Today At A Glance:

Stocks stabilized after four straight declines, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq edging higher while the Dow slipped as traders braced for Nvidia’s after-the-bell results. A volatile session followed the release of Fed minutes (little near-term cut appetite) and a still-elevated VIX, but dip-buyers showed up into the close. Retail was mixed: Lowe’s rallied on a profit beat and outlook, while Target fell on soft sales. Utilities lagged as Eversource tumbled after Connecticut regulators blocked its water-unit sale; energy stocks also struggled alongside softer crude. By the bell, the S&P 500 rose ~0.2%, the Nasdaq gained ~0.4%, and the Dow eased ~0.1%.

Today’s Index Performance:

• Dow Jones Industrial Average — The Dow opened today at 46,138.68 and closed at 46,038.42, with a −0.12% change on the day.
• S&P 500 — The S&P 500 opened today at 6,623.33 and closed at 6,631.86, with a +0.22% change on the day.
• Nasdaq Composite — The Nasdaq opened today at 22,459.27 and closed at 22,527.61, with a +0.42% change on the day.

Gainers Of Note:

• Lowe’s (NYSE: LOW) – Home-improvement retailer; rose ~4–6% after a profit beat and updated full-year outlook signaled steadier Pro demand versus a weak read from its rival.
• Constellation Energy (NASDAQ: CEG) – Nuclear & clean power; gained ~3–6% on news of a $1B federal loan to restart the Three Mile Island Unit 1 reactor (Crane Clean Energy Center).
• Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) – Search/cloud & AI; advanced ~3% as enthusiasm around new AI model launches and recent big-money ownership disclosures kept momentum intact.

Losers Of Note:

• Eversource Energy (NYSE: ES) – Electric & gas utility; fell ~10–12% after Connecticut regulators rejected its $2.4B sale of Aquarion Water.
• Plug Power (NASDAQ: PLUG) – Hydrogen/fuel-cell systems; slid ~8–10% following a $375M convertible notes offering that stoked dilution concerns.
• APA Corp. (NASDAQ: APA) – Oil & gas E&P; weakened with the energy complex as crude dipped on oversupply signals and mixed analyst chatter.

Active Traders Of Note:

• Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) – AI chips; heavy volume as traders positioned for earnings widely viewed as a referendum on the AI spend cycle.
• Target (NYSE: TGT) – Big-box retail; brisk trading after results showed weak comps and a lowered outlook into the holiday quarter.
• Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN) – Crypto exchange; active amid another leg of crypto volatility with Bitcoin hovering near multi-month lows.

Looking Forward:

All eyes turn to Nvidia’s print and guidance; a strong demand outlook could calm AI bubble fears, while a cautious tone risks reviving de-risking. Thursday’s delayed U.S. jobs report and any fresh Fed speak will shape views on growth and the policy path into year-end. With sector dispersion high, expect stock-specific catalysts (earnings, M&A, and guidance changes) to continue driving outsized moves even if the indices stay range-bound.

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