After the Rout, Wall Street Braces for a Wilder Ride

After the Rout, Wall Street Braces for a Wilder Ride

Nasdaq Suffers Worst Day Since June

U.S. stocks closed out October with a brutal sell-off. The Nasdaq Composite tumbled 2.86%, its worst day since June, closing at 25,437.00, down 747.73 points. The S&P 500 fell about 1.8%, or 140.32 points, to 7,580.07, also its worst session since June. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 572.25 points to 51,770.31. Nearly $1 trillion in market value was wiped out in a single session, and more than $2 trillion in Nasdaq-100 value evaporated during October.

Intel Craters 28.6% in Worst Drop Since 1974

Hedge Funds Dump Tech at Fastest Pace in Two Years

VIX Tops 22 as Money Hides in Defensives

Earnings Gauntlet Meets Midterm Vote

Two tests now collide. The busiest week of earnings season brings 179 S&P 500 reporters, with Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon — together about 15% of the index — under pressure to show cloud growth covering AI outlays, and Apple reporting next Monday. The November 3 midterm elections add a second volatility source. Midterm years average peak-to-trough drawdowns of about 18% to 19%, though history favors rebounds: the S&P 500 gained an average 14.1% in the six months after midterms since 1970 and posted positive 12-month returns after every midterm since 1950, averaging 16.6%. Options traders are already positioning for more wild days. What is your take? Is this pullback a buying opportunity or the start of something uglier? Share your view below.