Update: US Equity Indexes Drop as 30-Year Treasury Yield Surpasses Two-Decade High Amid Surging Crude Oil Prices

12:53 PM EDT, 09/24/2026 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with index/price moves, macroeconomic data, and geopolitical news from the first paragraph.) US equity indexes fell as strong macroeconomic data and higher crude oil prices boosted expectations for an October interest-rate increase, pushing government bond yields sharply higher. The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.1% to 26,906.7, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 0.3% to 51,381.2, and the S&P 500 fractionally lower at 7,704.51 after midday Thursday. All but three sectors, energy, communication services and healthcare, slumped. Technology, industrials and materials led the decliners. In economic news, initial jobless claims fell to 197,000 in the week ended Sept. 19 from an upwardly revised 198,000 in the previous week, compared with expectations for an increase to 200,000 in a survey of analysts compiled by Bloomberg. The four-week moving average fell by 1,750 to 202,250. The Federal Reserve's next interest rate increase could come as early as October as higher oil prices threaten to push inflation further from its 2% target. The probability of a 25 basis-point increase in October stood at 70%, up from 11% a month ago, according to the FedWatch tool. Most US Treasury yields rose after midday, with the 10-year yield jumping 4.8 basis points to 5.16%, the highest since 2007. The 30-year rate jumped 5.1 basis points to 5.45%, the strongest level since 2004. A top Iranian military official said Tehran may broaden the war to the Indian Ocean if attacked again by the US or Israel, Bloomberg reported. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, came under attack from Houthis again, the news report said. The front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil contract climbed 4.1% to $95.90 per barrel, while the global benchmark North Sea Brent advanced 4% to $107.23 per barrel.