Dow Surges 150 Points; US Consumer Sentiment Edges Lower

Market Overview - U.S. stocks traded higher, with the Dow Jones index gaining over 150 points, up 0.39% to 46,542.50, NASDAQ rose 0.29% to 23,090.45, and S&P 500 increased 0.26% to 6,752.41 [1] - Consumer staples shares increased by 0.7%, while energy stocks fell by 1% [1] Consumer Sentiment - The University of Michigan consumer sentiment index decreased to 55 in October from 55.1 in September, slightly above market estimates of 54.2 [2][10] Commodity Prices - Oil prices fell by 2.4% to $60.05, while gold rose by 0.6% to $3,995.60. Silver increased by 2.3% to $48.250, and copper rose by 0.7% to $5.1575 [5] European Markets - European shares were mostly lower, with the eurozone's STOXX 600 down 0.2%. Spain's IBEX 35 Index rose by 0.5%, while London's FTSE 100, Germany's DAX 40, and France's CAC 40 all experienced slight declines [6] Asian Markets - Asian markets closed mostly lower, with Japan's Nikkei 225 down 1.01%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index down 1.73%, and China's Shanghai Composite down 0.94%. India's BSE Sensex was the exception, rising by 0.40% [7] Company Stock Movements - Quoin Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. shares surged 170% to $22.00 following a $104.5 million private placement [9] - ESS Tech, Inc. shares increased 102% to $3.4750 after announcing an agreement for a battery system addition [9] - Safe & Green Holdings Corp. shares rose 90% to $6.16 after regaining Nasdaq compliance [9] - Bollinger Innovations, Inc. shares dropped 58% to $0.5820 due to a move to OTC markets [9] - Carisma Therapeutics, Inc. shares fell 44% to $0.1538 after announcing a $5 million investment as part of a merger [9] - Tian Ruixiang Holdings Ltd. shares decreased 39% to $1.4310 following a $3 million registered direct offering [9]