Apple & Netflix Rise as Earnings Season Steals the Limelight – Market wrap for the North American session - October 20
BY
Ben Graham
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Log in to today's North American session Market wrap for October 20
US and global stocks rose sharply on Monday, driven by optimistic investor sentiment as they look forward to a week packed with earnings reports from major American companies.
All three major US indexes, led by the tech-heavy Nasdaq, gained more than 1%. The S&P 500 increased by 1.1%. Loop Capital, the latest business to cite strong iPhone demand patterns, raised Apple's shares to buy, helping the company set its first record in 2025. A barometer of technology megacaps rose 1.6%. The Russell 2000 index of small businesses rose 1.9%
The mood among investors is very positive, despite two major risks: the US government shutdown is now in its 20th day, freezing the release of most official economic data; and there are ongoing worries about credit quality in the regional banking sector, which some experts believe could cool down the overall stock market.
This week, investor focus will be on reports from giants like Tesla, Netflix, IBM, Procter & Gamble, and Coca-Cola. Traders are betting that these large companies will deliver strong results, which helped push a global stock index (MSCI's gauge) up by 1.25% for the day.
Furthermore, investors are closely watching for any cues from the upcoming U.S.-China trade talks and the delayed U.S. inflation report, which is finally expected to be released this Friday.
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Cross-Assets Daily Performance
Bitcoin and Gold were the standout performers on the day with both instruments recording gains north of 2%.
Gold in particular printed a fresh all-time just above the $4380/oz handle.
The Nasdaq 100 and Dow Jones recorded a positive start to the week with both indexes rising north of 1%.
The US 10Y bond yield struggled sliding just shy of the 1% mark on the day.
A picture of today's performance for major currencies
The U.S. dollar saw a small gain on Monday with the overall dollar index rising slightly by 0.053% but remains near the low point it hit on Friday.
Against the Japanese yen, the dollar edged up 0.08%. The euro slipped slightly, dropping 0.06%.
Meanwhile, the Australian dollar saw the biggest movement, rising 0.48%, as traders cheered new data showing that China's economy (Australia's biggest trade partner) is holding up reasonably well despite U.S. tariffs.
A look at Economic data releasing through tonight and tomorrow's session
The Asian session will be a quiet one in terms of data releases.
Attention will be on the European session tomorrow where we will get speeches from a few ECB policymakers as well as President Christine Lagarde.
Ahead of the US session markets will brace for the continuation of US earnings releases with some companies such as General Motors, Verizon and Coca-Cola among other reporting ahead of the market open.
The US session remains light with the highlight coming from Canada with the release of Canadian inflation data as well as a speech by Fed policymaker Waller.
Netflix will be the main earnings release after the market close tomorrow and could have implications for Nasdaq 100 as well.
Safe Trades!
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