US Equity Markets End Lower After Higher Treasury Yields, Fed Governor's Remarks on Inflation

04:11 PM EDT, 09/29/2026 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes ended lower Tuesday as Treasury yields continued to rise and Fed Governor Michael Barr kept his stance on further interest rate increases amid mixed macroeconomic data and deteriorating US-Iran settlement prospects. * Referring to elevated energy prices, the AI buildout, and geopolitical uncertainty, Barr said that "the combined effect has meant we have been knocked off course on our progress toward our 2% goal." * The 30-year was up 4.6 basis points to 5.607% on Tuesday, after hitting an intraday high of 5.621%, its strongest level since 2002. * The Conference Board's measure of consumer confidence fell to 81.9 in September from 88.6 in the month prior, compared with an expected rise to 89.0 in a Bloomberg-compiled survey. * US job openings in August declined to 7.079 million from 7.335 million openings in July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, compared with 7.228 million openings expected in a Bloomberg-compiled survey. * November West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell $3.31 to settle at $89.29 per barrel, while November Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen down $2.78 at $102.50. * Carnival (CCL) shares were up roughly 13%, the top gainer on the S&P 500, after the company reported higher fiscal Q3 revenue, beating market consensus. * Fair Isaac (FICO) shares fell nearly 27%, the worst performer on the S&P 500, after Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte said late Monday on X that VantageScore will join the existing FICO classic mortgage pricing grid.