A trader works at the New York Stock Exchange on Oct. 20, 2026.
NYSE
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose on Tuesday as a number of upbeat earnings reports and a drop in oil prices overshadowed recent pressure seen among artificial intelligence-related stocks.
The blue-chip index gained 529.85 points, or 1.02%, to end at 52,495.88, while the S&P 500 added 0.28% and closed at 7,712.57. The Nasdaq Composite inched down 0.02% to 26,424.82.
Shares of industrial and safety products producer 3M offered a boost to the Dow, jumping more than 5% following better-than-expected earnings results and a full-year guidance raise. Shares of aerospace and defense company Northrop Grumman advanced more than 4% after it posted an earnings beat.
Meanwhile, oil prices pulled back from earlier gains, helping investor sentiment. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 1.8% to settle at $101.79, while Brent crude futures declined 0.7% to $108.79 a barrel. The moves in oil, which added to the declines in Treasury yields, come as traders continued to monitor developments in the Middle East.
The market has been weighed down as of late by worries about the sustainability of the AI trade amid debt and demand concerns. In fact, sentiment in tech took a hit earlier in the day after Korean AI firm Elice tumbled more than 30% overnight in its public market debut. Asia-Pacific markets declined Tuesday, after U.S. stocks rose overnight, leading to declines in the South Korean market.
However, some AI-related stocks staged a bit of a comeback as the session went on. Western Digital gained more than 3%, while Seagate Technology was up more than 2%. CoreWeave and Marvell Technology each advanced more than 1%.
The S&P 500 finished in positive territory on Monday, while the Nasdaq Composite advanced more than 1%. That marked a rebound from last week’s rout, when anxieties around companies borrowing too much money for their AI build-outs intensified.
“For much of this year, the market has been willing to look through higher rates because the growth story, notably that around AI, was strong enough to justify it. Last week, we saw that relationship begin to be tested,” said Jake Behan, head of capital markets at Direxion.
“Hyperscalers report over the next few weeks, setting up the next major stress test for the AI trade,” he continued. “Guidance around ROI, data center spending and 2027 capex will arguably be more important than the headline earnings figures.”
