Stock Market Update

[BRIEFING.COM] The S&P 500 (+0.5%), Nasdaq Composite (+0.5%), and DJIA (+0.6%) hold solid gains as stocks advance in a steady, methodical fashion.

Today's gains put the DJIA in positive territory for the month, while the S&P 500 currently sits on its unchanged month-to-date level. The major averages are all poised for sizable week-to-date gains this week.

Today's abbreviated session has been mostly uneventful following yesterday's holiday closure, but equities are still benefiting from the momentum driven by rising rate-cut expectations.

Ten S&P 500 sectors trade higher, led by the energy (+1.7%), financials (+1.1%), and materials (+0.9%) sectors. 

Only the health care sector (-0.6%) faces some modest profit-taking after recent outperformance, with the sector still up 9.0% for the month of November. 

Intel (INTC 39.58, +2.76, +7.51%) is the top mover across S&P 500 names today, trading higher after analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported on X that Apple (AAPL 276.15, -1.40, -0.50%) may begin sourcing its lowest-end M-series processors from INTC as early as 2027.

Outside of the S&P 500, the Russell 2000 (+0.5%) and S&P Mid Cap 400 (+0.5%) also hold solid gains. 

The stock market will close early at 1:00 p.m. ET, and the Treasury market will close early at 2:00 p.m. ET.