Gas, diesel and food prices are high and expected to stay elevated through Election Day, a strong political headwind for Republicans, who risk losing control of the House and possibly the Senate. The national average diesel price was $6.28 a gallon on Friday, versus $3.72 before Trump launched strikes against Iran, and his diesel deal with Russia has had little lasting impact on fuel prices. Ground beef is around $6.80 a pound despite Trump's August order to import 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef, while the 30-year fixed mortgage rate stands at 7.32 percent. Trump signed an executive order Thursday to lower insurance premiums, refinancing costs and rates on some government-backed home loans, but it is unlikely to have much impact before Election Day. University of Michigan consumer sentiment fell near a record low in October, the second-lowest reading on record after May.
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Related tickers and likely impact
QQQ
▼ Likely negativeInvesco QQQ Trust
Relevance: low
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | ETF |
| Close on 10/23/2026 | 704.39 |
| Change that session | -0.01% |
SPY
▼ Likely negativeSPDR S&P 500 ETF
Relevance: low
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | ETF |
| Close on 10/23/2026 | 759.85 |
| Change that session | -0.54% |
Impact is scored by AI from the headline and may be wrong. It is not investment advice.
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