Housing demand
September housing starts missed estimates, and pending home sales fell more than expected. QQQ and SPY rose during the 15 minutes after the first release, while they were already advancing before the second.
Oct 20, 2026 · QQQ/SPY Market Review · 41 headlines
Housing misses and Japan’s export growth frame QQQ’s rebound past SPY
Both ETFs opened lower, then rose by the last observed trades at 20:00 ET. QQQ gained 0.63% and SPY 0.55%, with QQQ ahead by 0.07 percentage points after a stronger after-hours climb. September housing starts and pending home sales missed estimates. Nvidia chip orders, Anthropic’s computing plan, and U.S. statements on Hormuz supplied further context. Overnight, Japan reported export growth led in part by chips, and Micron reached a Taiwan labor agreement after QQQ/SPY trading had ceased.
Published
- QQQ
- +0.63%
- SPY
- +0.55%
- QQQ − SPY
- +0.07%
What shaped the session
AI compute and chip trade
Nvidia chip orders and Anthropic’s computing-spend plan marked AI demand during trading. Japan’s finance ministry then reported September export growth of 16.7%, below the 21.3% forecast, with stronger chip and auto shipments overnight.
Hormuz claims
U.S. Central Command rejected Iran’s claim that tankers struck mines in the Strait of Hormuz, changing the context for earlier shipping-risk reports.
Tesla–SpaceX talks
Tesla and SpaceX formed independent committees to explore a possible merger. The companies have not agreed to a transaction.
Key news
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