This Week on Wall Street
Your weekly cheat sheet — what's moving markets, what's coming up, and what it means for your portfolio. No jargon, just clarity.
This Week in Markets
Wall Street notched a third straight session of gains Wednesday, with the Dow Jones climbing 360.21 points (0.7%) to close at 52,856.09 as earnings from SpaceX and Capital One Financial lifted cyclical names. The S&P 500 added 0.6% to 7,757.17, closing within striking distance of its record high, while the Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.1% to 26,702.86 on strength in chips and AI hardware. Technology led all sectors, up 1.67%, with Industrials and Financials also advancing, while Communication Services lagged, down 0.93% after SpaceX's results weighed on the group, and defensive Consumer Staples, Real Estate, and Health Care names slipped as investors rotated back into cyclicals. The VIX eased to 16.68, its calmest reading in weeks, as the 10-Year Treasury yield held near 5.13%, WTI crude ticked up to around $97.60 on Middle East supply concerns, and gold slipped to near $4,114. Sentiment remains cautious — the Fear & Greed Index rose to 39, still in Fear territory — as traders digest Tesla's Q3 results from Wednesday night and look ahead to Procter & Gamble's earnings and weekly jobless claims Thursday, Friday's flash PMIs, and the Fed's October 28 rate decision.