No. 14

Latest close: Tue, Sep 22

DiurnaFinance

The daily record of markets & money

Morning BriefNo. 8

10-year yield climbs to 5.00%, highest since July 2007; oil surges 4.4%

In Tuesday's session, the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.8%, the Dow fell 0.6%, and gold settled at $4,332.80 an ounce.

This archive edition was compiled from official historical data on September 23, 2026, when Diurna began publishing.

Stocks

The benchmark S&P 500 lost ground 0.45% to 7,585.73. The Nasdaq Composite declined 0.78%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.63% to 52,093.11.

The S&P 500 has gained 10.8% so far in 2026 and stands 2.7% below its record close of 7,798.99, set on August 13, 2026. It also crossed below its 50-day moving average, now at 7,611.04. The Cboe Volatility Index, which tracks expected swings in the S&P 500 over the next 30 days, edged up to 17.20, below its long-run average of about 19.4.

Rates

The 10-year Treasury yield climbed 3 basis points to 5.00%, its highest level since July 2007. The 2-year yield, which is more sensitive to expectations for Federal Reserve policy, ticked up 2 basis points to 4.67%.

That left the 10-year yield 33 basis points above the 2-year. In the inflation-protected market, the 10-year real yield was 2.62% and the 10-year breakeven rate — a market-implied gauge of expected inflation — was 2.38%, as of Tuesday. Freddie Mac's latest weekly survey put the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate at 6.76% (September 10).

U.S. Treasury yield curveYield by maturity
September 15, 2026One month earlier (Aug 14)One year earlier (Sep 15)

Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Currencies

The euro dipped 0.10% to $1.1539 in the European Central Bank's daily reference rates, while the dollar climbed 0.29% against the yen to ¥155.00 and the British pound slipped to $1.3483. Overall, the dollar strengthened against nine of the nine major currencies we track. The biggest move came from the Mexican peso, which fell 0.49% against the dollar.

Commodities and bitcoin

West Texas Intermediate crude soared 4.4% to $105.83 a barrel, while Brent, the international benchmark, advanced 2.9% to $108.75 a barrel.

Gold dipped 0.4% to $4,332.80 an ounce, and silver eased 0.4% to $63.24 an ounce.

Bitcoin dropped 3.3% to $75,656.

On the calendar

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes import and export prices at 8:30 a.m. ET.

The Federal Reserve announces its interest-rate decision at 2 p.m. ET, along with officials' updated economic projections.

Coming up

  • Tue Sep 2910 a.m.Job openings (JOLTS)Bureau of Labor Statistics
  • Wed Sep 308:30 a.m.GDP (third estimate)Bureau of Economic Analysis
  • Wed Sep 308:30 a.m.Personal income and spending (PCE inflation)Bureau of Economic Analysis

Chart of the day

10-year breakeven inflation rate2.38% · September 15

Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

10-year breakeven inflation rate climbed to 2.38% in September 15 from 2.37% in the prior session. That is about the same as 2.39% a year earlier. Over the past 10 years it has ranged from 0.50% (March 2020) to 3.02% (April 2022).

What it measures. The difference between the 10-year nominal Treasury yield and the 10-year TIPS yield.

Why it matters. It is a market-based estimate of average inflation over the next decade. Investors watch it to judge whether inflation expectations remain anchored near the Federal Reserve's 2% goal.

The numbers

InstrumentLastChg%YTD52-wk range
Stocks
S&P 500 7,585.73 −34.25 −0.45% +10.8%
Nasdaq Composite 25,981.57 −204.84 −0.78% +11.8%
Dow Jones Industrial Average 52,093.11 −328.09 −0.63% +8.4%
Russell 2000 2,870.29 −21.95 −0.76% +15.6%
Cboe Volatility Index 17.20 +0.10 +0.58% +15.1%
Treasury yields
3-month Treasury bill 4.11% 0 bp +44 bp
2-year Treasury 4.67% +2 bp +120 bp
5-year Treasury 4.83% +3 bp +110 bp
10-year Treasury 5.00% +3 bp +82 bp
30-year Treasury 5.36% +2 bp +52 bp
Currencies
Euro (EUR/USD) $1.1539 −0.0012 −0.10% −1.8%
Japanese yen (USD/JPY) ¥155.00 +0.45 +0.29% −1.1%
British pound (GBP/USD) $1.3483 −0.0011 −0.08% +0.1%
Chinese yuan (USD/CNY) 6.7115 +0.0031 +0.05% −4.1%
Canadian dollar (USD/CAD) 1.3920 +0.0033 +0.24% +1.7%
Swiss franc (USD/CHF) 0.8182 +0.0017 +0.21% +3.2%
Australian dollar (AUD/USD) $0.7126 −0.0004 −0.06% +6.6%
Mexican peso (USD/MXN) 17.1568 +0.0847 +0.50% −4.5%
Commodities
WTI crude oil $105.83 +4.44 +4.38% +84.3%
Brent crude oil $108.75 +3.07 +2.90% +78.7%
Natural gas $2.919 +0.023 +0.79% −20.8%
Gold $4,332.80 −19.10 −0.44% −0.2%
Silver $63.24 −0.28 −0.44% −9.8%
Copper $6.369 +0.039 +0.61% +13.1%
Digital assets
Bitcoin $75,656 −2,544 −3.25% −13.7%

Closing levels for September 15, 2026. Yields in percent; changes in basis points (bp). Currencies are ECB reference rates. Commodities are front-month futures settlements.

Diurna briefs are compiled from official and exchange data by our publishing system using fixed editorial rules; they describe market moves and do not speculate about causes. This is not investment advice. How we produce the Daily Brief.