U.S. stocks, except the Dow, fell on Thursday as a sell-off in tech shares dragged markets lower, while oil prices surged after reports that Israel and the United States plan to resume bombing Iran after the midterm elections. The Nasdaq Composite posted the sharpest drop, losing 694.00 points (2.60%) to 26,008.86, while the S&P 500 fell 1.21% to 7,663.39 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.02% to 52,866.85. Demand for Treasury bonds spiked, pushing yields lower. The euro and Australian dollar weakened against the dollar, while the yen, pound, Canadian dollar and Swiss franc gained. Most Asian markets fell sharply, with Hong Kong's Hang Seng down 3.03%, Japan's Nikkei 225 down 2.65% and South Korea's KOSPI down 3.52%, while Belgium's BEL 20 was a rare gainer, up 1.97%.
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IranIsraelgeopoliticsoil pricesNasdaq
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Related tickers and likely impact
QQQ
▼ Likely negativeInvesco QQQ Trust
Relevance: high
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | ETF |
| Close on 10/22/2026 | 704.59 |
| Change that session | -2.84% |
SPY
▼ Likely negativeSPDR S&P 500 ETF
Relevance: high
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | ETF |
| Close on 10/22/2026 | 764.02 |
| Change that session | -1.17% |
BTC/USDT
▼ Likely negativeBitcoin
Relevance: medium
| Market | Crypto |
|---|---|
| Exchange | Binance |
| Sector | Layer 1 |
| Market cap | $1.6T |
| Close on 10/22/2026 | 81,416.09 |
| Change that session | -3.18% |
ETH/USDT
▼ Likely negativeEthereum
Relevance: medium
| Market | Crypto |
|---|---|
| Exchange | Binance |
| Sector | Layer 1 |
| Market cap | $294.2B |
| Close on 10/22/2026 | 2,389.14 |
| Change that session | -3.42% |
XAU/USD
▲ Likely positiveRelevance: medium
| Market | Gold |
|---|---|
| Close on 10/22/2026 | 4,024.59 |
| Change that session | -2.82% |
VNINDEX
▼ Likely negativeRelevance: low
| Market | Vietnam stocks |
|---|---|
| Close on 10/22/2026 | 1,760.63 |
| Change that session | +1.26% |
Impact is scored by AI from the headline and may be wrong. It is not investment advice.
Related news
- US-Israel military planning: New strike plans against Iran being developed for post-US election window
US and Israeli militaries have developed specific plans for renewed strikes on Iran after the US midterm elections, with likely targets including energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and missile and drone arsenals, and have stepped up exercises. Some officials believe one more intensive round could push Iran's economy to the brink and force diplomatic concessions, but skeptics doubt a renewed war would succeed where the February–April campaign, which drove up global energy prices and inflation, did not. Trump has repeatedly vetoed plans for major combat this year and is seen as likely to wait until after the election, while the US will not have its full military assets in place until early November. Iran has vowed to widen its retaliation to data centres and undersea internet cables, and talks continue even though Iran has been unwilling to concede on its nuclear program.
- US and Israel draw up plans for renewed strikes on Iran after elections
US and Israeli militaries have drawn up specific plans for renewed strikes on Iran after next month's midterm elections, with exercises already stepped up. Likely targets include Iran's energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and missile and drone arsenals, and some officials believe another major round of attacks could push Iran's economy to the brink and force diplomatic concessions. Skeptics note that the earlier campaign from February to April drove up global energy prices and inflation, strained the Pentagon's missile interceptor supplies, and did not bring Tehran back to the table, while Trump has repeatedly vetoed renewed combat. Iran has vowed to widen retaliation to data centres and underwater internet cables, and full U.S. military assets will not be in place until early November. Israel's election on Tuesday next could also shape the timing, and on Wednesday the State Department ordered nonemergency staff to leave Saudi Arabia.
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According to the NYT, U.S. and Israeli militaries have drawn up specific plans for renewed strikes on Iran after the U.S. midterm elections on November 3, citing U.S. officials and others briefed on the deliberations. Targets would likely include Iran's energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and missile and drone arsenal, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel to discuss the strikes. Some officials argue one more big round of attacks could push Iran's economy to the brink and force diplomatic concessions, but the article questions this, noting that the first phase of U.S.-Israeli strikes between February and April drove up energy prices and inflation worldwide, eroded Middle East security and strained the Pentagon's interceptor supply. President Trump has repeatedly vetoed plans for major combat this year, and Iran has vowed to expand its targets to data centers and undersea internet cables.
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- US , Israel plan renewed Iran strikes after midterms , sources say
US and Israeli militaries have developed specific plans for renewed strikes on Iran after the US midterm elections, with exercises stepped up, including flights over Iraq to practise strike manoeuvres, according to US officials and others briefed. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week; likely targets include Iran's energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and missile and drone arsenal. Some officials believe one more big round could push Iran's economy over the brink and force diplomatic concessions, but sceptics note the first phase of strikes between February and April drove up global energy prices and inflation and strained US missile interceptor stocks. It is far from certain Trump will approve, as he has repeatedly vetoed plans for major combat in 2026, and Israel's election on Tuesday could complicate the plans.
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