Stocks finish the week higher as oil prices ease on Hormuz deal hopes
Wall Street closed Friday higher after oil cooled on optimism about a possible Hormuz reopen. President Trump’s Saturday rejection of Iran’s plan lands before Monday’s open — and markets have not yet traded on that news.
The numbers: U.S. stocks finished Friday, September 25, higher, according to the Associated Press (via The Hill) and Reuters (via LSE Financial News):
- Dow Jones Industrial Average: up about 0.93% to 51,828.62
- S&P 500: up about 0.51% to 7,743.41
- Nasdaq Composite: up about 0.48% to 27,068.72
AP called it the first winning week for stocks in the last three. Reuters reported the S&P 500 gained 1.2% for the week and the Nasdaq 2%.
Oil’s Friday relief: A cooldown in oil helped, AP reported. According to the Associated Press via The Hill, Brent crude fell 2.8% on Friday to $97.44 a barrel. AP said prices have been yo-yoing on hopes and doubts about when the war with Iran will allow oil to flow freely again through the Strait of Hormuz.
That Friday dip came before President Trump publicly rejected Iran’s seven-day Hormuz reopen proposal on Saturday. Markets were closed for the weekend when he spoke; U.S. exchanges reopen Monday.
What led stocks: Chipmakers and other AI-related names helped power Friday’s advance, Reuters reported. Microsoft rose 3.7% after unveiling new Copilot features. Akamai Technologies climbed 3.2% after announcing an $11.6 billion multiyear cloud deal with Anthropic. Qualcomm gained 4% and Dell advanced 5%, according to Reuters via LSE.
Bond yields: High Treasury yields remained a worry. Reuters said the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield hit a fresh 19-year high and was last up 3.4 basis points at 5.196% on Friday. AP reported the yield briefly jumped to 5.22% after a University of Michigan consumer-sentiment report, then eased later to 5.15% as oil pulled lower — helping stocks regain strength. (ReadingDlaw’s Sept. 26 markets story covered the 19-year-high context in more detail.)
What this means: Friday’s rally leaned partly on deal hopes around Hormuz. Trump’s Saturday rejection is a weekend risk: if oil snaps back when trading resumes, some of Friday’s relief could reverse. That is market context, not a forecast or investment advice.