The S&P 500 closed at 7,676.77 on 26 October 2026, up 0.70%, after Anthropic made its IPO filing public and set the AI trade moving again. Tech and chip stocks did most of the lifting, ending two straight weekly losses for the index.
Key takeaways
- The S&P 500 gained 0.70%, the Nasdaq 0.82% and the Dow 0.28% on 26 October 2026, according to Yahoo Finance’s market coverage.
- Anthropic’s filing shows fast revenue growth and very large losses and spending commitments.
- Chipmakers Nvidia, Broadcom and Micron rose. Tesla jumped about 6% after a Barclays upgrade.
- A Federal Reserve decision and earnings from Alphabet and Microsoft were due on 28 October 2026.
Why did the S&P 500 rise on 26 October 2026?
The main trigger was Anthropic’s public IPO filing. Investors read it as proof that demand for AI is still huge, and they bought the companies that sell the hardware behind it.
The index needed the lift. Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq had lost ground for two weeks running, so some of Monday’s move was buyers returning after a dip. MarketScreener described the session as heading for the market’s best day in a month.
{{IMG1}}How did the major indexes and assets close?
Here are the figures reported for the close on 26 October 2026:
| Measure | Level | Change |
|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 | 7,676.77 | +0.70% |
| Nasdaq | 26,169.38 | +0.82% |
| Dow Jones | 52,361.58 | +0.28% |
| Russell 2000 | 2,786.42 | +0.38% |
| VIX (volatility) | 18.39 | -5.45% |
| 10-year Treasury yield | 4.986% | -0.04% |
The VIX is the market’s “fear gauge”, a measure of expected swings in the S&P 500. A fall of more than 5% says traders felt calmer at the close.
What does Anthropic’s IPO filing actually show?
Anthropic plans to list on the Nasdaq under the ticker “ANT”, with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley as lead underwriters, per CNBC’s live coverage. No price or share count has been set.
The numbers, as summarised by Yahoo Finance, are striking:
- Revenue of about $16.3 billion in the six months to June 2026, against $4.6 billion for all of 2025.
- AI infrastructure spending of $9 billion in the first half, against $7.3 billion in all of 2025.
- Roughly one-fifth of revenue from two customers.
- A net loss of $80.7 billion through June, mostly from accounting charges.
- Up to $120.5 billion of spending commitments with SpaceX’s AI unit through 2029.
- “Increasingly restrictive AI regulation” flagged as a risk.
Revenue growing that fast while the losses are so large is the whole AI debate in one document. Our earlier piece on OpenAI’s funding round covers the same tension from a rival’s side.
{{IMG2}}Why do AI stocks react so strongly to one filing?
Because the AI boom runs on borrowed and raised money. Finimize noted the open question: can Big Tech keep funding data centres with cheap debt while borrowing costs stay high, or will it need to sell stock? Meta has said it may raise up to $95 billion in equity for AI capacity, and new shares can dilute existing holders.
A public listing gives Anthropic a new way to raise cash. It also gives investors a fresh way to value the whole sector, which is why chip names moved with it. For more on who is paying for all this, see our piece on Nvidia’s role as AI financier.
My opinion: one filing does not settle whether AI spending pays off. It does show how much of the S&P 500’s direction now depends on a handful of AI-linked names.
What happens next
The Fed’s two-day meeting began on 27 October 2026, with a decision due on 28 October. Markets widely expected rates to hold, and some analysts expected a “hawkish pause”, meaning no change but a warning that cuts are far off.
Alphabet and Microsoft were also due to report after the close on 28 October 2026, with Amazon among the other earnings that investors watched for signs of AI demand. The ECB, Bank of Canada and Bank of Japan also had meetings scheduled that week. Anthropic’s pricing and share count are still to come.
{{IMG3}}FAQ
What is the S&P 500?
It is an index tracking 500 large US companies, weighted by market value. It is the most common benchmark for the US stock market.
When will Anthropic’s shares start trading?
No date has been reported. The filing names the ticker “ANT” on the Nasdaq, but the price and share count are not yet set.
Did the Fed change rates because of the rally?
No. The Fed decides on inflation and jobs data, not on one day’s stock move. Its decision was due on 28 October 2026, and a hold was widely expected.
Next step: read the Fed’s statement and the Alphabet and Microsoft results side by side, and see whether rates and AI spending point the same way.
This article is for information only and is not investment advice.
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