Top U.S. Stories

  • Trump expects Iran talks to resume this week. After rejecting Tehran’s seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz — “not the deal that I want to make” — President Trump said he expects negotiations to resume in the coming week and declined to rule out more strikes before the November midterms. Why it matters: The timeline for reopening Hormuz just slipped, which keeps upward pressure on oil, gasoline and inflation expectations.
  • Iran: “fully prepared” for war, but open to diplomacy. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC that Tehran had not yet been formally notified of the rejection and that “it is up to President Trump to choose.” Iran says it won’t soften its demands.
  • Nor’easter pounds the Northeast. More than 130,000 customers lost power Sunday morning, mostly along the New Jersey shore, Long Island and coastal Connecticut. Gusts hit 81 mph at Montauk Point, and a New York City housing worker was killed by a falling tree. Why it matters: Coastal flooding and outages could linger another day as the slow storm loops offshore.
  • Five arrested near U.S.-used air base in England. UK police arrested five men near RAF Fairford on suspicion of explosives offenses and preparing a terrorist act. The base has hosted U.S. bombers for operations against Iran; investigators are examining any Iran link, which is not confirmed. Why it matters: It raises the risk that the Iran conflict spills into allied territory.
  • Hurricane Nolo threatens Hawaii. A tropical storm warning and hurricane watch were issued for Hawaii Island, with officials warning of flooding, mudslides and damaging surf.

Compass Insight

The weekend’s message: tough words in public, bargaining in private. Both Washington and Tehran are raising the stakes to extract concessions, yet both left the door open — Trump by pointing to talks this week, Araghchi by saying the choice is Trump’s. Markets had priced in a quicker reopening of Hormuz last week, sending oil down about 8%; that assumption now looks early. In the short term, watch whether talks actually start, and Friday’s jobs report, which will shape expectations for another Fed hike with the 10-year yield above 5%. Over the longer run, the question is whether corporate earnings, led by AI, can keep outrunning the twin weights of expensive energy and high interest rates.

Markets

Figures are Friday, Sept. 25 closes. The Dow rose 0.93% to 51,828.62, the S&P 500 gained 0.51% to 7,743.41 and the Nasdaq added 0.48% to 27,068.72. WTI crude fell 2.33% to $92.41 a barrel, and the dollar was at 157.59 yen (ECB reference rate). The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 7.03% on Sept. 24. This week’s key data is the September jobs report on Oct. 2.

Stocks in Focus

  • Energy: With the Hormuz reopening pushed back, oil producers and refiners are likely to react first when trading resumes; oil was ticking up after the rejection.
  • Homebuilders: Mortgage rates near 7% remain a headwind for housing-related names.

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Auto-generated and AI-written. Not investment advice.