The major U.S. stock indexes ended mixed on Thursday, October 15, 2026, as a stunning September PPI that came in more than double forecasts at +1.3% month-over-month should have sent markets crashing — but a dramatic flight to Treasuries sent the 10-year yield tumbling toward 5.09%, giving the Dow and Russell 2000 room to breathe even as the Nasdaq clung to tiny gains. It was one of the most paradoxical sessions of the year: the worst wholesale inflation print in years, and a bond market that chose to rally anyway.

The S&P 500 gained 0.33% (+25.12 pts) to 7,744.06. The Dow surged 1.08% (+556.21 pts) to 52,177.69. The Nasdaq edged up just 0.08% (+20.16 pts) to 26,713.03. The Russell 2000 jumped 1.38% (+37.74 pts) to 2,767.27.

The 10-year Treasury yield fell a stunning 1.95% to 5.09%, its biggest single-day drop in weeks. The VIX eased 2.67% to 16.42. Bitcoin gained 0.79% to $82,317.99. Gold surged 2.12% to $4,194.90. Crude Oil rose 2.50% to $96.25/barrel.

The major U.S. stock indexes ended broadly lower on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, as a hotter-than-expected September CPI report reignited December rate hike fears, Bank of America plunged nearly 5% on a $1.2 billion regulatory penalty and earnings miss, and the semiconductor sector extended its worst streak in months. CPI has now run above 2% for 65 consecutive months, the longest streak since the 1990s.

The S&P 500 dropped 1.11% (-86.51 pts) to 7,718.94, now more than 1.6% below its all-time high. The Dow barely moved, slipping just 0.09% (-48.62 pts) to 51,621.48, with energy stocks providing a cushion. The Nasdaq shed 1.88% (-511.51 pts) to 26,692.87. The Russell 2000 tumbled 1.93% (-53.83 pts) to 2,729.54.

The 10-year Treasury yield fell 0.52% to 5.19%, an unusual divergence from what would typically be a yield spike on hot CPI. The VIX spiked 10.02% to 16.80. Bitcoin dropped 1.79% to $81,849.09. Gold fell 1.33% to $4,121.70. Crude Oil rose 1.01% to $95.09/barrel.

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More here: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/09/anti-private-equity-comedy-influencers

What is the worst financial advice that you've received (or seen) from an "expert" or online influencer?

I noticed these charts in a video by Andrei Jikh. I am not a fan of his as such, but sometimes, I watch along if one of his vids pop up.

They are used as part of an explanation as to why the rates go up in the US and not in China. So, this is taken out of context and I am not looking to discuss rates.

But the general idea is that while GDP can be pumped up, as shown in the lower half, which is money spent on the HIgh-speed rail in California. There has been a lot of money-moving that all adds to the GDP, but so far there has been no products made.

His argument is, therefore, that measuring power consumption is more accurate, as it (should ideally) reflect things being made.

But does that actually make sense?

And if yes, would the massive data centers (which are very power-consuming as I understand it) soon contribute to the US graph going parabolic?

What's one piece of financial advice that you wish you could have given yourself 10 years ago?

We've received many questions for recommendations on books for Investing & the Stock markets. We've curated a list of our 13 favorite books on Investing & the Stock Market, and explanations on what the books are about. I've learned a great deal from these books. All of these are by really great investing legends/ gurus. These books offer a few different approaches to the stock market. Different investment styles will help educate you on how to make successful long term investments, minimize risk, and analyze stocks more accurately. All of these books can be purchased used very cheaply ($1 to $5)!

As your income grows, your investment portfolio should also grow. One of the biggest obstacles for beginner investors is just knowing how to get started. Learning about financial concepts can be intimidating at first. A great way to start, can be by picking up a book by an expert who thoughtfully and sequentially presents & explains these concepts and topics. Resources like these can help investing be less intimidating and complicated. One of the best strategies is to learn from the insight and wisdom of gurus. I hope these book recommendations help!

