Stocks finished the Halloween session higher as the tech sector rose from the grave, with Amazon.com (AMZN) and Apple (AAPL) earnings giving sentiment a boost. The Nasdaq notched triple-digit gains, closing just below record highs, while the S&P 500 and Dow marked modest daily wins.
For the week, all three major benchmarks nabbed their third consecutive weekly wins. The tech-heavy Nasdaq secured its seventh-straight monthly win, while the Dow, S&P 500, and small-cap Russell 2000 Index (RUT) all rose for the sixth-straight month.
Continue reading for more on today's market, including:
- Options bulls eye Amazon.com stock's record highs.
- Why call traders should watch IBM stock.
- Plus, what happened with the market this week; why this rare earths stock is rallying; and help us improve!
Gold Futures Climb for 3rd Month, Oil Posts Monthly Loss
December-dated West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 33 cents, or 0.54%, to $60.90 per barrel, as traders eyed U.S.-Venezuela tensions and China trade talks. Falling slightly for the week, WTI dropped 2.3% in October.
Extended interest rate cut buzz pushed gold futures lower once again. December-dated gold futures for settled 0.5% lower at $3,996.50 per ounce. However, bullion still rose for the week and notched its third-straight monthly gain.