The Nasdaq Composite kicked off the trading week by taking its cue from the bond market yet again, with the tech-heavy index outpacing its peers Monday as Treasury yields stepped back.
A number of mega-cap tech stocks put up solid gains, including Apple (AAPL, +2.8%), Facebook (FB, +1.2%) and Nvidia (NVDA, +2.7%), powering a 1.2% gain in the Nasdaq to 13,377.
Electric vehicle maker Tesla (TSLA, +2.3%) headed higher too, though you can also chalk that up to an exuberant statement from Cathie Wood. The Ark Invest CEO said over the weekend that TSLA shares, which fetched almost $655 at the end of last week, would reach $3,000 by 2025.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Be a smarter, better informed investor.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Tesla also likely was reacting well to CEO Elon Musk's response to China, which restricted use of its EVs by state personnel after a Chinese security review revealed vehicle sensors could record images of their surroundings. Musk said Tesla "would never provide" the U.S. with such data.
"We believe this statement (while assumed) was important for Tesla and Musk to make directly to the Chinese and the government in Beijing given the strategic importance of its EV ambitions within China," says Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives, who rates TSLA at Hold.
The other major indices put up slightly smaller gains Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.3% to 32,731, and the S&P 500 up 0.7% to 3,940.
One factor potentially weighing on more economically sensitive stocks in the short term? While vaccinations are being administered at a rapid pace, COVID-19 cases are rising across more than half of the U.S. – likely the result of both the introduction of more contagious variants and the phasing-out of various social distancing restrictions.
Other action in the stock market today:
- The Russell 2000 bucked the trend, dropping 0.9% to 2,266.
- Kansas City Southern (KSU) jumped 11.1% after fellow railroad operator Canadian Pacific Railway (CP, -5.8%) offered to buy the firm out for $25 billion.
- U.S. crude oil futures slipped 0.2% to $61.55 per barrel.
- Gold futures finished with a similar decline, off 0.2% to $1,738.10 per ounce.
- Bitcoin prices slumped 6.0% from their Friday levels, reaching $55,853 on Monday. (Bitcoin trades 24 hours a day; prices reported here are as of 4 p.m. each trading day.)
Is Infrastructure About to Take Off?
Still, the market is trending up, and another emerging bullish driver could help sustain that momentum.
The New York Times, citing people familiar with the plans, say the Biden administration is prepping pitches for $3 trillion in spending across several initiatives, including (and likely starting with) a massive infrastructure bill.
This effort would reportedly "spend heavily on infrastructure improvements, clean energy deployment and the development of other 'high-growth industries of the future' like 5G telecommunications" – key themes behind our top "Biden" stocks and potential catalysts for these 12 infrastructure-minded stocks.
An infrastructure push also would be yet more wind in the sails of commodity prices and, by extension, the companies that help produce them.
A wide variety of commodities, from metals to oil to timber, have rallied for several months on the prospects of a global economic rebound – and, by and large, Wall Street believes many of them still have more room to run.
Read on as we look at five commodity stocks that stand out right now.
Kyle Woodley was long NVDA as of this writing.
-
S&P 500 Hits New Highs as Rally Resumes: Stock Market TodayTech stocks were the biggest gainers on Wall Street today, with Nvidia and Dell making notable moves.
-
Rally Fades on Mixed AI Revolution News: Stock Market TodayAll three main U.S. equity indexes opened higher but closed lower as a seven-session winning streak for the S&P 500 came to an end.
-
S&P, Nasdaq Hit New Highs: Stock Market TodayA late-day rally wasn't enough to lift the Dow into the green as its six-session winning streak came to an end.
-
Dow Adds 238 Points as UNH, CAT Pop: Stock Market TodayThe lack of a September jobs report didn't seem to worry market participants, with the data delayed due to the ongoing government shutdown.
-
Stocks at New Highs as Shutdown Drags On: Stock Market TodayThe Nasdaq Composite, S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average all notched new record closes Thursday as tech stocks gained.
-
S&P 500 Sees New Highs on Shutdown Day: Stock Market TodayMost of its components were in the red, but the S&P 500 Index still managed to hit a new intraday all-time high.
-
Stocks Close September on a High Note: Stock Market TodayA little bit of late risk-on behavior was enough to lift stocks into the green on the last day of September.
-
If You'd Put $1,000 Into Bank of America Stock 20 Years Ago, Here's What You'd Have TodayBank of America stock has been a massive buy-and-hold bust.
