Stocks Stay Hot, Notch New Highs Again

It was another big day for stocks in the U.S., as the major indexes spent the session in the black and hit fresh record highs. The Dow closed off its intraday peak, but still managed to overcome the weakness in McDonald's (MCD) shares to post a solid win. It was a similar setup for the Nasdaq and S&P 500, with the latter index brushing off Under Armour's (UAA) massive sell-off. While today's gains were mostly linked to hopes around U.S.-China trade talks, the focus could shift tomorrow, since the economic and earnings schedules are due to pick up.

Continue reading for more on today's market, including:

• Options market places bets before the Peloton earnings premiere.
• How one bear adjusted their position on oversold WWE stock.
• The wave of bull notes that came through on Alibaba.
• Plus, why bulls will like this chip stock; behind BlackBerry's rally; and a big Papa John's bear note.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI - 27,462.11) ended with a 114.8-point, or 0.4%, gain, grabbing its best close ever. The DJI earlier peaked at a record high of 27,517.58. Eighteen of 30 Dow components closed with gains, lead by Chevron's (CVX) 4.6% surge. Procter & Gamble (PG) paced the 12 losers with a 3.9% slide.

The S&P 500 Index (SPX - 3,078.27) added 11.4 points, or 0.4%, and the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC - 8,433.20) finished up 46.8 points, or 0.6%. The SPX and Nasdaq touched all-time highs of 3,085.20 and 8,451.37, respectively.

The Cboe Volatility Index (VIX - 12.83) added 0.5 point, or 4.3%.

5 Items on Our Radar Today

1. Investors are keeping an eye on Berkshire Hathaway's (BRK.A) and billionaire CEO Warren Buffett's growing cash pile after the company's earnings release this weekend. The company's cash balance grew to $128.2 billion, with many wondering when Buffett will make another big purchase. (CNBC)
2. A Fed survey showed banks have tightened standards for credit cards, based on data from the third quarter. This marks a third straight quarter of banks clamping down on credit card approvals. (MarketWatch)
3. 3 reasons to like this chip stock.
4. Why BlackBerry shares broke out.
5. Papa John's was hit with a pre-earnings bear note.

Oil Rises with Stock Prices

Oil prices rose today, too, on trade optimism. Crude dated for December delivery rose 34 cents, or 0.6%, to $56.54 per barrel.

Gold, however, fell during the risk-on session. December-dated gold dipped 30 cents, or 0.02%, to $1,511.10 an ounce.