News desk · Evening edition · Monday, September 21, 2026

Equities have stayed near record territory, keeping the broader bull regime intact, even as risk appetite gyrates day to day. Breadth slipped back to 38% of tracked indices above their 50-day average from 50% last check, even as the S&P 500 gained 1.49% and the Nasdaq jumped 2.26%. Communication Services surged 3.56% and Technology 2.76%, led by AMD's move past a $1 trillion market cap and Meta's best month in 13 years, while Energy sank 2.88%.

auto-generated · written Sep 21, 2026, 4:29 PM EDT

Prices in this edition were taken live, not from stored closes. They were read at the Evening edition slot on Monday, September 21, 2026. Anything named as a cause may come from a headline the desk was given.

Equities

Paramount reaches settlement with state attorneys general, clearing path for Warner Bros merger
AMD becomes the 14th U.S. company to reach a $1 trillion market cap
Meta shares post their best month in 13 years on AI assistant Muse

Sector and commodities

FAA equipment problem halts flights to Newark, Philadelphia and New York airports
Dollar General's CEO flags signs of stress among core discount shoppers
A major Christmas-season retailer files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Crypto

extends its rally to roughly $87,350, up nearly 14% since mid-September

Fixed income

Trump renews criticism of the Fed's rate decision, demanding rates near 1%

Nasdaq Composite (IXIC)+2.3%

Nasdaq's 2.3% rally reflects AMD's trillion-dollar cap and Meta's AI-fueled surge lifting the whole index.

S&P 500 (GSPC)+1.5%

The S&P 500 hit 7764.70, its best close of the run, even as breadth narrowed to 38% of indices.

Nikkei 225 (N225)+1.4%

Nikkei's 1.4% bounce trails Wall Street's tech-led surge, still down 1.8% over the past month.