Today At A Glance:

U.S. stocks ground higher on Day 2 of the federal shutdown, with tech leadership intact after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq opened at record highs and finished modestly up on the day. A blockbuster move from Fair Isaac (FICO) lifted software/fintech after the company unveiled a plan to license FICO mortgage scores directly to resellers, pressuring the big credit bureaus. Energy lagged after Occidental said it would sell its OxyChem unit to Berkshire for $9.7B, sending OXY lower. Traders balanced shutdown noise with stock-specific catalysts; quantum-computing name Rigetti ripped on fresh system orders, while EVs were mixed as Tesla slumped post-deliveries. Overall risk appetite held firm despite thin data flow and the government partially offline.

Today’s Index Performance:

• Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) — The Dow opened today at 46,461.11 and closed today at 46,519.72, with a day-over-day change of +0.17%.
• S&P 500 (^GSPC) — The S&P opened today at 6,731.31 and closed today at 6,715.35, with a day-over-day change of +0.06% (despite closing below the open).
• Nasdaq Composite — The Nasdaq opened today at 22,885.91 and closed today at 22,844.05, with a day-over-day change of +0.39%.

Gainers Of Note:

• Fair Isaac (NYSE: FICO) — Credit-scoring software; jumped double-digits after announcing a direct-licensing model for mortgage scores that bypasses credit bureaus, shifting revenue toward FICO.
• Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ: RGTI) — Quantum computing; rallied ~15% on purchase orders for two Novera systems (~$5.7M), signaling progress from R&D to commercialization.
• Ondas Holdings (NASDAQ: ONDS) — Wireless/industrial connectivity; spiked ~15% intraday alongside small-cap tech momentum noted on market “top gainers” lists.

Losers Of Note:

• Equifax (NYSE: EFX) — Credit bureau; fell ~10–12% as investors priced in margin risk from FICO’s direct-licensing plan for mortgage scores.
• TransUnion (NYSE: TRU) — Credit bureau; slid ~10–11% on the same headline, with analysts flagging profit pressure if bureau markups compress. Reuters
• Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY) — Integrated energy; dropped ~6–7% after agreeing to sell OxyChem to Berkshire for $9.7B, as investors weighed deleveraging vs. lost cashflow.

Active Traders Of Note:

• Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) — EVs; heavy volume as shares fell ~5% despite higher Q3 deliveries, with the market focusing on margins and pricing.
• Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) — AI semis; active and near records as chip strength buoyed the broader tech complex.
• Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) — Semiconductors; unusual volume on chatter about adding AMD as a foundry customer, sparking interest across chipmakers.

Looking Forward:

With the shutdown continuing, investors will watch for any data delays and whether policy headlines start to dent sentiment or valuations at fresh records. Stock-specific stories (credit-scoring shake-up, energy portfolio shuffles, quantum orders) show idiosyncratic catalysts can still drive big moves even if indexes stay calm. Into tomorrow, keep an eye on sector rotation: if chips keep leading but defensives stabilize, the tape could remain constructive—so long as shutdown risks don’t escalate.

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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