Finance

Major U.S. stock indexes extended their declines, logging back-to-back losing sessions as surging bond yields pressured equities. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.26%, the S&P 500 slipped 0.17%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropped slightly lower. Financial stocks and mega-cap tech companies experienced notable downward pressure during the rotation.

Crude oil prices remained elevated as market participants closely monitored escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran. While intraday reports indicated possible White House openness to nuclear-related sanctions relief, underlying concerns about Middle East supply routes continue to support higher energy prices. The resulting oil price pressure has further aggravated broader inflation concerns across Wall Street.

The August Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey reported that U.S. job vacancies declined modestly to 7.1 million. This puts the volume of open roles in rough alignment with the total number of unemployed workers in the country. Analysts view this data as a sign of a stabilizing and broadly balanced labor market, allowing the Federal Reserve to maintain its primary focus on curbing persistent inflation pressures.