Daily News
Nasdaq Hits Fresh Record as S&P 500 Closes Flat; Gold Slips Below $4,350 on Hawkish Fed Signals; Crude Extends Slide Toward $89 as US-Iran Talks Progress
23 September 2026
Today in Brief
In Asia-Pacific, South Korea’s Kospi added 0.41% while the small-cap Kosdaq gained 0.95%. On Wall Street, the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.45% to a record close of 27,244.28, supported by a nearly 7% gain in Sandisk after a bullish call from Rosenblatt; the S&P 500 finished marginally lower at 7,764.64, and the Dow shed 185.14 points, or 0.36%, to 51,863.69. Gold fell below $4,350 an ounce on Wednesday as hawkish signals from Fed officials Tom Barkin and Susan Collins outweighed the impact of declining oil prices, while crude slipped toward $89 per barrel, extending its decline to a sixth consecutive session on signs of progress in renewed US-Iran talks; Brent crude futures settled down 1.09% at $99.25 per barrel.
In other news: Iran communicated conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz through a Qatari mediator, including an end to the U.S. naval blockade and the release of Iranian assets; President Trump used a roughly 37-minute UN General Assembly address to criticize Iran, Cuba and the U.N., and predicted a deal “right after” the Nov. 3 midterms; the U.S., Greenland and Denmark signed a deal allowing an expanded U.S. military presence in Greenland, including two new bases; Singapore’s core inflation hit a near two-year high of 2.2% in August; Qualcomm unveiled its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chips built on TSMC’s 2-nanometer process; Royal Caribbean agreed to buy a 50% stake in Sandals and Beaches Resorts for about $3 billion; Anthropic and OpenAI each rolled out cheaper AI models; and Peloton unveiled three new treadmills as part of its turnaround.
In Asia-Pacific, the Kospi added 0.41%, while the small-cap Kosdaq gained 0.95%
The Nasdaq Composite rose to a fresh all-time intraday high on Tuesday, while the S&P 500 was relatively unchanged as traders continued to keep an eye on developments between the U.S. and Iran. The tech-heavy Nasdaq climbed 0.45% to a record close of 27,244.28, supported by a nearly 7% gain in shares of Sandisk following a bullish call from Rosenblatt. The S&P 500 was marginally lower at 7,764.64, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 185.14 points, or 0.36%, to end at 51,863.69. Oil prices moved lower after President Donald Trump said that U.S. officials had a “very good meeting” with Iran’s delegation and that it lasted about three hours. Global benchmark Brent crude futures settled down 1.09% at $99.25 per barrel.
Nasdaq rises to new record; S&P 500 closes flat as oil slides for a fifth day
The Nasdaq Composite rose to a fresh all-time intraday high on Tuesday, while the S&P 500 was relatively unchanged as traders continued to keep an eye on developments between the U.S. and Iran. The tech-heavy Nasdaq climbed 0.45% to a record close of 27,244.28, supported by a nearly 7% gain in shares of Sandisk following a bullish call from Rosenblatt. The S&P 500 was marginally lower at 7,764.64, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 185.14 points, or 0.36%, to end at 51,863.69. Oil prices moved lower after President Donald Trump said that U.S. officials had a “very good meeting” with Iran’s delegation and that it lasted about three hours.
Gold fell below $4,350 an ounce on Wednesday, remaining under pressure as hawkish
Gold fell below $4,350 an ounce on Wednesday, remaining under pressure as hawkish signals from Federal Reserve officials outweighed the impact of declining oil prices on the inflation and interest rate outlook. On Tuesday, Richmond Fed’s Tom Barkin warned that inflationary shocks could take time to subside, while Boston Fed’s Susan Collins said she supported last week’s rate hike amid concerns that future inflation could remain above the 2% target.
Crude oil slipped toward $89 per barrel on Wednesday, extending its decline to a sixth consecutive session
Crude oil slipped toward $89 per barrel on Wednesday, extending its decline to a sixth consecutive session as signs of progress emerged in renewed US-Iran talks and efforts continued to restore operations at a key pipeline in Saudi Arabia. President Donald Trump said officials held a “very productive” meeting with Iranian envoys, adding that he is weighing whether to pursue a negotiated agreement or “annihilate the Islamic Republic.” Trump is also expected to meet with other Persian Gulf leaders later this week. A senior Iranian government official said Tehran’s proposal had been conveyed to the US, suggesting that if Washington takes steps toward lifting the blockade that has severely curtailed Iranian oil exports, Iran would be prepared to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days.
Iran floats conditions for Hormuz reopening as Trump says deal could come after midterms
Iran has been in negotiations with the U.S. through a Qatari mediator in New York, and communicated its conditions for ending the seven-month war on all fronts, according to regional media reports. Tehran’s conditions include a halt to what it calls U.S. “acts of aggression,” an end to the naval blockade and economic warfare, and the release of Iranian assets, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said. The proposal laid out concrete details aimed at restoring traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which carried about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments before the war, reviving fragile hopes for a diplomatic off-ramp to the seven-month war. Separately, a senior Iranian official said Tehran could reopen the strait within a week if the U.S. eases military pressure and lifts its blockade of Iranian ports.
