S&P 500 ends down as oil tops US$100 per barrel

The S&P 500 ended the trading day lower on Wednesday due to oil prices surpassing $100 per barrel. The Nasdaq fell 0.64% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.77%. Apple shares slipped 0.3% following its debut under the new CEO, John Ternus. Treasury yields rose, with the 10-year bond hitting a high since November 2023 after the government planned to buy up to $6 billion in 10- to 20-year bonds.

Analysts had anticipated a larger purchase, between $8 billion and $10 billion. Higher yields on government bonds make stocks less appealing to investors.

Upcoming US Producer Price Index data on Thursday and consumer price data on Friday will provide cues for the Federal Reserve's interest-rate direction. Traders are betting a 60% chance of a Fed rate hike next week. The S&P 500 dropped 0.48% to 7,636.46 points, the Nasdaq declined 0.64% to 26,253.34 points, and the Dow Jones fell 0.77% to 52,381.02 points.

The S&P 500 has dropped around 2% from its August 13 record high, but remains up about 12% in 2026. Meta stock surged over 6% after unveiling an AI assistant, helping to offset the S&P 500's decline. Alphabet fell 2.3% after announcing a $15.1 billion investment in AI infrastructure in Finland, including a deal for nuclear power.

The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index increased 0.37%, with Advanced Micro Devices rising 3%. Dow fell 0.6% as Bloomberg News reported the chemicals firm might exit a $20 billion partnership with Saudi Aramco. Within the S&P 500, declining stocks outnumbered rising ones by a ratio of 4.1-to-1. The S&P 500 recorded seven new highs and 25 new lows, while the Nasdaq reported 41 new highs and 170 new lows.

Trading volume on US exchanges was relatively light, at 14.7 billion shares compared to the 20-session average of 14.9 billion shares.