Dow jumps 1% as oil eases, while the Nasdaq ends flat and Netflix slips after hours
After the close, Tuesday October 20: what moved, why, and what to watch next.
The close
| Index | Day |
|---|---|
| S&P 500 | +0.3% |
| Dow Jones Industrial Average | +1.0% |
| Nasdaq Composite | 0.0% |
The Dow rose 529.85 points to 52,495.88, the S&P 500 gained 21.84 points to 7,712.57 and the Nasdaq Composite slipped 6.07 points to 26,424.82, per The Wall Street Journal and TradingKey. Strong earnings offset worries about AI spending, and lower oil prices pulled Treasury yields down, per the Journal.
What moved, and why
Oil eased on Iran headlines. Brent settled at $108.78 a barrel, down 76 cents, and December WTI at $97.82, per Newsquawk; CNBC put Brent at $108.79. Brent had hit a high near $112 before dropping on an Al-Araby Al-Jadeed report, then pared losses when an official said a deal is not close, per Newsquawk. See our 3:45 PM story and the 12:30 PM story.
Yields slipped. The 10-year Treasury yield fell about 2 basis points to 5.116%, per Morningstar and Dow Jones Newswires, helped by weak housing data - see our housing starts and pending home sales stories.
Earnings and AI. GM fell, while Equifax and 3M rose earlier in the day - see our earnings story and Toast & Tickers. Meta fell for a fifth day, down 1.6%, ahead of its report, per TradingKey. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index slipped 0.29%, per TradingKey.
After the bell. Netflix beat third-quarter profit estimates with earnings of 87 cents a share versus 82 cents expected, in line revenue of $12.87 billion, and lower 2026 advertising guidance; shares fell about 4% to 5% in extended trading, per CNBC and FXStreet. SpaceX reported revenue of $14.58 billion against $12.87 billion expected, with shares flat after hours, per CoinDesk.
What to watch next
Meta reports after the close Wednesday, per TradingKey, and Tesla also reports Wednesday, per Cointelegraph. The Fed's rate decision is next week, per Trading Economics. More in our week-ahead calendar. Ticker Den's next edition is Toast & Tickers at 8:00 AM ET Wednesday.
