The Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly rose more than 175 points Thursday after the Labor Department released weekly first-time jobless claims totals and fourth-quarter GDP data emerged. Meanwhile, brokerage firm Charles Schwab dropped on a key downgrade.
Initial unemployment claims climbed to 198,000, topping Wall Street expectations for a rise to 195,000 vs. 191,000 in the previous week. Meanwhile, the final estimate of fourth-quarter GDP came in at 2.6%, below estimates that expected it to hold at 2.7%, unchanged from the second estimate. (For the latest coverage of the market, visit our Stock Market Today page.)
Charles Schwab declined almost 3% after Morgan Stanley downgraded Schwab stock from overweight to equal-weight. Morgan Stanley also lowered its price target to 68.
Among companies reporting earnings, medical leader Neogen and retailer RH were on the move Thursday morning.
Neogen shares dropped 2% in morning trade, while RH cut losses to 1.5% after the company's earnings and sales missed estimates.
Stock Market Today
Electric-vehicle giant Tesla rose 1% early Thursday. Dow Jones tech giants Apple and Microsoft were higher after today's stock market open.
PagerDuty, IBD SwingTrader stock Meta Platforms and IBD Leaderboard member Palo Alto Networks — as well as Dow Jones stocks Cisco Systems and Nike — are among the top stocks to buy and watch with the newfound market strength.
Cisco was featured in this week's Stocks Near A Buy Zone column. Palo Alto, PagerDuty, Microsoft and Meta were all recent IBD Stock Of The Day subjects.
Dow Jones Today: Oil Prices, Treasury Yields
After Thursday's opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3%, and the S&P 500 gained 0.6%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composited moved up 0.9% in morning action.
Among U.S. exchange-traded funds, the Nasdaq 100 tracker Invesco QQQ Trust rose 0.7%, while the SPDR S&P 500 ETF climbed 0.6% early Thursday.
The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield on Wednesday inched higher to 3.56%, rising for a third straight day. Last week, the 10-year yield briefly touched its lowest level since mid-September. On Thursday, the 10-year ticked higher to 3.58%.
U.S. oil prices looked to bounce back from Wednesday's mild losses. West Texas Intermediate futures traded between $73 and $74 a barrel.
Stock Market Rally
On Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 1%, while the S&P 500 moved up 1.4%. And the Nasdaq composite outperformed with a 1.8% advance.
Wednesday's Big Picture column commented, "Good places to spot emerging new leadership? Go to lists of the IBD 50 and Big Cap 20 and rank them in terms of best gains. IBD Stock Screener, IBD Stock Of The Day, IBD Stock Analysis and IBD 50 Stocks To Watch also offer excellent places to do efficient research."
Now is an important time to read IBD's The Big Picture column following Wednesday's big gains.
Five Dow Jones Stocks To Buy And Watch Now
Dow Jones Stocks To Watch: Cisco Systems, Nike
Cisco Systems is within striking distance of a flat base's 51.84 buy point, according to IBD MarketSmith pattern recognition. Bullishly, the stock's relative strength line hit a new high last week, a sign of stock market outperformance. CSCO stock rose 0.8% Thursday morning.
Nike shares continue to trace a flat base that has a 131.41 buy point. The stock failed to hold above its 50-day line last week, meeting resistance, but may be setting up for another attempt. NKE stock moved up 0.3% Thursday.
3 Top Growth Stocks To Watch In The Stock Market Rally
Top Stocks To Buy And Watch: PagerDuty, Meta, Palo Alto
Recent IBD Stock Of The Day and IBD Leaderboard watchlist stock PagerDuty is building a large cup with handle that stretches back to March 2022. The correct buy point is 33.87, and shares are about 4% away from that entry after Wednesday's 2.1% advance. PD stock rose 2% Thursday morning.
Backstory: PagerDuty uses a form of artificial intelligence known as machine learning to automate its cloud platform. But it's not part of a new wave of software companies using content-creating "generative AI" technology.
On the company's recent fourth-quarter earnings call, the company "noted the typical style of AI utilized by the PagerDuty platform is called analytical AI," RBC Capital analyst Matthew Hedberg said in a note to clients.
Backstory: Like social media rivals, Meta is struggling due to a sharp reduction in advertising revenue as clients squirm over macroeconomic concerns, recession fears and higher interest rates. This is happening as it spends billions of dollars on a risky bet to build the "metaverse," a virtual reality world.
IBD Leaderboard stock Palo Alto Networks continues to trade near its 192.94 buy point out of a cup with handle. The buy area will run up to 202.59 if the stock retakes the entry. PANW stock was up 1.3% Thursday.
Backstory: Through acquisitions, Palo Alto Networks has expanded into endpoint security and vulnerability management. Endpoint tools detect malware on laptops, mobile phones and other devices that access corporate networks.
Learn How To Time The Market With IBD's ETF Market Strategy
Stocks To Buy And Watch In Stock Market Rally
These are four top stocks to watch in today's stock market, including two Dow Jones leaders.
| Company Name | Symbol | Correct Buy Point | Type Of Buy Point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meta Platforms | 197.26 | Flat base | |
| Nike | 131.41 | Flat base | |
| Palo Alto Networks | 192.94 | Cup with handle | |
| Cisco Systems | 51.84 | Flat base |
Source: IBD Data As Of March 30, 2023
Join IBD experts as they analyze leading stocks in the current stock market rally on IBD Live
Tesla Stock
Tesla stock rallied 2.5% Wednesday, rebounding from Tuesday's losses. Shares continue to trade above their 50-day line, and are again finding support around that level. The stock closed Wednesday 50% off its 52-week high.
TSLA stock moved up 1% Thursday morning, looking to add to Wednesday's gains.
Dow Jones Leaders: Apple, Microsoft
Among Dow Jones stocks, Apple shares gained 2% Wednesday, adding to Monday's drop. Shares remain near their recent highs after solid gains in recent weeks. AAPL stock moved up 0.7% Thursday.
Microsoft shares recaptured a flat base's 276.86 buy point during Wednesday's 2% climb. The stock is in the 5% buy area that goes from the buy point to 290.70. And shares rose 1.3% early Thursday.
Microsoft shares surged earlier this month after the company announced that it is adding artificial intelligence tools to its popular Office productivity applications. That follows the company's investments in AI startup OpenAI, the firm behind the buzz-worthy ChatGPT application.
Be sure to follow Scott Lehtonen on Twitter at @IBD_SLehtonen for more on growth stocks and the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
