Market Highlights

Wall Street saw a sharp bounce from session lows amid hopes that US lawmakers are getting closer to a deal ending the longest shutdown in American history. Crypto trimmed this week’s plunge. Equities wiped out losses, with nearly 400 shares in the S&P 500 rising. While Senate Republicans rejected Democrats’ proposal to scale back their demands to a one-year extension of expiring health-care subsidies, the fact that the parties were trading offers was seen as a positive step. The Nasdaq 100 pared most of its Friday’s slide, but posted its worst week since April. Stocks rallied and bonds fell as optimism that lawmakers are moving closer to a deal ending the longest shutdown in US history spurred demand for risky assets

Volatility lashed Wall Street, with strong evidence of a cooling labor market pushing high-valuation tech stocks and crypto to big losses while bonds rallied on bets the Federal Reserve will cut rates. Equities sold off for the second time in three days and 10-year yields tumbled the most in about a month following Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. data showing the largest October job cuts in more than 20 years. The Nasdaq 100 slumped 1.9%, and a closely watched volatility index briefly topped 20. Asian equities fell at the end of a volatile week marked by conflicting views, as investors balanced optimism over technological advances with concerns over stretched artificial intelligence valuations.

At a time when every dip in stocks is perceived as an opportunity, buyers emerged after a brief pullback led by some of the biggest winners of the artificial-intelligence boom. Bitcoin rallied. Bonds fell. While Wall Street didn’t see a buying stampede, equities were able to bounce following a slide that underscored worries over how stretched the market has become and how sensitive it is to unfavorable news. Chipmakers, which bore the brunt of the recent selling, jumped on Wednesday. Stocks rebounded as dip buyers stepped in after a brief pullback in global equities, sparked by concerns over lofty valuations in technology companies.

Risky assets slid, with tech stocks and cryptocurrencies bearing the brunt of the selling, after long- simmering concerns about lofty valuations were fanned anew by a chorus of Wall Street executives who warned investors to brace for a pullback. With the rally confined to fewer and fewer shares as sentiment and technical indicators showed signs of overheating, the chiefs of giants from Capital Group to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley noted the possibility of a pullback as a healthy development. Global stocks extended losses after suffering their steepest drop in nearly a month on concerns over elevated valuations. Bonds advanced with gold as investors sought haven assets.

The start of what’s known as the best month of the year for stocks saw tech rallying as Amazon.com Inc.’s $38 billion deal with OpenAI added fuel to the artificial-intelligence trade. Bond yields rose. Crypto sank. A renewed advance in megacaps drove a gauge of the “Magnificent Seven” up 1.2%. The ChatGPT maker will pay Amazon Web Services for access to hundreds of thousands of Nvidia Corp. graphics processing units as part of a seven-year deal. Shares of the online retail giant jumped 4%. Despite the AI optimism, over 300 firms in the S&P 500 actually retreated. The global stock rally hit a speed bump as earnings from AI bellwether Palantir Technologies Inc. failed to impress investors and Wall Street chief executives warned of a possible correction due to rich valuations.

Wall Street’s bull market got fresh fuel at end of a month that’s lived up to its volatile reputation, with earnings optimism outweighing worries about a rally that’s heavily concentrated on tech giants. Following a pause in the S&P 500’s roughly $17 trillion surge, the gauge climbed on solid outlooks from Amazon.com Inc. and Apple Inc. To be fair, not every megacap gained. And the iPhone maker’s advance sputtered as a sales drop in China tempered excitement for what promises to be a busy holiday season. Bonds steadied after a post-Federal Reserve rout. The dollar rose. Stocks began November with gains, suggesting the seven-month rally in global equities may still have room to run amid strong tech earnings and easing US–China trade tensions.

Wall Street pumped the brakes on a stock rally as concerns over whether massive artificial- intelligence spending will pay off sent Meta Platforms Inc. down 11%. Bond yields and the dollar rose as the Federal Reserve tempered rate-cut expectations. A selloff in several megacaps dragged down the S&P 500, following a $17 trillion surge from its April lows. While the US and China agreed on a trade truce, the deal was seen as mostly priced in. In late hours, Apple Inc. posted strong overall sales, though revenue in China fell short of estimates. Amazon.com Inc.’s cloud unit posted a solid growth rate. Netflix Inc. approved a 10-for-1 stock split. The S&P 500 fell 1%. The yield on 10-year Treasuries rose one basis point to 4.09%. The dollar hit a three-month high. Bitcoin sank. Asian shares erased all their gains to trade little changed, still hovering near record highs. The Nikkei 225 index jumped 2.1% to a new all-time peak, while gauges in mainland China and Hong Kong fell by more than 1%.

Wall Street was shaken Wednesday as evidence of division at the Federal Reserve over the future of monetary policy whipsawed stocks and pushed bond yields higher. After the central bank delivered a widely anticipated rate cut, Chair Jerome Powell counseled against trying to predict whether another reduction was likely in 2025. His remarks reined in expectations in financialmarkets, with traders reducing bets on a quarter-point cut in December. Equities wavered after the closely watched meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping wrapped up largely in line with expectations, helping shares hover near their record highs. A gauge of Asian shares edged 0.4% lower after setting a record high Wednesday. Futures for the US and Europe were flatafter President Trump said he had an “amazing meeting” with Xi and would reduce fentanyl tariffs. Contracts indicated modest gains for European stocks at the open. Shares in mainland China dipped 0.8% while the Topix Index in Japan rose 0.7% after the Bank of Japan held its policy rate.

A rally in the world’s largest technology companies sent stocks to all-time highs amid speculation that artificial intelligence will keep driving earnings for the group that has powered the bull market. While most shares in the S&P 500 took a breather after a torrid run, tech megacaps kept rising. Microsoft Corp. finalizeda new pact with OpenAI that will give the software giant a 27% ownership stake worth about $135 billion. Apple Inc. briefly topped $4 trillion while Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang dismissed concerns about an AI bubble Asian indexes advanced on optimism that artificial intelligence will continue to drive profits at megacap technology companies reporting earnings this week, amid growing bets on a Federal Reserve interest-rate cut.

Wall Street’s hopes the US and China are nearing a trade deal lifted riskier assets, with stocks hitting all-time highs amid a rally in crypto. As demand for safety waned, gold fell alongside short- term bonds. The S&P 500 climbed 1.2% as Chinese and US trade negotiators have lined up an array of diplomatic wins for Donald Trump and Xi Jinping to unveil at a summit this week. With further Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts on the way, the profit outlook is looking increasingly brighter. Global equities paused their record-breaking rally as investors braced for a flurryof earnings from megacap technology companies and policy announcements from major central banks this week.