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Travelers Insurance offices in New York City.Adam Jeffery | CNBCTravelers Companies' third-quarter profit beat Wall Street expectations as higher underwriting gains and investment income more than offset steep catastrophe losses, sending shares of the insurer up nearly 7%.Individuals and businesses are spending more on insurance, allowing insurers to attract and retain clients despite higher prices for some policies such as auto and property.Core income of Travelers, often seen as a sector bellwether as it typically reports results before peers, jumped nearly three-fold to $1.22 billion, or $5.24 per share, in the three months ended Sept. 30. Analysts polled by LSEG had forecast a profit of $3.55 per share.Net written premiums rose 8% as all its units grew. Underwriting gains climbed to $6...

Mounting geopolitical tensions and a tight presidential election may intensify market volatility in coming weeks, but high-quality growth stocks may prove a useful way for investors to hedge against any future uncertainty, according to Trivariate Research. October is a historically volatile month for stocks , and this week alone has seen the market seesaw. Following the gains in Monday's trading session – which saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average close above 43,000 for the first time and the S & P 500 also end at a fresh record – all three major averages retreated to end in the red on Tuesday. The indexes then finished back up again on Wednesday, with the Dow Industrials reaching yet another all-time high. This comes as earnings season is underway, with 79% of the 50 S & P names o...

Check out the companies making headlines before the bell. Elevance Health – Shares plummeted more than 10% after the health insurer reported weaker-than-expected third-quarter earnings. In a statement , CEO Gail Boudreaux said the company remains "confident" amid "unprecedented challenges in the Medicaid business." Health care stocks Molina Healthcare and Centene also fell nearly 9% and more than 7%, respectively. Taiwan Semiconductor – The stock surged more than 8% after the company reported a 54% gain in net profit for the third quarter. Shares of chip giant Nvidia – one of TSMC's clients – rose more than 3% in sympathy following the quarterly results. Expedia – Shares jumped nearly 5% after The Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the process, that Uber explored a poten...

Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day:1. Bouncing backThe Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a new record close on Wednesday, recovering from its previous down day. The 30-stock index gained 337.28 points, or 0.79%, while the e S&P 500 climbed 0.47% and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.28%. The earnings seasons has gotten off to a solid start, helping to give markets a boost, as 79% of the roughly 50 S&P 500 stocks that have posted third-quarter earnings so far have beat expectations. Morgan Stanley shares added 6.5% on Wednesday and United Airlines' stock soared 12.4% after the companies reported earnings. Follow live market updates.2. Nuclear optionAn Amazon Web Services data center in Stone Ridge, Virginia, US, on Sunday, July 28, 2024. Data center d...