Trump slams Iran and Cuba, defends AI growth in boastful UN speech
President Donald Trump on Tuesday focused on a wide range of threats the U.S. faces from abroad during a frequently boastful address to the United Nations General Assembly in Manhattan. Trump, in a roughly 37-minute speech, also directly criticized the U.N. itself, and reaffirmed his view that the U.S. artificial intelligence industry should continue its rapid growth with few restraints or guardrails. Trump defended his decision to launch a war against Iran, accusing the Islamic Republic of seeking to erect a defensive missile arsenal before making a “mad dash to a nuclear bomb.” As the war approaches its eighth month with no clear end in sight, Trump said he is poised to make a “big decision” on whether to make a deal or quickly “annihilate” the country. He then predicted once again that a deal will be made “right after” the Nov. 3 midterm elections, claiming “it doesn’t make sense for them not to.”
U.S. strikes Greenland deal at UN to expand military presence at Arctic outposts
President Donald Trump and the leaders of Greenland and Denmark signed a deal Tuesday allowing the U.S. to expand its military presence in Greenland, while maintaining the sovereignty of Denmark and its autonomous island territory. “This is tremendous for Europe and for the United States and for everybody and for Greenland,” Trump said at a signing ceremony with the other leaders on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. “It’s going to be incredible.” The deal builds on an existing defense agreement from 1951, under which the U.S. established a presence at Pituffik Space Base. The amended deal signed Tuesday lets the U.S. expand that base and establish two new ones, and leaves the door open for additional defense areas to be built.
Singapore CPI rises as expected in August, core inflation hits 2-yr high
Singapore’s consumer prices rose as expected in August, while core inflation hit a near two-year high amid stiff energy, services, and food costs. Consumer price index inflation grew 2.3% year-on-year in August, data from the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Ministry of Trade and Industry showed on Wednesday. The print hit its strongest level since July 2024, and was in line with expectations. CPI grew 0.6% month-on-month. Core CPI, which excludes accommodation and private transportation costs, grew 2.2% in August, its fastest pace since September 2024. The print accelerated from a 2.0% rise in the prior month and was in line with expectations.
Qualcomm releases Android chip built for AI as memory shortage weighs on smartphone market
Qualcomm unveiled its newest Android phone chipsets, which will be tuned for on-device artificial intelligence and will compete with Apple’s A20 Pro in iPhones. The new chips, under the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 brand name, will be built on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s 2-nanometer manufacturing process, and will be included in premium smartphones from companies including Motorola, Xiaomi and ZTE, Qualcomm said in a press release on Tuesday. Qualcomm is introducing two versions of the chip, one with extra capabilities and “extreme” branding. The launch comes as the broader smartphone industry is reeling from a worldwide contraction due to skyrocketing memory costs that have driven up the price of finished devices.
Royal Caribbean to buy 50% stake in Sandals Resorts for $3 bln
Royal Caribbean Group will acquire a 50% stake in Sandals and Beaches Resorts for about $3 billion, expanding the cruise operator into the all-inclusive resort market, the companies said on Wednesday. The investment will form a joint venture combining Sandals and Beaches’ Caribbean resort portfolio with Royal Caribbean’s cruise, private destination and vacation businesses. Royal Caribbean said the deal values the resort business at about 10 times forward earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA). The company has secured committed debt financing from Morgan Stanley to fund the transaction. The deal is expected to close in early 2027, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary conditions, and is expected to add to earnings next year, Royal Caribbean said.
Anthropic and OpenAI roll out cheaper models in first release since call for slowdown
Anthropic and OpenAI on Tuesday each announced new, less costly artificial intelligence models as both frontier labs continue to face stiff competition from cheaper, open-weight competitors. OpenAI introduced additional tiers to its GPT-6 family, with GPT-6 Sol and GPT-6 Luna, slashing the API prices by 50% compared with GPT-5.6 promotional pricing. Sol, which is a tier below Astra, is meant for more complex workloads like coding, while the company’s Luna offering is geared toward “high-volume tasks” such as extracting information or summarizing documents, the company wrote. Anthropic unveiled Claude Opus 5.5 on Tuesday, its latest release in the new Claude 5.5 model family.
Peloton is revamping its treadmills with new features in the next phase of its turnaround
Peloton is betting that revamped treadmills, AI and new distribution channels can bring it back to sustained growth. The connected fitness company on Tuesday unveiled three new treadmills and new features for its Peloton IQ artificial intelligence platform with tools for runners, walkers and hikers. Peloton aims to widen its customer base, from people looking for a more affordable, space-saving treadmill to more experienced athletes looking for personalized coaching. “From record marathon turnouts around the world to the rise of local run clubs, we’re rediscovering the joy of running, walking and hiking,” said CEO Peter Stern in a press release. But the stakes remain higher than simply selling new equipment. Shares have dropped 43% since Stern stepped into the role in January 2025.