Job openings fell more than expected in September. The data comes as investors are watching closely for signs of further slowdown in the labor market ahead of the Federal Reserve’s next interest rate decision on November 7.

New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Tuesday showed there were 7.44 million job openings at the end of September, down from 7.86 million in August.

The August figure was revised downward from the 8.04 million job vacancies originally reported. Economists polled by Bloomberg had expected the report to show 8 million openings in September.

According to Tuesday’s data, the churn rate – a sign of confidence among workers – fell to 1.9% in September, compared with a revised 2% in August. Meanwhile, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) showed that 5.55 million new hires were made during the month, up from 5.43 million in August. The hiring rate rose slightly to 3.5% in September, compared to 3.4% in August.

Shares of Ford Motor (F) fell over 9% early Tuesday after the automaker cut its full-year profit forecast the previous day, citing high warranty costs and delivery disruptions.

Ford cut its full-year profit forecast, with the automaker now expecting adjusted EBIT of “approximately $10 billion” for 2024, the lower end of its previous forecast of $10 billion to $12 billion.

The automaker said “delivery disruptions,” in part due to the impact of hurricanes in the southeastern U.S., have impacted sales of its Ford Pro and Ford Blue vehicles.

Additionally, “costs, particularly warranty, have held back our profitability, but as we reverse that curve, there is significant financial upside for investors,” Ford CEO Jim Farley added on the analyst conference call.

Ford shares are still up more than 3% from a year ago, when a strike by the United Auto Workers union cost the company an estimated $1.3 billion.

Meanwhile, shares of rival General Motors (GM) are up nearly 8% from last week as the company raised its profit forecast for the third time this year in its third-quarter earnings report last week.

Read the full story here.

Trump Media & Technology Group (DJT) stock was briefly halted in early trading on Tuesday after shares extended their five-week advance, rising around 10% shortly after the opening bell. The stock moves come as investors bet on improving odds that Donald Trump will win the November presidential election.

Stocks closed down more than 21% on Monday after the former president and Republican nominee held a heavily criticized rally at Madison Square Garden (MSG) in Manhattan over the weekend. At current levels, the stock is trading at its highest level since May, with shares up about 270% from their September lows.

Trump owns around 60% of DJT. At current levels of over $52 per share, Trump Media has a market capitalization of around $10.3 billion, giving the former president a stake of around $6.2 billion.

Read more here.

U.S. stocks opened lower on Tuesday as investors digested fresh gains and awaited Alphabet’s (GOOG, GOOGL) results, which are expected after the close.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) fell about 0.3% and posted a significant increase as all indicators closed higher. The benchmark S&P 500 (^GSPC) and the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) also fell around 0.3% each at market opening.

US housing prices hit another record high in August, but the pace of price increases is slowing.

On an annual basis, the S&P Case-Shiller National Home Price Index rose 4.2%, compared with July’s 4.8% gain.

“Home price growth is beginning to show signs of strain, recording its slowest annual increase since mortgage rates peaked in 2023,” said Brian D. Luke, head of commodities, real and digital assets at S&P, in a press release.

Prices rose by a seasonally adjusted 0.3% in August compared to the previous month. This was the 15th consecutive monthly increase and an all-time high for the index.

The index, which tracks home prices in the 20 largest metropolitan areas, rose 0.4% in August from July, above the Bloomberg consensus estimate of a 0.2% monthly increase. Meanwhile, the 20-city index rose 5.2% compared to last August.

“As students went back to school, house price buyers appeared less willing to push the index higher than in the summer months. “Prices have continued to slow over the past six months, pushing appreciation rates below their long-term average of 4.8%,” Luke added.

Another group of companies reported earnings on Tuesday morning. Here is a brief overview:

Here’s a look at how the companies performed this morning compared to Wall Street’s expectations, based on Bloomberg consensus estimates:

Novartis: Adjusted basic earnings per share of $2.06 vs. $1.94 expected, revenue of $12.82 billion vs. $12.68 billion expected

McDonald’s: Adjusted diluted earnings per share were $3.23 versus expected $3.20, and revenue was $6.87 billion versus expected $6.81 billion

HSBC: Adjusted diluted earnings per share are $0.34 versus expected $0.30, net sales are $17.21 billion versus expected $16.14 billion

Pfizer: Diluted earnings per share of $1.06 vs. $0.64 expected, revenue of $17.7 billion vs. $15.08 billion expected

Blood pressure: Adjusted diluted earnings per share were $0.14 versus expected $0.13, and revenue was $47.25 billion versus expected $46.16 billion

PayPal: Adjusted diluted earnings per share are $1.20 versus $1.07 expected, sales are $7.85 billion versus $7.89 billion expected

Google (GOOG) parent Alphabet, AI chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Visa (V) and Chipotle (CMG) are among the companies set to report earnings after the close.

Economic data: S&P CoreLogic 20-City YoY NSA, (August); Conference Board Consumer Confidence (October); JOLTS Vacancies, (September); Dallas Fed Services Activity, (October)

Earnings: Alphabet (GOOGL, GOOG), AMD (AMD), BP Oil (BP), Chipotle (CMG), Crocs (CROX), McDonald’s (MCD), JetBlue (JBLU), PayPal (PYPL), Pfizer (PFE), Reddit ( RDDT), Royal Caribbean Group (RCL), Snap (SNAP), Sofi (SOFI), Visa (V), DR Horton (DHI)

Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and this morning:

McDonald’s outperforms as US sales shine

CEOs say this is the worst thing for their earnings

Weather Damaged Jobs Report Shows Economic Data Is True

Pfizer raises profit forecast after beating third-quarter estimates

Apple is exporting $6 billion worth of iPhones from India to China in a major shift

Boeing is raising $21 billion in capital to boost cash

Trump calls Biden’s chip campaign “so bad.” Harris praises his good work.