The Dow Rallies Back Above a Key Average, but Five Charts Made Even Bigger Moves Today

NEW YORK, Nov. 4, 2026 /CNW/ -- Stock Preachers News Commentary - The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 1,572.58 points, or 3.04%, at 53,359.30 as of 2:45 p.m. ET on Wednesday, putting it back above its 50-day moving average. The S&P 500 was up 1.78% and the Nasdaq Composite was up 1.83% at the same time, and all four major U.S. indexes were trading higher. Active Companies from around the markets with current developments this week include: 3M Company (NYSE: MMM), Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE: SWK), CDW Corporation (Nasdaq: CDW), Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), Duolingo, Inc. (NASDAQ: DUOL).

Big up days tend to get summed up with one number. But the more useful story for chart readers is where prices landed relative to the levels traders watch.

Wednesday's session follows Tuesday's U.S. elections. Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, according to race calls by The Associated Press as of 2:57 a.m. ET Wednesday.

Charts don't take sides, though. They simply record where buyers and sellers agreed on a price, and on Wednesday they recorded a lot of agreement at higher levels.

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The Dow and the S&P 500 are back above a line many chartists watch

The 50-day simple moving average is the average of the last 50 daily closes. Many technical traders watch it as a rough gauge of the intermediate trend.

Based on daily closing prices through Tuesday, the Dow's 50-day average stood at 52,152.95, and the S&P 500's at 7,692.74. Both indexes had closed below those levels on Oct. 30, Nov. 2 and Nov. 3. As of 2:45 p.m. ET, the S&P 500 was at 7,703.81, up 134.89 points, just above that line.

The picture was less tidy elsewhere. The Nasdaq Composite was at 25,837.47, still below its 50-day average of 26,541.66, a level it hasn't closed above since Oct. 21. The Russell 2000 was up 1.45% at 2,853.10 at the same time, a hair above its 50-day average of 2,851.68.

Here's the thing: the bigger chart moves on Wednesday came from individual stocks with fresh company news. Each of the five below opened above its prior session's high, leaving a price gap that, as of the same time stamp, had not been filled.

Three stocks gapped up to fresh 52-week highs

3M Company (NYSE: MMM) said on Nov. 3 that it entered into a broad resolution to settle PFAS-related personal injury claims that are the focus of the Aqueous Film-Forming Foam Multi-District Litigation. Under the agreement, 3M will make a pre-tax $7.35 billion nominal commitment over nine years, with a present value of $5.8 billion, and the company said the resulting charge does not change its previously issued 2026 guidance.

On the chart, 3M opened Wednesday at $192.70, above Tuesday's high of $178.17. As of 2:45 p.m. ET it was at $194.54, up 9.88%, above its prior 52-week high of $184.90 from July 28.

"This settlement is a significant milestone for 3M and substantially reduces litigation uncertainty," said William Brown, 3M Chairman and CEO.

Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE: SWK) reported third-quarter results on Nov. 4, with net sales of $3.7 billion, down 1% and up 4% on an organic basis. The company raised its 2026 GAAP EPS range to $5.45 to $5.85, from $4.60 to $5.45, said its results included a benefit from additional tariff refunds, and said its board approved a new $1 billion share repurchase authorization on Oct. 29.

Stanley Black & Decker opened at $111.56, above Tuesday's high of $107.13, and was at $119.81, up 14.51%, as of 2:45 p.m. ET. That's well above its prior 52-week high of $107.67 from Nov. 2. Volume had already topped 3.9 million shares, more than twice its 50-day average daily volume.

"We saw strong underlying performance in the Tools & Outdoor segment in the third quarter, with continued strength in the U.S. retail and commercial & industrial channels," said Chris Nelson, Stanley Black & Decker's President & CEO.

CDW Corporation (Nasdaq: CDW) reported third-quarter net sales of $6,754.5 million on Nov. 4, up 17.7% from a year earlier. Non-GAAP net income per diluted share rose 20.4% to $3.26, and the board approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.680 per common share.

CDW opened at $160.82, above Tuesday's high of $152.31, and was up 13.54% at $170.04 as of 2:45 p.m. ET, above its prior 52-week high of $166.15 from Oct. 23.

"CDW delivered robust third quarter results, powered by broad-based strength across our diverse customer end-markets and strong momentum in enterprise AI adoption," said Christine A. Leahy, chair and chief executive officer, CDW.

Two more stocks climbed back above averages they had lost

Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG) reported third-quarter results on Nov. 3. Room nights grew 7%, gross bookings grew 10% to $54.5 billion and adjusted EPS grew 17% to $4.66. Revenue declined 1% to $8.9 billion, and the company said it recorded a $900 million reduction in revenue related to an FTC matter, which it excluded from its adjusted figures.

Booking opened at $160.39, above Tuesday's high of $158.13, and was up 10.18% at $171.51 as of 2:45 p.m. ET. That put the shares above their 50-day average of $168.99, a line they haven't closed above since Sept. 3, though still below the 200-day average of $176.31.

"While geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty may affect near-term travel trends, we remain focused on making travel easier, helping our partners succeed, and investing in our business for the long term," said Glenn Fogel, Chief Executive Officer of Booking Holdings.

Duolingo, Inc. (NASDAQ: DUOL) reported third-quarter results on Nov. 3. Its shareholder letter showed daily active users of 64.9 million, up 29% year over year, paid subscribers of 13.1 million, up 14%, and revenues of $309.0 million, up 14%.

Duolingo produced the biggest gap of the group. It opened at $161.75, 26.37% above Tuesday's close of $128.00 and well above that day's high of $135.80. As of 2:45 p.m. ET it was up 29.46% at $165.71, above its 50-day average of $144.65, a level it hadn't closed above since Oct. 15. Volume had already topped 5.8 million shares, more than five times its 50-day average daily volume.

"We had a great Q3, with DAU growth accelerating to 29% year over year, and all of our key financial metrics coming in ahead of expectations," said Luis von Ahn, Co-Founder and CEO of Duolingo.

Admittedly, an intraday gap is not the same as a closing breakout. Gaps can fill, and averages can be lost again. But on a day when the four major indexes were up between 1.45% and 3.04%, these five stocks were up between 9.88% and 29.46%, each with a fresh company report attached.

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