Energy leads and consumer staples lags at midday

Among the eleven SPDR sector funds, Energy (+3.1%) and Technology (+0.8%) lead, and Consumer Staples (−1.9%) and Consumer Discretionary (−1.4%) lag: a 5.0-point spread from best to worst. SPY is down 0.3% and QQQ up 0.4% at 12:31 PM ET. SLB is up 7.5% after the company reported quarterly results today (8-K Item 2.02). The premarket direction is holding: SPY was down 0.3% at 8:15 AM ET. Cloudflare (+6.2%), Palo Alto Networks (+6.1%), and CrowdStrike (+5.8%), three software companies, are higher, and none has a verified company catalyst since Thursday's close; the Technology fund (XLK) is up 0.8%. Of the Morning's 3 tests, 1 is holding so far and 2 are still open. For the afternoon: Whether SPY closes below $763.96.

SPY is down 0.3% and QQQ up 0.4% at 12:31 PM ET versus the prior close. IWM is down 0.3%.

Sector funds range from Energy (+3.1%) to Consumer Staples (−1.9%); 2 of 10 are higher.

Leaders: Energy (XLE) +3.1%; Technology (XLK) +0.8%; Materials (XLB) −0.4%.

Laggards: Consumer Staples (XLP) −1.9%; Consumer Discretionary (XLY) −1.4%; Financials (XLF) −1.1%.

65 of the 225 large companies Blockhaven tracks are higher and 160 lower. This is not market-wide breadth.

• SLB SLB is up 7.5% after the company reported quarterly results today (8-K Item 2.02). That is 4.4 points ahead of the Energy fund (XLE, +3.1%).
• NET Cloudflare is up 6.2%. No verified catalyst identified. That is 5.4 points ahead of the Technology fund (XLK, +0.8%). Palo Alto Networks, another software company, is also up 6.1%.
• PANW Palo Alto Networks is up 6.1%. No verified catalyst identified. That is 5.3 points ahead of the Technology fund (XLK, +0.8%). Cloudflare, another software company, is also up 6.2%.
• CRWD CrowdStrike is up 5.8%. No verified catalyst identified. That is 5.0 points ahead of the Technology fund (XLK, +0.8%). Cloudflare, another software company, is also up 6.2%.
• T AT&T is down 5.7%. No verified catalyst identified. That is 4.7 points behind the Communication Services fund (XLC, −1.0%).

The Morning edition set 3 tests; each is checked against this observation, and the session is not over.

• Still open: The 10-year yield after Thursday's 17 bp drop. Treasury publishes one official reading a day, and today's was not yet available; there is no intraday official yield.
• Holding so far: Whether Infosys stays below Thursday's $13.22 close. INFY was at $12.54 at 12:31 PM ET, 5.1% below the $13.22 level the Morning named.
• Still open: ENI S.p.A. and Infosys are listed to report before the open. No results filing was found by this observation; timing came from a public calendar, not the company.

The VIX stood at 19.41 at 12:15 PM ET, up 0.38 points on the day. This is Cboe's delayed quote, not a close.

Treasury publishes one official yield reading a day, after the session; Blockhaven does not report an intraday yield, so rates are not described here.

What remains for the rest of the session.

1. Whether SPY closes below $763.96: It is down 0.3% at 12:31 PM ET, close to the line; the close settles the day's direction.

• The session is not over: a midday reading can change by the close, and nothing here is a forecast of it.
• Moves with no verified catalyst are reported, not explained.
• Blockhaven's Macro read is computed once a day and is not recomputed intraday, so it is not used here.

Observation 12:30 PM ET on Friday; data through 12:31 PM ET. Prices are delayed last trades from Nasdaq's public quotes, not closes.

This edition was compiled and published automatically from public sources under Blockhaven's standing editorial policy for intraday editions, at 12:31 PM ET on Fri, Oct 23, 2026, exactly as generated; an editor did not review it individually before release. It describes what has happened and is not a forecast or investment advice.

1. Nasdaq, Nasdaq market activity (quotes), accessed 2026-10-23
2. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC EDGAR company filings, accessed 2026-10-23
3. Cboe Global Markets, Cboe delayed quotes, accessed 2026-10-23