By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer<\/p>\n
NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Oil prices are falling\u00a0again<\/a>\u00a0on Tuesday, which is helping to ease worries in\u00a0the bond market<\/a>\u00a0and support stock prices.<\/p>\n The S&P 500 rose 0.2% and edged a bit closer to\u00a0its all-time high<\/a>\u00a0set earlier this month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 58 points, or 0.1%, as of 10:15 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.5% higher.<\/p>\n Some of the strongest action was in the oil market, where the price for a barrel of Brent crude fell 2.7 to $88.10 and was heading for a second decline following 13 gains in 14 days. The drop came even though tensions between the United States and Iran seemed to ratchet higher after the Trump administration\u00a0announced new sanctions<\/a>\u00a0to further hurt Iran\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n Brent\u2019s price zigzagged between $72 and $102 last month as hopes rose and fell that\u00a0the United States and Iran<\/a>\u00a0could reach a deal that would allow oil tankers to freely exit the Persian Gulf again.<\/p>\n Tuesday\u2019s drop in oil prices tempered the worries about\u00a0high inflation<\/a>\u00a0that helped drive Treasury yields in the bond market higher through the summer. Yields had gotten so high that the U.S. Treasury Department announced\u00a0a surprise move last week<\/a>\u00a0to increase its repurchases of longer-term Treasury notes and bonds.<\/p>\n High yields make\u00a0borrowing more expensive for everyone<\/a>\u00a0and can slow the economy\u2019s growth while undercutting prices for stocks, cryptocurrencies and other investments.<\/p>\n The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.66% from 4.70% late Monday and from 4.74% at the end of last week. That\u2019s a significant move for the bond market, though the 10-year yield remains firmly above its 3.97% level from before the war with Iran sent oil prices and worries about inflation much higher.<\/p>\n On Wall Street, Nvidia and other winners of the boom in\u00a0artificial-intelligence<\/a>\u00a0technology helped lead the way. Nvidia rose 2.3%, a day after its drop of 2.9% was the heaviest weight on the S&P 500.<\/p>\n AI stocks have veered up and down through the summer on worries that their prices shot too high and that the AI boom may not be sustainable if it doesn\u2019t produce enough profits for companies. Nvidia will report its latest quarterly results on Wednesday, which could help steer the next move for AI-related stocks.<\/p>\n The gains for chip stocks helped offset a 25.5% drop for Dick\u2019s Sporting Goods, which reported weaker results for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Executive Chairman Ed Stack said the retailer cut prices on some of its footwear and apparel to remain competitive, while launches for some footwear during the quarter ended up being weaker than it expected.<\/p>\n The company cut is forecast for an underlying measure of profit in 2026 for both its Dick\u2019s and Foot Locker businesses. Its stock is potentially heading toward its worst day in three years.<\/p>\n Worries have been rising about how strong spending can remain for U.S. households, which is the main engine of the economy. They\u2019re facing higher prices on everything from food to clothes and a\u00a0job market that suddenly looks iffier<\/a>\u00a0after employers cut more jobs last month than they added.<\/p>\n