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The IRS has allowed workers at one company use to use 401(k) matching contributions to pay for medical and student loan expenses, indicating the possibility that others might someday be able to do the same.

The agency in an August ruling determined that a company, which it didn't name, could allow its workers to allocate matching contribution to their 401(k), retiree health reimbursement arrangement (HRA), health savings account (HSA), or an educational assistance program used to pay off student loans.

During open enrollment, employees would make an annual election for those matching contributions. If the employee doesn't make a choice, those contributions are allocated to their 401(k).

While the private letter ruling only applies to one company, under the Secure 2.0 Act—a federal retirement law passed in 2022—all companies can now offer employees matching contributions to pay off student loans. This change went into effect at the beginning of 2024, but it's unclear how many employers currently offer the benefit or plan to in the future. (Private letter rulings often are made and released months after an entity makes a request.)

This move, if undertaken at the company that made the IRS request, would give employees the option to use matching contributions to pay off student loans or to stash money in an HSA, but could come at the cost of missed retirement savings down the road, according to Melissa Caro, a certified financial planner (CFP).

"Ultimately, the best approach is to contribute as much as possible to your 401(k), including the employer match," Caro said in an email. "If debt needs attention, cutting back elsewhere may help you manage it better, rather than diverting from your retirement savings."

She does, however, note that an HSA can provide tax savings and be used to pay off health expenses in retirement.

And some might benefit from using the match to pay off student loans: “For high-interest student loans [above 7%], using your match for repayment can make sense," wrote Priya Malani, founder of Stash Wealth, in an email.

Update: This article has been updated to add the comment from Malani.

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The last days of the U.S. presidential campaign have been plenty dramatic for the candidates–and for the stock linked with their political—and, partly, personal—fortunes. 

Shares of Trump Media & Technology Group (DJT), majority owned by former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, finished today's session down 13% to less than $31. They’ve this week risen as high as 40% above last Friday’s close near $39 and fallen more than 20% below it, meaning big swings in the market value of Trump's majority stake, which nevertheless is worth billions of dollars.

And that’s on little in the way of actual news about the company, which operates the Truth Social platform. Instead, traders have seized on the story as a way to wager the outcome of the presidential election, seen broadly as a race between Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. (There was at least one interesting report Friday: said some investors believe Tesla (TSLA) CEO and X owner Elon Musk might look to acquire the company.)

Polls generally point toward a close contest ahead of Election Day. On some prediction markets, speculators seem to more strongly believe in the likelihood of a Trump win: On Polymarket, for example, traders have generally backed a more-than-60% likelihood of a Trump victory for most of this week; those odds were a bit lower on some other platforms. (Here's guide to elections betting,)

Meanwhile, Trump Media shares have moved dramatically, with trading in the stock subjected to volatility-based halts multiple times this week. At one point, the shares traded at levels not seen since the high-flying days after their debut on public markets earlier this year. 

For now, they’re back around July levels after climbing off September lows.

: This article has been updated to reflect fresh share price information and to incorporate the article.

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Oil-and-gas giants Exxon Mobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX) surpassed subdued third-quarter earnings expectations Friday. But substantially weaker profit margins for refined products, reflecting lower summer fuel prices, dropped overall net income for both companies from a year ago.

Exxon reported net income of $8.6 billion, or $1.92 per share. That beat the consensus projection as tracked by Visible Alpha. But profits fell 5% from the same period a year ago and 7% from this year's second quarter. Year-to-year profits at Exxon have declined in five of the past six quarters.

Chevron suffered a steeper earnings hit from a year ago. The company reported net income of $4.5 billion, or $2.48 per share. Profits fell 31% from the same period a year ago, though they increased marginally from this year's second quarter.

Chevron's shares were 3% higher in afternoon trading, while Exxon's were off nearly 1%.

Exxon said its "significantly weaker industry refining margins" declined from historically high levels as "supply from industry capacity additions outpaced record global demand."

Indeed, average U.S. prices for all gasoline grades fell to $3.48 per gallon during the quarter, down 10% from $3.87 in last year's third quarter. Average diesel prices dropped to $3.69 per gallon from $4.48, down 18%.

