Stocks Settle Higher After Shaky Trading Day

A short-term debt ceiling extension was offered by Senate Republicans

Digital Content Manager

Oct 6, 2021 at 4:23 PM

Markets were all over the place on Wednesday, with the Dow shedding 459 points at session lows, before snapping back by the close to notch a 100-point win. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also clawed their way back into the black by end of day, as investors digested news that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has agreed, in a closed meeting of Republicans, to offer a short-term extension of the U.S. debt ceiling in order to avoid national default and a subsequent economic crisis.

Meanwhile, investors rotated back into the beaten-down tech sector, and shifted away from reopening stocks, following a pessimistic review of the airline sector from Goldman Sachs. Also propping up stocks was a better-than-expected ADP employment report for September, which showed private jobs rising to 568,000 for the month.

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

The bubbling oil stock to single out in October.
One blue-chip stock to avoid this month.
Plus, STX gets a downgrade; UBS' banking pick; and why AZO is a buy.

The Dow Jones Average (DJI - 34,416.99) gained 102.32 points, or 0.3%. Microsoft (MSFT) paced the gainers with a 1.5% pop, while Dow (DOW) fell to the bottom, shedding 3.3%.

The S&P 500 Index (SPX - 4,363.55) tacked on 17.8 points, or 0.4%, for the day, and the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC - 14,501.91) jumped 68.1 points, or 0.5% for the day.

Lastly, the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX - 21.00) lost 0.3 points, or 1.4%.

Closing Summary 1006

NYSE Nasdaq 1006

General Motors (GM) announced plans to double its annual revenue by 2030 to $280 billion, as it aims to renovate its image in a transition to all-electric vehicles and diversified operations. (CNBC)
Messaging apps Signal and Telegram said they both attracted millions of new users on Monday, in the wake of Facebook's (FB) multi-platform outage, as people looked for other ways to send messages securely. (MarketWatch)
Which sector has Morgan Stanley proceeding with caution.
UBS called out this European bank stock's attractive valuation.
Why AutoZone stock looks like a top choice for options bulls.

UVOL 1006

Oil Snaps 4-Day Win Streak

A surprise increase in U.S. crude inventories had oil ending its four-day win streak. This marked crude's second-straight. Meanwhile, natural-gas futures also weighed on the commodity, after dropping over 10% on Russian President Vladimir Putin's promise that the country would boost its fuel supply to Europe. In response, November-dated crude lost $1.50, or 1.9%, to settle at $77.43 a barrel.

Gold prices climbed higher on Wednesday, piggybacking off a drop in Treasury yields and brushing off better-than-expected jobs data for September. December-dated gold added 90 cents or 0.05%, to settle at $1,761.80 an ounce for the day.

Follow @Schaeffers

Minimize Risk While Maximizing Profits

There is no options strategy like this one, which consistently minimizes risk while maintaining maximum profits. Perfect for traders looking for ways to control risk, reduce losses, and increase the likelihood of success when trading calls and puts. The Schaeffer’s team has over 41 years of options trading success targeting +100% gains on every trade. Rest assured your losses are effectively limited to your initial cost at the time of making your move! Don't waste another second... join us right now before the next trade is released!