The Nasdaq just had its worst month since March 2025.

The Composite lost 5.3% in October and closed Friday at 25,437, while the Dow actually gained about 1.7% to 51,770.

That split is the real story. Money didn't leave the market, it moved. The Nasdaq 100 fell 6.65% for the month while the Dow and small caps finished green, and on Friday alone the S&P 500 dropped 1.8% to 7,580, its worst day since June. Weak results from Amazon and Intel, on top of Alphabet's record one-day drop, have traders asking whether the AI spending boom can pay for itself.

This week won't give anyone time to catch their breath. Apple and Palantir report after the close today, US midterm elections are Tuesday, AMD and Super Micro report Tuesday night, Qualcomm and Arm on Wednesday, and the October jobs report lands Friday at 8:30 a.m. ET. About 31% of S&P 500 companies report this week.

Crypto is quieter but not calm. Bitcoin closed October down about 7.2% and spent the weekend in a tight range near $77,700, with the Fear & Greed index reading 34. Tight ranges tend to end with a big move, not a small one.

A quick checklist for a week packed with catalysts:

• Know which of your holdings report this week and when. Earnings after the close can gap a stock 10% or more before you can react.
• A stop-loss doesn't protect you from a gap. If you can't stomach the overnight move, size down before the report.
• Cut leverage into big data days like Friday's jobs report. Liquidations hit hardest when the market jumps.
• Write your plan down before the news, not after. Decide your exits while you're calm.

This is exactly why we built TradeShield: so your risk rules are set and enforced before the market tests them.

— Spidah, Founder & CEO

Market awareness, not financial advice. Trading involves risk.