Top U.S. Stories

  • State Department orders departure from Saudi Arabia. Non-emergency U.S. government employees and their families in Saudi Arabia were ordered to leave amid attacks blamed on the Houthis. Debris from a drone aimed at the Shaybah oil field killed two people. Why it matters: It signals Washington sees real risk to Gulf energy infrastructure, which keeps a floor under oil prices.
  • Witkoff meets Putin in St. Petersburg. The U.S. envoy presented an updated proposal to end the war in Ukraine, and Russia released American prisoner Stephen Hubbard. No breakthrough was announced.
  • Stocks rise on AI and space earnings. The Dow gained 360.21 points to 52,856.09, with the Nasdaq up 1.05%. Why it matters: Investors are still rewarding earnings over geopolitical fear, but breadth was thin.
  • Netflix slides on ad guidance cut. Netflix lowered its full-year ad revenue outlook to $2.7 billion from $3 billion and fell 5.31%.
  • Trump says Rep. Ilhan Omar “could go to jail.” The remark came days after federal agents raided her home.

Compass Insight

Wednesday was a tug-of-war between fear and profits. Washington pulling staff out of Saudi Arabia is not a small step, yet equities shrugged it off as SpaceX posted its first profit as a public company and Super Micro raised its outlook. The message: as long as AI earnings deliver, markets will look past the Gulf. That confidence has limits. Brent is stuck above $100, the 10-year Treasury yield sits above 5%, and advancing and declining stocks were nearly even. In the short term, watch next week’s FOMC meeting and any escalation around Saudi oil sites. Over the longer run, the key question is whether sticky energy prices push the Fed toward more hikes, which would test today’s lofty tech valuations.

Markets

  • Dow: 52,856.09, +0.69%; S&P 500: about 7,757, +0.59%; Nasdaq: 26,702.86, +1.05%
  • Semiconductors: The SOX index rose about 2%; the S&P 500 is within 1% of its record.
  • Oil: Brent briefly topped $110 before settling in the $108–109 range; WTI December was in the $97 range.
  • Rates & FX: The 10-year yield was around 5.1%; USD/JPY was 157.88 (ECB reference, Oct 21).
  • Tokyo: The Nikkei rose 545.82 yen to 64,621.24.
  • Next up: The FOMC meets October 27–28.

Stocks in Focus

  • Super Micro (+9.55%) and SpaceX (+7.79%) led the AI and space rally on a raised outlook and a first profit.
  • AT&T (-6.45%) fell despite beating estimates, on fears a satellite provider could enter wireless.
  • SpaceX reported Q3 net income of $4.4 billion on revenue up 161%.
  • Meta rose about 3% after hours on strong revenue and guidance.

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