Markets digest, 7 October 2026: Bitcoin and Ether fall as the euro eases

US stocks closed slightly lower on Wednesday 7 October, Bitcoin and Ether fell, and the euro’s reference rate eased against the dollar, the pound and the yen. The Federal Reserve published the minutes of its September meeting in the afternoon.

Stocks

The S&P 500 closed at 7,801.77, down from 7,818.93 on Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell to 51,179.87 from 51,521.28, and the Nasdaq Composite closed at 27,538.690, down from 27,599.890.

Crypto

Bitcoin ended the day at $83,239.49 on Coinbase, down from $85,499.09. Ether fell to $2,572.06 from $2,695.73. On Thursday ESMA told MiCA-authorised crypto firms to stop offering EU clients services in non-MiCA stablecoins; read our brief.

Futures and options

The VIX closed at 15.08, up from 15.01 on Tuesday. There were no new CFTC releases on Wednesday.

Energy and commodities

FRED’s oil and gas prices run to Tuesday 6 October: WTI at $96.24 a barrel, up from $96.13 on Monday; Brent at $125.44, down from $125.51; and Henry Hub natural gas at $3.03, up from $2.96. The EIA’s weekly report put commercial crude stocks at 424.134 million barrels in the week to 2 October, down from 427.320 million, with the Strategic Petroleum Reserve at 282.983 million. Thursday’s storage report showed working gas at 3,500 Bcf, up 85 Bcf on the week. IEA members also backed faster emergency oil stock releases; read our brief.

Metals

There were no new official metals releases from the World Gold Council or the LBMA on Wednesday.

Forex

The ECB’s euro reference rate against the dollar was 1.1177, down from 1.1269 on Tuesday. The euro was quoted at 0.84645 pounds, down from 0.8488, and at 176.85 yen, down from 178.15. The Fed’s September minutes showed most participants saw another rate increase as likely by year end; read our brief. FRED had not yet published Wednesday’s Treasury yields; the latest figures are 5.27% for the 10-year and 4.79% for the 2-year, both for Tuesday.