Markets News, Oct. 28, 2025: Stock Indexes Close at Fresh Records; Nvidia Stock Jumps to New All-Time High

Noteworthy S&P 500 Movers on Tuesday

Advancers:

• Nvidia (NVDA) shares powered up 5% to an all-time high after CEO Jensen Huang delivered a keynote speech at the company's developers conference in Washington, D.C. The event brought a flurry of announcements from Nvidia, including a $1 billion investment in Nokia (NOK), as well as a new strategic partnership with the Finnish tech firm, whose shares soared nearly 23%. Nvidia also said it will collaborate with Oracle (ORCL) to build AI supercomputers for the U.S. Department of Energy and team up with Palantir Technologies (PLTR) on the development of an integrated AI technology stack.
  
• Shares of Regeneron Pharmaceutical (REGN) gained close to 12% after the biotechnology firm posted stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings. Strong sales of eczema treatment Dupixent and skin cancer treatment Libtayo helped drive the performance. Regeneron also said it plans to resubmit an application for a higher-dose version of Eylea, a treatment for various diseases that affect the retina.
• Skyworks Solutions (SWKS) and Qorvo (QRVO), manufacturers of radio-frequency chips for smartphones and other devices, announced a plan to merge. Both semiconductor makers have been navigating headwinds related to major customer Apple (AAPL), which began developing its own modem chips for use in its devices. Shares of both companies added about 6% following the merger announcement.
• United Parcel Service (UPS) shares surged 8% after the package delivery giant topped analysts' estimates with its third-quarter revenue and adjusted earnings per share. The company highlighted progress on a turnaround plan that includes efforts to streamline operations, close underutilized facilities, and reduce its workforce, with 50,000 positions cut so far this year.
• PayPal Holdings (PYPL) shares climbed 3.9% after the payments provider said it would partner with ChatGPT operator OpenAI. Users who are shopping on ChatGPT will be able to check out using PayPal, while PayPal will connect its global merchant network with ChatGPT to provide opportunities for sales on the AI platform.

Decliners:

• Alexandria Real Estate Equities (ARE), a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on life science and technology properties, missed estimates with its third-quarter revenue and adjusted funds from operations (AFFO), a key measure of REIT profitability. The firm also lowered its full-year AFFO forecast, pointing to lower occupancy projections in North America and slumping demand in the life science industry. Shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities plunged nearly 20%, falling the most of any S&P 500 constituent.
• Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) sank 8.5%. The cruise operator's revenue for the third quarter came in slightly below expectations, and its outlook for the fourth quarter also fell short of forecasts. Weather disruptions along with increased operating and interest expenses contributed to the cloudy outlook.

-Michael Bromberg

Here's How Much Traders Expect Amazon Stock To Move After Earnings This Week

Amazon (AMZN) is slated to report third-quarter earnings after the closing bell on Thursday, and some traders are betting the results can give the stock, the laggard of the Magnificent Seven so far this year, a big boost.

Amazon stock is expected to move about 6% in either direction by the end of the week, according to recent options pricing data. A move of that magnitude, based on Monday's closing price, would put Amazon shares at about $241, their highest price since early February, or $213.

Amazon stock has moved an average of 4.7% following its four most recent earnings reports. Shares slumped more than 8% after the company in July reported cloud revenue growth that disappointed Wall Street after strong showings from competitors Microsoft (MSFT) and Alphabet (GOOG). The last time Amazon stock rose following an earnings report was this time last year, when the company topped sales and earnings estimates on strong cloud and advertising growth. 

Amazon is the worst-performing stock in the Magnificent Seven so far this year, with the company’s outsized tariff exposure weighing on shares. The stock is up just 5% since the start of the year. 

Amazon’s retail business is contending with increased tariff costs and increasingly squeezed consumers, while its cloud computing unit is making massive data center investments to meet demand for AI workloads. As such, cost savings will be top of mind for investors during Thursday’s earnings call with executives. 

Amazon on Tuesday announced it would cut 14,000 corporate roles, reportedly part of a larger downsizing that could see the company slash up to 30,000 office jobs, nearly 10% of its white collar workforce. And according to a recent New York Times report, some executives expect warehouse robotics to keep the company from hiring as many as 600,000 workers in the coming years.

