Public Markets 8 Hours

Last updated: September 10, 2026, 10:11 PM ET

Energy & Commodities

Brent crude held above $107 a barrel after fighting between Yemen-based Houthi militants and Saudi-backed forces intensified, stoking fears of deeper supply disruptions as hostilities escalated across the Persian Gulf region. Oil futures rose to their highest level in nearly four months, with increased fighting raising supply worries that traders had largely dismissed for much of the year. U.S. crude topped $102 a barrel while global benchmark Brent hit $107, fueling a worldwide bond market selloff on Thursday. The surge rippled through equities and fixed income alike, with crude oil touching its highest levels in months as investors worried about energy supplies and inflation, sending stocks lower for a fourth consecutive session. Copper headed for its first weekly loss since June on concern the U.S. is pushing back a decision on whether to impose import tariffs, removing a key source of bullish positioning that had supported the industrial metal through the summer. U.S. natural gas futures settled modestly higher after the EIA reported a fourth straight below-average weekly storage build, although the 40 Bcf injection landed above market expectations.

Rates & Fixed Income

The US bond-market selloff accelerated on Thursday as spiking oil prices fanned inflation fears and the Treasury Department bought fewer bonds than expected during its first expanded buyback operation. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent dismissed concerns about the US bond market after Thursday's smaller-than-expected debt buyback operation sent yields to multi-year highs. The relentless selling has put the 10-year Treasury yield on the cusp of 5%, with rising borrowing costs threatening to disrupt the stock market and slow the economy. U.S. yields reached highs of the day after Bessent's buyback operation undershot its target, reigniting a global bond sell-off as oil jumped to $109. Bonds sold off despite the buyback operation, with oil prices surging above $107 a barrel and wholesale inflation picking up. The WSJ Dollar Index rose 0.35% to 95.18, snapping a three-trading-day losing streak as haven demand and rate differentials supported the greenback.

Equities & Macro

Asian stocks and bonds fell after a surge in oil prices sparked a selloff in US markets, while the latest inflation data reinforced bets on an imminent Federal Reserve interest-rate hike. U.S. stocks fell for the fourth straight session and Treasury yields hit multiyear highs as U.S. oil prices topped the $100-per-barrel level, while August inflation data revealed the toll energy costs are taking on household budgets and corporate margins. A trillion-dollar "Trump dividend" faces hurdles, with Iran building missiles again and Florida pivoting from crypto to defense as policymakers weigh the fiscal and geopolitical constraints on the administration's growth agenda.

Technology & AI Infrastructure

Oracle's data centre revenue surged as its AI strategy accelerated, with faster sales growth suggesting progress in the company's risky push to compete in the AI infrastructure race. Oracle posted higher profit and revenue on continued cloud infrastructure strength, as gains in the cloud business helped offset falling revenue in the company's software unit. Adobe hit 1 billion monthly active users and raised its full-year outlook, projecting adjusted earnings between $24.45 and $24.50 a share and revenue between $26.576 billion and $26.626 billion. The Pentagon is in talks to get into AI infrastructure funding with a $5 billion loan, with Fluidstack being advised on the loan by the bank started by Palmer Luckey, an early supporter of Donald Trump. Big Tech's data-centre buildout is meeting public backlash as communities push back against the power, water and land demands of the AI boom.

AI Safety & Governance

Anthropic said it blocked attempts to use AI for potential biological weapons, disclosing five examples of when actors "circumvented controls" and made efforts to "obfuscate" the purpose of their research. In a new report, the A.I. start-up added that it could not determine whether the research was legitimate or nefarious, leading the company to shut down the work. The technology is far from the only existential risk our species faces, but weighing such cosmic fears can become a mind-bending exercise for researchers, regulators and the public alike. A.I.-driven cyber and biological attacks threaten not just American lives but also the American government, according to analysts who argue the next major terrorist attack is, in important respects, predictable.