U.S. fuel prices peaked late this winter and early this spring, a seasonal anomaly that helped consumers and the Federal Reserve's fight against inflation. But for energy producers, falling prices of oil, natural gas, and fuel have reduced the historically strong profits they enjoyed in late 2022 and much of 2023.

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Shares in Peloton Interactive (PTON) were down sharply Friday, giving back a chunk of the near-30% gain recorded yesterday after the fitness equipment maker announced a new chief executive officer and reported better-than-expected quarterly results.

The company said it had appointed Ford (F) and former Apple (AAPL) executive Peter Stern as its new CEO. Stern currently heads the legacy automakers’ digital business services, and while at Apple, oversaw a range a subscription services, including Apple Fitness+.

On the earnings front, Peloton posted a significantly narrower-than-expected loss during the quarter, indicating the company’s cost-cutting initiatives had begun to deliver results as it works on a turnaround effort to reinvigorate sales after a post-pandemic demand slump. 

Peloton shares were down 13% at $7.40 in mid-afternoon trading Friday, cutting the stock's year-to-date gain to around 22%.

Below, we navigate Peloton’s chart using technical analysis and identify key price levels worth watching out for.

Since breaking out above the neckline of a double bottom pattern earlier this month, Peloton shares continued trending higher, with the stock’s price staging a breakaway gap yesterday following the company’s upbeat news events.

Importantly, Thursday’s move occurred on the highest trading volume since late August, signaling buying participation by larger market players, such as institutional investors and asset managers.

However, while the relative strength index (RSI) confirms bullish price momentum, it also warns of extremely overbought conditions with a reading above the 80 threshold.

Let’s take a look at important chart levels on Peloton’s chart that investors may be watching following yesterday's news-driven buying.

Amid a move higher, investors should monitor how the shares respond to the $9.50 level. This area on the chart could attract selling pressure near a trendline connecting the March trough and several peaks from June to August last year

A close above this level could fuel a bullish move up to around $13, a location where investors may look to lock in profits near the prominent December 2022 swing high, which also corresponds with a range of similar trading levels on the chart between February and March 2023.

Upon an initial pullback, such as Friday's move lower, investors may look for buying opportunities near the stock's pre-breakout level around $6.70, a region on the chart that closely aligns with a range of peaks and troughs between May 2023 and January this year.

Finally, a deeper retracement could see the shares revisit lower support around $5, where bargain hunters may seek entry points near the double bottom pattern’s neckline.

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Cardinal Health (CAH) shares hit a new all-time intraday high Friday as the healthcare products provider posted better-than-expected results and raised its outlook even as it took a financial hit from the ending of a big contract.

The company reported fiscal 2025 first-quarter adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.88, with revenue down 4% year-over-year to $52.28 billion. Both exceeded consensus forecasts of analysts polled by Visible Alpha.

Sales at its Pharmaceutical and Specialty Solutions unit slid 5% to $48.0 billion because of the impact of the expiration of its distribution contract with pharmacy benefit manager OptumRx. Cardinal Health said excluding that, revenue would have been up 16%, lifted by increased brand and specialty pharmaceutical sales by existing customers.

Revenue at the Global Medical Products and Distribution segment increased 3% to $3.1 billion on higher volumes from existing customers, and other revenue soared 13% to $1.2 billion on "at-Home Solutions, Nuclear and Precision Health Solutions and OptiFreight Logistics."

The company now sees full-year EPS of $7.75 to $7.90, up from its previous guidance of $7.55 to $7.70.

Shares of Cardinal Health were up almost 7% at $115.76 Friday afternoon after earlier touching a new all-time intraday high of $119.12.

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The October Cadre Harmonisé report has estimated that 33.1 million people across 26 states and the FCT may experience a food and nutrition crisis from June to August 2025.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, the World Food Programme, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and other partners conducted this analysis, with the findings released on Friday, November 1, in Abuja.

The affected states include Sokoto, Zamfara, Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, Taraba, Katsina, Jigawa, Kano, Bauchi, Plateau, Kaduna, Kebbi, Niger, and Benue.

Other states affected are Cross River, Enugu, Edo, Abia, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kwara, Ogun, Lagos, Rivers, and the FCT.

The report indicates that this figure includes 514,474 Internally Displaced Persons in Borno, Sokoto, and Zamfara.

It revealed that approximately 25 million people across the 26 states and the FCT are currently experiencing food crises.

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