November is usually a solid month for stocks. Not this time. The S&P 500 $SPX ( ▲ 0.19% ) was down 0.4 percent through Wednesday’s close, putting it on track for its worst November since 2021.
Even in a rough month, a few names still crushed it. Albemarle $ALB ( ▲ 5.08% ) led the index with a 29.6 percent jump as rising lithium prices offset weak EV demand.
Lithium miners also got a lift after CATL paused production at one of its mines, tightening supply and stabilizing prices.
Eli Lilly $LLY ( ▼ 0.41% ) followed with a 26.5 percent gain and became the first drugmaker to hit a 1 trillion dollar valuation. A new deal allowing Medicare to cover GLP-1 weight loss drugs helped, and investors rotated into healthcare as tech valuations stretched.
Solventum $SOLV ( ▲ 0.2% ) climbed 24.1 percent after beating Q3 earnings and announcing a multiyear plan to cut more than 500 million dollars in annual costs.
Merck $MRK ( ▼ 1.16% ) rose 22.4 percent thanks to positive trial results from two different heart drugs.
Expeditors International $EXPD ( ▲ 0.65% ) rounded out the top five with a 21 percent gain after reporting Q3 earnings well above expectations.
Several big names landed on the other side of the scoreboard. Super Micro Computer $SMCI ( ▲ 1.34% ) dropped 36 percent after weak fiscal Q1 earnings and a mixed outlook. The stock has faced added scrutiny since narrowly avoiding delisting earlier this year.
Axon Enterprise $AXON ( ▲ 0.06% ) fell 27 percent following a Q3 earnings miss, even though the company reported record revenue. Tariffs and heavy investment spending weighed on margins.
Oracle $ORCL ( ▲ 1.52% ) slid 24 percent as investors focused on its more than 100 billion dollars in debt and the likelihood it needs to borrow even more to fund AI data-center spending.
DoorDash $DASH ( ▲ 1.72% ) fell nearly 23 percent after a disappointing Q3 report and plans to invest several hundred million more in 2026.
The Trade Desk $TTD ( ▲ 1.78% ) lost 22 percent as concerns about competitive pressure and a sharp increase in capex overshadowed earnings that topped expectations.