Major U.S. indices closed higher on Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining 0.18% to 51,267.90, the S&P 500 rising 0.66% to 7,773.95 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq climbing 1.05% to 27,477.31.

These are the top stocks that gained the attention of retail traders and investors throughout the day.

Novavax, Inc. (NASDAQ:NVAX)

Novavax led Monday’s list of closely watched biotechnology names, drawing significant attention from traders.

Novavax gained 20.08% to close at $12.56, reaching an intraday high and 52-week high of $13.38 while touching a low of $10.28; its 52-week low is $6.20.

The move came as Russia plague fears spread following a suspected plague death at a Siberian research institute, placing one of biotechnology’s most heavily shorted stocks near its annual peak.

NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)

Nvidia rose 2.12% to finish at $238.90, with an intraday and 52-week high of $240.10 and a low of $235.15; the stock’s 52-week low is $164.27.

Nvidia shares hit fresh record highs as Freedom Capital Markets strategist Jay Woods said the stock was nearing a major technical breakout, with a close above $240 potentially opening the way to his $270 target. The call came ahead of Nvidia’s expected mid-November third-quarter report, with analysts projecting EPS of $2.38 and revenue of $104.19 billion, up from $1.30 and $57.01 billion a year earlier.

MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI)

MercadoLibre climbed 9.67% to close at $1,860.61 after reaching $1,871.67 intraday and falling as low as $1,769.76; its 52-week high is $2,427.99 and low is $1,495.

The stock surged as investors assessed Brazil’s first-round presidential election, with reports indicating markets favored Flávio Bolsonaro’s promises of greater fiscal discipline.

Nu Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NU)

Nu Holdings also moved sharply higher as traders responded to the first-round outcome in Brazil’s presidential election.

Nu Holdings advanced 13.03% to close at $15.18, posting an intraday high of $15.46 and low of $14.84; its 52-week high is $18.98 and low is $11.20.

Shares rose after Flávio Bolsonaro exceeded expectations, winning about 47% of Sunday’s vote and advancing to an Oct. 25 runoff against incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, according to Reuters-cited election results.

PTC Inc. (NASDAQ:PTC)

PTC became a standout industrial-software name after Schneider Electric agreed to purchase the company in a multibillion-dollar cash transaction.

PTC jumped 33.49% to close at $192.26, reaching $196.05 intraday and dipping to $191.92; its 52-week high is $206.82 and low is $108.52.

The stock responded to Schneider Electric’s $22.6 billion acquisition agreement, which would broaden the buyer’s industrial software and artificial-intelligence portfolio.

Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings indicate Nvidia stock has a Momentum score in the 87th percentile and a Growth score in the 98th percentile

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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