The Dow is holding near 25K, while the Nasdaq is fresh off a record high
Stocks are looking to end the week strong, despite mixed reactions to this morning's batch of big bank earnings. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) edged past the 25,000 level earlier today, marking the first time the blue-chip index has seen the north side of the psychologically significant level since June 18. Not to be outdone, the S&P 500 Index (SPX) is attempting to close north of 2,800 for the first time on a weekly basis since late January -- prior to the stock market correction -- while the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) topped out at a record high in intraday action.
Continue reading for more on today's market, including:
- 3 FAANG stocks hitting record highs today.
- The drug stock bouncing from an all-time low.
- Plus, a big bearish options bet on China; the software stock up 50%; and Netflix tests a key trendline.
One name seeing notable options trading today is the iShares China Large-Cap ETF (FXI), where more than 54,000 puts have been traded -- double what's typically seen at this point, and nearly 26 times the number of calls on the tape. One trader apparently bought to open 14,000 October 40 puts for about $1.13 million (number of contracts * $0.81 premium paid * 100 shares per contract), betting on the fund to breach the strike by October expiration. FXI is down 0.5% at $42.72, but hasn't traded below $40 since last July.
ShiftPixy Inc (NASDAQ:PIXY) is one of the best Nasdaq stocks so far today, after the software developer said it expects fiscal third-quarter revenue to more than double year-over-year to $9.4 million, and for its per-share loss to arrive at a slimmer 6 cents. PIXY stock is up 58.4% at $4.34 -- edging past its March 7 bull gap high, sparked by the company's blockchain news.
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) is making a notable move lower today, with the FAANG stock down 2.9% at $401.38 -- on track for a second straight down day, and the first close below its 20-day moving average since early May. The streaming giant is scheduled to report second-quarter earnings after Monday's close, and saw its price target lifted to $400 from $324 at BMO overnight.
