The Dow Jones Industrial Average and other major indexes closed Friday with gains after moving mixed during the session. Investors welcomed the reading from the Federal Reserve's favored inflation gauge, the core PCE price index, on the stock market today. Electronic Arts spiked in the final hours of trading on news of a potential buyout that also lifted a competitor.
The Dow closed off the day's highs with a roughly 300-point gain, or 0.7%. August core inflation increased to 2.9% from a year ago, in line with expectations. The result "will do nothing to derail the continued high expectation that the Federal Reserve will cut rates again at their Oct. 29 meeting," Greg Wilensky, head of U.S. fixed income at Janus Henderson Investors, said in emailed comments.
The S&P 500 jumped 0.6% and Nasdaq composite closed 0.4% higher after earlier losing ground. All three major indexes ended three-day losing streaks. Meanwhile, small-cap stocks outperformed the major indexes, with the Russell 2000 index rising 1%.
Volume was lower compared with Thursday after distribution days for the Nasdaq and S&P 500, in preliminary numbers.
On the Nasdaq exchange, rising stocks outnumbered falling issues by 3-to-2. And on the NYSE, winners topped losers by nearly 9-to-4.
3:49 p.m. ET
Electronic Arts Explodes On Potential Buyout
Electronic Arts soared about 15% after The Wall Street Journal reported that the video game developer is closing in on a deal to be taken private. The transaction could be valued up to $50 billion and is said to be the biggest leveraged buyout in history.
Investors in the potential deal include private equity firm Silver Lake and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, The Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Details of the deal could be released next week.
Electronic Arts stock broke out of a flat base and is extended from the 180.90 buy point.
Rival video game maker Take-Two Interactive jumped 3% on the news. Shares are in the 5% buy zone of a flat base with a 245.07 buy point.
3:03 p.m. ET
Software Name Plunges On EPS Miss
Concentrix cut larger morning losses to around 9.3%. The giant drop in huge volume came after customer engagement data analytics company missed fiscal third-quarter earnings estimates and gave fiscal fourth-quarter and fiscal 2026 profit guidance below views.
Concentrix stock fell from a cup-with-handle base and plunged below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, triggering sell signals.
Radiation detection stock Mirion Technologies rebounded 12% after a two-day sell-off. On Friday, the company announced the pricing of its public offering of over 17.3 millions shares of common stock at a price of 21.35 per share.
Market Rallies Off Key Support; Tesla Deliveries Due
1:37 p.m. ET
Truck Stock Barrels Ahead, Bitcoin Miners Sink
Large truck maker Paccar trimmed a beefier morning gain to around 5.2% Friday afternoon. The move came after President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social account he would impose a 25% tariff as of Oct. 1, on all heavy trucks made outside the U.S. The majority of Paccar's trucks are made domestically.
Paccar stock retook its 50-day and 200-day moving averages on the stock market today. But the stock has lost around 3% this year and holds a weak 25 IBD Relative Strength Rating.
IBD 50 name Iren plummeted around 10% in heavy trading, following Thursday's 1.8% reverse lower. Friday's move came after JP Morgan downgraded the bitcoin miner to an underweight rating from neutral with a 24 price target. Shares were around the 41 level in recent trade.
Fellow bitcoin miner CleanSpark sank nearly 3% after JP Morgan downgraded shares to neutral from overweight and eased its price target to 14.
But JP Morgan-preferred bitcoin miner and platform operator Riot Platforms gained more than 4%. The investment firm upgraded the IBD 50 stock to overweight from neutral and raised its price target to 19 from 15. Citigroup also upgraded Riot to buy from neutral and hiked its price target to 24 from 13.75.
12:07 p.m. ET
Stock Market Today: Boeing Lifts Dow, Palantir Falls
Boeing was the Dow's top performer Friday but the stock remains on a downtrend after a sharp break of the 50-day line on Sept. 11.
Among top-rated growth stocks in IBD's database, AppLovin jumped 2.5% after Piper Sandler maintained an overweight rating but lifted AppLovin's price target to 740 from 500. The strength comes after AppLovin made a bullish stand Thursday at the 21-day exponential moving average. AppLovin is a Leaderboard stock.
Palantir Technologies gave back 1.5% as it tries to put the finishing touches on a cup-with-handle base.
DoorDash eased 0.6%. A cup-with-handle base currently shows a 269.06 buy point.
10:56 a.m. ET
Boeing Leads Dow
Dow component Boeing jumped nearly 4% on reports the Federal Aviation Administration is set to ease production restrictions for the 737 MAX. Boeing supplier Howmet Aerospace added 2% as it tries to break out to all-time highs. Howmet is a Leaderboard stock.
Several gold stocks outperformed again in the MarketSurge Growth 250, including DRDGold, Idaho Strategic Resources and Gold Fields. Gold futures were up close to 1% near $3,800 an ounce.
In the heavy construction group, Argan gained nearly 3% after paring losses Thursday. It's near the top of the 5% buy zone from a 253.79 buy point.
The 10-year Treasury yield ticked higher to 4.18%, while WTI crude oil futures were up 1.5% near $66/barrel.
9:48 a.m. ET
Nasdaq-100 Movers: GlobalFoundries, Intel, Marvell, PDD
Among the Nasdaq-100 index stocks, GlobalFoundries and Intel jumped 8% and 2%, respectively, making them some of the top gainers in morning action.
On the downside, Marvell and PDD declined 1.8% and 1.2%, respectively. Marvell stock is nearing a breakout past an 85.27 entry.
9:09 a.m. ET
Dow Jones Movers: Amazon, Amgen, Merck, Microsoft
Inside the blue chip index, Amazon, Amgen, Merck and Microsoft were among the best performers in premarket trading.
Amazon stock climbed 1%, looking to snap a four-day losing streak. Amgen shares moved up 1.1% after Thursday's 2.9% sell-off. Merck stock rebounded 1.6%, on pace to end a five-day losing streak. And Microsoft shares gained 0.8%, still fighting to retake the 50-day moving average.
8:38 a.m. ET
Boeing Jumps On FAA News
Boeing shares jumped 3.5% Friday after The Wall Street Journal reported the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is set to ease restrictions on the aerospace giant's aircraft deliveries.
Shares are building a flat base with a 242.69 buy point.
8:35 a.m. ET
Stock Market Today: Fed Inflation Gauge
Early Friday, the Commerce Department said the core personal consumption expenditures index rose 0.2% in August, with an annual increase of 2.9%, meeting Econoday estimates. The PCE price index climbed 0.3%, with a year-over-year rise of 2.7%. Both were also in line with estimates.
8:12 a.m. ET
Stock Market Today: Apple Stock Falls
Apple stock declined 1% premarket, threatening to give back a large part of Thursday's 1.8% rally.
Shares are just shy of record highs and are above entries at 235.12 and 241.32 following a big move since early August.
Costco Drops On Earnings
Costco Wholesale dropped nearly 1% premarket Friday even after the retailer topped fiscal fourth-quarter earnings and revenue estimates.
Late Thursday, Costco reported EPS of $5.87 on revenue of $86.2 billion. Same-store sales were up 5.7%, below FactSet estimates that called for a 5.9% increase.
Stock Market Today: Fed Inflation Data
Up next for the market is the Federal Reserve's primary inflation gauge, the core PCE index, due Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. ET.
The core PCE price index is expected to rise a modest 0.2%, which would keep the 12-month core inflation steady at 2.9%, according to Econoday. Suspense is low since most inputs are released with the consumer price index and the producer price index. Meanwhile, economists expect personal consumption expenditures to rise 0.4% and personal income to grow 0.3%.
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