One day after the Nasdaq's worst session since June, Friday flipped the pain: the Dow fell 1.23% while the Nasdaq 100 closed essentially unchanged — and the day's standout large-cap move was a cell-tower stock, Crown Castle, up 9.11% on reports SpaceX is hunting tower sites.
Recap
The bounce never broadened, it just rotated. At Friday's official closes (Robinhood), SPY fell 0.54% to $759.85, QQQ was essentially flat at $704.39 (-0.01%) and DIA fell 1.23% to $521.40 — the Dow taking the day's damage one session after it was the only index to finish green. The S&P 500 index printed 7,623.68 (-0.52%) vs Thursday's 7,663.43 close (AP) and the Nasdaq-100 printed 28,957.53 (Robinhood index quotes), with the VIX at 19.45. Oil stayed the second front: at midday WTI crude was up 3.51% to $102.96 and Brent reached $116.99, energy was the leading sector (+2.95% at midday) and the 10-year Treasury yield sat at 4.994%, just below 5% (Curve Ahead Market Strategies midday check, citing Reuters). The flash composite PMI printed 57.6, with selling prices rising at the fastest pace since August 2022 (S&P Global via CAMS) — growth holding up, inflation not going away.
The Mag 7 mostly leaked lower again at Friday's official closes (Robinhood): Alphabet $320.27 (-1.22%), Meta $642.26 (-1.02%), Amazon $248.05 (-0.93%), Tesla $372.22 (-0.63%), Nvidia $211.00 (-0.57%) and Apple $347.72 (-0.14%) — with Microsoft the group's only green close at $524.53 (+0.66%). The day's real action was elsewhere: Crown Castle jumped 9.11% to $86.01 and SBA Communications rose 3.56% to $184.74 after reports SpaceX is seeking cell-tower sites for a mobile carrier service, a development pressuring AT&T and other carriers (Reuters; Bloomberg). SLB ripped 7.06% to $53.05 after reporting revenue up 6% year over year (CAMS). American Express fell 3.72% to $313.06 despite record quarterly revenue of $20.1 billion and a raised earnings outlook (CAMS). Micron rose 2.41% to $877.11 as semiconductors stabilized after Thursday's 6.72% Philadelphia semiconductor index rout.
Friday close: the Mag 7, with Microsoft the only green name. Source: Robinhood official closes, October 23, 2026.
Watch Monday: whether Brent holds near $117 and WTI above $100 over the weekend, whether the Dow's industrial slide spreads, and the run into Wednesday's FOMC decision on October 28.
The OnDeck Book
Account core portfolio equity $56,054.98 vs a $56,835.44 adjusted prior close — day change -$780.46 (Robinhood portfolio pull, 4:32 PM ET). Total equity (summary) $59,929.13, buying power $34,645.22, cash $18,980.23, options market value $7,439.00 and API futures market value $0. Positions (official Oct 23 closes, Robinhood): SPCX 150 shares, avg cost $132.1302, closed $147.50 (+1.90% on the day, +11.63% vs avg cost), unrealized +$2,304.72; SOFI 200 shares, avg $17.0975, closed $14.62 (-1.05%, -14.52% vs avg), unrealized -$496.50; QUBT 700 shares, avg $8.21, closed $6.56 (-0.53%, -20.16% vs avg), unrealized -$1,158.50. Options (marks at the Oct 23 close, Robinhood): NVDA $215 calls expiring Oct 28 — 20 long, clearing cost $5,380 total ($2.69 per share) vs a $1.89 mark, market value $3,780.00; SPCX $152.50 calls expiring Oct 28 — 11 long, clearing cost $1,960 total ($1.78 per share) vs a $1.53 mark, market value $1,683.00; SPCX $148 calls expiring Nov 6 — 2 long, clearing cost $1,100 total ($5.50 per share) vs a $5.98 mark, market value $1,196.00; NVDA $215 calls expiring Nov 4 — 2 long, clearing cost $880 total ($4.40 per share) vs a $3.90 mark, market value $780.00. Orders: sold to close 5 SPCX $152.50 calls (Oct 28) at $2.16 — realized -$305.00 gross of fees (verified ledger). Bought to open: 5 NVDA $215 calls (Oct 28) at $2.20, 5 more at $1.87, and 2 NVDA $215 calls (Nov 4) at $4.40. No equity fills in either account. Futures: none (fully closed Oct 22). Crypto: ETH 1.6 coins, clearing cost basis $3,916.98, mark $2,397.49, indicative value $3,835.98; dust: DOGE 1.0, USDC 0.00993.
Updated Oct 28 with verified figures.
Friday's standouts: tower names and oil ripped while American Express slid on its print. Source: Robinhood official closes, October 23, 2026.
Sources: AP (index closes), Reuters and Bloomberg (SpaceX tower-site talks), S&P Global via Curve Ahead Market Strategies midday check (flash PMI, oil, 10-year), CAMS (SLB, American Express, Micron), Robinhood (official closes and index quotes). No buy or sell advice.