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Closing brief🔒 Market Pulse

Closing Brief: Dow Gains as Optical and Memory Chip Stocks Slide

Mitesh Patel · Oct 12, 2026 · 4 min read

The S&P 500 ended nearly flat as AI hardware stocks fell and oil rose on new Russia-Ukraine energy strikes, while energy, staples and banks lifted the Dow ahead of earnings season.

Closing Snapshot

  • S&P 500 (SPX): 7,807.24, -4.30 (-0.06%)
  • Nasdaq 100 (NDX): 30,664.70, -218.45 (-0.71%)
  • Dow Jones (DJIA): 51,850.55, +195.60 (+0.38%)
  • Russell 2000 (RUT): 2,794.48, -12.50 (-0.45%)
  • VIX: 15.21, +0.37, the fear gauge edging up from a calm level
  • 10-year Treasury yield: 5.24%, unchanged; the bond market was closed for Columbus Day
  • WTI crude: $93.21, +$1.36 (+1.5%)
  • Brent crude: $106.05, +$1.33 (+1.3%)
  • Gold: $4,195.00, -$21.30 (-0.5%)
  • DXY (US Dollar Index): 102.59, +0.38 (+0.4%)

Stocks split along familiar lines on Monday: the S&P 500 finished almost exactly where it started, two points shy of Friday's close, while the Dow rose 0.4% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 fell 0.7%. Selling concentrated in AI hardware, with optical networking makers Ciena and Lumentum each down nearly 10% and memory chipmakers Micron (-3.9%) and SanDisk (-6.0%) also lower. Oil rose about 1.5% after reports of fresh Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities, which lifted energy shares, and consumer staples, health care and banks also gained. Meta was a bright spot in tech, up 3.4% after launching new AI models. With the bond market closed for Columbus Day and no economic data, attention is already on Tuesday's bank earnings and Wednesday's inflation report.

For information and education only; not investment advice. See the full disclaimer.

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