Dow Adds 515 Points as "Fear Gauge" Retreats

All three major indexes finished sharply higher to kick off the week

Patrick Martin

Managing Editor

Oct 20, 2025 at 4:22 PM

AAPL
VIX
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DJIA

The Dow started strong this week, adding 515 points thanks to an outsized move from Apple (AAPL). The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also finished confidently higher, with all three major indexes a chip shot from record closes. An end to the government shutdown is also fueling investor optimism, as is cooling tariff tensions and earnings anticipation, all of which have sent the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) back below 20.

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

Signal: buy the dip on Chewy stock.
Meet the steel company wading into rare earth territory.
Plus, more on Apple's big day; CVNA flashing a "buy" signal; and M&A buzz to know.

NYSE and Nasdaq Stats Oct 20

5 Things to Know Today

Barclays: Space bonds could soon become a thing. (Bloomberg)
Amazon Web Services outage disrupts air travel, trading, and more today. (CNBC)
Options traders cheer AAPL crossing key trendline.
2 reasons to target Carvana stock right now.
The medical device sector could soon see a big shakeup.

Gold Prices Resume Their Winning Ways

Oil prices continued to slump, as global supply-demand concerns weigh on black gold. December-dated West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude shed 0.7%, or 38 cents, to settle at $57.16 per barrel.

Gold prices gained today, as safe-haven traders look ahead to inflation data and the Fed meeting. December-dated gold futures added 3.6% at $4,347.47 per ounce.

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