Tuesday, November 3, 2026 · Midday recap
Midterm election day: strong JOLTS job openings, Palantir, Shopify and Apple slide on earnings
What matters today
- US job openings for September came in at 7.52 million, well above the consensus of 7.15 million cited by CNBC.
- Palantir fell 2% and Shopify fell 7% after earnings, per CNBC, while CNBC reported Apple sank after a disappointing margin forecast.
- US midterm elections are underway, and prediction markets pointed to Democrats taking both the House and Senate.
- CNBC reported crude oil fell for a second day on hopes of a diplomatic resolution to the Iran war.
- Disney plans several thousand layoffs, while Ferrari and Pfizer raised their outlooks.
This morning so far
The morning brought a batch of earnings and a labor market report. At 10:00 ET, the JOLTS report (a survey of job openings) showed 7.52 million openings for September, up 333,000 from August, according to CNBC. ForexLive also reported September factory orders of +1.8% versus +1.2% expected. Palantir, Shopify and Apple traded lower after their reports, while Ferrari and Pfizer raised guidance. CNBC said oil prices fell for a second day as markets weighed possible US-Iran diplomacy. The latest official US 10-year Treasury yield, from Monday, was 4.91%.
This afternoon and after the close
PreBell's calendar shows the US midterm elections continue through the afternoon and evening, with no earnings or other releases listed for the rest of today. Tomorrow at 10:00 ET, the ISM services survey is scheduled.
Top headlines
- September job openings rose to 7.52 million, well above the 7.15 million consensus, ahead of the payrolls report.CNBC Markets ↗
- September factory orders rose 1.8%, beating the 1.2% increase economists expected, with a prior reading of 0.1%.ForexLive ↗
- Palantir shares fell 2% after earnings as analysts pointed to slower growth in total contract value.CNBC Top News ↗
- Shopify dropped 7% after third-quarter revenue and merchandise volume missed estimates, even with an adjusted earnings beat.CNBC Top News ↗
- Apple shares fell after its gross margin forecast disappointed, in John Ternus' first report as CEO.CNBC Top News ↗
- Crude oil slid for a second day as traders hoped for a diplomatic path in the Iran war.CNBC Top News ↗
- Wall Street is weighing how a Democratic sweep of Congress might affect stocks, yields, energy, banks and other sectors.CNBC Top News ↗
- Disney plans several thousand layoffs and has asked some managers to cut costs by as much as 20%.CNBC Top News ↗
Written with AI from the listed sources and checked automatically. Every number links to its source.