Market Midday: Stocks Rise, Diesel Sets New Record, Palantir CEO on AI Safety • 9/17/26

Watch on YouTube ↗  |  September 17, 2026 at 16:44  |  3:59  |  CNBC
Speakers
Matt Smith — Lead Oil Analyst, Kpler
Mike Santoli — Senior Markets Commentator
Jessica Ettinger — Anchor, CNBC
Alex Karp — CEO, Palantir
Diana Olick — CNBC Real Estate Correspondent

Summary

Stocks rebounded midday after yesterday's Fed rate-increase selloff, with the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all higher. Oil prices pulled back and US crude fell below $100, helping airlines and chipmakers. Diesel hit a record high and an oil analyst warned fuel costs are feeding into inflation through groceries and transportation. Pending home sales were flat and mortgage rates moved above 7%, while Palantir's CEO discussed AI liability and Canada-EU trade tensions remained in focus.

  • U.S. equities rose midday, recovering from the prior day's Fed-driven selloff.
  • Oil prices eased, with US crude below $100 on improved supplies and Saudi transfer options.
  • Diesel set a record high, and Matt Smith warned of ongoing inflation pass-through.
  • Pending home sales were flat month over month and down year over year as mortgage rates topped 7%.
  • Palantir CEO Alex Karp discussed AI safety, liability, and self-regulation.
  • Canada-EU partnership talk continued amid US-Canada trade tensions.
Ideas
Matt Smith Lead Oil Analyst, Kpler 1:36
Fuel costs sustain inflation pass-through
Oil is up about $30 since early last month, feeding into pump prices. Gasoline is not falling as it normally does after summer driving season, and diesel is at another record high, up 9 cents overnight to $6.40 a gallon. Because 90% of groceries move by 18-wheeler and diesel is used in agriculture, construction, and manufacturing, those higher costs are already showing up in grocery prices and will continue to pass through, keeping inflation pressure elevated.
HO=F UGA MED
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This CNBC video, published September 17, 2026, features Matt Smith discussing HO=F, UGA. 1 trade idea extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.

Speakers: Matt Smith  · Tickers: HO=F, UGA