US Stock Market - Nasdaq Index Closes at All-Time High, Investors Focus on Corporate Earnings
Post-close Latest Developments
PTC shares surged due to a takeover bid by Schneider Electric; traders see a decreased probability of an interest rate hike in October; bank earnings season is set to begin next week.
Noel Randewich/Tharuniyaa Lakshmi, Reuters, October 5 – On Monday, the Nasdaq closed at a record high, driven by Nvidia and Microsoft, as investors focused on the drop in oil prices and anticipated the upcoming quarterly earnings reports. This marked the second consecutive day of significant gains for the Nasdaq, following weaker-than-expected employment data released on Friday, which weakened market expectations for a Federal Reserve rate hike at its policy meeting this month.
Artificial intelligence giants Nvidia (NVDA.O) and Microsoft (MSFT.O) both saw their stock prices rise. Meta Platforms (META.O) and Tesla (TSLA.O) shares also advanced. Oil prices fell due to increased crude exports from the Middle East and a G7 commitment to boost supply.
“With economic data releases relatively light and about a week until earnings season starts, investors are searching for any positive catalyst. Clearly, they are looking to the pullback in energy prices,” noted Art Hogan, Chief Market Strategist at B. Riley Wealth.
Bank stocks to kick off third-quarter earnings season
As major U.S. banks report earnings, the Q3 earnings season will officially begin next week. According to data from the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), analysts expect S&P 500 companies’ earnings to rise by over 30% year-on-year, mainly driven by strong performance from AI-related stocks.
According to the CME FedWatch tool, following Friday’s data showing U.S. job growth in September slowed more than expected, traders now put the probability of a Federal Reserve rate hike at its October meeting at 24%, down from 70% a week earlier.
Following Schneider Electric (SCHN.PA) agreeing to buy software company PTC (PTC.O) in an all-cash deal valued at $22.6 billions, PTC shares jumped on the news.
Preliminary data showed the S&P 500 Index (.SPX) rose 51.50 points, or 0.67%, to close at 7,774.22; the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) climbed 289.42 points, or 1.06%, to 27,480.28; and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) gained 94.59 points, or 0.18%, to finish at 51,274.32. The previous record high close for the Nasdaq occurred on September 22.
Despite rising U.S. Treasury yields and higher oil prices due to U.S.-Iran tensions, optimism around strong corporate earnings has driven U.S. stocks to outperform global markets over the past six months.
Freight forwarder C.H. Robinson Worldwide (CHRW.O) agreed to acquire transportation broker RXO (RXO.N) for $5.8 billions in a mixed stock and cash transaction. RXO shares rallied on the news, while C.H. Robinson shares fell.
Cerebras Systems (CBRS.O) shares gained after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said on social media that the chip design company is a “close partner” and that the two firms are “working together deeply on pushing the frontier of speed.”
路透社•2026-10-05 20:11