Nasdaq hits record, Brent falls below $100 on September 23, 2026

1. NASDAQ SETS SECOND STRAIGHT RECORD; DOW SLIPS.
The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.45% to 27,244.28, a record close for a second consecutive session. The Nasdaq 100 added 0.8% and closed at its first record since June; the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index rose for a sixth straight session, offsetting a selloff in bank shares. Memory-chip names rallied: SanDisk +6.82%, Micron +5.00%, SK Hynix +3.45%, Seagate +4.85%, Western Digital +3.67%; ARM +3.19%, ASML +2.14%, Qualcomm +2.08%, TSMC +1.52%. The Dow Jones fell 0.36% to 51,863.69 and the S&P 500 was essentially flat at 7,764.64. Big tech was mixed: Tesla +0.96%, Nvidia +0.66%, Apple +0.23% after launching new Mac mini and Mac Studio; Alphabet -1.07%, Amazon -1.34%. In Asia on Wednesday morning, the Nikkei 225 gained 1.38% to 65,018.95, the Kospi added 0.9% to 7,071 and the Hang Seng rose 0.15%.

2. BRENT FALLS BELOW $100; COPPER AND GOLD RISE.
WTI crude for October settled down 1.24% at $94.59 a barrel; Brent for November fell 1.09% to $99.25, its first close below $100 since September 8 and a fifth consecutive daily decline. Saudi Arabia restarted its East-West pipeline and may resume exports from Yanbu; Aramco loaded about 14 million barrels onto seven VLCCs. Saudi crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz averaged about 2.9 million barrels per day over the past six days, compared with about 0.7 million in August. In metals, US copper hit a record near $6.92 per pound, up 7.9% in six sessions; LME copper added 0.83% to $14,783 a tonne; COMEX gold rose 0.28% to $4,396.20 an ounce and silver gained 1.80% to $67.61. The average US diesel price hit a record $6.52 per gallon, up 77% year-on-year, and President Trump has pushed advisers to approve a diesel export ban.

3. FED SIGNALS MORE HIKES MAY COME.
Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin warned inflation shocks may take time to fade and further rate increases remain on the table; Boston Fed President Susan Collins backed last week's rate increase. US Treasury yields rose across the curve: the 2-year at 4.754%, 10-year at 4.961% and 30-year at 5.302%. Fed funds futures priced about three more hikes in the current cycle, reflecting expectations that monetary policy is not yet turning looser.

4. US-IRAN TALKS IN NEW YORK, NO DEAL YET.
President Trump confirmed US and Iranian officials held a three-hour meeting in New York on September 22, describing it as very successful and productive and saying another meeting is planned soon. Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi met US envoy Witkoff on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Iran said reopening the Strait of Hormuz depends on lifting the naval blockade, unfreezing Iranian assets and ending the regional war; Trump said a deal would likely come only after the November midterms. No formal agreement has been confirmed.

5. EU EXTENDS RUSSIA SANCTIONS 36 MONTHS.
The EU Council extended restrictions on more than 3,000 Russian individuals and entities by 36 months, until September 22, 2029. French President Macron asked the EU to relax fuel-quality standards to help lower energy prices, while Belarus said it currently has no potash available for the United States. The US, Denmark and Greenland signed a security agreement to strengthen Arctic and North Atlantic security.

6. AI, CHIP AND IPO ACTIVITY REMAINS ACTIVE.
China's National Development and Reform Commission said it will promote the BeiDou industry to exceed 1 trillion yuan within five years. AI infrastructure supplier Accelevation set IPO terms targeting a valuation of up to $537 million. Anthropic and OpenAI each launched lower-cost new AI models, adding to pricing competition in generative AI.

Điều cần theo dõi hôm nay: Oil price moves after Saudi Arabia resumes Yanbu exports and any follow-up from the US-Iran talks.
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