Stocks somewhat bounced back from yesterday's meltdown, but the rally left a lot to be desired.The Dow snapped its historic 10-day losing streak with a triple-digit pop, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq finished marginally lower at the bell despite trading higher for the entire day. Despite the gains, all three major indexes finished well off their session highs.

Bank stocks helped drive today's rally, though the 10-year Treasury yield remained above 4.5%. Elsewhere, Wall Street's "fear gauge," the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX), retreated after yesterday spiking to its highest level since August. 

JANUARY-DATED CRUDE SLUMPS INTO EXPIRATION

Oil prices moved to their lowest settlement in a week today. January-dated West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude shed 67 cents or 1%, to settle at $69.91 per barrel at expiration. The now front-month February contract shed 64 cents, or 0.9%, to $69.38 a barrel.

Gold prices pivoted lower today, as the safe-haven asset grapples with a more cautious Fed in 2025. For the session, gold for December delivery lost 1.7% to settle at $2,607.50 an ounce.

More By This Author: