U.S. stocks finished mixed on Oct. 20 as falling oil prices and corporate earnings helped the Dow and S&P 500 recover from opening losses, while the Nasdaq Composite ended slightly lower.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 529.85 points, or 1.02%, to 52,495.88. The S&P 500 added 21.84 points, or 0.28%, to 7,712.57. The Nasdaq slipped 6.07 points, or 0.02%, to 26,424.82.
Oil’s retreat coincided with gains in airline shares. The Associated Press reported that American Airlines rose 3.7% and United Airlines gained 2.3% as oil fell. AFP reported that Brent crude futures reached $111.99 a barrel during the session before finishing at $108.79, down 0.7%.
The close reversed an early decline for two of the three indexes. Reuters reported that the Dow opened down 0.01%, the S&P 500 fell 0.15% and the Nasdaq dropped 0.37% as shares tied to artificial intelligence weakened and oil rose.
Company results gave investors another focus. Equifax reported third-quarter revenue of $1.693 billion, up 10% from a year earlier. Hasbro put Magic: The Gathering revenue above $600 million for the quarter, a first for the game. 3M raised its 2026 adjusted earnings forecast to $9.10 to $9.15 per share on a revised adjusted-earnings basis.
Technology shares remained a drag on the Nasdaq. AP identified Apple and Meta Platforms among the stocks weighing on the index. Separately, AP reported concern that elevated bond-market rates could make it harder to finance AI chip purchases through borrowing. The previous week had been the U.S. market’s worst since June, AP said.
Meta Platforms and Tesla are scheduled to release third-quarter results after the U.S. market closes Oct. 21.
