The Dow is retreating from its record high
Stocks are struggling to kick off the holiday-shortened week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) is headed for its second-straight triple-digit drop, while the S&P 500 Index (SPX) and Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) sit on both sides of breakeven midday, the latter trying to secure a seven-day win streak. Tech stocks are in a rut, as the 10-year Treasury yield climbs back above 4%. Elsewhere, Wall Street's "fear gauge," the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) is heading for its third-straight win.
Continue reading for more on today's market, including:
- Options traders eye the bank earnings deluge.
- Upgrades help tech stock buck broad market choppiness.
- Plus, NTR puts pop; new highs for AMD; and Boeing's technical troubles continue.
Nutrien Ltd. (NYSE:NTR) is seeing a surge in options trading today, with over 19,000 puts changing hands already. That's volume running at 14 times the average intraday amount, and pales in comparison to the nearly 1,000 calls traded. The January 2024 50-strike put is the most popular, but there are also new positions being bought to open at the weekly 2/23 45-strike put. The fertilizer stock is down 2% to trade at $50.17 after a price-target cut from BofA Global Research to $79 from $82, and earlier traded at a nearly three-year low of $49.69.
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) stock is near the top of the SPX today, last seen up 8.2% to trade at $158.73. The chipmaker was named a Top Pick at Barclays, with a price-target hike to a Street-high $200 from $120. AMD earlier hit a more than two-year high of $157.58, and is 121% higher year-over-year.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co (NYSE:HPE) is near the bottom of the SPX today, last seen down 3.5% to trade at $15.33, after Bernstein downgraded the tech company to "market-perform" from "outperform." The analyst added a price-target cut to $17 from $20, noting the acquisition of Juniper Networks 'undermines opportunities for the company to improve its share price.' HPE is now down 10% in 2024.