U.S. stocks rose: the S&P 500 gained 0.68% to 7,826.75, the Dow added 0.48% to 51,516.39, and the Nasdaq climbed 0.59% to 27,640.332. Amazon gained 1.58% and Microsoft rose 1.26%, while Apple slipped 0.10%. The VIX volatility index fell 2.77% to 15.09. Gold futures rose 0.87% to $4,193, while crude oil futures edged down 0.08% to $89.36.
Energy news drew attention: Vistra options activity surged on a $4.2 billion DOE nuclear loan commitment, and Venture Global shares rose amid a report that Chinese buyers were considering expanded U.S. LNG deals. Google launched EmbeddingGemma 2 for on-device multimodal search. S&P upgraded Cushman & Wakefield’s credit rating to BB, citing progress on leverage.
Watch for developments in those potential LNG deals and the response to Northeast Democrats’ calls for action on rising heating oil costs. Household energy prospects differ by fuel: the EIA says U.S. homes using natural gas and propane will spend less this winter. Corporate AI announcements and nuclear financing also remain stories to follow.