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September 14, 2026 - 00:06
4 minutes
(Bloomberg) — US equity futures fell and oil advanced as investors weighed renewed concerns over the pace of AI development against hotter-than-expected US inflation that bolstered bets the Federal Reserve may raise interest rates on Wednesday.Futures on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 Index declined 1.2% after the underlying benchmark gained 0.9% Friday. S&P 500 futures also fell in early Asian trading.Anthropic Chief Executive Officer Dario Amodei said Saturday that the company would introduce additional safeguards, including independent third-party evaluations, and urged the broader industry to slow the development of its most advanced models. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman backed the proposal, while xAI’s Elon Musk said “Dario is right.”Brent crude rose 2.8% to $107.55 a barrel after Saudi Arabia shut a key oil pipeline following drone attacks and a planned meeting between Iran and Gulf states was postponed. Treasury yields rose Friday, with two-year yields climbing four basis points in New York and 10-year yields edging closer to the key 5% level.Focus will be on Asian chip and technology stocks Monday as investors assess whether the weekend’s warnings will translate into slower corporate spending, while elevated US inflation raises the prospect of higher-for-longer interest rates.“It could be a very interesting start to the week with investors evaluating how much a significant change of strategy at the top of some of the biggest AI firms will affect valuations,” said Nick Twidale, chief market analyst at AT Global Markets in Sydney. “Would think that some of the Asian big tech names that supply some of these big names will be the first to be hit.”US inflation is likely to remain the more immediate test for markets after data showed faster-than-expected price growth, reinforcing expectations the Fed may hike rates Wednesday. Three decisions, starting with the Fed and followed on successive days by policymakers in the UK and Japan, could reshape the global monetary policy outlook for the rest of 2026 and beyond.With oil emphatically above $100 a barrel again and the Middle East war apparently reigniting, any hope among policymakers for a respite in global price pressures seems faint for now.Meanwhile, President Donald Trump downplayed the growing alarm over AI risks with questions arising over how committed industry leaders will be to slowing development of their most advanced — and lucrative — models amid intense competition from Chinese rivals.The debate adds to scrutiny of the vast sums being poured into AI and whether earnings can justify soaring infrastructure costs. High-valuation shares remain vulnerable to signs of weaker returns or slower spending, though some investors expect any pullback to be short-lived as demand for computing infrastructure remains strong.“Until any need for slowing in development translates into capex guidance cuts or delayed model releases, this is likely a sentiment driver not a valuation or earnings driver,” said Kerry Craig, a global market strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management.Corporate Highlights:Anthropic PBC has picked Nasdaq as its listing venue ahead of a potential record-setting initial public offering, according to a person familiar with the matter. OpenAI won’t go public in this year as the artificial intelligence company focuses on addressing safety-related concerns around the technology, Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman told Fortune in an interview. Chubu Electric Power Co.’s top two executives are set to step down over the falsification of safety data used in regulatory reviews to restart some of its nuclear reactors, according to local media. Some of the main moves in markets:StocksS&P 500 futures fell 0.6% as of 7 a.m. Tokyo time CurrenciesThe euro was little changed at $1.1595 The Japanese yen was little changed at 153.49 per dollar The offshore yuan was unchanged at 6.7080 per dollar The Australian dollar was little changed at $0.7166 CryptocurrenciesBitcoin was little changed at $77,250.35 Ether fell 0.2% to $2,505.93 CommoditiesWest Texas Intermediate crude rose 1.9% to $101.93 a barrel Spot gold fell 0.4% to $4,332.55 an ounce ©2026 Bloomberg L.P.
