It was a relatively quiet end to a volatile week on Wall Street, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (+0.4% at 34,207) managing a modest gain via a bounce in the energy sector.
"With global transportation demand set to recover sequentially, the upcoming new Iran nuclear deal could be the next bump in the recovery path for oil prices," says Francisco Blanch, head of global commodities, equity derivatives and cross-asset quantitative investment strategies at BofA-Merrill Lynch Global Research.
Indeed, while U.S. crude futures ended with a weekly loss (-2.7%) amid signs of progress on the Iran nuclear deal front, bargain hunters swooped in to boost black gold (+2.7% at $63.58 per barrel) to a daily win.
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The S&P 500 Index and Nasdaq Composite weren't so resilient, though, erasing early gains to end down 0.1% at 4,155 and 0.5% to 13,470, respectively.
Other action in the stock market today:
- The small-cap Russell 2000 improved by 0.3% to 2,215.
- Deere & Co (DE, +1.3%) gained ground after a strong earnings report. The farm equipment maker reported higher-than-expected profit and revenues in its fiscal second quarter, but warned of supply chain shortages through the remainder of 2021.
- Boeing (BA, +3.2%) climbed after Reuters reported the company is planning on ramping up production of its 737 Max aircraft by late 2022. BA was the best Dow stock today.
- Gold futures slipped 0.3% to end at $1,876.70 an ounce.
- The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) retreated by 2.5% to 20.15.
- Bitcoin slumped 10.4% to $36,279.07. (Bitcoin trades 24 hours a day; prices reported here are as of 4 p.m. each trading day.)
The Pros' Picks for Cheap Stocks
Share prices in many popular large-cap stocks – Amazon.com (AMZN) at about $3,200, Alphabet (GOOGL) at roughly $2,300, for example – remain arguably lofty.
And downright expensive for many individual investors who may only be spending a few hundred dollars at a time. Small-cap stocks, such as these 11 analyst favorites, generally offer more appealing entry points.
But if you really want to buy low with some extra cash or if you want to own more than one or two shares without spending thousands, check out this list of cheap stocks to buy. All 10 of the stocks earn consensus Buy or Strong Buy rating from analysts, meaning they're not only cheap but good values, too.
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The Delayed November Jobs Report Is Out. Here's What It Means for the Fed and Rate CutsThe November jobs report came in higher than expected, although it still shows plenty of signs of weakness in the labor market.
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Where to Store Your Cash in 2026Set yourself up for success with these strategies.
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Stocks Struggle Ahead of November Jobs Report: Stock Market TodayOracle and Broadcom continued to fall, while market participants looked ahead to Tuesday's jobs report.
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AI Stocks Lead Nasdaq's 398-Point Nosedive: Stock Market TodayThe major stock market indexes do not yet reflect the bullish tendencies of sector rotation and broadening participation.
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Dow Adds 646 Points, Hits New Highs: Stock Market TodayIt was "boom" for the Dow but "bust" for the Nasdaq following a December Fed meeting that was less hawkish than expected.
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Dow Rises 497 Points on December Rate Cut: Stock Market TodayThe basic questions for market participants and policymakers remain the same after a widely expected Fed rate cut.
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JPMorgan's Drop Drags on the Dow: Stock Market TodaySmall-cap stocks outperformed Tuesday on expectations that the Fed will cut interest rates on Wednesday.
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Stocks Slip to Start Fed Week: Stock Market TodayWhile a rate cut is widely expected this week, uncertainty is building around the Fed's future plans for monetary policy.
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Stocks Keep Climbing as Fed Meeting Nears: Stock Market TodayA stale inflation report and improving consumer sentiment did little to shift expectations for a rate cut next week.
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Small Caps Hit a New High on Rate-Cut Hope: Stock Market TodayOdds for a December rate cut remain high after the latest batch of jobs data, which helped the Russell 2000 outperform today.
