The Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq are all heading toward weekly wins
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) is poised for its third straight triple-digit pop, last seen up 230 points. The S&P 500 Index (SPX) has swung above breakeven and is now eyeing a perfect week, while the Nasdaq is in the red at last check but has traded on both sides of the aisle already this morning. Investors are unpacking S&P flash services and manufacturing purchasing managers' indexes (PMI) that rose for November, while consumer sentiment data tumbled for the month but still showed an improvement from October.
Despite a choppy week of price action, all three major indexes are on track for weekly wins. Elsewhere, the dollar index earlier hit a two-year high and is pacing for an eighth-straight weekly gain, while Bitcoin (BTC) continues to flirt with the $100,000 level.
Continue reading for more on today's market, including:
- 2 fintech stocks brushing off earnings wins.
- Fresh coverage helps casino stock to record highs.
- Plus, bulls keep blasting SNOW; chip stock in recovery mode; PANW cools off.
Options traders continue to target Snowflake Inc (NYSE:SNOW) stock after the cloud company's quarterly win. So far today, 164,000 calls and 61,000 puts have exchanged hands, which is six times the volume typically seen at this point. New positions are being opened at the most active contract, which is the weekly 11/22 180-strike call that expires at the close. The stock was last seen trading near breakeven at $171.31 after yesterday hitting its highest level since March and securing its best single-day percentage gain on record. SNOW is still down 14.4% for 2024, though.
Super Micro Computer Inc (NASDAQ:SMCI) is the best stock on the SPX today, up 12.2% to trade at $33.31 at last check. Sector peer Nvidia's (NVDA) strong quarter is boosting the semiconductor stock, which is on track for its fifth gain in the last six sessions and boasts a 16.7% year-to-date lead. SMCI is bouncing off a Nov 15, 52-week low of $17.25, but is still facing overhead pressure at its 40-day moving average.
Palo Alto Networks Inc (NASDAQ:PANW) is at the bottom of the SPX today,
cooling off a fiscal second-quarter guidance only met expectations. The cybersecurity company also announced a 2-for-1 stock split. The shares are down 4.8% to trade at $378.76 at last glance, but just yesterday were within a chip-shot of their Nov. 15 record high of $408.53. Sporting a 28.6% year-to-date lead, PANW is today testing its 20-day moving average.