Cloud growth and capital expenditures will also be in focus. Amazon’s infrastructure investments totaled more than $31 billion in the second quarter, about 20% more than Wall Street was expecting. Chief financial officer Brian Olsavsky forecast the second quarter's spending would be "reasonably representative" of capex spending for the remainder of the year.

-Colin Laidley

Home Price Gains Slowed in August. But Will It Last?

After years of rising home prices, the gains are beginning to cool down. But how long will it last?

Home prices in August were up 1.5% from a year ago, rising at their slowest pace in two years, giving some relief to house hunters facing an unaffordable market. Data from the S&P Cotality Case-Shiller national home price index shows rising home prices aren’t keeping pace with inflation.

"This marks the weakest annual gain in over two years and falls well below the 3% inflation rate," said Nicholas Godec, head of fixed income tradables and commodities at S&P Dow Jones Indices. "For the fourth straight month, home values have lost ground to inflation, meaning homeowners are seeing their real wealth decline even as nominal prices inch higher."

Home price growth varied by location. New York, Chicago and Cleveland all showed year-over-year increases of 4.5% or more. Meanwhile, housing prices in Tampa, Phoenix and Miami all declined after their pandemic-era surge.

"Markets that experienced the sharpest pandemic-era gains are now seeing the largest corrections, while more affordable metros with stable local economies are holding up better," Godec said. "The housing market appears to be finding a new equilibrium after the pandemic boom."

Read the full article here.

-Terry Lane

Prediction Markets Are Where the Action Is. And Trump Media Is Getting In On the Game

Digital prediction markets are drawing in throngs of users—and investors.

The markets have become increasingly popular, sparking a rush of new and rumored capital into them. Just this month, New York Stock Exchange parent Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) announced a $2 billion investment in Polymarket, recently said to be in discussions to raise money at a valuation as high as $15 billion. (Polymarket did not respond to Investopedia's request for comment in time for publication.)

Kalshi was reportedly receiving funding offers valuing it at more than $10 billion, double what it fetched weeks earlier on a $300 million funding round. And sports betting giant DraftKings (DKNG) last week acquired predictions platform Railbird.

The investor interest follows user activity. Weekly prediction market volume hit a record high last week of over $2.3 billion, across a handful of tracked platforms including Polymarket and Kalshi, according to estimates from research platform Dune derived from data on the blockchain.

Trump Media & Technology Group (DJT), the company co-founded by President Donald Trump, is the latest to advance further into prediction markets. The company said Tuesday that it partnered with Crypto.com, a coin trading platform whose name adorns the Lakers' basketball stadium, to launch Truth Predict. It will let users bet on the outcomes of events, whether a basketball game or an election, through the social platform.

Read the full article here.

-Crystal Kim

Here's How Much Traders Expect Apple Stock To Move After Earnings This Week

Apple is scheduled to report its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings after the closing bell Thursday, with traders betting on a move in the iPhone maker's stock that could take it to new highs after the results.

Options pricing suggests traders expect Apple (AAPL) stock could move about 4% in either direction by the end of this week. A move of that size from Monday's record close near $269 would push shares to a new all-time high near $280 at the high end, or pull them down to about $258 where they were last week.

However, Apple's earnings haven't tended to help the stock in recent quarters, with shares losing ground after all of its four most recent reports. In July, Apple posted earnings that topped analysts' estimates as its services revenue climbed to a record high, though lingering worries about its AI progress weighed on the stock.

Apple shares have added about 7% in 2025 so far, after spending most of the year in negative territory amid concerns about delays in some highly anticipated AI features and its progress with the technology. The only Magnificent 7 member with a weaker performance this year so far has been Amazon (AMZN), which is also due to report results Thursday, with its shares up close to 4% for 2025 as of Monday's close.

Read the full article here.

-Kara Greenberg

Social Security Could Better Support Retirees—If Washington Updates How It Measures Inflation

Social Security benefits aren't keeping pace with the expenses of older Americans, but experts say an easy change could adjust the program to provide beneficiaries with sufficient income to cover their costs.

The Social Security Administration said Friday that benefits will increase by 2.8% in 2026. This cost-of-living adjustment happens yearly and is calculated based on inflation during the third quarter, but many experts say it will not be enough to keep up with beneficiaries' expenses.

Premiums for Medicare Part B, which is used by 63 million disabled or older Americans, are expected to outpace the 2026 COLA, rising by 11.6% next year. In addition, COLA's failure to keep up with costs means those on Social Security have lost 20% of their buying power from 2010 to 2024, according to a report by The Senior Citizens League.

