Essential Business Headlines: September 24

Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes

STOCKS/ECONOMY

• Stock futures are lower, with Nasdaq futures solidly down, after Wednesday’s 352-point Dow loss, a similar 0.8 percent drop in the S&P 500, and a 1.1 percent selloff in the Nasdaq. Investors are bearish this morning as interest rates and oil prices rise.
• The yield on the 10-year Treasury bond is up to 5.12 percent, the highest since 2004.
• New York Fed President John Williams says it’s reasonable to expect another interest rate hike from the Fed this year.
• Gold is down to $4,296 per ounce. Silver is down to the $63 per ounce level. Bitcoin is down to the $83,400 level.
• Asian markets closed mixed today. The Nikkei gained 0.8 percent, the Hang Seng lost 0.3 percent, the Kospi rose 0.9 percent, and the Shenzhen fell 2.3 percent.

OIL/ENERGY

• U.S. crude prices are up to $ 93 a barrel.
• Gasoline prices are up to $4.48 a gallon, national average.

DEALS/NO DEALS

• Barry Diller’s People investment group is withdrawing its offer to buy MGM Resorts International (MGM). MGM shares are down 10 percent in the premarket.

FOOD FAIL

• Darden Restaurants (DRI) just missed quarterly revenue expectations. Its shares are down 4 percent in the premarket.

AI MANIA

• Meta Platforms (META) founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has unveiled the company’s new Muse AI agent and smaller VR glasses. Meta shares are down 2 percent in the premarket, but are up nine percent over the last five trading days.

DRONE ZONE

• Lowe’s (LOW) is announcing a drone delivery partnership with DoorDash (DASH) and Alphabet’s (GOOGL) Wing delivery service. Shares of all three stocks are down 1 percent in the premarket.

COFFEE BROKE

• Starbucks (SBUX) is closing another 250 stores in North America this year, lowering the net increase in stores in the U.S. for 2026 to 440. Its shares are up slightly in the premarket.

-Jake Novak

Jake Novak is a 30-yr. veteran TV news producer, editorial columnist, & fmr. diplomat with expertise in politics, business news, culture, & media analysis. He is also the author of Jake’s Takes on Substack.

The author’s views are their own and do not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Investing involves risk; please consult with a qualified professional before making any financial decisions.