Major US benchmark indices mostly traded in green after the opening bell on Friday, September 18 follwoing an interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve for the first time in three years, while global oil prices fell.
Nasdaq Composite surged 0.34% to 26,508, S&P 500 gained 0.08% to 7,643.9, while Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 0.06% lower at 51,744 by 9:31 am ET or 7:01 pm IST.
Brent crude slipped below $104 a barrel on Friday, extending its decline for a third straight day as signs of easing supply disruptions in the Middle East and renewed focus on diplomacy between the US and Iran reduced some of the recent risk premium. Brent had already fallen more than 3% over the previous two sessions, while West Texas Intermediate crude traded near $101 a barrel.
Despite majorly an upward trend, rising US Treasury yields put pressure on equities. The 10-year yield climbed more than six basis points to 4.99%.
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Meanwhile, Netflix Inc. shares came under heavy selling pressure, falling 7% in early trade after Wells Fargo downgraded the OTT platform, raising concerns over weakening viewer engagement and a less compelling pipeline of content in the second half of 2026.
On Thursday, US stocks rallied as oil prices fell for a second day in a row.The S&P 500 Index ended 1.1% higher, marking its first daily advance this week. The Nasdaq 100 jumped1.7%. These indexes posted their best day in more than six weeks, rebounding from Wednesday selloff after the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates.
The central bank announced its first interest rate hike in over three years, as the Kevin Warsh-led Federal Open Market Committee took its first major step to control persistent inflation. Benchmark lending rates were hiked by 25 basis points to 3.75–4%, in line with market expectations.
In its policy statement, the central bank noted that economic activity continues to expand at a solid pace, underpinned by domestic spending that has remained resilient despite ongoing macro uncertainty.
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