Stock Market Today (Oct. 15, 2026): Dow edges higher as tech sell-off pivots
Samsung Electronics fell 9% and SK Hynix 11% in a global memory-chip sell-off after South Korea's Kospi fell 8%. Japan's Nikkei 225 closed 5% lower, with Kioxia and SoftBank Group among its biggest losers as the AI-market sell-off that followed the CPI data spread, and Taiwan's Taiex fell 3%. TheStreet
PPI data gives Wall Street another headache
Producer prices surged 1.3% month on month in September, more than double the 0.6% expected. The article says inflation remains stubborn and that the figures could strengthen the case for further rate hikes. MarketScreener
Retail sales up a better-than-expected 0.8% in September as shoppers remain resilient
Retail sales rose 0.8% in September after a revised 1.3% gain in August, against the 0.3% economists expected, according to FactSet. Excluding gas stations, sales rose 0.2%, and the figures aren't adjusted for inflation, which accelerated last month. AP
Dell Falls 8%, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Drops 4% as Barclays Cuts Both to Hold; Super Micro Slides 5%
Dell led a fresh retreat in AI hardware, extending the data center sell-off it led on Wednesday, after Barclays cut Dell, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and NetApp to the equivalent of hold from buy. The downgrade rests on the size of the run and the timing of enterprise AI spending, with Barclays arguing that Dell's recent revenue strength owes more to a global memory shortage pushing component prices higher. 24/7 Wall St.
Why International Paper Rallied Today
International Paper rallied after The Financial Times reported that two private equity firms may bid for the company's European business, DS Smith. A sale could relieve pressure on the balance sheet; the stock had been down roughly 20% year-to-date before Thursday's move. The Motley Fool
| Asset | Close | Chg | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| S&P 500^GSPC | 7,744.06 | +25.12 | +0.33% |
| Nasdaq Composite^IXIC | 26,713.03 | +20.16 | +0.08% |
| Dow Jones^DJI | 52,177.69 | +556.21 | +1.08% |
| CBOE Volatility Index^VIX | 16.46 | -0.41 | -2.43% |
| U.S. Dollar IndexDXY · 4:00 PM ET | 102.03 | -0.50 | -0.49% |
| Brent CrudeICE Dec '26 · 2:30 PM ET settle | $105.92 | -$0.14 | -0.13% |
| WTI CrudeNYMEX Nov '26 · 2:30 PM ET settle | $97.97 | +$2.88 | +3.03% |
| GoldCOMEX Dec '26 · 1:30 PM ET | $4,169.70 | +$61.80 | +1.50% |
| Tenor | Close | Chg | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-MonthT-bill | 4.17% | +6bp | +1.46% |
| 3-MonthT-bill | 4.28% | 0bp | 0.00% |
| 6-MonthT-bill | 4.35% | -2bp | -0.46% |
| 1-YearT-note | 4.49% | -4bp | -0.88% |
| 2-YearT-note | 4.77% | -5bp | -1.04% |
| 5-YearT-note | 4.91% | -9bp | -1.80% |
| 10-YearT-note | 5.10% | -9bp | -1.73% |
| 30-YearT-bond | 5.43% | -9bp | -1.63% |
Equities held up through a second consecutive hot inflation print: the S&P 500 rose 0.33% to 7,744.06, the Nasdaq Composite 0.08% to 26,713.03, and the Dow 556.21 points, or 1.08%, to 52,177.69. The VIX eased 0.41 to 16.46. Per the BLS, final demand producer prices rose 1.3% in September, the largest advance since March 2022, and 6.3% over 12 months, while the Commerce Department's advance estimate put retail sales up 0.8%. Leadership rotated away from the AI-hardware complex: Health Care (+1.86%), Materials (+1.79%) and Consumer Discretionary (+1.71%) led, while Utilities (-0.17%), Technology (-0.65%) and Energy (-1.58%) were the only sectors to close lower. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (-7.10%) and Dell (-6.80%) extended the data center sell-off following Barclays' downgrades, while Equifax (+7.25%), Reddit (+7.24%), Fair Isaac (+6.99%) and International Paper (+6.90%) led S&P 500 gainers, the latter on a Financial Times report of private equity interest in its European business.
Treasuries rallied despite the PPI print, with the long end leading: the 10-year fell 9bp to 5.10% and the 30-year 9bp to 5.43%, while the 2-year declined 5bp to 4.77%, flattening 2s10s to 33bp from 37bp. The dollar weakened (DXY 102.03, -0.50) and gold rose 1.50% to $4,169.70 (1:30 PM ET print). In crude, November WTI gained 3.03% to $97.97 ahead of its October 20 expiry while December Brent slipped 0.13% to $105.92, compressing the Brent-WTI spread to $7.95 from $10.97.
Friday brings September import and export prices at 8:30 AM ET and industrial production and capacity utilization at 9:15 AM ET, a read on whether energy-driven pipeline inflation is extending to imported goods ahead of the October 27-28 FOMC meeting. Chairman Warsh's fireside chat with IMF Managing Director Georgieva runs late Thursday ET. No U.S. data releases are scheduled Monday; September housing starts and building permits follow Tuesday at 8:30 AM ET.