U.S. stocks climb as oil, Iran fears ease

U.S. stocks rose on Oct. 9, 2026, as major benchmarks added to a record-setting week. The S&P 500 (SPX) climbed 46.18 points, or 0.6%, to 7,811.54, coming close to its all-time high set three days earlier. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) gained 423.31 points, or 0.8%, to 51,654.95, while the Nasdaq composite advanced 172.83 points, or 0.6%, to 27,366.17.

Smaller-company shares participated in the advance, with the Russell 2000 index rising 12.85 points, or 0.5%, to 2,806.98 on the day. Despite that move, the Russell 2000 finished the week down 25.91 points, or 0.9%, underscoring a divergence between large-cap benchmarks and small-cap stocks over the period.

For the week, the S&P 500 (SPX) gained 88.82 points, or 1.2%, while the Dow added 477.99 points, or 0.9%. The Nasdaq rose 175.31 points, or 0.6% across the week. On a year-to-date basis at that point, the S&P 500 was up 14.1%, the Dow 7.5%, the Nasdaq 17.7%, and the Russell 2000 13.1%.

The equity advance followed a social media message from President Donald Trump stating that the United States "will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd." He also said the U.S. was engaged in "productive discussions" with Iran. The comments eased immediate concerns about a military escalation in the Middle East.

In the wake of the president’s statement, market notes indicated that buyers returned to U.S. stocks after a period of technology-led selling. The shift in tone around geopolitical risk was cited as a factor helping indexes rebound and finish the week with gains.

Energy markets reacted to the reduced prospect of near-term conflict. On Oct. 9, 2026, Brent crude futures were down about $1.70 to $102.58 a barrel by 1200 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate fell about $1.08 to $90.41. The pullback in crude prices coincided with the broader improvement in risk appetite in equity markets.

European stocks also traded higher in early Oct. 9 action. Germany’s DAX (DAX) rose about 0.7%, France’s CAC 40 (FRA40) added about 0.8%, and Britain’s FTSE 100 (UKX) gained about 0.7%. Those moves aligned with the positive tone in U.S. markets as investors responded to the latest geopolitical signals and shifts in oil prices.