Stock market today: Duolingo sparks fresh entry, chip companies rally again as Nasdaq holds its breath.
The major indexes gave up some points on Thursday after finishing the previous session strong, as the Nasdaq, S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average all tried to stay in the black but lost late in the session. Big income earners included. Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMChip led the stock market today as Titan reported strong quarterly earnings.
↑
X
Stocks pause after big rally; Vertiv, Power Transmission, Quanta Services in Focus
After an upbeat report on U.S. consumer prices sent the Nasdaq composite up nearly 2.5% on Wednesday, the tech-heavy index tried to add to those juicy gains on Thursday. But after rising modestly, the index ended the day down 0.9%.
The Nasdaq powered above its rising 50-day moving average on Wednesday, indicating that demand for equities remains healthy. However, the index ended after Thursday’s close.
The S&P 500, which rose 1.8% on Wednesday, was eyeing a fourth straight gain. But the large-cap benchmark ended the day down 0.2% in after-hours trading mostly near the breakout level. And the Dow Jones industrial average was down 0.2% after jumping 703 points on Wednesday, or about 1.7%.
Stock market today: More names on buying points
MarketSurge home page and ownership screens We’ve looked at a few stocks that have broken out of a base or recently traded around an IBD-style buy point. On Thursday, the home page saw seven companies form a breakout screen while 39 others traded near a pivot point.
Go to IBD Stock Check To compare any stock against those in its industry group and the overall market.
Investor’s Corner: Why RS Line’s blue dot can help you win big
Meanwhile, the Russell 2000 rose 0.3%, the S&P MidCap 400 rose 0.8%, serving as the leading index in the stock market today. In the year S&P MidCap, which outpaced its older siblings by 12.2% in 2024, is now leading by 3.2% in 2025. The S&P 500 holds a slim year-to-date gain of 1.1%.
Before the stock market opened, the Census Bureau reported that US retail sales rose 0.4 percent in December from the previous month. Economic considerations From 0.5%, however, November sales improved to a healthy 0.8% gain.
Oil down, Treasury bonds fall sharply again
Today, apart from the stock market, crude oil has also cooled. West Texas Intermediate fell 1.7% to $78.70 a barrel. Gold, however, rose 1.1% to $2,747 an ounce, while silver futures rose 0.2% to $31.61 an ounce after a strong correction on Wednesday.
The yield on the key U.S. 10-year bond, which shed 13 basis points on Wednesday, fell another four points to 4.62 percent. Earlier this week, the 10-year yield rose to 4.8%.
Stocks were lower at the same time on Wednesday on the Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange. Gains were strong, outgaining rivals on the NYSE 2-to-1 while the winners had a 5-4 edge on the Nasdaq, FactSet reported.
3:29 PM ET
250 more stocks in action in the market
In the MarketSurge Growth 250, top growth stocks to watch include foreign language learning apps Duolingo (as if) which resulted in higher activity at a rate of 119% above the normal level. The growth stock bounced back above the 50-day line near 334.50, creating a new buy point following a strong breakout of the double-bottom at the 215.24 handle in September.
On the weekly chart, Duolingo retook its 10-week moving average, confirming its momentum reversal. IBD’s rules recognize that it is best to add to a winning stock position on the 10-week moving average – or 50-day daily chart – but no more than 5% of these technical levels.
Duolingo maintains a composite rating of 99 as possible. The IBD Composite Rating combines fundamental, technical and fund ownership metrics into one easy-to-use scorecard to quickly identify the true leaders in today’s stock market.
Other growth stocks on the move
There were 250 other growth stocks on the move. FTAI Aviation (FTAI), Oli bargain outlet (Ollie), Nova (NVMI) and Star power (CEG). They come from industry groups such as aerospace/defense, educational and media software, retail deals, chip equipment, and alternative energy.
The FTAI fell more than 24% on Wednesday as the recent handle at 177.18 failed miserably to break out of the cup. Aviation leasing and aftermarket jet engine parts company, however, is finding support at the 200-day moving average. Shares jumped on Thursday, rising six times the pace of the 50-day moving average. Mid-cap stocks should continue to rebound and form a new base.
Oli recently made a disappointing round with a consolidating pattern from an early entry of 102.83. Oli’s stock rose about 8% above average. Not only did it hit the 102.83 buy point, but it also took the 50-day line.
Nova is an Israeli specialist in process control operations in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Shares rose for their fourth straight gain and ninth advance in 10 sessions. Nova has now completed the right side of a long base, producing an entry at 247.21. On Thursday, shares hit an intraday high of 249.01.
Finally, Constellation rallied nearly 5% and extended above the normal entry at 288.75 and the trendline buy point near 255.
2:05 pm ET
Stock Market Today: Breakouts continue to flow.
Taiwan Semi — one of the world’s largest tech companies and the top developer for several artificial intelligence chip vendors — opened at the open and is up 7%. TSMC crossed the 5% buy zone after dodging a relatively taut cap at 205.63 buy point.
The 5% buy zone for TSMC stock goes from 205.63 to 215.91. Buying in this zone helps investors stay firmly in line with the larger market performance, even if the stock pulls back from the normal after the recent open.
The Asian tech company reported revenue guidance of $25 billion to $25.8 billion for the current quarter, beating FactSet’s estimate of $24.6 billion.
IBD Tech News: Chip Foundry Taiwan Semi Tops Q4 Estimates
Meanwhile, analog chip manufacturer Macom Tech (MTSI) and custom notification software specialist Twilio (TWLO) also increased.
Since reaching 457.30 in early 2021, Twilio has been absolutely hammered. It is now trying to clear a secondary flat base with an entry of 116.43. Twilio has highlighted a bright blue dot on the relative strength line MarketSurge chartswhich means it’s outperforming the S&P 500 over the relevant period.
Expect Macom to report fourth quarter results on January 30. Analysts see Macum’s earnings growing 35 percent year-over-year to 78 cents. They expect a 37% increase in revenue to $214.9 million, which would be the biggest quarterly sales jump in years.
Macom currently has an earnings per share rating of 95 on a scale of 1 to 99.
10:40 a.m. ET
Stock Market Today: Goldman Sachs Clears Buy Point
Goldman Sachs (GS) rallied more than 1% to clear 612.73 buy points in its seven-week deep. The Wall Street firm posted a 118% jump in earnings Wednesday to $11.95 a share. Earnings per share have increased by 32%, 180% and 54% in the last three quarters. But United Health (UNH) fell more than 4% after its fourth-quarter results reported higher costs.
A 5% buy zone for Goldman extends from the 612.73 entry to 643.37.
Semiconductor sector equivalent Broadcom (AVGO) showed muted activity in the first trading hour. That is, the different chip Titan rose.
Broadcom won’t report its January-quarter results until Feb. 27, as Marketing promotion. In the third quarter, the company posted a 28% increase in earnings to $1.42 a share. That’s a 51 percent increase in sales to $14.05 billion.
The PHLX Semiconductor Index rose 1.1 percent.
Please follow Chung on X/Twitter: @saitochung And @IBD_Dchung
You may also like:
Look for this sell signal after an amazing run
Investor’s Corner: What is the Average True Range?
The key to making big profits in the stock market? Fewer shares, not more
Current IBD long-term leaders