By Alex Eule

Sugar Rush. If you're on the East Coast of the U.S., you may be dealing with a candy-induced headache by now. It was worth it, I'm sure. Investors might be nursing their own hangover after a nonstop week of news that included a quasi trade deal, a Fed meeting, and an onslaught of earnings. Also, though, worth it. The S&P 500 finished the week up 0.7%, giving it an October gain of 2.3%. The Nasdaq Composite gained 2.2% on the week and 4.7% on the month.

It all continues a banner stretch for stocks. The Nasdaq is riding a seven-month winning streak, its longest stretch of monthly gains since January 2018. Over this period, the tech-heavy index is up 37%.

Earnings in recent weeks, including strong numbers from Big Tech companies over the last 48 hours, have largely justified the gains. Some 83% of S&P 500 companies reporting so far this quarter have managed to beat earnings estimates, according to LSEG. The blended earnings growth rate for S&P 500 companies in the third-quarter -- a combination of actual reports and estimates of those still to come -- shows profits up 13.8% for the period.

The technology sector is leading the way with a growth rate of 25.3%. No. 2 is real estate at 25.3%. Financials are third at 22.2%. Just one sector has seen profit slip during the quarter -- energy's 3.7% decline.

Of course, this earnings season is taking place amid a U.S. government shutdown, a scarcity of economic data, and tariff uncertainty. It's a good reminder that stock moves are ultimately about profits. And, for now, that part of the economy is firing on all cylinders.

The Hot Stock: First Solar +14.3% The Biggest Loser: DexCom -14.6%

Best Sector: Consumer Discretionary +2.6% Worst Sector: Utilities -0.7%

This Weekend's Magazine

The Calendar

Next week brings updates on the labor market when ADP releases its National Employment Report on Wednesday. Also on Wednesday the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in cases challenging the legality of the Trump administration's tariffs.

Third-quarter earnings season been strong so far with almost two-thirds of S&P 500 companies having reported. More than 80% have beaten earnings-per-share estimates, while nearly 80% have surpassed sales expectations. Another 132 companies report next week.

Palantir Technologies and Vertex Pharmaceuticals release earnings on Monday, followed by Advanced Micro Devices and Pfizer on Tuesday. McDonald's, Qualcomm, and Robinhood Markets announce their results on Wednesday, while Airbnb and ConocoPhillips follow suit on Thursday. Constellation Energy, Duke Energy, and KKR round out the week on Friday.

-- Dan Lam

What We're Reading Today

   -- Inside the Fight For 1-800-Gambler: As Betting Soars, an Addiction 
      Helpline Is Torn Apart 
 
   -- Meta Faces a Sudden Reckoning. How Big Tech Earnings Are Reshaping the AI 
      Race. 
 
   -- Bank of America Has a Game Plan to Catch Up to Its Peers. It's Time to 
      Buy the Stock. 
 
   -- JPMorgan, Disney, and 8 Other Quality Stocks for a Teetery Market 
 
   -- And this weekend's cover story: Boeing's Road to Redemption -- and a 
      Higher Stock Price 

Join Barron's Live at noon on Monday. Barron's Ben Levisohn, Al Root, and Josh Schafer discuss what's in store for stocks, Tesla, and the AI trade as the market heads into the home stretch for the year.

Barron's Live features timely and actionable insights for investors. We give you behind-the-scenes conversations with the newsroom, connecting you with our editors and reporters covering the markets, the economy, and more.

Sign up here

This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 31, 2025 19:09 ET (23:09 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.