S&P 500 6,712.40 ▲ 0.62%Nasdaq 22,780.51 ▲ 0.94%Dow 46,758.28 ▲ 0.11%Russell 2000 2,476.18 ▼ 0.38%VIX 16.42 ▼ 3.10%S&P 500 6,712.40 ▲ 0.62%Nasdaq 22,780.51 ▲ 0.94%Dow 46,758.28 ▲ 0.11%Russell 2000 2,476.18 ▼ 0.38%VIX 16.42 ▼ 3.10%
American Stock Trader

US Equities · S&P 500 · Nasdaq · Small & Micro-Caps

Daily Update · Oct 9, 2026 · By AST Markets Desk (AI-assisted)

Close: Dow ETF Leads Broad Gains as Microsoft Rises, Apple Falls

U.S. equity benchmarks finished higher Friday, Oct. 09, 2026, while Microsoft advanced and several small- and micro-cap stocks retreated.

AAPL $231.40 ▲ 1.20%MSFT $512.20 ▼ 0.40%AEHR $24.10 ▼ 3.20%LUNR $11.80 ▼ 4.70%DUOT $7.42 ▲ 6.30%

U.S. stocks closed higher Friday, with the Dow-tracking DIA leading the supplied benchmark ETFs, up 0.80% to $515.75. The S&P 500-tracking SPY gained 0.54% to $778.13, while the Nasdaq 100-tracking QQQ rose 0.41% to $750.67. The Russell 2000-tracking IWM added 0.52% to $279.02.

Microsoft climbed 2.17% to $533.94, contrasting with Apple's 1.53% decline to $335.22 and Nvidia's 0.38% loss to $229.61. JPMorgan Chase gained 0.40% to $332.75, and Exxon Mobil advanced 0.37% to $169.13. Among mid-caps, Celsius Holdings rose 3.10% to $28.25, while IonQ slipped 0.41% to $39.29.

Small-cap results were mixed: Aehr Test Systems fell 2.81% to $84.76 and Intuitive Machines dropped 4.01% to $13.15, while Plug Power gained 0.58% to $1.74. Among micro-caps, Duos Technologies slid 7.05% to $7.25, while ClearSign Technologies rose 3.54% to $3.22.

Corporate headlines included CNBC's report that Tesla dropped its “Full Self-Driving” brand name in Europe following regulatory pushback. CNBC also highlighted selling in Apple tied to the latest iPhone 18 report and reported that Verizon was heading for its worst day since 2002 as SpaceX's U.S. network plans pressured telecom shares.

Heading into the next session, bond yields and energy headlines remain areas to watch: Reuters flagged rising yields and reported that Trump teased a “big announcement” on diesel. Geopolitical developments also warrant attention after Reuters reported deadly Houthi strikes on Riyadh airport and a widening of the EU aviation body's Saudi airspace warning.