Dow, S&P 500 take a breather | Alphabet, Microsoft hit records | Apple earnings Thursday

History shows that stocks should hit some more high-water marks in the weeks ahead. 

VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE WED, OCT 27, 2021 EVENING BRIEF AS OF WED, OCT 27, 2021 • 05:15 ET DJIA 35490.69 -0.74% -266.19 S&P 500 4551.68 -0.51% -23.11 NASDAQ 15235.84 +0.00% +0.12   Most Active DOW NAME LAST CHG %CHG AAPL 148.85 -0.47 -0.31% MSFT 323.17 +13.06 +4.21% INTC 47.89 -0.39 -0.81% S&P 500 NAME LAST CHG %CHG AMD 122.28 -0.65 -0.53% F 15.51 -0.43 -2.70% AAPL 148.85 -0.47 -0.31% NASDAQ NAME LAST CHG %CHG AMD 122.28 -0.65 -0.53% AAPL 148.85 -0.47 -0.31% MSFT 323.17 +13.06 +4.21%   EDITOR'S NOTE The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 took a breather on Wednesday after a stretch of record highs, but history shows that stocks should hit some more high-water marks in the weeks ahead.    Thursday is Oct. 28, which has been one of the best days for the S&P 500 over time with an average gain of 0.46%, according to a note from LPL Financial. Oct. 29, Nov. 2 and Nov. 4 are also some top performers on the calendar.    "I'd like to think it has something to do with my birthday being on October 28, but the truth is bulls should be aware that the coming days are historically some of the best of the year," LPL's Ryan Detrick said in a note to clients.  In fact, the best time to buy the S&P 500 at the close and hold it for five days is Oct. 27, according to LPL.   To be sure, these seasonal trades are not foolproof, and the market actually declined during this stretch last year. However, the five-day period has not seen negative returns in back-to-back years since the 1960s, LPL said.    Earnings could be a major factor in determining whether Thursday lives up to to its historic reputation. Investors will be reviewing reports from Ford, which released results on Wednesday afternoon, as well as pharmaceutical giant Merck and e-commerce company Shopify.  Jesse Pound | CNBC Markets Reporter @jesserpound Watch our live stream for all you need to know to invest smarter. TOP NEWS  S&P 500 slips from record as earnings season rally loses some steam Medicare and paid leave are big sticking points as Democrats rush to finish Biden's spending plans Alphabet and Microsoft rise to records after quarterly earnings beat estimates California readies 4,000 sites to administer 1.2 million Covid vaccines to kids 5 to 11 in first week Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene bought shares of Trump SPAC Digital World Acquisition as stock skyrocketed Looking to buy the Robinhood dip? JPMorgan sees a dire scenario for the stock into year-end Mortgage rates rise to an 8-month high, tanking refinance demand Supply chain fears loom over Apple earnings, but most major analysts are standing by the stock Bitcoin falls as ETF fever subsides a week after hitting an all-time high Remember dogecoin? A rival 'meme token' just hit a record high and is close to overtaking it   TOP VIDEO Capacity and the commercial segment of the market favor Ford and GM in the EV wars   CNBC PRO Third Point's Dan Loeb just had a stellar quarter. Here are his biggest winners   SPECIAL REPORTS Democrats are proposing a billionaires income tax—here's how it would work The era of surprise medical bills may be ending   Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2021 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS