What Happened Today, Thursday October 29, 2026, 5:00 PM ET close
Nasdaq 100 Falls 2.54% as Tech Drags Stocks Lower
Tech shares took the brunt of the selling while the broader S&P 500 held up better, and Bitcoin fell along with stocks.
ES and NQ at the close
NQ, Nasdaq 100 futures
29,218.25
-2.54% on the day
Day range 29,111.00 to 29,794.25
ES, S&P 500 futures
7,710.00
-0.94% on the day
Day range 7,709.50 to 7,773.75
How did our Futures Trading Algo Do Today?
Discipline
No clean setup, no trade: staying flat is a position too.
The book stayed flat today. No strategies fired because none of our setups qualified, even with a big down day in the Nasdaq 100. We would rather skip a messy move than force a trade, so the paper result is zero trades and $0 net.
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SPY and QQQ
The story
U.S. stocks ended lower on Thursday, with technology shares doing most of the damage. The Nasdaq 100 fell 2.54% while the S&P 500 lost a smaller 0.94%, which tells us the pain was concentrated in growth and tech names rather than spread evenly across the market. Headlines about the ongoing conflict with Iran, including the U.S. blockade and its costs to businesses, kept investors cautious. Both indexes closed near their lows of the day, a sign that buyers did not step in late.
The MAG7 and the megacaps
We do not have individual price moves for the biggest tech names in today's data, so we will not guess at them. What we can say is that the Nasdaq 100 is packed with the large tech companies, and its 2.54% drop versus 0.94% for the S&P 500 points to those heavyweights leading the decline. Check your own holdings for the exact moves.
After the bell
Iran conflict stays in focus
Reuters reported that Vance's outreach to Iran relates to medical supplies, according to Trump, while other reports described Iran slipping hardware past the U.S. blockade. Ongoing uncertainty about the war can make investors less willing to hold riskier assets.
War costs reach U.S. businesses
Reuters wrote that Brewers are starting to feel the costs of the prolonged war in Iran. Stories like this show how the conflict can reach everyday companies through higher costs, which can worry investors about profits.
Is the S&P 500 really winning?
A MarketWatch piece argued the S&P 500 is not the big winner many people think it is. After a down day like this one, it is a useful nudge to look at how returns are actually measured and spread across stocks.
FedEx Freight offers a brighter spot
Investing.com reported that FedEx Freight forecast quarterly earnings above estimates, citing improving volumes and pricing. Good news from a transport business is often read as a sign of healthy demand, though it was not enough to lift the broad market today.
Crypto
Bitcoin also had a rough day, closing at about $79,224, down 2.52%. It traded between roughly $78,777 and $81,771. Its drop was almost identical to the Nasdaq 100's, a reminder that crypto often moves with risk-sensitive tech stocks when investors get nervous.
Into the night
Futures trading was active around the clock. The Nasdaq 100 traded between 29,111.00 and 29,794.25, and the S&P 500 between 7,709.50 and 7,773.75. Both finished at or very near the bottom of those ranges, so the selling stayed steady into the close rather than fading.
What is coming next
Nasdaq 100 support
29,111.00
Today's low, the first level to watch if selling continues.
Nasdaq 100 resistance
29,794.25
Today's high, where a bounce would need to get back to.
S&P 500 range
7,709.50 to 7,773.75
A close near the bottom of the range shows sellers stayed in control.
Bitcoin range
78,776 to 81,771
Holding above the day's low would show crypto steadying.
These levels come straight from today's trading ranges and are reference points, not predictions. Markets can open higher or lower on new Iran headlines, so it helps to watch whether the indexes recover their losses or keep sliding. This is educational content, not financial advice.
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We send market moving news the moment it hits, straight to Telegram, Discord and X. Then this recap pulls the day together every evening: ES and NQ, the MAG7, crypto, and what is next.
Educational market recap, not financial advice. Futures and options trading carry substantial risk of loss. Prices reflect the 2026-10-29 session close; charts are live and interactive. Always verify before acting.