U.S. stocks are rebounding after Microsoft leaped on hopes that its big spending on AI is yielding profits, while computer-chip companies clawed back some of their sharp recent losses. The S&P 500 rallied 1.1% Thursday and recovered two-thirds of its drop from the prior day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 287 points, and the Nasdaq composite jumped 2.3%. Microsoft delivered a bigger profit for the spring than analysts expected, which helped offset Meta Platforms's drop after it raised its forecast for AI investments. Longer-term Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market a day after soaring on worries about inflation. Oil prices eased.

Oil prices got back to jumping, while sinking technology stocks dragged Wall Street lower amid uncertainty about what the Federal Reserve will do to get high inflation under control. The S&P 500 fell 1.5% Wednesday after briefly erasing all of an earlier drop of 1.2%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 2.2%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 1.7%. The price of Brent oil leaped back above $88 per barrel to add further pressure on inflation. The Fed pledged again to get inflation back down to 2%, but it offered few clues on how it would do so after holding interest rates steady.

Stocks drifted to a mixed close on Wall Street and oil prices fell after the U.S. and Iran paused their attacks while work resumed on restarting negotiations to end their war. The S&P 500 ended barely changed Monday, up less than 0.1%. The index is coming off two straight weekly losses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.5%. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.2%, weighed down by a 5% drop in AI chip giant Nvidia. After shooting as high as $102 a barrel last week, Brent crude fell 6.3% to settle at $85.87 per barrel. Treasury yields fell in the bond market.

Stocks drifted on Wall Street and oil prices fell for the first time in a week, even as heavy fighting in the Middle East again threatened to slow the global flow of oil. The S&P 500 was mostly unchanged Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.6%. All three indexes finished the week lower. After shooting to $102 a barrel a day earlier, Brent crude fell almost 4% to settle at $96.78 a barrel. Treasury yields moved lower in the bond market. European markets rose and Asian markets closed lower.

According to an Associated Press analysis, more than 4.2 million people across the country defaulted on student loans between April 2025 and March 2026. The total number of borrowers in default has reached a record 9.5 million. The surge includes many who went off track in 2024, when loan payments started coming due again after a pandemic-era freeze. Hundreds of thousands more are months behind on payments, and another surge in defaults could be on the way. Borrowers enter default after missing payments for nine months. The consequences can upend people’s lives. It hurts credit ratings and can lead to the debt being sent to collections.

Drops for computer chipmakers and other AI winners dragged down stock markets worldwide. The S&P 500 fell 0.5% Thursday, even though more stocks rose within the index than fell. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite lost 1.5%. Wall Street mostly rose after more U.S companies reported better earnings for the latest quarter than analysts expected. But drops for Nvidia and other chip companies overshadowed them. The losses were sharper in South Korea, where AI winners whipped lower. Yields rose in the bond market, and oil prices erased an early gain to dip modestly.

U.S. stocks ticked higher following strong profit reports from big companies. The S&P 500 added 0.4% Wednesday and pulled within 0.5% of its all-time high set last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.6%. BlackRock helped lead the market after becoming the latest financial company to report a bigger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Stocks got a lift from easing yields in the bond market after data showed U.S. inflation slowed at the wholesale level last month. Oil prices, though, rose toward their highest levels in a month.

Stocks rose after a report showed U.S. inflation was not as bad last month as economists expected. Tuesday's gains came even though oil prices continue to climb on worries that the United States and Iran may return to all-out war. The S&P 500 rose 0.4%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up by less than 0.1% and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.9%. Stocks got a lift from easing yields in the bond market, which fell following the better-than-expected inflation data. Chip stocks and other AI winners rebounded, while big U.S. banks reported strong profits. IBM kept indexes in check after falling sharply.

Oil prices jumped following a weekend of attacks in the Middle East, while slumping AI stocks weighed on stock markets. Brent crude’s price climbed nearly 10% Monday after the United States and Iran each said the Strait of Hormuz is under its control. Oil prices are still below their wartime peak, but the sharp gains sent Treasury yields higher in the bond market on worries about inflation. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 fell 0.8%. The Dow dropped 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 1.6%. Micron Technology and Nvidia helped lead the way lower after SK Hynix shares in Seoul fell to their largest loss ever.