Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq slip as bond yields rebound after Treasury intervention, oil rises

LIVE Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq slip as bond yields rebound after Treasury intervention, oil rises Grace O'Donnell · Editor, Special Projects Updated Thu, August 20, 2026 at 3:33 PM GMT+2 1 min read CL=F US stocks fell on Thursday after President Trump vowed to squeeze Iran economically, sending oil prices higher, while bond yields also rebounded after the US Treasury's surprise move to intervene in the market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI ) fell 0. 6%, while the S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) slipped 0.

3%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC ) declined by 0. 5% after all three major indexes notched winning sessions on Wednesday.

Markets reeled after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stepped in to lower long-dated government bond yields , which could complicate Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh's intention to allow the markets to do some of the tightening for the Fed. However, Treasurys ticked back up in early trading on Thursday. The 10-year yield ( ^TNX ) rose by 5 basis points to 4.

70%, while the 30-year yield ( ^TYX ) increased by 5 basis points to 5. 25%. Bitcoin ( BTC-USD ), meanwhile, surged over 10% and reached the $70,000 level for the first time since early June.

At the same time, more attention turned to the United States' financial health as the national debt surpassed $40 trillion , having more than doubled in less than a decade. Read more: How the soaring federal debt affects you personally In the background, Trump grew more frustrated about the lack of a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the Iran war. On Wednesday evening, President Trump posted on Truth Social that the US plans to unleash an "ECONOMIC D-DAY" against Iran that entails "Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale.

" That helped push oil prices higher, with Brent crude ( BZ=F ) topping $93 per barrel. Walmart ( WMT ) earnings highlighted the calendar on Thursday. The retailer reported strong earnings , but the stock fell on slowing sales growth in the US.

LIVE 8 updates 35 mins ago Grace O'Donnell Moderna stock tumbles after stunning 177% gain Moderna ( MRNA ) stock is tumbling today after a 177% gain on Wednesday — the stock’s best day ever — as Wall Street cheered on the company’s breakthrough with Merck ( MRK ) on the fight against cancer. "It's a home run, maybe even a grand slam," former Obama adviser Ezekiel Emanuel told Yahoo Finance about Moderna’s Phase 3 trial results for its personalized mRNA cancer vaccine, intismeran. Analysts largely saw the results as a pivotal point for Moderna, as Yahoo Finance’s Brian Sozzi reported .

"The update represents an important proof point for mRNA modality beyond legacy COVID,” Jefferies analyst Tycho Peterson wrote in a note. Though questions remain about Moderna’s oncology market size and how much upside there could be for the stock, which may partly explain why shares of the biotech company fell as much as 20% in early trading Thursday. Read more.

Today at 1:41 PM UTC Grace O'Donnell Stock relief short-lived, as bond yields and oil prices reassert pressure Higher Treasury yields and oil prices weighed on US stocks at the open, with the 10-year ( ^TNX ) and 30-year ( ^TYX ) yields largely wiping out Wednesday’s declines. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI ) fell 0. 6% at the open.

The S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) slipped 0. 3%. And the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC ) declined by 0.

5% after the indexes briefly snapped a losing streak. Here’s a look at the sector action in early trading, according to AlphaSpace data: AlphaSpace heat map In individual names, Walmart ( WMT ) stock fell nearly 8% after the company reported that US sales growth slowed in the most recent quarter. Oil prices climbed in early trading Thursday, with global benchmark Brent crude ( BZ=F ) trading near $94 per barrel and US benchmark WTI crude ( CL=F ) reaching $86 per barrel.

Today at 1:25 PM UTC Grace O'Donnell Jobless claims tick lower, coming in below expectations US jobless claims remained at depressed levels, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in a sign that the labor market remains broadly stable in a “low hire, low fire” environment. Initial claims for unemployment insurance for the week ending Aug. 15 fell by 6,000 to 206,000, slightly below the economists’ estimate of 210,000.

The four-week moving average for jobless claims ticked up to 204,000. Continuing claims also decreased, with claims for the week ending Aug. 1 falling to 1.

83 million. Today at 12:14 PM UTC Jared Blikre Scott Bessent just cried uncle on the bond market Uncle Sam is buying more of his own debt. The surprising part isn't how much — it's why Scott Bessent's Treasury decided to act now.

