Russia reports strikes on Ukrainian troop points, Ukraine claims hitting Russian forces

Russia said on Monday that its forces took control of a settlement in Zaporizhzhia and struck Ukrainian drone storage sites and temporary deployment points of Ukrainian troops and foreign mercenaries in 148 areas, while Ukraine reported targeting multiple Russian drone command posts and troop assembly areas in the past day.

In a daily report, the Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces had taken control of the Samoilovka settlement in the Zaporizhzhia region over the past 24 hours. The midday report said fighting was ongoing in four settlements in the Kharkiv region, including Varvarovka and Nikolayevka. Russian forces had completed clearing a small encirclement north of Rublenoye, and they had advanced in the southern and central parts of Dobropillia in the Donetsk region, taking control of 51 buildings over the past day.

Russian forces struck Ukrainian drone storage sites and temporary deployment points of Ukrainian troops and foreign mercenaries across 148 areas, while air defense forces shot down four guided aerial bombs, one U.S.-made HIMARS rocket and 861 fixed-wing drones, according to the report. Russian state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev said on Monday that Ukrainian armed forces attacked two facilities at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant early that morning, one of which is used for processing radioactive waste, and that there is currently no nuclear safety threat. He also said that Ukrainian strikes over the past two weeks had systematically targeted the nearby Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant, leaving about 70 infrastructure facilities completely destroyed and about 50 others damaged in the city of Enerhodar.

Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a battlefield update released on Monday that as of 08:00 that day, 177 combat clashes had taken place at the front over the past day. Ukrainian air, missile, and artillery units struck four Russian drone command posts, four troop concentration areas, three artillery units, and one high-value target. Russian forces launched 23 attacks in Kostiantynivka. In the Pokrovsk direction, Ukrainian forces repelled 24 Russian attacks.

During the past day, Ukrainian forces destroyed two Russian tanks, four armored vehicles, 47 artillery systems, three multiple launch rocket systems, two air defense systems, 22 ground robotic systems, 1,855 drones, 727 vehicles, five pieces of special equipment and one heavy flamethrower system, according to the update.

Russia reports strikes on Ukrainian troop points, Ukraine claims hitting Russian forces

U.S. stocks closed higher on Monday, as strength in artificial intelligence and technology stocks overcame a renewed surge in Treasury yields to 24-year highs.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 90.94 points, or 0.18 percent, to 51,267.90. The S and P 500 added 51.23 points, or 0.66 percent, to 7,773.95. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased by 286.45 points, or 1.05 percent, to 27,477.31, notching a record closing high.

Ten of the 11 primary S and P 500 sectors ended in the green, with materials and communication services leading the gainers by adding 1.22 percent and 1.14 percent, respectively. Real estate bucked the trend, losing 0.44 percent.

U.S. Treasury yields climbed back toward multidecade highs on Monday. The benchmark 10-year yield settled at 5.31 percent, its highest close since April 2002, after trading above 5.35 percent intraday. The 30-year yield rose 3.5 basis points to 5.66 percent, its highest settlement since May 2002. The two-year yield stood at 4.83 percent.

Oil prices fell as traders weighed the Group of Seven's agreement to release 100 million barrels of crude and diesel from emergency reserves, alongside recovering Middle East exports. The West Texas Intermediate for November delivery decreased by 1.68 U.S. dollars, or 1.84 percent, to settle at 89.43 dollars a barrel. Brent crude for December delivery lost 1.93 dollars, or 1.89 percent, to settle at 100.32 dollars a barrel.

On the corporate front, Nvidia rose more than 2 percent to a record high for the second straight session, remaining the world's most valuable public company. PTC soared 33.49 percent, the S and P 500's best performer, after Schneider Electric agreed to acquire it at 205 dollars per share in a 22.6-billion-dollar all-cash deal, a 42.3 percent premium. By contrast, Schneider fell nearly 10 percent.

SpaceX jumped over 7.5 percent after Morgan Stanley initiated coverage with an overweight rating and a 300-dollar target. Western Digital climbed over 6 percent and Seagate gained about 4.5 percent, rebounding from Friday's plunge on a Toshiba capacity report. Cerebras gained 9.08 percent after OpenAI's Sam Altman called it a "close partner."

On the economic front, the ISM services index for September came in at 54.9, down from 55.4 in August and roughly in line with expectations. Traders see about a 24 percent chance of a rate hike at the Fed's October meeting, down from 71 percent a week ago, according to CME FedWatch.

U.S. stocks close higher despite surging Treasury yields