Wall Street opens higher: S&P 500 at 7661.67, up 0.50%, as VIX falls

US stocks opened higher on Monday, with the S&P 500 at 7661.67 at 10:00 New York time, up 0.50% from the previous close. The Nasdaq 100 stood at 29077.02, a gain of 0.41%.

What happened

The S&P 500 traded at 7661.67 at 10:00 New York time on October 26, 2026. The previous close was 7623.68, so the index was ahead by 37.99 points, or 0.50%.

The Nasdaq 100 moved in the same direction. It stood at 29077.02 against a previous close of 28957.53. That is a rise of 119.49 points, or 0.41%.

The session at the New York Stock Exchange runs from 09:30 to 16:00 New York time. The figures above therefore describe the market about half an hour after the opening bell, not the end of the day. Levels can change many times before the close.

The S&P 500 gained 37.99 points from Friday's level of 7623.68. The Nasdaq 100 gained 119.49 points from 28957.53. Both indexes began the week with gains of less than one percent.

Volatility and the reaction across the other instruments

The CBOE Volatility Index, known as the VIX, stood at 18.49 at 14:00 UTC. The previous close was 19.45.

The VIX is a gauge built from the prices of options on the S&P 500. It is often used to describe how much movement investors price in for the US equity market over the near term. A lower reading means that those option prices are lower than they were at the previous close. The reading says nothing about where stocks will go next.

The decline in the VIX came together with gains in both stock indexes. The S&P 500 is a broad index of large US companies. The Nasdaq 100 is more concentrated in large technology and growth companies. Both were higher at the same time on Monday morning, while the volatility gauge was lower than its previous close.

The VIX reading is a level taken at 14:00 UTC, which is 10:00 in New York. That is the same time as the index quotes for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100. The three readings therefore describe the same moment in the session.

The S&P 500 rose by 0.50% and the Nasdaq 100 by 0.41%. The VIX moved by -4.94%. The volatility gauge therefore moved by a larger percentage than either stock index, in the opposite direction. This is a common pattern when option prices on the S&P 500 fall while the index rises.

Global backdrop and the week's earnings

Outside the United States, world shares were mostly higher on Monday. That followed a decline on Wall Street in the previous period. Oil prices fell more than 1% in the same period.

The week brings results from several large companies linked to artificial intelligence. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, is among them. Microsoft and Amazon also report their latest financial results this week.

These companies are among the largest in US equity indexes. Their reports are therefore followed closely by market participants. Investors will look for details on their business and on spending related to artificial intelligence.

Because several of these companies carry large weights in major US indexes, their reports can influence the day-to-day movement of the benchmarks. That is one reason the early readings on Monday are viewed as a first step in a busy week rather than a conclusion.

The three companies cover different parts of the technology sector. Alphabet is the parent of Google. Microsoft and Amazon are also widely followed names in US benchmarks. Each will publish its own latest financial results during the week, and the dates and details will come from the companies themselves.

Why it matters

The first reading of a trading week shows how the market starts a busy stretch of company news. On Monday, both major US indexes were higher and the VIX was lower at the same time. Those three moves point in the same direction for this early part of the session.

The earnings schedule adds context. Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon are all linked to the spending and demand around artificial intelligence. Their results can shape how the market reads that theme. The size of any later moves will depend on what the companies report.

The fall in oil prices of more than 1% is a separate factor in the global picture. Energy prices feed into inflation and into the costs of many businesses. The size of the decline is the only detail available for oil at this point.

For international readers, the link between the three readings is useful. When stock indexes rise and the VIX falls, option prices on the S&P 500 are lower than at the previous close. That describes how the market priced risk at 10:00 New York time, and it can change within hours.

The 10:00 readings are also a snapshot, not a summary of the day. The VIX stood at 18.49 against 19.45 at the previous close. Both stock indexes remained under one percent higher. Moves of this size say little about the rest of the week.

What to watch next

The first item is how the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 stand at the close at 16:00 New York time. The reference points are the previous closes of 7623.68 and 28957.53. The close will show whether the morning gains held through the session.

The second item is the VIX, which stood at 18.49 against a previous close of 19.45. Its level at the end of the session will be compared with those figures.

The third item is the corporate calendar. Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon publish their latest financial results this week. Market participants will follow what each company says about its business and about AI-related activity.

Finally, the direction of oil prices remains in view after the fall of more than 1%. Later market reports will update these readings as the session develops.