Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500 post best day in a month, Nasdaq jumps as rate-hike fears ease

US stocks surged on Thursday (September 3, 2026) as optimistic comments from Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller that pricing pressures showed signs of improving led traders to pare back rate-hike expectations. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) climbed 1.3%, and the S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 1%, both posting their best day since August 4.

Why it matters: The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) jumped about 1.4% as the yield on 10-year Treasurys (^TNX) eased to 4.74%.