Stocks open mixed as bond bid steadies, commodities diverge, and crypto volatility lingers ahead of key AI earnings
11/19/2025 09:34 AM • Tape opens like it’s walking on marbles: SPY and QQQ a hair green, DIA sagging, IWM barely awake. Under the hood, tech gets a tiny lift while financials and healthcare wobble. The real juice is in bonds — TLT/IEF/SHY bid as yields ease, taking some heat off multiples. That pairs with firm gold and silver while crude gets sent to the corner and the broad commodity basket fades; nat gas does its own thing and firms. Crypto’s still the jump-scare: record ETF outflows and a sub-90k scare earlier this week, but BTC is stabilizing into the open. Macro backdrop stays market-friendly-ish: inflation expectations anchored near the low-2s and Fed Governor Waller still talking up a December quarter-point cut. But positioning is loud — managers heavy equities, cash skinny — so any miss can hit like a sledgehammer. Technically, the S&P cracking below its 50-day after 139 straight sessions has everyone side-eyeing the 10% correction question. Today’s vibe is “stabilize before the boss fight.” That boss fight is Nvidia after the bell: investors want proof the AI cycle still pays, not just burns capex, while tech credit spreads and AI debt chatter simmer. Meanwhile, retail splits: off-price hitting records, big-box feeling cautious, home improvement mixed with beats but trimmed guides. What to watch: whether the bond bid holds, if tech leadership broadens beyond a few mega names, oil’s supply headlines, and crypto flows. The close likely hinges on how AI guidance frames multi-year demand versus spend — and whether the market’s crowded longs can handle the truth.
Read State of Market Report