10 things that mattered on Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Oil jumped and the 10-year Treasury yield closed at its highest level since January 2025. Stocks, junk bonds and gold all fell together, and the S&P 500 ended the day 2.1% below its record.
- 01
The S&P 500 fell 0.7% and sits 2.1% below its record
SPY closed at $761.78, further from its August 13 high. The Nasdaq 100 lost 1.25% and small caps 1.15%, so the selling was broad.
SPY, last six months SPY, last six months - 02
The oil fund jumped 5.5% to its highest close since May
USO closed at $141.00 as crude rallied on renewed US-Iran hostilities. It was the fund's biggest one-day gain since August 10.
USO (oil fund), last six months USO (oil fund), last six months - 03
The 10-year yield closed at its highest since January 2025
The 10-year Treasury rose about 4 basis points to 4.80%. Higher oil prices and higher yields arrived on the same day, a hard mix for stocks.
10-year Treasury yield (%), last twelve months 10-year Treasury yield (%), last twelve months - 04
Job openings edged up to 7.27 million in July
Openings rose from 7.18 million in June, according to the JOLTS survey. They are still below the 7.54 million posted in May.
Job openings (thousands), last five years Job openings (thousands), last five years - 05
The hiring rate slipped to 3.2%, its lowest since February
Employers hired fewer people in July even as openings ticked up. The quits rate eased to 1.9%, and layoffs fell to 1.67 million from 1.79 million.
Hires rate (%), last five years Hires rate (%), last five years - 06
Junk bonds had their worst day since March
The high-yield bond fund HYG fell 0.9% to $79.10, its lowest close since March 30. Credit usually moves slowly, so a day like this stands out.
HYG (high-yield bonds), last six months HYG (high-yield bonds), last six months - 07
The VIX rose to 16.34 and Fear & Greed slipped into Fear
Volatility jumped 1.42 points to its highest close since August 4. Fear & Greed dropped to 39 from 47. Three-month volatility stayed above the VIX, so the curve kept its calm shape.
VIX, last six months VIX, last six months - 08
NYSE new lows doubled new highs
On the NYSE, 79 stocks made new 52-week lows and 37 made new highs. That was the most new lows since June 22.
NYSE-listed new highs minus new lows, last twelve months NYSE-listed new highs minus new lows, last twelve months - 09
Gold fell 2.9%
The gold fund GLD closed at $396.75 after a 3.2% drop on August 28. Gold slid on the same day that yields and the dollar rose.
GLD (gold fund), last six months GLD (gold fund), last six months - 10
Due Wednesday: Broadcom, Snowflake and HPE
All three report after the close. No major economic releases are scheduled.
Data as of the Tuesday, September 1, 2026 close. The ten items are picked by fixed rules from the site's daily data (the size of each move, signals that changed state, and economic releases weighted by importance), then checked and written by hand. Charts end on the brief's date. Research and education, not financial advice.