The US Treasury unexpectedly said Wednesday that it will step up purchases of long-term government bonds, giving a stressed corner of the market more support. The bond market responded immediately. The 30-year Treasury yield ( ^TYX ) fell to 5.

20%, its biggest one-day drop in more than three weeks. The dollar index ( DX-Y. NYB ) was down 0.

75%, its most since July 30. The US Treasury is buying back its own bonds, and investors have routinely offered more than 10 times the government's $2 billion cap. · US Treasury, Yahoo Finance analysis The timing is what makes the move unusual.

Only two weeks ago, Treasury laid out its normal quarterly financing plan and left its long-term buyback cap at $2 billion. Wednesday, it said that cap would rise to at least $4 billion beginning Sept. 9 — well before the next scheduled update in November.

And Treasury already knew Wall Street wanted to sell it far more bonds than it was buying. Read more. Today at 11:20 AM UTC Brooke DiPalma Walmart raises guidance, but the stock drops on slower sales growth Walmart ( WMT ) raised its full-year financial outlook after beating Wall Street estimates on both the top and bottom lines, but the stock fell 6% in premarket trading after US same-store sales slowed more than expected.

America's biggest retailer, often considered a bellwether for the industry, posted revenue growth of nearly 6% to $187. 9 billion, above the roughly $186 billion expected, per Bloomberg consensus data. Adjusted earnings per share clocked in at $0.

81, also higher than the $0. 74 expected. However, US same-store sales grew 2.

6%, below Wall Street's forecast of 3. 7%. Excluding health & wellness, which was negatively impacted by maximum fair price legislation that allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices, Walmart reported 3.

4% same-store sales growth in core merchandise. During the quarter, Walmart looked to gain share with cost-conscious consumers by cutting prices on thousands of items, including beef, chips, and soda. Read more.

Today at 10:00 AM UTC Grace O'Donnell Bitcoin rally squeezes short sellers as the crypto's price soars above $70K Bitcoin ( BTC-USD ) continued to rally on Thursday morning after the crypto surged on Wednesday, surging past the $70,000 level for the first time since June. The swing higher led to about $1 billion in short positions being liquidated in the biggest short squeeze going back to 2021, according to Bloomberg . Bitcoin surged following Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's intervention in the bond market to ramp up long-dated bond buybacks by "at least double.

" The prospect of loosening regulation also boosted crypto after President Trump met with top brass from Coinbase ( COIN ), Payward, and Blockchain. com at the White House. Bitcoin has been hammered by selling pressure this year, pulling it into a bear market.

Its price had fallen 21% year to date before Thursday’s move. Today at 9:00 AM UTC Grace O'Donnell Good morning. Here's what's happening today.

Economic data: Philadelphia Fed business outlook, Aug. (25 expected, 41. 4 previously); Initial jobless claims, week ended Aug.

15 (209,000 previously); Continuing claims, week ended Aug. 8 (1. 777 million previously) Earnings calendar: Walmart ( WMT ), Alibaba Group ( BABA ), Deere & Company ( DE ), Ross Stores ( ROST ), Advance Auto Parts ( AAP ) Catch up on some top stories from overnight: US national debt surpasses $40 trillion Bessent becomes most interventionist Treasury chief in decades OpenAI seeks to one-up Anthropic with new customer privacy protections Bitcoin posts surprise rally as currency nears $70,000 for the first time since June Trump calls for Congress to pass crypto bill at White House event Today at 8:00 AM UTC Grace O'Donnell Trump pledges to unleash 'ECONOMIC D-DAY' aganist Iran as peace talks stall On Wednesday night, President Trump doubled down on his plans to squeeze Iran economically, as no new memorandum of understanding or deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz has materialized.

Trump threatened any country that aids Iran with secondary economic consequences and called on allies to support what he called the “MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY! ” “Today, I am also announcing that ANY country that allows its financial institutions, businesses, airports, or government entities to provide any type of lifeline to Iran will itself face TREMENDOUS Economic Consequences,” Trump wrote. “Oil smuggling, swap lines, cash transfers, exchange houses, ship registries, front companies — It all needs to stop NOW.

You know who you are. ” Oil prices moved slightly higher following the rhetoric from the White House, but gains were limited, with Brent crude oil ( BZ=F ) trading at around $91 per barrel. “This will be an ECONOMIC D-DAY, and we need all of our Allies to stand with the United States of America to isolate, and defeat, the Iran threat,” Trump said.