Tonight’s Highlights | U.S. Stock Futures Rise Collectively, Jensen Huang to Deliver Keynote  

On Tuesday, U.S. stock index futures rose collectively, with Dow futures leading gains thanks to UnitedHealth’s surge. Major European indices were mixed.

 

About 178 S&P 500 companies are set to report Q3 earnings this week. Despite tariff and cost concerns, S&P 500 firms are expected to post ninth straight quarter of profit growth.

 

Investors await blockbuster earnings Wednesday and Thursday from five of the Magnificent Seven: Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft—together ~25% of S&P 500 market cap.

 

So far, Q3 earnings season is strong. LPL Financial chief technical strategist Adam Turnquist: “Solid earnings, easing inflation, rising rate-cut odds, and trade optimism are supporting buying.”

 

“With 30 NDX (Nasdaq 100) names reporting, focus this week is on fundamental strength,” Turnquist said.

 

UnitedHealth (UNH), a Dow component and healthcare giant, beat Q3 expectations, up over 6% pre-market.

 

UPS raised full-year guidance, up 20% pre-market.

 

The Fed begins a two-day policy meeting Tuesday local time, announcing its rate decision Wednesday. Markets widely expect a 25bps cut.

 

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will deliver a keynote at midnight Beijing Time Wednesday. U.S. President Trump said he will meet Huang on Wednesday.

Company News

PayPal Becomes ChatGPT’s First Payment Wallet, Up Over 15% Pre-Market  

 

On Tuesday local time (Oct 28), PayPal announced a partnership with OpenAI to embed its digital wallet in ChatGPT, enabling direct in-chat purchases.  

 

PayPal surged over 15% pre-market.  

 

CEO Alex Chriss said the deal was finalized last weekend. Starting next year, PayPal’s consumers and merchants can access ChatGPT—users buy goods on the platform, merchants list inventory.

 

UnitedHealth Reports Q3 2025 Results, Raises Full-Year Guidance  

 

UnitedHealth Q3 revenue: $113.1B (exp. $113.03B), up 12% YoY; adj. EPS: $2.92 (vs. $2.83 last year). Raises 2025 guidance to at least $14.90 EPS, adj. EPS at least $16.25.

 

Amazon to Cut Nearly 14,000 Jobs  

 

On Oct 28, Amazon announced organizational restructuring, cutting nearly 14,000 positions to streamline layers and allocate resources to key areas and customer needs.  

 

Amazon expects to continue hiring in strategic areas into 2026.

 

Tesla: Plans 2025 U.S. Robotaxi Expansion, Phase Out Safety Drivers  

 

On Oct 28, per @TeslaAI, Tesla’s Bay Area Robotaxi service now covers San Jose Airport. Plans 2025 expansion to Nevada, Florida, and Arizona, with gradual removal of in-car safety drivers. As of Oct 2025, Robotaxi has driven over 400,000 km in Austin, Texas, and ~1.6M km in California Bay Area.

 

Coinbase Partners with Apollo to Launch Stablecoin Credit Product in 2026  

 

On Oct 27 local time, Coinbase announced a strategic partnership with Apollo to launch stablecoin-based credit strategies. They plan a joint innovative credit product in 2026.

 

American Water and Essential Utilities to Merge, Enterprise Value ~$63B  

 

On Oct 27, American Water and Essential Utilities announced boards approved an all-stock, tax-free merger into a leading regulated U.S. water/wastewater utility. Expected market cap ~$40B, enterprise value ~$63B.