Today At A Glance:

Tech led a cautious advance as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq notched modest gains while the Dow was roughly flat, with traders eyeing Washington’s funding showdown. Gold spiked to fresh records above $3,800/oz as the dollar eased and investors hedged shutdown risk; oil slid on supply headlines, pressuring energy shares. Semiconductor and megacap tech strength helped buoy sentiment. Deal chatter and stock-specific news added volatility—Electronic Arts popped on a $55B take-private bid, while Western Digital jumped on bullish analyst calls. Biotech was a notable weak spot after MoonLake cratered on mixed Phase 3 data.

Today’s Index Performance:

• Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI): The Dow opened today at 46,306.34 and closed today at 46,302.99, with the percentage change of +0.12%.
• S&P 500 (^GSPC): The S&P 500 opened today at 6,669.56 and closed today at 6,651.61, with the percentage change of +0.12%.
• Nasdaq Composite: The Nasdaq opened today at 22,605.30 and closed today at 22,578.64, with the percentage change of +0.42%.

Gainers Of Note:

• Merus (NASDAQ: MRUS) – Clinical-stage oncology biotech; surged ~37% after agreeing to be acquired by Genmab in an ~$8B deal.
• Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) – Data-storage hardware; jumped ~7–8% after a major price-target hike and bullish AI-storage outlook from Morgan Stanley.
• Robinhood (NASDAQ: HOOD) – Retail brokerage/fintech; rallied ~9–12% on heavy interest tied to the expanded rollout of its new banking offering.

Losers Of Note:

• MoonLake Immunotherapeutics (NASDAQ: MLTX) – Autoimmune-disease biotech; plunged ~88–90% after mixed Phase 3 results for HS therapy sonelokimab underwhelmed investors.
• Beyond Meat (NASDAQ: BYND) – Plant-based foods; fell ~32% to record lows after launching an exchange offer for convertible bonds to cut debt.
• Carnival (NYSE: CCL) – Cruise operator; slipped ~4–5% despite an earnings beat and guidance raise, as investors questioned durability after a strong run.

Active Traders Of Note:

• Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) – AI chips; traded very heavy volume amid ongoing AI partnership headlines and chip-sector strength.
• Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) – EV maker; saw elevated turnover as investors positioned ahead of quarterly delivery numbers.
• Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) – E-commerce & cloud; posted strong activity alongside a broader big-tech rebound that supported the Nasdaq.

Looking Forward:

With a possible U.S. government shutdown still in play, traders will watch for any late-hour funding breakthroughs and the potential knock-on effect of delayed economic data releases. If tech leadership persists and energy remains soft, rotation into growth and defensives could continue near-term. Earnings pre-announcements and M&A chatter (plus any shutdown headlines) are likely to steer the tone into tomorrow’s open.

Note: The stock performance summaries are based on general trends observed over the past ten trading days and are not indicative of future results.

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