US Equity Indexes Mixed This Week as Benchmark Treasury Yield Trades Near 19-Year High Following Fed Rate Increase

04:22 PM EDT, 09/18/2026 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes closed mixed this week after the Federal Reserve reaffirmed its commitment to controlling inflation and tightened policy for the first time since 2023. Crude oil prices remained elevated above $100. * The S&P 500 closed at 7,650.14 on Friday, versus 7,656.98 a week ago. The Nasdaq Composite stood at about 26,522.55, compared with 26,333.04 a week earlier. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended at 51,681.93, versus 52,573.29 at the end of last week. * Communication, healthcare, and technology were among the top gainers, while utilities, financials, and real estate were among the steepest decliners. * The US Federal Reserve raised its benchmark lending rate by 25 basis points in a unanimous vote on Wednesday to combat sticky inflation, while signaling another hike later this year. The Federal Open Market Committee raised the federal funds rate to 3.75% to 4%, the first time it has tightened monetary policy since July 2023. * "After more than five years of significantly elevated inflation, a period which included a rate-cutting cycle, the new Warsh Fed appears to be taking a step in the right direction to combat dangerously high price pressures," Lindsey Piegza, Stifel chief economist, said in a note. * The 10-year yield rose 5.1 basis points to 5%, trading close to its highest since 2007. * The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said an unknown projectile hit a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera, a Middle Eastern broadcaster, reported. Earlier, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it struck a Togo-flagged tanker as it attempted an "illegal passage" through the strait. * The front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil contract fell 1.2% to $100.67 per barrel, while the global benchmark North Sea Brent declined 1.2% to $103.57 per barrel late Friday.