US stocks ended Thursday, October 1, almost unchanged after a bumpy day. The S&P 500 (an index of 500 large US companies) rose 0.2% to 7,666.45, while the Nasdaq (a tech-heavy index) and the Dow (an index of 30 big companies) each gained about 0.04%. Stocks sank early because the 10-year Treasury yield, the interest rate the US government pays to borrow for ten years, touched 5.34%, its highest since 2002. It later eased to about 5.24%, and stocks recovered. The Federal Reserve, the US central bank, raised its key rate by a quarter point in September to a range of 3.75% to 4%. Investors now mostly expect it to hold steady at its October 27-28 meeting. Chipmaker Micron reported strong results and lifted other chip stocks, though its own shares dipped. Accenture, a large consulting and outsourcing firm, jumped about 16% after beating expectations. Oil rose nearly 3% after Chinese refiners paused fuel exports, which keeps inflation worries alive. The September jobs report is due Friday.
Daily Digest ·
US stocks ended Thursday, October 1, almost unchanged after a bumpy day.
What moved Wall Street and the PSEi, and what it means for your money, in plain language.
Today, in Two Lines
The day’s biggest story in each market.
US stocks ended Thursday, October 1, almost unchanged after a bumpy day.
Philippine stocks fell for a fourth straight day on Thursday, October 1.
US & PH Markets at Last Close
Where each market finished its most recent trading session before this issue went out.
US markets
| S&P 500 | 7,722.72 +0.73% |
| Dow Jones | 51,176.96 +0.49% |
| Nasdaq | 27,190.86 +1.19% |
| 10-Yr Treasury Yield | 5.28% |
Philippine markets
| PSEi | 5,629.47 -0.88% |
| USD/PHP | 62.54 -0.15% |
| BSP Rate | 5.00% |
Winners & Losers
The stocks that moved most, and why.
USUnited States
- ACN Accenture+16.0%
Beat fourth-quarter revenue and profit expectations and gave a stronger-than-expected revenue outlook for its next fiscal year
- SNPS Synopsys+12.8%
Guided to about 15% revenue growth for fiscal 2027 at its investor day and announced an Amazon Web Services agreement and an OpenAI partnership
- NKTR Nektar Therapeutics-22.4%
Fell after presenting new data for its drug candidate in two skin conditions at a European dermatology congress
- PRGS Progress Software-8.5%
Fell after reporting fiscal third-quarter results
- VICR Vicor+6.8%
Raised its third-quarter revenue outlook
PHPhilippines
- ACEN ACEN Corporation+7.6%
Top index gainer; came as the company announced plans to sell up to 49% of an India solar project to a Dutch partner
- AC Ayala Corporation+4.6%
- AREIT AREIT Inc.-3.5%
- ICT International Container Terminal Services-2.7%
US–PHUS companies linked to the Philippines
- ACN Accenture+16.0%
Beat revenue expectations and reported record client bookings; the firm also runs large outsourcing operations in the Philippines
- CTSH Cognizant Technology Solutions+6.0%
Rose in sympathy with Accenture's results; the firm also has outsourcing operations in the Philippines
Today’s Full Story
USUnited States
PHPhilippines
Philippine stocks fell for a fourth straight day on Thursday, October 1. The PSEi, the main index tracking the 30 largest listed companies, dropped 0.88% (50.01 points) to close at 5,629.47, its lowest level since November 14, 2025. Every sector ended lower, with the services group down 2.03%, and foreign investors sold a net P1.46 billion more than they bought. Investors are worried about faster inflation, meaning prices rising more quickly. The central bank, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), said September inflation may land between 6.4% and 7.4%, up from 6.1% in August. Data also showed factory activity shrinking. Real estate investment trusts (REITs, companies that own rent-earning properties) were hit hard because the government's 10-year bond yield reached 7.682%, giving investors a competing way to earn income. The peso slipped to P62.775 per US dollar, close to its record low.
US–PHHow US news affects the Philippines
The big link between Wall Street and Manila right now is interest rates. The US Federal Reserve raised its rate in September and may do so again before year-end, which keeps US Treasury yields, what the US government pays to borrow, at their highest in over 20 years. When US bonds pay that much, investors around the world tend to prefer dollars, so the peso weakens. It closed at P62.775 on Thursday, near its record low, and foreign investors sold a net P1.46 billion of Philippine shares. A weaker peso makes imported oil more expensive in pesos, which feeds the inflation the BSP is worried about. The BSP has already raised its rate to 5% and has hinted at another increase in October. Higher borrowing costs tend to slow growth and weigh on shares. There is one bright spot: Accenture's 16% jump on strong results suggests demand for outsourced tech services, a major Philippine industry, is holding up. For families receiving money from abroad, a weaker peso also means each dollar buys more pesos, though it does not make fuel or rice cheaper.
Sa Taglish
Ito yung koneksyon ng Wall Street at Pilipinas ngayon: interest rates. Nag-hike ang US Federal Reserve noong September, at posibleng mag-hike ulit bago matapos ang taon. Kaya ang US Treasury yields, o yung tubo na binabayad ng gobyerno ng America sa mga nagpapautang sa kanila, nasa pinakamataas na sa mahigit 20 taon. Eh kapag ganyan kalaki ang bayad, mas gusto ng mga investor ang dollars, so humihina ang peso. Nag-close ito sa P62.775 kada dollar nitong Thursday, malapit sa record low, tapos nagbenta pa ng net P1.46 billion na Philippine shares ang mga foreign investors. Diba, kapag mahina ang peso, mas mahal ang imported na oil, kaya tumataas ang presyo ng lahat. Yan yung inflation na ikinakabahala ng BSP. Nag-hike na sila hanggang 5%, at baka mag-hike ulit sa October meeting, kasi kapag mas mahal ang utang, bumabagal ang paglago at napeperwisyo ang mga stocks. May good news din naman: tumalon ng 16% ang Accenture dahil sa magandang results, senyales na buhay pa ang demand sa outsourced tech services, isang malaking industriya sa Pilipinas. Para sa mga pamilyang tumatanggap ng padala galing abroad, mas maraming piso ang makukuha sa bawat dollar, pero hindi nito pinapamura ang gasolina at bigas.
