The S&P 500 and Nasdaq posted their biggest daily percentage gains since April 27 on Tuesday as softer-than-expected inflation data supported the view that the Federal Reserve may be done raising interest rates.
Market Snapshot
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 489.83 points, or 1.43%, to 34,827.70, the S&P 500 rose 84.15 points, or 1.91%, to 4,495.70 and the Nasdaq Composite rose 326.64 points, or 2.37%, to 14,094.38.
Market Movers
Sea Ltd. swung back to a loss in the third quarter, hit by flagging consumption and intensifying competition from Alibaba and TikTok on its home turf. The stock fell 22.07% on Tuesday after the company posted a net loss of $149 million, compared with a profit of $322 million the previous quarter. Southeast Asia’s largest internet firm reported a 4.9% rise in sales from a year earlier to $3.3 billion, versus the average estimate of $3.2 billion.
Tesla jumped 6.1% to $237.41 after shares of the EV maker closed 4.2% higher on Monday. The gains in Tuesday’s session put the price up about $25 from where it closed last Thursday, when HSBC analyst Michael Tyndall launched coverage of the stock with a Sell rating and a price target of $146.
Nvidia stock continued to defy gravity Tuesday, extending gains to the tenth straight session and closing at a record high of $496.56, up 2.13%. In addition to the stock benefiting from today's risk-on trade on the lower CPI report, the upside is being attributed to the release of its latest AI system, the H200, and positioning into the company's third-quarter earnings results next week (Nov. 21, 2023). Analysts are bullish on the stock ahead of those results amid the continued uptake of AI.
Home Depot reported third-quarter earnings that beat analysts’ estimates and the stock rose 5.4%. The home-improvement retailer said same-store sales in the period declined 3.1%. U.S. same-store sales fell 3.5%. Home Depot said it expects fiscal-year same-store sales to fall 3% to 4%. It expects per-share earnings in the fiscal year down 9% to 11%.
Fisker slid 19% after the electric-vehicle maker reported a wider-than-expected third-quarter loss and sales of $71.8 million that missed estimates of $143.1 million. Fisker said it expects to produce 13,000 to 17,000 units this year. In August, the company said it planned to build about 20,000 to 23,000 units, which was trimmed from earlier guidance.
Snap rose 7.5% after Amazon.com said it would allow Snapchat users in the U.S. to buy some products listed on the e-commerce giant’s website directly from the Snapchat app, Reuters reported.
VF Corp. was among the leading performers in the S&P 500, rising 10% to $15.57. The stock was on track for its best day in decades, offering investors a much-needed lift after the parent company of Vans and The North Face turned in disappointing quarterly results last month.
Canadian Solar fell 2.9% after third-quarter earnings missed analysts’ estimates by a wide margin and the company’s revenue forecast for the fourth quarter was well below expectations.
Azenta was up 14% after the life-sciences company reported fourth-quarter earnings that beat analysts’ expectations and said it would buy back an extra $500 million in stock in fiscal 2024.
Take-Two Interactive Software was up 2.2% to $153.40 after the videogame publisher was upgraded to Buy from Hold at Deutsche Bank and the price target was boosted to $175 from $155.
Market News
Slowing US Inflation Boosts Hopes Fed Done With Rate Hikes
U.S. consumer prices were unchanged in October as Americans paid less for gasoline, and the annual rise in underlying inflation was the smallest in two years, bolstering the view that the Federal Reserve was probably done raising interest rates.
Though rents continued to rise last month, the pace of the increase slowed considerably from September. The softer-than-expected inflation readings reported by the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Tuesday pushed U.S. Treasury yields lower and sparked a stock market rally.
In the 12 months through October, the CPI climbed 3.2% after rising 3.7% in September.
Bridgewater Boosts Stakes in 3M, Best Buy, Exits Apple, Shopify
Bridgewater Associates, the hedge fund founded by Ray Dalio, boosted its holdings in 3M Company to 71.3K shares from 63.7K shares, Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) to 2.07M shares from 1.82M shares, Best Buy Co. (NYSE:BBY) to 144.7K shares from 116K shares during the third quarter, according to its latest 13F filing.
The firm exited its positions in Apple and Shopify.
Tesla Remains a "Top Pick" at Morgan Stanley Post UAW
Morgan Stanley reiterated Tesla as one of their “Top Picks” with an Overweight rating, and a 12-month price target of $380.00, after the UAW made historic gains during labor contract negotiations with Detroit’s “Big Three” automakers.
Musk’s SpaceX Seen Resuming Starship Launches as Soon as Friday
SpaceX could be nearing the next launch of its Starship rocket as soon as Friday, according to a federal document, almost seven months after the massive vehicle was grounded in the wake of its explosive debut flight.
The US Federal Aviation Administration identified Nov. 17 as a possible launch date, with Nov. 18 and 19 as backups, according to an advisory posted on its website. The information was contained in the agency’s daily air-traffic operations plan, which includes notices to airlines and others on potential flight delays in the system.