This daily briefing for September 29, 2026 covers a Wall Street session that closed lower on Monday amid rising bond yields, a warning from Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook on inflation, and the interest rate decision announced today by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA).
Wall Street closes lower on Monday, September 28
The three major U.S. indexes ended Monday’s session in decline. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost about 0.7 percent, or 347 points, to close at 51,481.51. The S&P 500 fell nearly 0.8 percent to finish at 7,683.69, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped more than 0.9 percent to settle at 26,820.38, according to CNBC.
The pullback came as U.S. bond yields remained under investor scrutiny, in a context where inflation expectations continue to play a central role in market decisions. For a broader view of the week’s moves, you can read our weekly market review for September 21 to 27.
Cook warns on inflation tied to AI and oil
The same day, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook delivered a speech in which she anticipates persistent pressure on U.S. inflation in the coming months. She pointed to two distinct drivers: the massive rollout of artificial intelligence and the pass-through of higher oil prices linked to the conflict in the Middle East.
In the text published by the Fed, she states: “in coming months I expect to see continued pressure on inflation from the AI buildout, as discussed today, and from the pass-through of higher oil prices and supply chain disruptions associated with the conflict in the Middle East,” meaning she expects, in the coming months, continued pressure on inflation stemming both from the AI buildout and from the pass-through of higher oil prices and supply chain disruptions tied to the conflict in the Middle East, according to the official speech published by the Federal Reserve.
This statement establishes a confirmed fact, namely a warning issued by a Fed governor, but it does not constitute a numerical inflation forecast or a monetary policy commitment. The text provides no numerical value attached to this expected pressure.
Today’s agenda: RBA rate decision
On the macroeconomic front, the Reserve Bank of Australia announced this Tuesday, September 29, 2026, a 25 basis point increase to its cash rate, bringing it to 4.60 percent, a decision made unanimously by the monetary policy board according to the statement published on the RBA’s official website. This rate follows the 4.35 percent level in effect since August 12, 2026.
Monday’s session had also been marked by central bank decisions, covered in our article on Norges Bank, Riksbank, and SNB.
What this briefing does not cover
This Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time, the Bureau of Labor Statistics is scheduled to release the JOLTS report on job openings for August 2026, according to its September 1, 2026 release schedule and the BLS’s JOLTS Home page. This report should not be confused with the Employment Situation, the monthly jobs report, whose next release is scheduled for October 2, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time, according to the BLS’s official calendar. This briefing does not list any expected numerical value for the JOLTS report, since the issuing institution has not published a consensus figure.
The week’s calendar also includes the release of the Personal Income and Outlays report for August 2026, which contains the PCE index, the Fed’s preferred inflation measure, expected on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s official calendar.
For traders following these macroeconomic deadlines within a funded account, it remains useful to review the associated risk management rules, for example those detailed in our article on the 50% margin close out on CFDs, on how stop orders function during periods of volatility, or on the limits of CFD leverage caps and initial margin.