USD/PHP
Biggest mover: Nasdaq +1.19%
What to Watch
- The US September jobs report is due Friday, October 2; strong hiring could revive talk of another Fed rate increase at its October 27-28 meeting.
- The Philippines' September inflation report will show whether prices rose as fast as the BSP's 6.4% to 7.4% estimate, ahead of its October meeting.
- The peso is close to its record closing low of P62.86 per dollar; a new low could add to inflation worries.
Sources
The original reporting behind this issue.
US markets
- Stock Market Today (Oct. 1, 2026): Stocks finish flat on rising Treasury yields
Wall Street finished roughly flat as the 10-year Treasury yield reached a level not seen since 2002, with Accenture, Synopsys and Cognizant among the biggest movers.
- Closing Bell: Market Closes in the Green, As Accenture Jumps 16% on Results and Crude Climbs Nearly 3%
A 16% gain in Accenture and a near-3% rise in crude oil headlined a session that closed slightly higher, with the S&P 500 up 0.2%.
- S&P 500 closes higher to start October as Treasury yields retreat from multiyear highs: Live updates
Stocks recovered earlier losses on the first trading day of October as Treasury yields pulled back from their highest levels in over 20 years.
- Market Review: October 01, 2026
Stocks bottomed around midday as bond yields and oil prices pushed higher, then closed up as yields eased in the afternoon.
- Dow Futures Hit Three-Month Low as Yields Surge, Micron Earnings Offer Support
Worries about inflation and government debt pushed Treasury yields to multi-decade highs before the open, while Micron's strong forecast boosted other chip stocks.
- Fed approves interest rate hike, signals one more to come this year
The Fed raised its key rate by a quarter point to a range of 3.75% to 4%, its first increase since 2023, and signaled another may follow this year.
PH markets
- Stocks sink further as war weighs on economy
Philippine shares fell for a fourth straight session as investors braced for faster September inflation and weak factory data.
- Market falters anew, extends losing streak
The PSEi fell 0.88% to 5,629.47, its lowest close since November 2025, with every sector lower and foreign investors net sellers.
- PSEi extends losing streak to four sessions
The index and the peso both weakened as the central bank's forecast of higher September inflation, costly oil and rising global yields weighed on sentiment.
- Peso weakens further as PSEi slips toward 5,600, October 1, 2026
The peso lost nearly 14 centavos to close at P62.775 per dollar, its fourth straight decline, while the PSEi closed at 5,629.47.
- ACEN takes in Dutch partner for solar project in India
ACEN plans to sell up to a 49% stake in an Indian solar project company to a Dutch partner, their fourth announced partnership.
Cross US–PH
- Fed approves interest rate hike, signals one more to come this year
The Fed raised its key rate by a quarter point to a range of 3.75% to 4%, its first increase since 2023, and signaled another may follow this year.
- Williams Says the Fed Has Time. October Rate Hike Odds Fell Below a Coin Flip
A senior Fed official said there is no urgency to raise rates again, which cut the odds of an October hike while keeping a December move in play.
- BSP to tighten further with inflation staying above target this year
Economists expect the Philippine central bank to raise rates again as inflation stays above target and the peso hits new lows.
- PSEi extends losing streak to four sessions
The index and the peso both weakened as the central bank's forecast of higher September inflation, costly oil and rising global yields weighed on sentiment.
- Accenture stock rallies after earnings beat expectations
Accenture beat fourth-quarter estimates, reported record big-ticket client bookings, and ended the day up close to 16%.
- Accenture in the Philippines
The company describes itself as one of the largest and most mature IT firms operating in the Philippines.
- Outlook: Top 50 Business Process Outsourcing Companies in the Philippines
The article lists Cognizant among the global outsourcing providers operating in the Philippines.
Terms to know
- Stock
- A tiny piece of ownership in a company. Buying a company's stock means you own a small part of that business.
- Stock market
- The overall marketplace where stocks are bought and sold. When we say 'the market' or show numbers like the S&P 500 or PSEi, we mean a snapshot of how stocks overall are doing that day.
- Interest rate
- The cost of borrowing money, or what you earn for saving it. When rates go up, loans get pricier, but savings can earn a bit more.
- Inflation (CPI)
- When everyday prices rise over time, so the same money buys less than before. CPI is the number used to measure it.
- Fed (Federal Reserve)
- The US central bank. It sets interest rates, which affect how expensive it is to borrow money, even here in the Philippines.
- BSP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas)
- The Philippine central bank, PH's equivalent of the Fed.
- PSEi
- A single number that tracks how the Philippines' biggest company stocks are doing overall, like a report card for the PH stock market.
- bps (basis points)
- A small unit for measuring interest rate changes: 100 bps = 1%. Used because rate changes are usually tiny.
- 10-Yr Yield
- The interest rate the US government pays to borrow money long-term. When it rises, loans and mortgages tend to get pricier everywhere, not just in the US.
- USD/PHP
- How many pesos it takes to buy one US dollar.
- OFW remittances
- Money sent home by overseas Filipino workers, a key driver of peso demand.
Summaries, mover explanations, and forward-looking notes in this issue are AI-written from real market data and sourced news. Not financial advice.