Updated November 07, 2024

11:42 AM EST

Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images

The U.S. stock market extended its post-election rally on Thursday, with major indexes hitting fresh all-time highs, as investors await a Federal Reserve decision on interest rates this afternoon. 

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite were up 0.6% and 1.3%, both trading at record highs, about two hours into the trading session, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down fractionally after hitting a new high of its own. The major indexes turned in their best one-day performances since 2022 on Wednesday following Donald Trump's decisive victory in the presidential election.

Investor attention today will be squarely focused on the Federal Reserve, which is widely expected to cut its benchmark lending rate by a quarter percentage point. The decision is due to be announced at 2:00 p.m. ET, following the Fed's two-day policy meeting.

Investors will closely scrutinize the Fed's policy statement, as well as Chair Jerome Powell's post-meeting press conference, for insights on the central bank's views on the health of the economy and what that means for future rate decisions. The Fed cut rates in September for the first time in four years and indicated it would continue doing so, but has stressed that their decisions will depend on economic data.

Among noteworthy stocks on the move Thursday, Qualcomm (QCOM) shares were up 1% but well off earlier highs after the chipmaker reported quarterly earnings that topped Wall Street expectations and announced a $15 billion stock buyback. Shares of Arm Holdings (ARM) were up 5%, recovering from earlier losses, after the chip designer reported better-than-expected earnings but issued a disappointing sales outlook.

Shares of Zillow (Z) were up 21% after the real estate company reported strong third-quarter sales growth, while Lyft (LYFT) shares soared 24% after the ride-hailing company reported better-than-expected results and boosted its outlook. AppLovin (APP) shares surged 46% after the software maker's third-quarter earnings and outlook for the fourth quarter each beat expectations.

Large-cap technology stocks were up across the board, with Nvidia (NVDA), Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOGL) and Meta Platforms (META) all gaining ground. Tesla (TSLA) was up 3% after gaining 15% yesterday amid optimism about what a Trump presidency could mean for the EV maker given CEO Elon Musk's ties to the president-elect.

The yield on 10-year Treasurys, which has risen in recent weeks as investors have scaled back their expectations about how aggressive the Fed will be in cutting rates, at 4.36%, down from 4.43% on Wednesday when it hit its highest level since early early July.

Gold futures were up 1% at around $2,700 an ounce, after sliding 3% yesterday as the U.S. dollar strengthened following the election results. Bitcoin was little changed at around $76,000, trading near record highs.

Nvidia is World's Most Valuable Company—Watch These Levels

1 hour ago

Nvidia (NVDA) this week surged into the top position among the world's most valuable companies by market capitalization, surpassing iPhone maker Apple (AAPL).

The stock was up 1.6% at around $148 in recent trading, after hitting another record high early in Thursday's session. Nvidia shares have risen nearly three-fold since the start of the year amid insatiable demand for the company’s family of AI chips.

The stock has traded mostly sideways to higher on low trading volumes since breaking out from a symmetrical triangle last month as investors look for future catalysts that may drive the AI favorite's next move.

Source: TradingView.com.

Investors should monitor key lower price levels on Nvidia's chart around $144, $125 and $97, while watching an important higher level near $180.

Read the full technical analysis piece here.

-Timothy Smith

Zillow Stock Soars After Earnings

1 hr 27 min ago

Zillow Group (Z) shares jumped more than 20% Thursday morning after the real estate company posted strong third-quarter sales gains and narrowed its losses.

Zillow reported third-quarter revenue of $581 million, up 17% year-over-year, and above the midpoint of the range the company had previously offered. Its net loss for the three months to Sept. 30 narrowed to $20 million, from a $28 million loss the same period last year.

Sales during the period outperformed the 2% total transaction value growth of the broader residential real estate industry, the listings site said, citing the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

Zillow is projecting fourth-quarter revenue in the range of $525 million to $540 million and said it is sticking with its forecast for full-year double-digit revenue growth.

The company’s stock has surged since it named a new CEO and reported better-than-expected second-quarter results, in early August. The shares are now up about 24% since the start of the year.

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-Nisha Gopalan

AppLovin Jumps 50% on Strong Earnings, Outlook

2 hr 26 min ago

AppLovin (APP) shares surged to a record high Thursday morning after the software maker's third-quarter earnings and outlook for the fourth quarter each beat expectations.

The company, which partners with app makers to provide advertising and grow their user bases, reported $1.2 billion in revenue, a jump of nearly 40% from the same time last year and slightly better than analysts had expected. Net income came in well above estimates at $434.42 million, as analysts had projected $319.2 million.

For the fourth quarter, AppLovin projects $1.24 billion to $1.26 billion in revenue, above the $1.17 billion analysts had expected coming into the late-Wednesday earnings release.

AppLovin said its AI-powered advertising tools now make up nearly all of its "software platform" segment's revenue. The company's monthly active payers (MAP) figure, which counts each user who makes an in-app purchase in the quarter, fell to 1.6 billion users from 1.8 billion a year ago. However, its average revenue per MAP rose to $52 from $46.

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AppLovin shares were up 47% in recent trading, boosting its year-to-date gains to more than 500%.

-Aaron McDade

Tesla Levels to Watch After Post-Election Jump

3 hr 42 min ago

Tesla (TSLA) shares are down slightly this morning after surging Wednesday amid investor expectations that the EV maker could benefit from Donald Trump's return to the presidency, as CEO Elon Musk has been one of the former president's most prominent supporters.

The stock, which hit a 15-month high yesterday, was down 0.4% at around $287.50 in recent premarket trading. The stock has more than doubled since hitting its low for the year in April.

Source: TradingView.com.

The stock has traded within an ascending triangle, a bullish chart pattern that indicates a continuation of the uptrend that started in April.

Investors should watch key overhead levels on Tesla's chart around $300 and $350, while monitoring important support areas near $265 and $230.

Read the full technical analysis piece here.

-Timothy Smith

Futures Point to Higher Open for Major Indexes

4 hr 32 min ago

Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were up 0.2%.

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S&P 500 futures were also up 0.2%.

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Nasdaq 100 futures were up 0.4%.

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