[New York Stock Market] Dow and S&P 500 close higher... Tesla up 1.5%
- Input
- 2026-10-21 05:29:47
- Updated
- 2026-10-21 05:29:47
New York stocks ended mixed on the 20th (local time).
Amid weakness in big tech, the Nasdaq, led by large-cap technology stocks, was the only index to finish slightly lower.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average, comprising 30 blue-chip stocks, jumped 1% on strong corporate earnings. The Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500), which broadly reflects market performance, also rose 0.3%.
Only the Nasdaq edged lower
The Dow rose 529.79 points (1.02%) from the previous session to close at 52,495.82, while the S&P 500 gained 21.84 points (0.28%) to finish at 7,712.57.
3M surged 5.78%, while Merck and Amgen each jumped 3.3%. IBM, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and others also gained more than 2% each, lifting the Dow.
By contrast, the tech-heavy Nasdaq edged lower, slipping 6.07 points (0.02%) to close at 26,424.82.
The Nasdaq 100, comprising 100 large-cap technology stocks, fell 39.06 points (0.13%) to close at 29,490.28. TQQQ, a leveraged exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks three times the index’s daily moves, fell $0.23 (0.33%) to finish at $70.41.
Tesla rises 1.5% amid weakness in big tech
Most big tech stocks fell.
Alphabet fell $3.91 (1.13%) to $340.28, while Apple lost $3.44 (1.01%) to close at $339.50.
Microsoft (MS) slipped $1.65 (0.31%) to $531.41, while Palantir fell $1.55 (0.80%) to close at $192.60.
Tesla continued to rise, a day ahead of its earnings report. It gained $5.65 (1.54%) that day to reach $373.71.
Amazon also edged higher, gaining $0.18 (0.07%) to close modestly up at $262.63.
SpaceX, which reported earnings after the market closed, ended regular trading down $0.17 (0.11%) at $147.47, despite analysts’ optimistic outlook. However, it jumped more than 2% in after-hours trading. Third-quarter revenue was confirmed to have surged 161% from a year earlier.
Semiconductor stocks edge lower
Most semiconductor stocks fell, though their losses were not steep.
Sector leader Nvidia fell $0.62 (0.29%) to $216.47, while Micron dropped $8.83 (0.98%) to close at $896.07.
Intel fell $0.34 (0.37%) to $91.69, while SK hynix’s American depositary receipts (ADRs) slid $3.08 (2.16%) to $139.79.
The Roundhill Memory ETF (DRAM), an exchange-traded fund comprising memory semiconductor stocks, fell $0.61 (1.26%) to close at $47.72.
SOXL, a leveraged ETF that tracks three times the daily moves of 30 major semiconductor stocks, fell $1.10 (1.12%) to finish at $97.55.
GM plunges 7%
General Motors (GM), the senior member of Detroit’s Big Three, plunged 7%.
Its third-quarter results, released that day, topped expectations, and the company raised its full-year free cash flow (FCF) outlook and announced a $20 billion share buyback plan. Yet its stock plunged.
Investors were disappointed because the company lowered its full-year earnings outlook and did not disclose a timeline for its new share buyback plan.
GM plunged $5.66 (6.84%) to $77.09.
[email protected] Song Gyeong-jae Reporter