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Record S&P 500 Amid Rising Rates and Oil Prices
Confirmed
In Short: The S&P 500 hit a record high despite rising interest rates and elevated oil prices, reflecting strong economic growth and investor confidence.
The S&P 500 index hit a record high on September 24, 2026, despite rising interest rates and elevated oil prices, reflecting strong economic growth and investor confidence.
In the UK, Northern Ireland saw the strongest annual house price growth, with prices up by 6.9% annually, while Scotland recorded a 3.5% increase, according to Lloyds Bank.
However, the average house price in the UK remains around 25% higher than at the end of 2019, despite substantial interest rate increases.
Jonathan Hopper, chief executive of Garrington Property Finders, noted that struggling sellers are cutting prices to attract buyers, with those putting their homes on the market facing an uncomfortable reality check on their price expectations.
In Israel, home prices rose by 0.1% in May and June 2026 compared to the previous two-month period, but have declined in eight out of the last 12 months, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics.
High interest rates, a record supply of unsold new housing, and high prices have tamped down sales, with the shekel’s strength against the dollar also affecting demand from overseas buyers.
Inflation in some of the eurozone's biggest economies, such as France and Italy, rose far quicker than expected in September, driven by soaring energy costs due to the Middle East war.
In France, consumer prices rose 3% in the month compared to a year earlier, the highest since February 2024, while in Italy, inflation jumped to 4.2%, nearly a full percentage point above the 3.3% recorded in August.
Diesel prices in Germany, France, Italy, and several other eurozone countries have hit record highs, a result of the Middle East war that has slowed shipments of both crude oil and refined fuels from the Gulf.
Central banks are raising interest rates to combat inflation, with US long-dated Treasury yields rising to their highest in more than 20 years on September 24, extending the phenomenon of global selloff that has accelerated over worries of high energy costs and resilient economic growth.
What this adds
The S&P 500's record high reflects strong economic growth and investor confidence despite rising interest rates and elevated oil prices.
In Israel, average prices rose in Jerusalem, Haifa, and the north, but fell in the Central District and Tel Aviv.
In the UK, the average annual drop in property values was recorded by Lloyds in August, reflecting the greater affordability challenge caused by higher average prices in southern England.
Background
Eligible workers can generally begin claiming retirement benefits at age 62, with Social Security playing a critical role in retirement income for many Americans.
The average price of diesel in the UK is close to an all-time high, driven by ongoing conflict between the US and Iran.
What's confirmed
- The S&P 500 index hit a record high on September 24, 2026, despite rising interest rates and elevated oil prices, reflecting strong economic growth and investor confidence.
- In the UK, Northern Ireland saw the strongest annual house price growth, with prices up by 6.9% annually, while Scotland recorded a 3.5% increase, according to Lloyds Bank.
- However, the average house price in the UK remains around 25% higher than at the end of 2019, despite substantial interest rate increases.
- Jonathan Hopper, chief executive of Garrington Property Finders, noted that struggling sellers are cutting prices to attract buyers, with those putting their homes on the market facing an uncomfortable reality check on their price expectations.
- In Israel, home prices rose by 0.1% in May and June 2026 compared to the previous two-month period, but have declined in eight out of the last 12 months, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics.
- High interest rates, a record supply of unsold new housing, and high prices have tamped down sales, with the shekel’s strength against the dollar also affecting demand from overseas buyers.
- Inflation in some of the eurozone's biggest economies, such as France and Italy, rose far quicker than expected in September, driven by soaring energy costs due to the Middle East war.
- In France, consumer prices rose 3% in the month compared to a year earlier, the highest since February 2024, while in Italy, inflation jumped to 4.2%, nearly a full percentage point above the 3.3% recorded in August.
- Diesel prices in Germany, France, Italy, and several other eurozone countries have hit record highs, a result of the Middle East war that has slowed shipments of both crude oil and refined fuels from the Gulf.
- Central banks are raising interest rates to combat inflation, with US long-dated Treasury yields rising to their highest in more than 20 years on September 24, extending the phenomenon of global selloff that has accelerated over worries of high energy costs and resilient economic growth.
What's still developing
- By contrast, price growth remains under pressure across much of southern England, reflecting the greater affordability challenge caused by higher average prices, the bank added.
- Prices have fallen by 4.1% in the central district, 1.8% in Haifa, and 1.7% in Tel Aviv.
- "With very few signs of a resolution of tensions in the Middle East on the horizon and winter approaching, a correction in energy prices is unlikely any time soon," Rory Fennessy, senior European economist at Oxford Economics, said.
- That will weigh on household purchasing power "at a time when consumption is weakening and rising interest rates are exacerbating France's fiscal difficulties," they said.
- “The vast majority of the move higher in yields since March has been driven by rising Fed expectations, with the remainder driven by a combination of rising growth expectations and higher oil prices,” said Gennadiy Goldberg, head of US rates strategy at TD Securities, in a research note.
- Along with the United States, the major global economies are grappling with higher interest payments as well, with spending and lending demands surging steadily at the government, business, and household levels.
- Bond markets worldwide have been pressured for months, sending yields to multi-decade highs as the Iran war raised energy prices and as investors fret about government spending.
- August 14, 2026 / 12:57 PM EDT / CBS News The gold market has commanded plenty of attention over the last couple of years, with prices climbing sharply overall and repeatedly setting new records along the way.
Sources
- Independentlink
- Timesofisraellink
- Dailysabahlink
- Internationalfinancelink
- CBS Newslink
- Fox Businesslink
- Newslink
- Warpbeatlink
- Sunsirslink
- Al Jazeeralink
- Fxstreetlink
- Analyticsinsightlink
- WarpBeat — background on High Interest Rates May Offer Safer Retirement Income link
- WarpBeat — background on UK Diesel Prices Near All-Time High Amid Iran-US Conflict link
- Schwab Network — video link