Markets digest, 6 October 2026: US stocks close higher as the euro firms
The S&P 500 closed at 7,818.93 and the Dow at 51,521.28. Bitcoin ended slightly lower on Coinbase, and the ECB's euro reference rate rose to 1.1269 dollars.
US stocks closed higher on Tuesday 6 October, while Bitcoin and Ether slipped and the euro’s reference rate against the dollar rose.
Stocks
The S&P 500 closed at 7,818.93, up from 7,773.95 on Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose to 51,521.28 from 51,267.90, and the Nasdaq Composite closed at 27,599.890, up from 27,477.310. The SEC asked a court on Tuesday to enter a final judgment by consent against Stephen Kenneth Leech II, a former co-chief investment officer of Western Asset Management, in its cherry-picking case; the proposed judgment includes a $3 million penalty and is subject to court approval.
Crypto
Bitcoin ended the day at $85,499.09 on Coinbase, down from $85,820.65. Ether slipped to $2,695.73 from $2,710.81. On Monday the CFTC opened a public consultation on a federal framework for retail crypto asset transactions; our brief has the details.
Futures and options
FRED had not yet published Tuesday’s VIX close. The latest value is 15.52 for Monday, up from 15.31 on Friday. The CFTC’s market oversight staff also gave exchanges a route to turn perpetual-style stock index futures into true perpetual contracts; read our brief, and for background see perpetual futures funding rates explained.
Energy and commodities
FRED had still published no oil or gas prices after Tuesday 29 September by this morning, so the latest values remain WTI at $96.16 a barrel, Brent at $113.96 and Henry Hub natural gas at $3.18. The EIA published its winter outlook for household heating costs today, expecting heating oil spending to rise and natural gas spending to fall; read our brief.
Metals
There were no new official metals releases from the World Gold Council or the LBMA on Tuesday.
Forex
The ECB’s euro reference rate against the dollar was 1.1269, up from 1.1204 on Monday. The euro was quoted at 0.8488 pounds, up from 0.8472, and at 178.15 yen, up from 177.28. FRED had not yet published Tuesday’s Treasury yields; the latest figures are 5.31% for the 10-year and 4.84% for the 2-year, both for Monday.
- FRED: S&P 500 (SP500)
- FRED: Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQCOM)
- FRED: Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)
- FRED: Coinbase Bitcoin (CBBTCUSD)
- FRED: Coinbase Ethereum (CBETHUSD)
- FRED: CBOE Volatility Index (VIXCLS)
- FRED: WTI crude oil, Cushing (DCOILWTICO)
- FRED: Brent crude oil, Europe (DCOILBRENTEU)
- FRED: Henry Hub natural gas spot price (DHHNGSP)
- ECB euro foreign exchange reference rates (USD, GBP, JPY), 5–6 October 2026
- FRED: 10-year Treasury yield (DGS10)
- FRED: 2-year Treasury yield (DGS2)
- SEC Press Release 2026-103: SEC Seeks Final Judgment Against Former Western Asset Co-CIO Ken Leech in Cherry Picking Case
- CFTC Release No. 9307-26: CFTC Seeks Public Comment on Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Relating to Regulation Crypto Asset Transactions and Regulation Crypto Asset Markets
- CFTC Release No. 9308-26: CFTC Issues No-Action Letter for DCMs Regarding Converting Existing Perpetual-Style Broad-Based Security Index Futures into True Perpetual Futures
- EIA Today in Energy: Mixed outlook for energy expenditures this winter
Markets: Stocks · Crypto · Futures & Options · Energy & Commodities · Metals · Forex