Stock Market Today, Dec. 19: AI Optimism and Inflation Data Buoys Stocks

The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) rose 0.88% to 6,834.50, the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) gained 1.31% to 23,307.62 on tech strength, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDEX: ^DJI) added 0.38% to 48,134.89, all navigating volatile quad‑witching flows.AI‑linked and broader tech names led market gains today. Strength in Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) and Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) bouyed prices while consumer stocks lagged. Nike (NYSE:NKE) and Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) slid on underwhelming earnings and guidance, weighing on retail and staples.Quadruple witching is something that happens four times a year, and today -- the third Friday of December -- was one. It's when stock index futures, stock index options, stock options, and single stock futures all expire at the same time. These are often days with high trading volumes and a lot of volatility, which was borne out by today's choppy swings.Continue readingWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei MotleyFool Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei MotleyFool