Stocks have shrugged off premarket losses and are confidently higher ahead of Big Tech earnings. Wall Street is also eyeing sliding Treasury yields to better gauge the direction and health of the economy. At last glance, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) sports a 225-point pop midday, the tech-laden Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) boasts a sizable triple-digit lead, and the S&P 500 Index (SPX) also sits in the black. 

In other news, the Conference Board's consumer confidence index showed a decrease in October, with 24% of consumers saying business conditions were "bad," compared to 20.9% in September. Nevertheless, Wall Street's "fear gauge," the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX), is down 3.3% at last check.

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc (NYSE: CLF) is seeing a surge in post-earnings options activity, while the shares trade 9.4% lower at $14.07. At last check, more than 51,000 calls and 34,000 puts have been exchanged, volume that's four times the average intraday amount. Most popular by far is the weekly 10/28 14-strike call, with new positions being opened. Before the open, Cleveland-Cliffs reported third-quarter earnings and revenue that failed to fall in line with analysts' forecasts. CLF is back below its 20-day moving average, a trendline that's alternated between support and resistance all year. Year-over-year, Cleveland-Cliffs stock is 44.6% lower.

Medpace Holdings Inc (Nasdaq: MEDP) is the best-performing stock on the Nasdaq so far today, last seen up 33.4% to trade at $212.23 after the med-tech company beat third-quarter earnings and revenue expectations. Medpace stock is trying to reclaim its year-to-date breakeven level but boasts an impressive 14.5% year-over-year lead.

Consumer goods concern Crown Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCK) is trading at the bottom of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), last seen 19.6% lower at $68.51. The equity is falling after the company's third-quarter earnings and revenue came in under Wall Street's expectations. On the charts, CCK is trading at its lowest level since the 2020 broader-market selloff and now sits 37.7% lower year-to-date.

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