Dow Sheds Triple Digits as October Continues to Drag

The Dow shed triple digits on Thursday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq inching lower as well. Oil prices continued to surge, extending a multi-day streak of gains as tensions tensions in the Middle East remained, which have so far made for a rough first trading week of October. Payrolls data is due out tomorrow, just after the release of slightly higher-than-expected weekly unemployment claims.

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

• 2 cheap AI stocks to watch right now.
• Learn options: Straddles vs. strangles.
• Plus, behind EVgo stock's surge; a struggling beverage stock; and 2 buzzy utility stocks.

5 Things to Know Today 

1. A federal judge is giving the Biden Administration's student loan forgiveness plan a chance to move forward. (CNBC)
2. BofA Securities downgraded health insurance provider Humana (HUM) to "underperform," citing margin recovery concerns. (MarketWatch)
3. EVgo stock charges higher on bull note.
4. Revenue miss dings beverage stock.
5. A pair of utility stocks making noise.

No End in Sight for Middle East Tensions

Tensions are high between Iran and Israel, pushing crude even higher today as traders weighed the potential disruption of oil production in the region. November-dated West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude added $3.61, or 5.2%, to settle at $73.71 per barrel.

Gold prices settled higher as well as investors continued to turn to the safe-haven asset and eyed Israel's response to Iran's attack. Gold for December delivery was last seen up 0.4% to trade at $2,678.20.