U.S. stocks pared losses Tuesday afternoon as a brief easing in the bond-market sell-off followed WTI crude falling below $90 a barrel. The 10-year Treasury yield had approached 5.3%, while the 30-year government bond yield exceeded 5.6%, its highest level since 2002. The S&P 500, down almost 0.4% at 2 p.m. ET, recovered toward the flatline. New York Fed President John Williams said there was "no need for urgency" in the Federal Reserve’s next move after its September hike, while adding that another increase by year-end may be appropriate if the economy follows his forecast. CME FedWatch data showed the probability of a hike at the late-October meeting falling to roughly 50% from 71% a day earlier, although markets still overwhelmingly priced in at least one increase by year-end. The report says stocks remain highly sensitive to bond-market moves because higher rates can restrain economic activity and reduce the present value of future earnings and cash flows. Oversold conditions could support a rebound, but the timing remains uncertain while yields stay elevated; the S&P Oscillator closed Monday at minus 5.37%, below the minus 4% oversold threshold, and has remained in that territory since Sept. 10. Separately, Apple CEO John Ternus is beginning to emphasize fewer management layers and faster product development, a direction that could distinguish his tenure from Tim Cook’s focus on supply chains, smartphones, wearables and Services. The company faces faster hardware and artificial-intelligence innovation from Meta Platforms, Alphabet and OpenAI, while Bank of America said Apple’s software and services teams need to accelerate alongside daily improvements in AI agents. Conagra, Jabil and FactSet Research Systems are scheduled to report before Wednesday’s opening bell, alongside August personal consumption expenditure inflation data and the final second-quarter GDP estimate. CNBC Investing Club subscribers receive trade alerts before Jim Cramer trades, with a 45-minute waiting period for portfolio transactions and a 72-hour period when he has discussed a stock on CNBC TV.