Stock Market Oct 28: S&P 500 Rises 0.28%, Dow Up 0.19%

U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday, October 28. The S&P 500 gained 0.28% to close at 7,743.98, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.19% to 52,475.10 and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.27% to 26,549.85.

Over the past five trading sessions the S&P 500 is down 0.2%, and over roughly a month it is up 1.0%.

S&P 500, last five sessions

• Wed, Oct 28: 7,743.98 (+0.28%)
• Tue, Oct 27: 7,722.60 (+0.60%)
• Mon, Oct 26: 7,676.77 (+0.70%)
• Fri, Oct 23: 7,623.68 (−0.52%)
• Thu, Oct 22: 7,663.43 (−1.21%)

Daily moves of less than 1% are typical; moves of 2% or more usually reflect a major economic release, earnings surprise or shift in interest-rate expectations.

The index finished 1.0% below its three-month closing high of 7,818.93. That leaves the market within striking distance of recent highs.

The three major averages moved broadly in step, suggesting the session’s move was market-wide rather than driven by a single sector.

A quick guide to the three benchmarks: the S&P 500 tracks 500 large U.S. companies weighted by market value and is the most widely used gauge of the market; the Dow Jones Industrial Average follows 30 blue-chip stocks and is weighted by share price; and the Nasdaq Composite includes thousands of stocks listed on the Nasdaq exchange, with a heavy tilt toward technology.

For long-term investors, single sessions matter far less than the overall trend. Over decades, U.S. stocks have risen in most calendar years despite frequent pullbacks, which is why many financial planners recommend steady contributions and a diversified mix rather than reacting to daily moves.

Index levels are official daily closes published through the St. Louis Fed (FRED). Track the trend on our stock market today page and look up individual companies on stock prices. This report is for information only and is not investment advice.

This report was generated by the NPJ Data Desk from official public data and contains no invented facts or quotes. How we use automation · Report an error