Overview
- Major indexes closed higher, with the Dow up 0.48%, the S&P 500 up 0.37% and the Nasdaq up 0.65%.
- Large technology firms and chipmakers led broad gains, while the communication sector outperformed helped by Meta and Alphabet.
- Alphabet advanced after reaching a settlement with Epic Games over Google Play, bolstering sentiment in communication services.
- ADP reported a 42,000 increase in U.S. private payrolls for October, topping expectations and taking on added weight given the lack of official releases.
- Earnings season remained supportive, with 379 S&P 500 companies reported and about 83% beating estimates, as investors monitored a Supreme Court review of Trump-era tariffs and a 37-day shutdown that has curtailed labor data.