Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange in New York City, USA, September 29, 2026. Jeenah Moon | ReutersStock futures rose Sunday night as traders looked to shake off the S&P 500’s weekly loss. S&P 500 futures rose 0.4%, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures added 128 points, or 0.2%. Nasdaq-100 futures gained 0.6%. Rising oil prices and a widespread sell-off that hit many market sectors dragged all three major averages into losses on Friday. The Dow Jones fell more than 650 points, while the S&P 500 lost 0.5%. The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.2%. The selloff also dragged the S&P 500 and Nasdaq to consecutive weekly losses. On Friday, Brent crude rose more than 3% to $116.72 a barrel, its highest close since April, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate also rose 3.8% to $103.27 a barrel. Energy prices rose amid news reports that the United States and Israel may be planning attacks on Iran after the midterm elections. France, whose 10-year bond yield touched 5% last week for the first time since 2002, got a reprieve from recent turmoil after Moody’s decided to maintain its Aa3 credit rating and negative outlook for the nation. Traders feared the nation, the euro zone’s second-largest economy, was headed for a downgrade amid its rising borrowing costs. “A significant and sustained fiscal effort beyond the presidential elections in April and May 2027 will still be needed to strengthen France’s public finances and stabilize a debt burden that will exceed 120% of GDP in 2027,” the agency said on Friday. Moody’s added that it could upgrade France’s outlook to stable if the country’s institutions can reduce the deficit. Traders are awaiting the Federal Reserve’s decision on Wednesday. Fed funds futures trading suggests a 90% chance that authorities will keep interest rates at the current target range of 3.75% to 4%. Bank of America expects the Federal Reserve to raise rates by a quarter percentage point, saying it would be a “major” move. “The October decision will be a test of Chairman Warsh’s determination to introduce a ‘sea change’ in the Federal Reserve’s forward guidance strategy,” Bank of America economist Claudio Irigoyen said in a research note. “Warsh’s challenge at the press conference will be to avoid a ‘policy mistake.’ If the Fed raises rates, investors could worry about overtightening. If the Fed holds on, markets could question its credibility in fighting inflation.”
