Update: US Equity Indexes Rise as Strong Quarterly Results Help Lift Risk Sentiment

12:59 PM EDT, 10/20/2026 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with index/price moves and company/geopolitical news from the first paragraph.) US equity indexes rose in midday Trading Tuesday amid strong quarterly corporate results and declining crude oil prices. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1% to 52,476.6, the S&P 500 climbed 0.4% to 7,718.5, and the Nasdaq Composite edged up 0.2% to 26,472.5. S&P 500 and the Nasdaq traded lower earlier in the session. Equifax (EFX) reported a jump in Q3 adjusted earnings and operating revenue. Its shares soared more than 10%, the top gainer on the S&P 500. Hasbro (HAS) reported fiscal Q3 adjusted earnings above market forecasts. The toy and game maker raised its fiscal 2026 constant-currency sales growth outlook. Shares jumped 7.2%, the second-biggest outperformer on the S&P 500. 3M (MMM) raised its full-year earnings outlook as the industrial conglomerate's Q3 bottom line topped market estimates. Shares advanced 6.6%, among the leaders on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq. Eight of the top 10 stocks in a category with market capitalization exceeding $200 billion were from the healthcare sector, and the remaining two from technology, including Oracle (ORCL), according to data compiled by Finviz. AstraZeneca (AZN) said it will combine its expertise with Oracle's cloud, data, and AI-enabled skills to advance clinical trial optimization. The iShares PHLX Semiconductor Exchange Traded Fund (SOXX), with about $48.43 billion in assets under management, edged up 0.8%, the second consecutive day of gains in 11, reflecting investors continuing to dip toes back in following last week's sharp sell-off. In energy markets, the front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil contract slipped 0.7% to $102.99 per barrel, and global benchmark Brent dropped 1% to $108.50 per barrel.