Why it matters
- The Nasdaq Composite rose 1.05% to 26,702.86 and the S&P 500 gained 0.58% to 7,757.17 on Wednesday, Oct. 21, as upbeat results from SpaceX and Super Micro Computer revived optimism about AI demand, Trading Economics said. The Dow added 0.69%.
- AT&T fell 6.45% and Abbott 1.89% after their reports, while Thermo Fisher rose 0.97%, Yahoo Finance data showed. After the close, Meta, Tesla and IBM released third-quarter results.
- The 10-year Treasury yield edged up to 5.13%, Treasury data showed, and a $13 billion 20-year bond sale drew a 5.469% yield. December Brent settled little changed at $108.82, Bloomberg reported.
Session recap: what happened in this region's trading day, with sources.
U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday, Oct. 21, as upbeat results from SpaceX and Super Micro Computer revived optimism about AI demand, Trading Economics said. The Nasdaq Composite gained 1.05% to 26,702.86, the S&P 500 rose 0.58% to 7,757.17 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.69% to 52,856.09, according to Yahoo Finance data.
| Index | Wednesday close | Change vs. Tuesday, Oct. 20 |
|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 | 7,757.17 | +44.60 (+0.58%) |
| Dow Jones Industrial Average | 52,856.09 | +360.21 (+0.69%) |
| Nasdaq Composite | 26,702.86 | +278.04 (+1.05%) |
| Russell 2000 | 2,781.02 | +7.60 (+0.27%) |
| S&P/TSX Composite (Canada) | 36,324.99 | +216.99 (+0.60%) |
| Ibovespa (Brazil) | 206,495.23 | −1,800.77 (−0.86%) |
| S&P/BMV IPC (Mexico) | 70,249.54 | +990.96 (+1.43%) |
Source: Yahoo Finance daily chart data.
Why did the Nasdaq rise today?
AI hardware and chip stocks led. Super Micro jumped 9.5% on a strong quarterly outlook, lifting Hewlett Packard Enterprise 3.7% and Dell 5.3%, while Nvidia gained 2.5% and AMD 3.4%, Trading Economics said. SpaceX rose 7.8% after reporting its first profit as a public company and after Elon Musk floated a possible merger with Tesla, which gained 3.4%, it said. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index rose 1.97% to 11,505.56 and the Cboe Volatility Index fell 3.64% to 16.68, Yahoo Finance data showed.
Small caps lagged: the Russell 2000 rose 0.27%. In the rest of the Americas, Mexico's IPC gained 1.43% and Canada's TSX 0.60%, while Brazil's Ibovespa fell 0.86%.
How did AT&T, Philip Morris, Abbott and other earnings stocks do?
| Stock | Wednesday close | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Thermo Fisher Scientific | $694.02 | +0.97% |
| NextEra Energy | $78.28 | −0.74% |
| Philip Morris International | $197.46 | −1.22% |
| Elevance Health | $434.13 | −1.37% |
| Abbott | $100.51 | −1.89% |
| AT&T | $21.91 | −6.45% |
Source: Yahoo Finance chart data.
- AT&T reported revenue of $32.3 billion, up 5.3%, and adjusted EPS of $0.65, up from $0.54, and raised its 2026 adjusted EPS outlook, the company said. The stock dropped despite beating earnings estimates, Trading Economics said.
- Philip Morris International said adjusted EPS rose 5.4% to $2.36 on net revenue up 5.5% to $11.4 billion.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific said revenue grew 9% to $12.14 billion and adjusted EPS rose 15% to $6.68.
- Abbott reported adjusted EPS of $1.42 on reported sales growth of 14.5% and tightened its 2026 adjusted EPS range to $5.50 to $5.55.
- NextEra Energy reported adjusted EPS of $1.24, up from $1.13 a year earlier.
- Elevance Health reported adjusted EPS of $6.99 on operating revenue of $50.4 billion and raised its 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to at least $29.00; the stock fell despite the higher outlook, Trading Economics said.
Netflix fell 5.31% to $65.04, Yahoo Finance data showed, after forecasting fourth-quarter profit below expectations, Trading Economics said.
What did Meta, Tesla and IBM report after the bell?
Meta reported revenue of $64.60 billion, up 26%, and diluted EPS of $3.83 after a $9.89 billion legal charge; Tesla reported revenue of $28.05 billion and non-GAAP EPS of $0.48; and IBM reported revenue of $17.1 billion, up 5%, and operating EPS of $2.95, their releases said. Meta shares rose more than 3% after the results and Tesla also gained in after-hours trading, Yahoo Finance reported.
What happened to Treasury yields and oil?
The 10-year Treasury yield rose to 5.13% from 5.12% on Tuesday and the 2-year to 4.81% from 4.79%, while the 30-year held at 5.42%, Treasury Department data showed. The Treasury sold $13 billion of reopened 20-year bonds at a high yield of 5.469%, with a bid-to-cover ratio of 2.73, TreasuryDirect said.
Brent for December settlement was little changed at $108.82 a barrel, and West Texas Intermediate settled at $97.15, Bloomberg reported. Brent rose to $110.33 in post-settlement trading after a deadly drone attack on a Saudi Aramco oil field and reports that the U.S. was preparing to pull some personnel from Gulf embassies, Bloomberg said.
What's next for markets?
This morning's day ahead has the week's calendar. See the Europe Wednesday recap, the Asia Wednesday recap and Tuesday's U.S. session recap. 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
- Trading Economics, U.S. stock market (Oct. 21, 2026)
- Bloomberg via Rigzone, Oil gains after Saudi oil field attack (Oct. 21, 2026)
- Yahoo Finance, Earnings live updates and Meta earnings live (Oct. 21, 2026)
- AT&T, third-quarter 2026 results (SEC filing)
- Philip Morris International, third-quarter 2026 results (SEC filing)
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, third-quarter 2026 results (SEC filing)
- Abbott, third-quarter 2026 results (SEC filing)
- NextEra Energy, third-quarter 2026 results (SEC filing)
- Elevance Health, third-quarter 2026 results (SEC filing)
- Meta Platforms, third-quarter 2026 results (SEC filing)
- Tesla, third-quarter 2026 update (SEC filing)
- IBM, third-quarter 2026 results (SEC filing)
- U.S. Treasury, Daily Treasury par yield curve rates, 2026
- TreasuryDirect, auction results, 20-year bond reopening (CUSIP 912810UX4)
- Yahoo Finance, daily chart data for the S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq Composite, Russell 2000, S&P/TSX Composite, Ibovespa, S&P/BMV IPC, PHLX Semiconductor Index, VIX, AT&T, Philip Morris, Thermo Fisher, Abbott, NextEra, Elevance and Netflix