Households and hiring
September consumer confidence was 81.9 against an 89.2 estimate, and August JOLTS openings were 7.079 million against 7.230 million expected. Both releases fell short of estimates.
Sep 29, 2026 · QQQ/SPY Market Review · 46 headlines
QQQ keeps its after-hours lead as Australian inflation and a Hormuz draft emerge overnight
At the last fresh prices at 20:00 ET, QQQ was up 0.51% and SPY up 0.06% from the prior regular close, leaving QQQ ahead by 0.45 percentage points. Both eased during regular trading and recovered after hours. Consumer confidence and job openings missed estimates, while Williams said another rate increase this year remained possible without urgency. OpenAI launched GPT-6.1 Sol. After fresh ETF prices ended, mediators circulated a draft on Hormuz shipping and Australia reported elevated inflation.
Published
- QQQ
- +0.51%
- SPY
- +0.06%
- QQQ − SPY
- +0.45%
What shaped the session
Rates and inflation
Williams said the Fed need not rush after September’s increase but another hike could be needed this year if the economy meets his expectations. Overnight Australian trimmed-mean inflation rose 3.6% year on year in August, after fresh QQQ/SPY prices ended.
Hormuz shipping proposal
Mediators proposed an interim U.S.-Iran arrangement under which Iran would allow shipping through Hormuz and the United States would lift its port blockade. The parties had not agreed on the sequence of later steps.
AI model launch
OpenAI launched GPT-6.1 Sol and said standard token pricing was one-fifth of Astra’s, adding a concrete AI product development alongside QQQ’s relative lead.
Key news
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