Drop in Oil Prices Unlocks Rally in Tech Shares -- WSJ

By Caitlin McCabe

Stocks kicked off the week on an upbeat note, bolstered by falling oil prices and optimism around this week's talks between Washington and Beijing.

The Nasdaq is leading the gains, rising more than 1.5%, thanks to a rally in chip makers and other artificial-intelligence-related stocks. On Sunday, AI was a major focus of talks in New York between American and Chinese officials ahead of Chinese leader Xi Jinping's visit to the U.S. later this week. One topic discussed, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent: a "notification mechanism" for AI incidents that could affect national security.

Falling oil prices are also adding to the upbeat tone this morning. Brent crude futures are down more than 3% to trade below $100 a barrel, on track for a fourth straight day of losses. That's helping send global bond yields lower on both sides of the Atlantic. The 10-year yield is trading around 4.96%.

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September 21, 2026 12:41 ET (16:41 GMT)