🏆 Records during a shutdown: your week-ahead playbook

S&P 500: 6,715.79 | ↑0.81%

Nasdaq 100: 24,785.52 | ↑0.64%

Dow: 46,758.28 | ↑0.98%

Russell 2000: 2,476.18 | ↑1.37%

Gold/oz: $3,909.57 | ↑4.02%

BTC (Bitcoin): $123,475.50 | ↑10.07%

DXY (U.S. Dollar Index): 98.12 | ↓0.05%

Rigetti Computing (RGTI) | ↑28.48% — AFRL awards $5.8M quantum-networking contract with QphoX, highlighting growing federal quantum computing demand.

Western Digital (WDC): ↑22.86% — Targets raised on HDD demand tied to cloud and AI infrastructure upgrades.

Lithium Americas (LAC): ↑42.81% — U.S. takes 5% stakes in both $LAC and Thacker Pass; first DOE loan draw.

Humana (HUM): ↑11.28% — Guidance affirmed after Medicare Advantage data leak; managed-care names rallied into the close.

Ethereum (ETH): ↑8.35% — Breakout above $4,500 and broader crypto strength fueled week-long momentum.

Netflix (NFLX): ↓4.73% — Shares slid after Elon Musk amplified boycott calls and criticism.

Data blackout, private gauges step in. The shutdown delayed the official jobs report, so traders leaned on ADP (−32k) and ISM Manufacturing (49.1). Yields hovered near 4.13% on the 10-year as cuts stayed priced.

Critical-minerals policy repriced lithium. DOE moved from loans to equity stakes in LAC and its Thacker Pass JV, jolting lithium miners and highlighting Washington’s push for domestic EV-battery supply chains.

AI capex remained a market tailwind. Chipmakers remained the market’s torque as AI build-outs dominated headlines—from record leaders to fresh funding plans that reinforced long-cycle demand.

Oil reset. Crude had a tough week (WTI down ~7%), pressured by oversupply worries and chatter of a modest OPEC+ output hike for November.

Long-term investors — Broaden the base. Consider adding the S&P 500 equal-weight (RSP)* on dips. It spreads your money across all 500 stocks evenly, lowering “mega-cap dependence.” If market breadth* keeps improving, equal-weight tends to benefit more than cap-weight.

Short-term traders — Semis momentum watch. The semiconductor ETF (SOXX)* just pushed higher into the 280s. Momentum traders often buy brief pullbacks toward prior breakout zones and cut quickly if price loses that level. Recent swing lows near 269 are a common guardrail.

Mon, Oct 6 — Fed speakers (All week): Fresh clues on October cut odds and inflation path.

Mon, Oct 6 — OpenAI DevDay: AI headlines can sway mega-cap tech leadership and chip sentiment.

Tue, Oct 7 — U.S. Trade Balance (subject to shutdown): Key growth read-through for exporters and transport.

Wed, Oct 8 — FOMC minutes*: Clues on September cut path and balance-sheet plans.

Thu, Oct 9 — Initial jobless claims*: Labor-market pulse; watch for revisions.

Thu, Oct 9 — Earnings: PepsiCo (pre-market), Delta (10am ET), Levi’s (after): Consumer demand, travel pricing, and retail inventories in focus.

Fri, Oct 10 — Univ. of Michigan Sentiment (prelim): Fresh consumer mood read—key for retail and services.

Breadth: How many stocks rise vs. fall within an index.

Equal-weight S&P (RSP): S&P 500 where each stock has identical weight.

FOMC minutes: Detailed notes released three weeks after each Fed meeting.

Jobless claims: Weekly count of first-time unemployment benefit filings.

Semiconductors (SOXX): Chip-stock ETF basket tracking industry performance.