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Yiwen Lu

It’s quiet. Too quiet.

’Twas the day before the US presidential election, and few stocks were stirring.

That’s the scene as of midday Monday, with the S&P 500 down about 0.5% with the vote as well as a Federal Reserve decision later this week on deck.

With these potentially major catalysts around the corner, there’s not a ton of trading activity. As of 11:30 a.m. ET, about 2.8 million fewer shares of the SPDR S&P 500 Trust had traded compared to their one-month average.

Traders are braced for volatility ahead. The VIX — the stock market’s “fear gauge” — has remained above 20 since Thursday, a level that suggests above-average investor concern about the potential for a near-term market drawdown.

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Archer Aviation sinks after reporting better-than-expected Q3 loss, announces it will acquire LA’s Hawthorne Airport

Air taxi maker Archer Aviation reported its Q3 results on Thursday, and its shares climbed more than 6% before turning negative.

The company posted a loss per share of $0.20, better than the $0.30 loss analysts polled by FactSet expected.

Archer announced it would acquire Los Angeles’ Hawthorne Airport for $126 million as a strategic hub for its planned LA air taxi network.

Cash is vital for Archer, which is without revenue as it seeks FAA certification. The company ended its third quarter with $1.64 billion in cash (and equivalents), down from last quarter’s $1.72 billion but more than 3x the amount from the same period a year ago.

Archer’s rival Joby Aviation, which reported its third-quarter results on Wednesday, has a cash pile of $978.1 million.

Archer reported adjusted operating expenses of $121.2 million. Looking ahead, Archer said it expects adjusted earnings before interest and taxes to be a loss of between $110 million and $140 million for the fourth quarter. Wall Street expected a $120 million loss.

Earlier this week, Archer shares fell amid the IPO of its electric aircraft rival Beta Technologies. Archer shares are down about 9% this year as of Thursday’s close, far underperforming Joby’s growth of 76%.

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