Gokhan Ergocun
15 October 2026•Update: 15 October 2026
New York stock exchanges ended the midweek lower after data signals accelerating inflation in September.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 48.62 points, or 0.09%, to 51,621.48.
The S&P 500 decreased by 1.11% or 86.51 points to 7,718.94, while the Nasdaq Composite was down sharply by 1.88% or 511.51 to close at 26,692.87.
The Volatility Index (VIX), often referred to as the market's "fear index," rose 10.48% to 16.87.
The inflation rate was at 0.6% on a monthly basis in September in line with expectations, and 3.7% annually, exceeding estimates.
The monthly inflation reached its highest level in five months, while the annual inflation hit a four-month high.
The gasoline price index soared 9.1% month-on-month in September, accounting for over half of the monthly inflation.
Following the data release, the yield on the 10-year US Treasury note rose 11 basis points to 5.33% before stabilizing around 5.2%.
The 30-year Treasury yield fell to 5.52% after reaching 5.63% during the day.
The US dollar index rose 0.7% to 102.94 during the day, reaching its highest level of the year.
European stocks close higher
European stock markets ended the day with increases, excluding the UK's FTSE 100, as the pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index was up by 0.43% to 637.75 points.
Britain’s FTSE 100 fell 0.7% to 10,724.86, Germany’s DAX 40 increased 0.15% to 25,298.61 and France’s CAC 40 rose 0.58% to 7,873.11.
Italy’s FTSE MIB 30 index went up by 0.61% to close at 49,753.84, and Spain's IBEX 35 increased 0.1% to close at 19,230.70.
