The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped Wednesday ahead of the minutes from the Federal Reserve's recent policy meeting. Meta Platforms readies its Twitter rival, called Threads, for its debut on Thursday.
The Fed minutes are due out at 2 p.m. ET. They could shed light on why policymaker projections penciled in two more rate hikes.
Later this week, the Labor Department's jobs report on Friday takes the spotlight. Economists are forecasting a gain of around 200,000 jobs and a dip in the jobless rate to 3.6%.
Stock Market Today
Meta stock climbed 0.5% in morning trade. Its Threads website, which has been referred to as a "Twitter killer," will be launched under the umbrella of social-media site Instagram. While its debut isn't until Thursday, the web interface was briefly made available for exploration.
Electric-vehicle giant Tesla rose 0.5% Wednesday morning. Dow Jones tech giants Apple and Microsoft were squarely lower after today's stock market open.
Other leaders in the stock market rally include Google-parent Alphabet. Alphabet shares inched higher.
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Dynatrace, MongoDB, Lam Research and Nvidia — as well as Dow Jones stocks JPMorgan Chase, Visa and Salesforce — are among the best stocks to watch in the ongoing stock market advance.
Tesla is an IBD Leaderboard stock, Lam Research remains an IBD SwingTrader stock, while Nvidia this week was featured in the Stocks Near A Buy Zone column. Dynatrace was a recent IBD Stock Of The Day.
Dow Jones Today: Oil Prices, Treasury Yields
After Wednesday's opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.4%, while the S&P 500 dropped 0.2%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite moved down 0.1% in morning action.
Among U.S. exchange-traded funds, the Nasdaq 100 tracker Invesco QQQ Trust traded down 0.4%, while the SPDR S&P 500 ETF lost 0.45% early Wednesday.
The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield ticked higher to 3.86%. The 10-year yield has been testing its recent highs, established in late May. The yield settled higher Monday at 3.85%.
Oil prices rebounded Wednesday morning, after a mild pullback on Monday. West Texas Intermediate futures traded up around 2%, to above $71 a barrel.
On Monday, oil prices declined, despite news that Saudi Arabia said it would extend its production cuts into August, and Russia announcing a 500,000 barrel-per-day cutback in its output next month. OPEC's meeting kicks off Wednesday.
Stock Market Action
On Monday, the S&P 500 edged up 0.1%, while the Nasdaq composite added 0.2%. Both chalked up their highest close since April 2022. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was nearly flat but still made its highest close since Dec. 2.
Monday's Big Picture column commented, "The (Nasdaq) composite's 31.7% six-month gain was the best first half of any year since 1983, according to Dow Jones Market Data. The big-cap focused Nasdaq 100 surged 38.8%, for its best first half in history."
Now is an important time to read IBD's The Big Picture column as the stock market holds near this year's highs.
Five Best Dow Jones Stocks To Buy And Watch Now
Dow Jones Stocks To Watch: JPMorgan, Salesforce, Visa
Dow Jones banking leader JPMorgan moved further above a 143.37 flat-base buy point during Monday's gains. The 5% buy zone goes up to 150.54. JPM stock fell 0.5% Wednesday morning.
Salesforce managed to steady itself after slumping following earnings. It is now testing support at the 50-day line. The megacap tech previously moved past a pair of alternative entries at 194.01 and at 200.10, according to IBD Leaderboard analysis.
In recent weeks, Salesforce shares reached the 20% profit zone from a 178.94 cup-with-handle entry. CRM stock dropped 0.3% Wednesday morning.
Payments leader Visa traded above a flat base's 235.57 buy point Monday, with a gain of 0.2%. The buy range tops out at 247.35. V stock lost 1.2% early Wednesday.
4 Top Growth Stocks To Buy And Watch In The Stock Market Rally
Best Stocks To Buy And Watch: Chipotle, Dynatrace, MongoDB, Lam Research
IBD Leaderboard watchlist stock Chipotle is trying to break out past a flat base's 2,139.88 buy point, according to IBD MarketSmith pattern recognition. An early entry at 2,092.51 was also available due to a trendline. Chipotle was a recent IBD Stock Of The Day. CMG stock fell 0.6% Wednesday morning.
Software maker Dynatrace has formed a three-weeks-tight chart pattern, representing a brief consolidation in which institutional investors pause their buying. Shares are about 3% away from their latest entry at 52.99. DT stock was down 0.8% Wednesday morning.
IBD SwingTrader stock Lam Research moved above a 615.80 early buy point and a three-weeks-tight pattern with a 630.72 entry during last week's gains. LRCX stock traded down 0.8% early Wednesday.
MongoDB traded tightly after its recent earnings-fueled jump, which offered a new entry. Shares are above the three-weeks-tight formation that showed a buy point at 398.89, while aggressive investors could have used a trendline entry around 386. MDB stock moved down 1.2% Wednesday morning.
Learn How To Time The Market With IBD's ETF Market Strategy
Best Stocks To Buy And Watch In Stock Market Rally
These are four best stocks to buy and watch in today's stock market, including a Dow Jones leader.
| Company Name | Symbol | Correct Buy Point | Type Of Buy Point |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASML | 683.18 | Cup with handle | |
| Salesforce | 200.00 | Consolidation | |
| Cloudflare | 66.20 | Double bottom | |
| Roku | 75.45 | Cup with handle |
Source: IBD Data As Of July 5, 2023
Join IBD experts as they analyze leading stocks in the current stock market rally on IBD Live
Tesla Stock
IBD Leaderboard stock Tesla extended a win streak to five sessions Monday after the company said it delivered more than 466,000 vehicles to customers worldwide in the April-to-June period, a record quarter for sales. Price cuts and discounts propelled demand well above Wall Street forecasts.
Amid the recent rebound, Tesla shares remain sharply out of buy range beyond a double-bottom's 207.79 buy point.
TSLA stock looked to add to Monday's gains, rising 0.5% Wednesday.
Dow Jones Leaders: Apple, Microsoft
Among Dow Jones stocks, Apple stock faded from Friday's record high at 194.48, declining 0.8% Monday. Shares continue to hold sharply above a 157.38 buy point. Early Wednesday, shares lost 0.2% in morning action.
Microsoft shares lost 0.75% Monday, giving back a part of Friday's gains. Still, the stock is just 4% away from its June 16 all-time high at 351.47.
In recent weeks, the stock reached the 20% to 25% profit zone from a 276.76 flat-base buy point, so investors could have taken at least some profits there. And on Wednesday morning, Microsoft shares were down 0.3%.
Be sure to follow Scott Lehtonen on Twitter at @IBD_SLehtonen for more on growth stocks and the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
