Rates
10-year yield up 27 basis points in a month
The 10-year is at 5.24%. Mortgage rates tend to follow it: on a $400,000 30-year loan, each 0.25-point move in the rate changes the payment by about $69 a month.
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Today's Market Pulse
Latest close · Monday, October 12, 2026 · Updated 7:43 PM EDT. What moved, how unusual it was, and what it means for your money.
The story todayMarket mood: Calm · VIX 15.2
Stocks hold steady as bond yields keep climbing
The S&P 500 fell 0.06% to 7,807.24, a quieter day than 92% of sessions this year. Elsewhere, the Nasdaq fell 0.44% and the Dow rose 0.38%.
8 of 11 sectors were higher. Energy (+1.43%) led and technology (−1.22%) lagged.
The 10-year Treasury yield was unchanged at 5.24%, up 27 bp over the past month.
Zooming out, the S&P 500 is up 14.0% this year and 0.1% below its Oct 6 high.
S&P 500
7,807.24
−0.06%
Nasdaq
27,245.90
−0.44%
Dow
51,850.55
+0.38%
10-yr yield
5.24%
0 bp
Bitcoin
$81,718
−2.34%
What stands out
The most unusual moves across markets right now, ranked by how far they are from normal.
Sectors
Investors played defense
Utilities, consumer staples and health care beat growth and economically sensitive sectors by 0.6 points on average. Money moving toward steadier businesses usually signals caution. Best: energy (+1.43%). Worst: technology (−1.22%).
Stocks
Small caps behind the S&P by 5.7 points this month
Russell 2000 −3.8% vs. S&P 500 +2.0% over the past month. Small companies lean more on borrowing and the US economy, so they're more sensitive to interest rates and growth worries.
Commodities
Oil up 63% this year
WTI crude has gone from about $57 to $93.31 a barrel since January. That's roughly 86¢ a gallon more at the pump, all else equal.
Is today's move normal?
The S&P 500's −0.06% move was smaller than on 92% of trading days in the past year. A typical day moves it about ±0.8%.
Today −0.06%
−3%0%+3%
Sectors: investors played defense
Utilities, consumer staples and health care beat growth and economically sensitive sectors by 0.6 points on average. Money moving toward steadier businesses usually signals caution.
Energy
+1.43%
Consumer staplesStaples
+1.17%
Communication servicesComm. services
+0.97%
Real estate
+0.75%
Health care
+0.69%
Financials
+0.58%
Utilities
+0.53%
Materials
+0.02%
Industrials
−0.06%
Consumer discretionaryDiscretionary
−0.51%
Technology
−1.22%
What it means for your money
Today's numbers translated into dollars, using round example amounts.
Investing
$10,000 in an S&P 500 index fund
- Latest session
- −$6
- Past month
- +$196
- This year
- +$1,405
- Past 12 months
- +$1,732
A typical day moves it by about ±$80. Price change only; dividends add a bit more. See the long-term view →
Borrowing
30-year mortgage: 7.40%
Freddie Mac weekly average, October 8, 2026
On a $400,000 loan that's $2,770/mo in principal and interest, +$283/mo vs. a year ago at 6.34%. The 10-year yield has barely moved since that survey, so next week's reading is likely to be similar.
Saving
$10,000 in savings, for a year
- Average bank (0.37%)
- $37
- Near T-bill rate (4.05%)
- $405
With inflation at 3.4%, the average account loses about $303 of buying power a year. Top high-yield accounts and money market funds usually pay close to the T-bill rate. High-yield savings by state →
All the numbers
Stock and commodity moves are in percent. Treasury yield moves are in basis points (1 bp = 0.01 percentage point). The range bar shows where each sits between its 52-week low and high.
| Market | Last | Day | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stocks | ||||||
S&P 500 500 largest US companies | 7,807.24 | −0.06% | ||||
Dow Jones 30 blue-chip stocks | 51,850.55 | +0.38% | ||||
Nasdaq Tech-heavy | 27,245.90 | −0.44% | ||||
Russell 2000 Small companies | 2,794.48 | −0.45% | ||||
VIX The market's fear gauge | 15.21 | +2.49% | ||||
| Treasury yields | ||||||
3-month T-bill Tracks what cash and top savings accounts pay | 4.05% | −1 bp | ||||
10-year Treasury Sets the tone for mortgage rates | 5.24% | 0 bp | ||||
30-year Treasury Long-term government debt | 5.60% | 0 bp | ||||
| Commodities & dollar | ||||||
Gold Per troy ounce, front-month futures | $4,199 | −0.42% | ||||
Oil (WTI) Per barrel, front-month futures | $93.31 | +1.59% | ||||
US dollar index Dollar vs. six major currencies | 102.57 | +0.35% | ||||
| Crypto | ||||||
Bitcoin Trades 24/7; day change since midnight UTC | $81,718 | −2.34% | ||||
Ethereum Trades 24/7; day change since midnight UTC | $2,447 | −3.48% | ||||
Borrowing & savings benchmarks
Official rates from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED). Mortgages are Freddie Mac's weekly survey; the others update daily or monthly. CPI inflation is running 3.4% year over year.
| Rate | Latest | Change |
|---|---|---|
30-year fixed mortgage October 8, 2026 | 7.40% | +12 bp |
15-year fixed mortgage October 8, 2026 | 6.73% | +13 bp |
Fed funds (effective) October 8, 2026 | 3.88% | 0 bp |
Prime rate October 2, 2026 | 7.00% | 0 bp |
1-year Treasury October 8, 2026 | 4.44% | +2 bp |
Avg. savings account (FDIC) September 1, 2026 | 0.37% | −1 bp |
Avg. 12-month CD (FDIC) September 1, 2026 | 1.73% | +2 bp |
Want the best rates rather than averages? See mortgage rates by state, high-yield savings by state, and CD rates by state.
Keep exploring
How the stock market works →
What an index is, why prices move, and what it means for your 401(k).
FIRE calculator →
Market swings matter less the longer your horizon. Find your number.
Compound interest calculator →
See what steady investing adds up to over decades.
The Daily Pulse →
Guess five financial numbers and see how you stack up on the leaderboard.
How this page works: The story and takeaways are written automatically from the numbers on this page using fixed rules. They describe what moved and how unusual it was compared with the past year; they don't guess at news-driven causes. Sources: Stocks, sector ETFs, Treasury yields, commodities, the dollar and crypto from Yahoo Finance (quotes may be delayed 15–20 minutes). Mortgage, Fed funds, prime, savings, CD and CPI data from FRED. Sectors are the 11 S&P 500 sector SPDR ETFs. Page refreshed at 7:43 PM EDT. Informational only, not financial advice. See our terms.