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Alphabet beats quarterly revenue estimates
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D.R. Horton ( DHI ) losses weigh on homebuilders
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Nasdaq hits record closing high at 18,712
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Indexes: Nasdaq up 0.78%, S&P up 0.16%, Dow down 0.36%
(Updates after the close)
By Abigail Summerville
Oct 29 (Reuters) -
The Nasdaq scored a record closing high and the S&P 500 rose
on Tuesday, while the Dow fell as investors digested a host of
corporate earnings and awaited Google-parent Alphabet's
results that came after the market close.
Alphabet, one of the so-called "Magnificent Seven" megacap
technology stocks, reported quarterly revenue that beat
estimates.
This is the busiest week for S&P 500 earnings in the
quarter, with eyes on five of the "Magnificent Seven" companies
that are reporting results.
The group's results will be crucial to determining whether
Wall Street can sustain the optimism around technology and
artificial intelligence that has lifted indexes to record highs
this year.
"I think one of the things the market is digesting is the
idea of some degree of convergence in earnings growth between
the high fliers - the Magnificent Seven that are obviously very
high in terms of market weighting - versus the rest of the
market," said Bill Merz, head of Capital Markets Research for
U.S. Bank's asset management group.
The Nasdaq Composite rose 145.56 points, or
0.78%, to 18,712.75, breaking the previous closing record in
July.
The S&P 500 climbed 9.45 points, or 0.16%, to
5,832.97. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 154.52
points, or 0.36%, to 42,233.05.
Investors sifted through a deluge of corporate earnings.
Vans parent VF Corp ( VFC ) jumped 27% after the apparel company
reported its first profit in two quarters.
D.R. Horton ( DHI ) fell 7.2% on Tuesday after the
homebuilder forecast 2025 revenue below estimates. Other
homebuilders lost ground, dragging the PHLX Housing index
down 2.5%.
Ford slumped 8.4% a day after the automaker said it
expected to hit the lower end of its annual profit forecast.
Visa and restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill ( CMG )
posted earnings after the close.
Meanwhile, the Labor Department's JOLTS survey showed job
openings were at 7.44 million in September, compared with
estimates of 8 million, a Reuters poll of economists showed.
A separate report showed consumer confidence at 108.7 in
October, above the estimated 99.5.
Among sectors, communication services, which
includes Alphabet and Meta, was the top gainer, while utilities
dropped 2.1%.
Gains were limited as the benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury
yield touched 4.3% for the first time since early
July.
Investors are anticipating a volatile few weeks with more
corporate earnings, Middle East tensions, and the Nov. 5 U.S.
elections followed by the Federal Reserve's policy-setting
meeting.
Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 1.78-to-1 ratio
on the NYSE. There were 176 new highs and 75 new lows on the
NYSE.
The S&P 500 posted 19 new 52-week highs and no new lows
while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 93 new highs and 70 new
lows.
Volume on U.S. exchanges was 12.59 billion shares,
compared with the 11.5 billion full-session average over the
last 20 trading days.