MarketNewsCurveSep 18, 2026 · 60 headlines

Sep 18, 2026 · QQQ/SPY Market Review · 60 headlines

Midday rebound lifts QQQ 0.72% while SPY finishes flat as AI deals and Red Sea risk frame the day

QQQ finished 0.72% above its prior regular close while SPY was essentially flat at +0.05%, leaving QQQ ahead by 0.67 percentage point after both recovered from midday lows. NScale's Anthropic GPU agreements and Fed remarks on AI capital demand framed the growth and rates backdrop. Saudi supply disruption and U.S.-Houthi talks shaped energy risk, while later reports on Anthropic's product and IPO timing and Macron's Hormuz outlook extended the overnight picture.

Published

Published

QQQ
+0.72%
SPY
+0.05%
QQQ − SPY
+0.67%

What shaped the session

1

AI investment and outlook

NScale put potential Anthropic GPU-service payments at about $44.6 billion, and Reuters later reported that Anthropic was considering a new model before an IPO that could slip beyond the U.S. midterms.

2

Rates and capital demand

Kansas City Fed President Jeff Schmid linked higher Treasury yields to AI investment's capital demand and geopolitics, while saying Treasury buybacks would not impede monetary-policy execution.

3

Energy supply and diplomacy

Saudi Aramco reportedly halted next month's crude allocations to European customers after a pipeline attack. U.S.-Houthi talks offered a possible diplomatic path, while Macron said a near-term U.S.-Iran Hormuz agreement was unlikely.

Open
QQQ
+0.26%09:31 $718.80
SPY
-0.18%09:31 $761.19
Regular close
QQQ
+0.62%16:00 $721.34
SPY
-0.13%16:00 $761.64
Full-session range
QQQ
$723.00 / $715.08High 16:13 / Low 12:26
SPY
$764.16 / $757.97High 04:01 / Low 12:26
Full-session end
QQQ
+0.72%04:00 $722.05
SPY
+0.05%04:00 $762.98

QQQ / SPY · Sep 18, 2026 News Curve

QQQ / SPY · 2026-09-18