I'll pull today's top business and market headlines for you.
Today's Top Business / Market Headlines - Wednesday, September 17, 2026
Based on latest available market wires for this date:
1. Federal Reserve Cuts Rates - Main Story
•Fed Lowers Rates by Quarter-Point, Signals More Cuts Are Likely
•Concerns about a job-market slowdown are overriding jitters about inflation in justifying a pivot towards a shallow sequence of rate reductions
•The Federal Reserve approved the first rate cut in nine months, with officials judging that recent labor-market softness outweighed recent setbacks on inflation
•Rate futures now widely expect the Fed to lower rates this month, pricing in a 96% chance of a 25-bp cut at the end of the two-day policy meeting on September 17, according to CME Group's FedWatch tool
2. Stocks Reaction Mixed After Decision
•U.S. stocks were mixed, with the Dow higher, as the Fed cut interest rates by a quarter-point, as expected
•U.S. stocks ended mixed, with the Dow higher, after the Fed cut interest rates by a quarter-point, as expected
•How major indexes fared Wednesday 9/17: The S&P 500 fell 0.1% Wednesday and hung near its record set at the start of the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 260 points, or 0.6%, while the Nasdaq composite fell 0.3%
•Detail: The S&P 500 fell 6.41 points, or 0.1%, to 6,600.35
•The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 260.42 points, or 0.6%, to 46,018.32
•The Nasdaq composite fell 72.63 points, or 0.3%, to 22,261.33
•The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 4.31 points, or 0.2%, to 2,407.34
•Stocks initially rose and bond yields fell after officials at the Federal Reserve indicated they may cut interest rates several more times by the end of 2026
•In extended coverage: The U.S. equity markets are now closed. The Russell 2000 (+2.41%) had an absolute power rally today, leaving every other major average in the dust on renewed excitement around rate cuts
3. Economic Data Released Today
•Initial Jobless Claims (Wk of Sept. 13): 231K [Prev: 264K] [Exp: 240K]
•Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index: 23.2 [Prev: -0.3] [Exp: 2.3]
•Other Philly Fed data: Business Conditions 31.5, CAPEX Index 12.5, Employment 5.6 etc.
4. Housing & Consumer
•Homeowners pounce on falling mortgage rates, with more opting for risky, adjustable-rate loans
•As mortgage rates fell sharply ahead of the Federal Reserve's expected - and highly anticipated - rate cut, mortgage demand surged as homeowners rushed to refinance their home loans
•Housing Starts Declined More Than Expected in August - Home-building slumped last month, as mortgage rates remained high and amid an uncertain environment for building-materials prices
5. Notable Company Headlines / Deals
•Nvidia will invest $5 billion in Intel and co-design chips, making the company one of the largest shareholders, with a ~4% stake
•Thomson Reuters Announces Pricing of Public Offering - The offering of the US Notes and the private placement of the Canadian Notes are each expected to close on September 17, 2026
•Market Technology Acquisition Corp announced today that, commencing September 17, 2026, holders of the units sold in the Company's initial public offering may elect to separately trade the Company's Class A ordinary shares and warrants
•SEC Sets Sept. 17 for 24-Hour Stock Market Debate - It announced a September 17 roundtable on preparations for 24-hour trading
6. Other Macro
•Bank of Canada Resumes Rate Cuts to Address Weak Job Market, Diminished Inflation Risk - The quarter-point reduction marks a return to policy easing since March
•U.S. Crude Oil Stockpiles Post Large Decline - Crude oil inventories fell by 9.3 million barrels to 415.4 million barrels in the week ended Sept. 12
•U.K. Inflation Stays High Ahead of Bank of England Meeting - Prices were 3.8% higher in August than the same month of last year