Today At A Glance:

U.S. stocks pushed higher and notched fresh intraday records as rate-cut hopes outweighed the drag from the ongoing federal government shutdown, which has delayed key data like the jobs report. Gold hovered near all-time highs while oil headed for a sharp weekly loss, underscoring a cautious macro hedge alongside risk-on equities. Big single-stock swings colored the tape: Plug Power rocketed on a bullish target hike; Humana rallied on Medicare Advantage ratings optics; and Tesla slipped despite record deliveries. Chip equipment names eased after Applied Materials flagged a revenue hit from new U.S. export curbs. Macau-tied casinos fell on soft Chinese Golden Week travel figures.

Today’s Index Performance:

• Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) — The Dow opened today at 46,583.90 and closed today at 47,049.64, with the percentage change of +1.00%.
• S&P 500 (^GSPC) — The S&P opened today at 6,722.35 and closed today at 6,724.07, with the percentage change of +0.03%.
• Nasdaq Composite — The Nasdaq opened today at 22,886.20 and closed today at 22,925.43, with the percentage change of +0.17%.

Gainers Of Note

• Plug Power (NASDAQ: PLUG) — Hydrogen fuel-cell maker; surged ~30%+ after H.C. Wainwright lifted its price target to $7 and reiterated Buy, fueling a squeeze-y momentum burst.
• Humana (NYSE: HUM) — Health-insurance provider; jumped ~9% as an early leak of 2026 Medicare Advantage star-ratings aligned with management’s financial outlook, easing worst-case fears.
• Rumble (NASDAQ: RUM) — Video platform; climbed ~10–20% after announcing a partnership with Perplexity AI to enhance video discovery.

Losers Of Note

• Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN) — Integrated casino operator; fell ~6% as weak China Golden Week travel data pressured Macau-exposed names.
• Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) — Casino & resorts; down ~5–7% on the same Macau traffic concern, leading S&P 500 decliners at times.
• MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM) — Casino & entertainment; slipped ~2–3% in sympathy with peers on softer early-holiday indicators.

Active Traders Of Note

• Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) — EV maker; heavy volume as shares dipped after record Q3 deliveries, with focus on margins and pricing post-incentives.
• Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT) — Semi-equipment; busy tape after warning new export restrictions could trim FY25–26 revenue.
• Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN) — Crypto exchange; active alongside Bitcoin’s run toward prior highs, keeping crypto-beta names in play.

Looking Forward:

With the jobs report on ice due to the shutdown, traders will lean on survey data and Fed-speak to handicap the next policy move; today’s ISM Services PMI slowed to 50.0, a reminder that growth is cooling at the margin. Rate-cut expectations and AI leadership remain the near-term market anchors. Early next week, watch whether defensive hedges (gold) stay bid while tech momentum persists amid any new shutdown headlines.

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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