After yesterday's mega-cap driven sell-off, stocks found new life on Halloween from Amazon and Apple. Fed speakers return today, and next week will have data despite the shutdown.
All of the majors, sans the Russell 2000, hit fresh record highs this week which was largely supported by strength in mega-cap tech. While a 25-basis-point cut from the Fed also didn't hurt, the future trajectory of rate policy remains cloudy.
Strong results from Amazon and a decent showing from Apple are in the spotlight after risk-off sentiment, big losses for Meta, and weak chip stocks took some sizzle off the rally.
Soybean futures played a pre-Halloween trick on bearish traders yesterday, rising on positive trade news from President Trump and President Jinping in South Korea.
Fed Chairman Powell's hawkish rate talk cooled Wednesday's rally, and two of the three mega caps saw shares fall despite exceeding consensus. Apple and Amazon report later today.
Alphabet, Microsoft, and Meta Platforms report after the close with all eyes on AI spending trends. The Fed is expected to cut rates 25 basis points, futures trading suggests.
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