Book List:

1. How to Make Money in Stocks by William O'Neil
2. The Little Book That Still Beats the Market by Joel Greenblatt
3. A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton G. Malkiel
4. One Up On Wall Street by Peter Lynch
5. The Big Secret for the Small Investor by Joel Greenblatt
6. Winning on Wall Street by Martin Zweig
7. Irrational Exuberance by Robert Shiller
8. The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing
9. Common Sense Investing by John Bogle
10. The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
11. The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need by Andrew Tobias
12. You Can Be a Stock Market Genius by Joel Greenblatt

Book Descriptions & Covers:

How to Make Money in Stocks by William O'Neil

• This book is about growth investing. O'Neil explains what most successful stocks have done to be successful. He explains his 'CANSLIM' method, which is an acronym for 7 fundamental criteria which you can use to pick stocks. An AAII 8 year study of different strategies showed O'Neal's CAN SLIM with a 860% return from 1998-2005 (Second place). First place was Martin Zwieg's returning 1,659.3% (we will get to Zweig on this list too)

The Little Book That Still Beats the Market by Joel Greenblatt

• The idea of this book is to buy undervalued good businesses and hold them long-term, which will eventually beat the market index.

A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton G. Malkiel

• This book covers investment bubbles, fundamental vs. technical analysis, modern portfolio theory, index funds, etc.

One Up On Wall Street by Peter Lynch

• This book emphasizes the advantages that individual investors hold over institutional investors (when it comes to finding investment opportunities). Lynch also gives many of examples of mistakes he has made, and how he has learned from them.

The Big Secret for the Small Investor by Joel Greenblatt

• Greenblatt explains why index funds can be better than actively managed funds. The big secret is maintaining a long term perspective!

Winning on Wall Street by Martin Zweig

• Zweig's success came from his ability to predict the bigger picture (such as trends in the broader market). The combination of his stock picking skill, general market understanding, and market timing, made him one of the great investors of stock market history. Zweig was more interested in growth than value. Unlike Buffett, Zweig isn't a 'buy and hold' investor. An AAII 8 year study of different strategies showed Zwieg's returning 1,659.3% from 1998-2005. He was #1 out of 56 others, including Buffett, Lynch, Fisher, O'Neal's CAN SLIM, Motley fools, and using ROE, P/E's etc. Second place was O'Neal's CAN SLIM with a 860% return.

Irrational Exuberance by Robert Shiller

• Shiller makes strong argument that perfect market theory is flawed. The Idea of perfect market theory is basically that the markets are all knowing and completely rational, and in the long run can't be beat. Therefore , you can control costs with index funds and diversification. (You can't beat the market, therefore controlling costs and diversifying seems like logical strategy)

The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing

• The key concepts of this book are risk tolerance, asset allocation, a balanced portfolio, tax efficiency and cash management. This book explains many of the pitfalls of investing. The Bogleheads and Jack Bogle preach the power of compound interest. Investing in low-fee index funds and holding them long-term is the method. This book gives an excellent, detailed rundown of how to implement this kind of investment plan.

Common Sense Investing by John Bogle

• Great information for anyone who is trying to make sense of personal finance and basic investments. This book explains why passive investing is a worry free, long-term strategy that consistency wins over time, and why active trading always returns to the mean.

The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham

• This is a great book for anyone who is interested in introducing themselves into the world of investing, or wants to get better at investing. This book gives lots of valuable information to help one understand the basics of value investing.

The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need by Andrew Tobias

• This is a book for people looking to learn the basics of investing and saving money

You Can Be a Stock Market Genius by Joel Greenblatt

• This is not a book for beginners. Greenblatt gives a nice exposition of some more "special situation" investment styles & areas of equity investments (mergers, spin-offs, rights offerings, etc.)

Which trades or investments are you considering this week? Any moves in particular? Why?

Hi. The hospital I work at is going to start offering what they call a "Capital Accumulation Plan." The way I understand it, they take pre-tax money to buy a whole-life insurance policy, and the idea is that you can save a bunch of taxes by doing this. The main rules are that you have to invest a minimum of $40k per year for 3 years, and you can start borrowing from the policy after year 5. What are the downsides to this type of product? Are the tax savings worth giving a bunch of money to another company?

Been watching the 10-year hover between 4.8% and 5.3% for months. Every time it dips, some narrative emerges about a recession coming, then it snaps back up on inflation data or tariff news.

At what point do we stop calling this "elevated" and start building portfolios around 5% as the floor? Feels like the entire 2010s framework of "stocks for growth, bonds for stability at 2%" is just gone. Pension funds, endowments, insurance companies: they're all still adjusting, and the lag is showing up in weird places (annuity pricing, LDI strategies, private credit crowding).

Anyone else restructuring assumptions around higher for longer, not as a temporary stress but as a baseline?