Daily Market Report – October 21, 2026

Markets

The S&P 500 (SPX) closed 0.58 percent higher at 7,757 points. The Nasdaq 100 (NDX) gained 1.13 percent to 29,823 points, while the Dow Jones (DJI) rose by 0.69 percent to 52,856 points. In Europe, the DAX (DAX) increased by 1.35 percent to 25,645 points. In contrast, the Hang Seng (HSI) lost 2.21 percent and closed at 23,652 points. Given the tensions in the Middle East, Brent crude oil (UKOIL) increased by 0.80 percent to $109.66.

CompanySpaceX (SPCX) moved into the spotlight of the AI industry after strong quarterly results and considerations for a merger with Tesla. Tesla (TSLA) exceeded expectations with revenue and earnings, although sales in the automotive business declined. Meta Platforms (META) raised the investment outlook for artificial intelligence and plans a new class of non-voting shares. At the same time, a court in New Mexico imposed a civil penalty of 25 billion dollars in the Cambridge Analytica complex.

IBM (IBM) increased revenue by 5 percent to $17.1 billion and exceeded expectations with revenues and profits. SAP (SAP) reported growth in its cloud business above forecasts. Thanks to rising demand from the automotive and industrial sectors, Texas Instruments (TXN) projected revenue above market expectations. Concerns about subscriber growth and usage caused Netflix (NFLX) to drop by 5.31 percent to $65.04.

Qiagen (QGEN) came into focus due to reports of an impending acquisition by EQT worth approximately 9.6 billion euros. Abbott Laboratories (ABT) plans to spin off its nutrition business, which is burdened by infant formula processes, generating annual sales of 8.5 billion dollars. Electronic Arts (EA) intends to cut 400 jobs and close the studio BioWare.

AT&T (T) fell by 6.45 percent to 21.91 dollars. SK Hynix (000660) gained 5.81 percent to 1,294,000 won. Samsung Electronics (005930) increased by 5.67 percent to 223,500 won. Due to higher fuel costs, Southwest Airlines (LUV) lowered the profit forecast for 2026.

Macroeconomics

According to the Fed, investors are focusing on the further monetary policy course of the FOMC. Due to tensions in the Middle East, the development of energy prices is gaining importance for the inflation path. The British inflation rate of 3.5 percent intensified the debate about tightening monetary policy in the context of the BoE. According to the White House, the US government suspended record-keeping requirements for tax-advantaged red diesel to attract additional buyers.

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*Created on 10/21/2026 / 16:39 (ET)*