Fed rate increase this month.
- Constellation Energy jumped 12.3% after a power deal with Google's parent, Alphabet, and Option Care Health soared 32.7% on a buyout.
Session recap: what happened in this region's trading day, with sources.
The S&P 500 rose 0.6% to a record 7,818.93 on Tuesday, Oct. 6, and the Nasdaq Composite also closed at a record, as falling Treasury yields helped stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.5%, according to The Associated Press.
| Index | Tuesday close | Change |
|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 | 7,818.93 | +44.98 (+0.6%) |
| Nasdaq Composite | 27,599.79 | +122.48 (+0.4%) |
| Dow Jones Industrial Average | 51,521.28 | +253.38 (+0.5%) |
| Russell 2000 | 2,830.30 | −16.84 (−0.6%) |
Source: The Associated Press; closes match Yahoo Finance data.
The gains built on Monday's rally. The S&P 500 is up 14.2% this year and the Nasdaq 18.7%, the AP said. Smaller companies lagged, and the Russell 2000 fell for the day.
What moved stocks on Tuesday?
Lower bond yields and a run of company news did. Oliver Pursche of Wealthspire Advisors told Reuters that lower oil prices eased inflation worries, which pulled yields down and lifted stocks. Investors are also turning to third-quarter earnings, which start next week, Reuters reported.
- Constellation Energy rose 12.3% to $300.40 after agreeing to supply 3,590 megawatts of power to Alphabet, Reuters reported. The AP said it led the S&P 500's gains.
- Option Care Health jumped 32.7% after McKesson and private equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice agreed to buy the home-infusion company for about $5.8 billion, according to Reuters.
- Marvell Technology rose 5.8% after raising its 2028 revenue forecast on demand for data center chips, and AMD gained 2.8% after CEO Lisa Su said the company would sharply increase chip supply in 2027, Reuters said.
- Lamb Weston closed up 7.5% after its quarterly profit of 75 cents a share, before some items, beat the 58-cent estimate and it raised its full-year outlook, Investopedia reported.
Closing prices and percentage changes are from Yahoo Finance data.
What happened to Treasury yields?
They fell. The 10-year Treasury yield dropped to 5.27% from 5.31% on Monday, and the 2-year yield fell to 4.79% from 4.84%, according to the Treasury Department's daily yield curve. Traders put the chance of a second straight Fed rate increase this month at 19.4%, down from 50.9% a week earlier, Reuters reported, citing CME FedWatch.
Oil, the dollar and gold
Brent crude recovered from an early slide. It had fallen to about $97.50 a barrel before the U.S. open, but settled up 26 cents, or 0.3%, at $100.58, Reuters reported. U.S. crude rose 1 cent to $89.44. Attacks on Saudi airports kept supply worries alive, while rising exports from the Middle East and a G7 plan to release emergency reserves capped prices, Reuters said.
The U.S. dollar index slipped about 0.3% to about 101.87 late in the day, and gold futures rose about 0.8% to about $4,192 an ounce, Yahoo Finance data showed.
What's next for markets?
The Treasury sells $39 billion of 10-year notes Wednesday at 1 p.m. Eastern time, and minutes from the Fed's Sept. 15–16 meeting come out at 2 p.m., according to TreasuryDirect and the Fed's calendar. Our morning day-ahead preview covered Tuesday's trade data, and the Europe Tuesday recap has the overseas session. For Monday's session, see our Americas Monday recap, and the markets page tracks the latest numbers.
Follow the rest of the trading day on our global market today page, with the latest Asia, Europe and Americas session recaps.
Sources
- The Associated Press, How major US stock indexes fared Tuesday 10/6/2026
- Reuters via Yahoo Finance, S&P 500, Nasdaq reach record closing highs as focus pivots to earnings
- Reuters via Yahoo Finance, Oil prices stable as market weighs supply risks, rising Middle East exports
- Investopedia via Yahoo Finance, Lamb Weston stock pops after frozen potato firm lifts full-year outlook
- U.S. Treasury, Daily Treasury par yield curve rates
- Yahoo Finance, S&P 500 chart data
- Yahoo Finance, U.S. dollar index chart data
- Yahoo Finance, Gold futures chart data
- TreasuryDirect, Upcoming auctions
- Federal Reserve, Calendar: October 2026