Today At A Glance:

AI-linked megacaps did the heavy lifting again: Amazon popped on a multibillion-dollar cloud deal with OpenAI while Nvidia extended gains, helping the S&P 500 edge higher and the Nasdaq outperform. The Dow lagged on healthcare and staples weakness after Kimberly-Clark unveiled a blockbuster purchase of Kenvue, sending KMB sharply lower even as KVUE jumped. Breadth was negative despite the index gains, a reminder that leadership remains narrow and tech-centric. Headlines around the Fed’s next steps stayed murky amid limited official data releases during the shutdown. End result: S&P +0.2%, Nasdaq +0.5%, Dow −0.5% at the close. 

Today’s Index Performance:

• Dow Jones Industrial Average — Closed 47,336.68, −0.5% on the day.
• S&P 500 — Closed 6,851.97, +0.2%.
• Nasdaq Composite — Closed 23,834.72, +0.5%.

Gainers Of Note:

• Kenvue (NYSE: KVUE) — Consumer health (Tylenol, Band-Aid, Listerine); spiked ~12–14% after Kimberly-Clark agreed to acquire the company in a cash-and-stock deal valued around $40–49B.
• IDEXX Laboratories (NASDAQ: IDXX) — Veterinary diagnostics; rallied ~13–16% on a Q3 beat and raised full-year guidance driven by strong pet-health demand.
• Iris Energy (NASDAQ: IREN) — AI/data-center capacity; jumped ~11–25% after announcing a $9.7B, five-year AI infrastructure deal with Microsoft (plus a related Dell supply pact).

Losers Of Note:

• Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) — Household & personal care; fell ~14–15% as investors balked at the size and risks of its Kenvue takeover.
• Beyond Meat (NASDAQ: BYND) — Alt-protein; slid ~16% after postponing earnings and flagging expected write-downs.
• Merck (NYSE: MRK) — Pharma; down ~3–4%, contributing to the Dow’s weakness amid broader pressure on managed care and drugmakers.

Active Traders Of Note:

• Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) — AI semis; heavy volume as the name added to year-to-date gains and remained a key driver of Nasdaq outperformance.
• Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) — E-commerce/cloud; active after shares rose ~4% on the $38B OpenAI on AWS announcement.
• Palantir (NASDAQ: PLTR) — AI/analytics; brisk trading into its after-the-bell Q3 report, with options markets pricing a sizable move.

Looking Forward:

Markets remain leadership-narrow: if AI capex news stays upbeat, tech could keep pulling indexes higher even as breadth wobbles. Watch for earnings from AI infrastructure and big pharma this week (plus PLTR results) to steer sector rotations. Without fresh government data, traders will lean harder on corporate guidance and private indicators—keeping single-stock volatility front and center.

THIS NEWSLETTER IS PARTNERED WITH ROBINHOOD.COM AND IS FINANCIALLY SPONSORED BY THAT SERVICE.

TO BEGIN YOUR INVESTMENT JOURNEY TODAY, USE THIS LINK TO SET UP YOUR ACCOUNT.