Corporate & Legal

Lineage, the world's largest cold-storage operator, is suing a solar-panel operator over a Los Angeles warehouse fire, claiming negligence caused a massive blaze and seeking over $1 billion in damages. Barington Capital Group, the activist investor with a long track record in retail, has taken another stake in Bath & Body Works Inc. and is recommending the personal-care and fragrance store chain pursue changes to boost shareholder value. Health care names drew attention in the latest Market Talk, with insight on CSPC Pharmaceutical, Raffles Medical and other companies across the sector. Ryanair C.E.O. Michael O'Leary disputed an account of a passenger sucked out of a plane window, saying "We don't think any part of his body got out the window," while a lawyer for the passenger pushed back. ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel took aim at the FCC over equal-time rules, saying an interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico couldn't air on ABC because of concerns over the regulations.

Trade & Policy

Canada's retaliation this week against President Trump's tariffs was met with more American tariffs and a closed U.S. border on some Canadian products, as Prime Minister Mark Carney, at a cabinet retreat, considered further trade strikes against the U.S. Trump's trade war with Canada is making even sprinkle makers nervous, with levies on a long, eclectic list of products from Canada leaving companies scrambling to figure out if their supply chains are affected. The Newfoundland town of Gander, which welcomed thousands of frightened airline passengers on Sept. 11, 2001, now sees mixed emotions run through anniversary plans amid an escalating trade war. In Washington, some Republicans balked at Trump's call to send a $5,000 "dividend" to every American adult if Republicans win the midterms, a proposal that disturbed some members of his party. The White House separately announced $500 rebates for some Obamacare customers weeks before the election, planning to send money to people in 30 states who have higher incomes and are insured under the Affordable Care Act. An opinion piece argued Democrats should permit Trump a win on permitting reform, contending that if they're serious about climate change, a permitting-reform deal today would pay dividends the next time they're in power.

Politics & Investigations

The Supreme Court blocked Missouri's voting map again, the latest twist in a redistricting fight with national implications. Vice President JD Vance gathered unvarnished views of the Iran war behind the scenes, receiving sobering assessments that did not line up with what he, President Trump and other top administration officials were saying publicly. The Justice Department escalated threats to states in the battle for election records, sending letters to at least 30 states demanding they retain election records as an outgrowth of President Trump's baseless claims of widespread election fraud. Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, made more than $250 million while in government, a disclosure showing he collected nearly $107 million in 2025 from a holding company that includes a crypto business owned by his family and President Trump's. The legal murkiness of Trump's highly profitable second term has raised questions about whether getting even richer is itself a crime. Republicans courted donors at a midterm convention with $88,600 photos and AI-sponsored suites, with politicians, donors and lobbyists networking and partying on the sidelines of an event that is partly a fund-raiser.

International & Society

Ebola has now spread to a seventh province in the Democratic Republic of Congo after a 23-year-old man tested positive for the virus following a cross-country journey that included travel through neighboring Rwanda and Uganda. UK sanctions against Israeli settlers divided British rabbis, who reacted with a mix of support, condemnation and concern about the ramifications for Jews in Britain. The TSA may allow passengers with PreCheck to bring water through checkpoints, potentially relaxing a strict policy in place for more than 20 years at some airports. Consumer technology journalists at The Times and Wirecutter are vetting new smartphones and gadgets, including Apple's new iPhone duo, through a process designed to separate marketing claims from real-world performance. The world's largest crypto billionaire and Coinbase co-founder Fred Ehrsam, a Trump administration ally, lived for months in a luxury Caracas hotel pursuing investments in Venezuela's oil sector. After the death in Lagos of her toddler son, novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has found her homeland no longer feels as much like home, a grief that has become a source of pain for the writer who moved countless readers with her novels about Nigerians at home and abroad. A U.S. Open match between Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton ended at 3:30 a.m., and after the epic marathon match was finally done, cashiers, ushers and cleaning crews got to work with their next shift only hours away.