To remedy the gap between benefits and inflation, Shannon Benton, executive director of The Senior Citizens League, said the federal government should consider using an inflation index that better reflects the expenses of older Americans in particular to determine the COLA. The Senior Citizens League has also called for a one-time $1,400 stimulus check to help beneficiaries afford rising costs.

Read the full article here.

-Elizabeth Guevara

These Two Companies Are Set to Join the S&P 500 Soon

More changes are coming to a big U.S. index.

Two companies are coming to the S&P 500, the benchmark U.S. market measure. Solstice Advance Materials is set to replace CarMax (KMX) before Friday's open, S&P Dow Jones Indices said late Monday, while Qnity Electronics will replace Eastman Chemical (EMN) before the start of trading next Tuesday.

Solstice, which will use the ticker "SOLS," is arriving via spinoff from Honeywell International (HON) in a deal expected to close Thursday, with the latter company set to remain in the index. Qnity, which will get the one-letter symbol "Q," is itself a spinoff from another S&P 500 member, DuPont de Nemours (DD), which will also remain an index member; that deal is expect to be completed Monday.

CarMax and Eastman will move to the S&P 600 index of smaller companies.

The changes will mark the first updates to the S&P 500's membership since September, when Robinhood Markets (HOOD), AppLovin (APP) and Emcor (EME) replaced Caesars Entertainment (CZR), MarketAxess Holdings (MKTX) and Enphase Energy (ENPH).

Honeywell will remain part of the Dow Jones Industrial Average after the Solstice spinoff, S&P Dow Jones Indices said; Solstice will not join that index. That index's composition hasn't changed since early November 2024, when Nvidia (NVDA) and Sherwin-Williams (SHW) replaced Intel (INTC) and Dow (DOW).

-David Marino-Nachison

A ChatGPT Partnership Is Lifting PayPal as AI and Shopping Continue to Pair Up

PayPal shares shot higher Tuesday after the company announced a partnership with ChatGPT operator OpenAI and released strong third-quarter results.

PayPal Holdings (PYPL) will extend its services to ChatGPT users, bringing the number of AI chat operators it's helping handle e-commerce transactions to at least three. Those shopping via ChatGPT will be able to tap into PayPal's consumer protection service, while merchants will be able to access PayPal's payment processing tools, PayPal announced Tuesday.

PayPal's alliance with OpenAI comes after established retailers, such as Walmart (WMT) and Etsy (ETSY), announced plans to sell to ChatGPT users. The partnerships are expected to bolster consumer trust in shopping via ChatGPT, analysts said.

"Hundreds of millions of people turn to ChatGPT each week for help with everyday tasks, including finding products they love, and over 400 million use PayPal to shop," PayPal CEO Alex Chriss said in a statement. He said the partnership will "help people go from chat to checkout in just a few taps for our joint customer bases."

Shares of PayPal were recently up some 9%, though they remain in the red year-to-date.

Read the full article here.

-Sarina Trangle

The Federal Reserve's Meeting Starts Today—Here's What You Need to Know

The Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates Wednesday, but analysts are focused on its view of the economy’s prospects as the government shutdown clouds the outlook.

When the Fed last met in mid-September, the federal government was open, the job market was showing some cracks and inflation was moving up slightly but within reason. 

The overall picture hasn’t changed too much, analysts say, despite noting the shutdown is dampening growth as it stretches into its 28th day. A lack of government data is also making the economy trickier to read, so investors will be watching for the Fed’s sense of where conditions stand.

The group is scheduled to release a statement with their decisions at the close of their meeting on Wednesday at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will then provide more details and answer questions at a press conference at 2:30 p.m.

Read the full article here.

-Polo Rocha

Nokia Stock Soars on $1B Nvidia Investment in Finnish Firm

Nokia (NOK) has been pivoting into AI data centers. Nvidia (NVDA) evidently likes the strategic shift.

U.S.-listed shares of Nokia soared 18% Tuesday following an announcement that Nvidia would be making a $1 billion investment into the Finnish company in addition to a new strategic partnership.

Nvidia will purchase nearly 166.4 new Nokia shares at $6.01 each, and become a 2.9% shareholder of the Finnish firm.

