Equities: Fresh optimism lifts S&P 500 near highs – Deutsche Bank

FXStreetSep 22, 2026 7:56 AM

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Deutsche Bank strategists highlight a strong risk-on session in US equities, with the S&P 500 up over 1% and back in positive territory for September, sitting less than half a percent below its all-time high. Tech leadership via the Nasdaq and Magnificent 7, alongside gains in Meta and AMD, underscores renewed optimism around AI-related stocks.

US equities approach record levels

"For equities, it was also a very strong session, as fresh optimism on the outlook led to big gains across the major indices. In the US, the S&P 500 (+1.43%) rose for a third consecutive session and had its best day in seven weeks, leaving the index just -0.44% beneath its record high from last month."

"Tech stocks led the rally, with the Nasdaq (+2.26%) and the Magnificent 7 (+3.44%) rising to new record highs of the own. Top performers included Meta (+11.43%), amid optimism over its Muse AI agent, and chipmaker AMD (+9.95%), which became the latest company to reach a $1trn valuation. Meanwhile, there were broad gains in Europe, where the STOXX 600 (+1.02%), the DAX (+1.07%) and the CAC 40 (+0.92%) all climbed. "

"Asian equity markets are broadly higher this morning, led by technology stocks as an overnight rally on Wall Street reignited investor appetite for AI-related stocks. Across the region, the KOSPI (+0.69%) is leading gains, while Japanese markets remain closed through Wednesday."

"Elsewhere, China’s CSI 300 (+0.51%) is trading moderately higher, with the Shanghai Composite (+0.23%) and Hang Seng (+0.33%) posting modest advances. Meanwhile, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 (+0.29%) is also edging higher. US equity futures are fairly flat."

"And despite September’s reputation as one of the worst of the year for markets, the latest moves actually leave the S&P 500 (+1.49%) back in positive territory for the month and within half a percent of its all-time high. "

(This article was created with the help of an Artificial Intelligence tool and reviewed by an editor. Know more.)

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