Major indexes on Thursday gave back some ground after galloping strongly the prior session as the Nasdaq, S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average all tried to stay in the black but succumbed by session's end. Big gainers included Taiwan Semiconductor, which led advancers on the stock market today as the chip titan announced solid quarterly revenue.
After an encouraging report on U.S. consumer prices sparked a near 2.5% advance in the Nasdaq composite Wednesday, the tech-heavy index tried to add to those juicy gains Thursday. But after rising modestly, the index finished the day 0.9% lower.
The Nasdaq on Wednesday powered above its rising 50-day moving average, indicating that demand for equities likely remains healthy. Yet the index finished just below it after Thursday's close.
The S&P 500, which rose 1.8% on Wednesday, had its sights on a fourth straight gain. But the large-cap benchmark ended the day down 0.2% after trading mostly near the break-even level for hours. And the Dow Jones Industrial Average was off 0.2% after jumping 703 points on Wednesday, or nearly 1.7%.
Stock Market Today: More Names At Buy Points
MarketSurge's homepage and proprietary screens have noted a few stocks that have either broken out of bases or traded near a recent IBD-style buy point. On Thursday, the homepage noted seven companies making the breakout screen while 39 others traded near a pivot point.
Go to IBD Stock Checkup to compare any stock with those in its industry group and the general market.
Investor's Corner: Why The RS Line Blue Dot Helps You Find Big Winners
Meanwhile, the Russell 2000 edged up 0.3%, while the S&P MidCap 400 rallied 0.8%, serving as an index leader in the stock market today. The S&P MidCap, which lagged its large-cap siblings in 2024 with a 12.2% push ahead that year, is now leading the way in 2025, up 3.2%. The S&P 500 holds a slim 1.1% gain year to date.
Before the stock market open, the Census Bureau reported U.S. retail sales rose 0.4% in December vs. the prior month, below the Econoday estimate of 0.5%. But November sales got revised upward to a healthy 0.8% gain.
Oil Down, Treasury Bond Yields Fall Hard Again
Outside the stock market today, crude oil cooled off as well. West Texas Intermediate fell 1.7% to $78.70 a barrel. Gold, however, rallied 1.1% to $2,747 per ounce while silver futures added 0.2% to $31.61 an ounce after a solid rebound on Wednesday.
The yield on the key U.S. Treasury 10-year bond, which dived 13 basis points on Wednesday following the mostly friendly Consumer Price Index data, fell another four basis points to 4.62%. Earlier this week, the 10-year yield rose to as high as 4.8%.
Volume in the stock market today was running lower vs. the same time on Wednesday on the Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange. Breadth was strong, with advancers over decliners by 2-to-1 on the NYSE while winners had a 5-4 edge on the Nasdaq, according to FactSet.
3:29 p.m. ET
More Stocks On The Move In MarketSurge 250
Within the MarketSurge Growth 250, top growth stocks to watch included foreign language learning app Duolingo, which busted a bullish move in volume running 119% above usual levels. The growth stock burst back above the 50-day line near 334.50, sparking a fresh buy point that follows a strong breakout past a double bottom with handle at 215.24 back in September.
On the weekly chart, Duolingo also retook its 10-week moving average, confirming the bullish rebound. IBD rules note that it's best to add to a winning stock position at or near the 10-week moving average — or 50-day on a daily chart — but no more than 5% above these technical levels.
Duolingo holds a best-possible 99 Composite Rating. IBD's Composite Rating combines fundamental, technical and fund ownership metrics into a single easy-to-use score to quickly screen for true leaders in the stock market today.
Other Growth Stocks On The Move
Other Growth 250 stocks on the move were FTAI Aviation, Ollie's Bargain Outlet, Nova and Constellation Energy. They hail from industry groups as diverse as aerospace/defense, educational and media software, discount retail, chip equipment and alternative energy.
FTAI got slammed on Wednesday, plummeting more than 24% as its recent breakout from a cup without handle at 177.18 failed terribly. The aviation leasing and aftermarket jet engine parts company, however, is finding support at the 200-day moving average. Shares jumped Thursday while volume soared six times its 50-day average pace. The midcap stock needs to continue rebounding and set up a new base.
Ollie's recently made a disappointing round trip of gains from a consolidation pattern that showed a 102.83 early entry. Ollie's stock rallied nearly 8% in above-average turnover. It retook not only the 102.83 buy point but the 50-day line as well.
Nova is the Israeli expert in process control operations in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Shares stormed higher for its fourth straight gain and ninth advance in 10 sessions. Nova now has finished the right side of a long base, producing an entry at 247.21. On Thursday, shares reached an intraday high of 249.01.
Finally, Constellation rallied nearly 5% and is extended beyond a standard entry at 288.75 and a trendline buy point near 255.
2:05 p.m. ET
Stock Market Today: Breakouts Continue To Flow
Taiwan Semi — one of the largest tech firms in the world and the top foundry to many of the artificial intelligence chip sellers — gapped up at the open and rallied as much as 7%. TSMC moved past the 5% buy zone after doodling around a 205.63 buy point in a relatively taut cup with handle.
The 5% buy zone for TSMC stock goes from 205.63 to 215.91. Buying within this zone helps investors stay firmly with a potential big market outperformer even as the stock makes a normal pullback after recently breaking out.
The Asian tech giant reported revenue guidance of $25 billion to $25.8 billion for the current quarter, nicely above FactSet's $24.6 billion estimate.
IBD Tech News: Chip Foundry Taiwan Semi Tops Q4 Estimates
Meanwhile, analog chip manufacturer Macom Tech and custom notification software expert Twilio also surged.
Twilio has gotten absolutely hammered since topping at 457.30 in early 2021. It now is trying to clear a second-stage flat base with a 116.43 entry. Twilio triggered a bullish blue dot on the relative strength line of its MarketSurge charts, meaning it's sharply outperforming the S&P 500 at an opportune time.
Expect Macom to deliver fourth-quarter results on Jan. 30. Analysts see Macom's earnings rising 35% year over year to 78 cents a share. They expect a 37% increase in revenue to $214.9 million, which would be the biggest quarterly sales jump in years.
Macom currently wields a stately 95 Earnings Per Share Rating on a scale of 1 to 99.
10:40 a.m. ET
Stock Market Today: Goldman Sachs Clears A Buy Point
Goldman Sachs rallied more than 1% and cleared a 612.73 buy point within a shallow seven-week base. The Wall Street firm Wednesday posted a 118% pole vault in earnings to $11.95 a share. That built upon per-share earnings increases of 32%, 180% and 54% in the prior three quarters. But UnitedHealth slumped more than 4% after its fourth-quarter results signaled high expenses.
The 5% buy zone for Goldman from the 612.73 entry goes up to 643.37.
Semiconductor sector peer Broadcom showed choppy movement in the first hour of trading. That said, the diversified chip titan rose.
Broadcom does not report January-quarter results until Feb. 27, according to MarketSurge. In the fiscal third quarter, the company posted earnings growth of 28% to $1.42 a share. That came on a 51% leap in sales to $14.05 billion.
The PHLX Semiconductor Index rose 1.1%.
Please follow Chung on X/Twitter: @saitochung and @IBD_DChung
