Public Markets 24-Hour Briefing
×Last updated: October 19, 2026, 10:50 PM ET
Oil & Energy
Oil edged lower in early Asian trade, though supply risks linger. Crude futures settled lower after President Trump waived some new sanctions against Russia, and Brent held near a five-month high as traders weighed the risk of further Iranian disruption. Iran's main oil terminals have stayed empty for weeks under the US blockade. Citgo raised its 2026 profit outlook by $2 billion on surging fuel margins, and US natural gas futures fell to a two-week low as offshore production recovered.
Gold & Commodities
Gold held a decline as elevated oil prices fueled inflation concerns and clouded the rate path. Gold futures settled lower as the dollar firmed and yields rose. Digital gold holdings tripled to $55bn as younger investors piled in, while wheat fell to its lowest in more than two months despite weekend strikes. CME plans tungsten futures as demand for weapons rises, after China restricted exports of the metal.
US Equities
US stocks were mostly higher as AI credit worries abated, and US stock futures rose 0.5% ahead of the open. The Nasdaq 100 recovered after its biggest weekly drop since last year's trade-war rout. Morgan Stanley's Wilson said investors should prepare to add risk as the pullback ends. Netflix is being viewed as a possible sleeper hit, even as the company overhauls its creative leadership to revive domestic growth. Wells Fargo warned the earnings season is off to a poor start.
AI & Technology
Anthropic committed 5% of its shares to a public benefit fund ahead of its IPO, while Anthropic and Nscale discussed a second multibillion-dollar computing deal. Elon Musk vowed to give every US child a SpaceX share. CoreWeave was upgraded to buy at Goldman Sachs on overblown debt worries, and JPMorgan defended its debt model. Investors lost confidence in data-centre bonds. Quantinuum said it is on track for fault-tolerant quantum computing by 2029. DHS ordered DeepSeek removed from federal civilian IT systems.
Asia & Emerging Markets
Asian stocks declined, breaking with the chip-led rally on Wall Street. The Nikkei fell 0.7% on lingering worries over the AI boom. Mynt's record IPO debuts Tuesday in the Philippines. Indonesia is removing tightly held companies from the Jakarta index to head off an MSCI downgrade. China's stocks face a record 10-week losing run, and China's exports helped stabilize official growth figures. Pakistan's growth slowed as the Middle East crisis tested its recovery.
Fixed Income & Rates
Treasuries fell as tech shares rebounded and sapped haven demand, and a Citi executive said Treasuries are losing luster as a hedge. French bonds dropped as rioting added pressure on the government. Bank of Canada rate-hike bets climbed, and Walmart is set to raise about $6.5 billion from US and Canadian bond sales. Kimberly-Clark raised $4.9 billion for its Kenvue acquisition.
Deals & Corporate
Tradeweb agreed to buy Trumid for about $1.97 billion. Silgan will combine with Trivium Packaging in a $3.4 billion deal, and Roche partnered with China's Hansoh in a deal that could top $15 billion. Steel Dynamics reported a third-quarter profit of $756 million, and Cleveland-Cliffs swung to a profit on higher volumes. KKR was accused by the EU of misleading regulators over a €22bn telecoms deal. H.B. Fuller rejected Ancora's latest bid. Kroger and Albertsons head to court in a $9bn battle over their failed merger. Mattel named Peter Griffith as CFO.
Coming Up
Mynt's shares are set to make their Philippine debut Tuesday. The Bank of Canada decision is expected next week, and Kroger and Albertsons court proceedings begin Monday.