Nokia said it would use the proceeds "to accelerate its strategic plans to advance trusted connectivity for the AI supercycle and other general corporate purposes." The company, best known for its early cellphones and mobile network products, has changed its focus to the burgeoning AI data center world of late.

With today's sharp rise, U.S.-listed shares of Nokia are up about 70% in 2025.

AI's Rapid Rise Leaves Young Workers Struggling to Adapt in Today's Workplace

As artificial intelligence reshapes the modern workplace, many young workers say they’re struggling to keep pace—and subsequently having a hard time finding jobs.

Recently, the labor market has been slow to add workers, especially recent college graduates. As of June 2025, 4.8% of recent college graduates were unemployed, compared to 4% of all workers, according to the latest report from the New York Federal Reserve.

Many economists say tariffs are partly to blame, but a significant factor, which has been brewing for several years, is the growing use of artificial intelligence in the workforce. These tools have increasingly affected early-career white-collar workers such as software developers and accountants.

As technology and AI advance in offices, seven out of 10 workers feel they are unprepared for today's workforce, according to a recent survey by Instructure, the makers of Canvas, an online education management system. For young workers, the situation is even worse, with 87% of Gen Z, those born between 1997 and 2012, reporting they feel unprepared.

Read the full article here.

-Elizabeth Guevara

The Price of Gold Continues Sliding. Investors Should Monitor These Critical Levels

Gold's (XAUUSD) retreat from its recent record high accelerated on Tuesday, with profit-taking weighing on the precious metal after strong gains in recent months.

The spot price of gold slipped below the $3,900/oz level this morning as signs of a potential breakthrough in U.S.-China trade talks ahead of a meeting later this week between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping eased demand for the safe-haven asset. Gold's recent decline has coincided with a stock market rally that continues lifting major indexes to record highs.

The price of gold, recently at around $3,910, has fallen 11% from the record high set early last week, though is still about 50% higher year-to-date, boosted by economic uncertainties, geopolitical tensions, and purchases by central banks around the world.

After hitting its all-time high on Oct. 20, gold has undergone a retracement, a move that coincides with the relative strength index recently dropping below its neutral threshold, signaling waning bullish momentum and raising the possibility of a deeper short-term pullback.

In early trading Tuesday, the precious metal fell below the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement level when applying a grid from the August low to October high.

Read the full technical analysis piece here.

-Timothy Smith

UPS Stock Pops on Strong Q3 Results

United Parcel Service's turnaround plan seems to be working.

UPS (UPS) shares soared more than 12% before the bell after the shipping giant reported better-than-expected third-quarter results.

The Atlanta-based firm reported adjusted earnings of $1.74 per share on revenue that fell 3.7% year-over-year to $21.42 billion. Analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha had expected adjusted EPS of $1.31 and revenue to fall further to $20.89 billion.

"We launched our Efficiency Reimagined initiatives to undertake the end-to-end process redesign effort which will align our organizational processes to the network reconfiguration," UPS said. "We have reduced our operational workforce by approximately 34,000 positions and closed daily operations at 93 leased and owned buildings during the first nine months of 2025 as a component of this initiative." 

UPS, which last quarter did not provide a revenue or profit forecast "given the current macro-economic uncertainty," guided for $24 billion in fourth-quarter revenue, a tick above Visible Alpha consensus. 

Shares of UPS entered Tuesday down nearly 30% this year.

UnitedHealth Group Stock Rises on Profit Beat, Lifted Outlook

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) stock was nearly 4% in premarket trading after the healthcare giant reported better-than-expected third-quarter profit and lifted its full-year earnings outlook.

The company posted adjusted earnings of $2.92 per share, while analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha had projected $2.74 per share. Revenue of $113.16 billion was essentially in line with expectations.

"We remain focused on strengthening performance and positioning for durable and accelerating growth in 2026 and beyond, and our results this quarter reflect solid execution toward that goal," CEO Stephen Hemsley said.

UnitedHealth Group raised its 2025 EPS outlook to at least $14.90 per share and adjusted EPS to at least $16.25 per share, up from at least $14.65 per share and at least $16.00 per share, respectively.

Shares of UnitedHealth Group entered Tuesday down about 28% this year.

Stock Futures Little Changed After Indexes Set Fresh Records

Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%.

S&P 500 futures were fractionally lower.

Nasdaq 100 futures ticked 0.1% higher.