Week ending 2 Oct 2026

It was one of the calmest weeks of the year. The Spotlight Index averaged 44, where 50 is a normal week, and only four weeks in the past year were calmer. Stocks were the quietest of all. Indices and forex had a fairly normal week.

Synopsys was the standout. At its investor day on 30 September it announced a multi-year chip design deal with Amazon worth over $1bn and a partnership with OpenAI. The shares rose 15% on the week, most of it on Thursday. Applied Materials rose 11%, with the first jump on Tuesday after Morgan Stanley raised its 2027 forecasts.

On the way down, Qualcomm fell 8%, most of it on Monday, when chip stocks sold off as the US 10-year yield reached about 5.25%. India's Nifty 50 fell 3% after oil jumped on Monday over the US and Iran standoff in the Strait of Hormuz. India is the world's third-largest oil importer. AstraZeneca slipped about 6%, a little each day, in a weaker week for health care stocks. No single cause was reported for that one.

It's a lighter week, with no US jobs or inflation figures. On Wednesday 7 October the Federal Reserve publishes the minutes of its 15 to 16 September meeting, at 14:00 Washington time. That was the meeting where it raised its main rate to 3.75 to 4%, so the minutes give the detail behind that decision. The same day, India's central bank announces its rate decision at the end of its 5 to 7 October meeting.

PepsiCo reports third-quarter results on Thursday 8 October at about 06:00 New York time, one of the first big US companies of the results season. Shanghai's stock market reopens that morning after the National Day holiday. On Friday 9 October, Canada publishes its September jobs report at 08:30 Ottawa time, Norway publishes its September inflation figure, and the US Department of Agriculture releases its monthly world crop supply report at 12:00 Washington time, covering corn, soybeans, wheat and more.