Wall Street ticks higher as technology stocks lead the way
[September 30, 2025] By
STAN CHOE
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street ticked higher on Monday as technology stocks
recovered some of their losses from late last week.
The S&P 500 added 0.3%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 68 points,
or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.5%. All three are near their
all-time highs set a week ago.
Big Tech stocks ticked higher to lead the way. Amazon added 1.1%
following its 5.1% drop last week, and Microsoft rose 0.6% to recover
some of its 1.2% decline. While their moves were modest, they were still
two of the strongest forces lifting the S&P 500 Monday because they’re
two of Wall Street’s most valuable stocks.
On the losing end of the market were companies in the oil business,
which were hurt by slumping crude prices. Drops of 2.6% for Exxon Mobil
and 2.5% for Chevron were two of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500.
This week’s highlight is scheduled to arrive on Friday, when a report
will be due about how many jobs U.S. employers created and destroyed
last month. The hope is that it will be balanced enough to keep the
Federal Reserve on track to continue cutting interest rates.
The Fed just delivered its first cut of the year, and officials have
penciled in more through the end of next year. That’s critical for
investors because U.S. stocks have shot to records from a low in April
in large part because of expectations for several cuts from the Fed.
Easier rates can give the job market a boost and make investors more
willing to pay high prices for stocks and other investments.
If Friday’s job numbers prove too strong, they could make the Fed less
willing to cut rates. That could hurt stocks, which already face
criticism that they’ve become too expensive following their big rally.
If the job numbers are too weak, they could mean a recession that would
hurt stock prices on its own.
One wild card may pop up in the interim: The U.S. government is nearing
a deadline that could result in its shutdown.
The United States has already had many such shutdowns in the past, which
have caused only minimal waves for the U.S. stock market and for the
economy. But another shutdown could delay the collection and release of
economic data, such as on jobs and inflation. Without those reports,
increasing uncertainty on Wall Street could make markets more twitchy.
This shutdown may also be different because the White House may push for
large-scale firings of federal workers this time around.
“We believe that a shutdown will have only a small and transitory
economic impact, but it may spur some financial market volatility,”
according to Jennifer Timmerman, investment strategy analyst at Wells
Fargo Investment Institute.
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Traders James Conti, left and Christopher Lagana work on the floor
of the New York Stock Exchange, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (AP
Photo/Richard Drew)
 On Wall Street, Electronic Arts
climbed 4.5% after the video game maker confirmed rumors of a $55
billion buyout. A group of investors will pay $210 in cash for each
share of EA, and they are calling it history’s largest all-cash deal
to take a business private.
CSX chugged 5.4% higher after the railroad operator named Steve
Angel as its chief executive. Angel was previously CEO of Linde and
its predecessor Praxair, and he is replacing Joe Hinrichs, who also
left CSX’s board.
Stocks in the marijuana-related business soared after President
Donald Trump posted a video to his social media network calling
hemp-derived CBD a “game changer” in improving the quality of life
for seniors. Tilray Brands jumped 60.9%, and Canada’s Canopy Growth
rose 17% in Toronto.
All told, the S&P 500 rose 17.51 points to 6,661.21. The Dow Jones
Industrial Average added 68.78 to 46,316.07, and the Nasdaq
composite climbed 107.09 to 22,591.15.
In stock markets abroad, indexes mostly rose in Europe and Asia.
The FTSE 100 in London added 0.2% as GSK climbed 2.2% after the
pharmaceutical giant said CEO Emma Walmsley will step down at the
end of the year. Luke Miels, currently GSK’s chief commercial
officer, will replace the 56-year-old Walmsley, who was the first
woman to lead a major pharmaceutical company
The Hang Seng in Hong Kong jumped 1.9%, and Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell
0.7% for two of the world’s bigger moves.
Oil prices slumped more than 3%. Analysts cited reports that
oil-producing nations in the OPEC+ group might raise their
production limits next month, which added to the notion that too
much supply is washing around the world.
Gold topped $3,850 per ounce to continue its record-breaking run
amid expectations for cuts to interest rates by the Fed, along with
worries about inflation and the mountains of debt that governments
are carrying worldwide.
In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.14%
from 4.20% late Friday.
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AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.
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