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First Solar field of panels
Workers install panels at a solar farm (First Solar)

First Solar shines after early GOP tax plan extends rollback of renewable benefits

Clean energy stocks rally after key incentives survive the latest draft — for now.

First Solar shares jumped 21% Tuesday, heading for their best day since 2024 after a draft GOP tax plan was less harsh on renewables incentives than expected.

To be fair, the proposal does strip major clean energy perks from the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act, but stops short of an immediate full repeal. Instead, the 30% tax credits that have powered clean energy growth would start to phase out in 2029. Consumers will also lose access to the $7,500 EV tax credits by the end of 2026.

Still, the slower rollback is better-than-expected news for First Solar, the largest US solar panel maker. The company could also benefit from new restrictions on imports from so-called “foreign entities of concern,” likely aimed at its biggest rivals in China. The rally spread across the sector on Tuesday, with Sunrun up 16% while wind turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems jumped nearly 10%.

First Solar shares have now turned positive for the year.

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SpaceX gets a wave of bullish ratings from Wall Street analysts

SpaceX received more than a dozen positive analyst calls on Tuesday — including from major Wall Street banks — as they initiate coverage on Elon Musk’s space and AI company.

SpaceX went public on June 12 at a $2.2 trillion valuation, the largest debut in history. While the company hasn’t yet posted a profit, it seems to have convinced Wall Street that it will get there and grow its valuation on the way.

Of the at least 17 analysts that gave a rating on Tuesday, all but one gave it a “buy” or “outperform” rating. MoffettNathanson was "neutral."

The ratings come as SpaceX joined the Nasdaq 100 index, a benchmark tech-heavy basket of companies that underpins millions of portfolios. The inclusion adds built-in demand for the stock from index funds and ETFs.

Still, SpaceX fell more than 5% on Tuesday amid a broader sell-off, and is currently effectively flat from its opening price of $150 a share.

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Nike sinks to lowest level since 2014 after warning of “challenged” sales environment in Q4 report

Did Nike do it?

Investors had a mixed reaction after the global sports apparel company reported its fourth quarter earnings on Tuesday after the bell. Shares initially rose 5% as Nike beat out Wall Street expectations amid a hefty tariff refund bonus. However, the stock then sank to its lowest level since August 2014 in postmarket trading.

Here are the Q4 numbers:

  • Revenue of $11.0 billion (estimate: $10.8 billion).

  • Adjusted earnings per share of $0.20 (estimate: $0.12).

Ahead of this report, Nike warned that results would be flattered by a one-time tariff refund (now estimated at roughly $0.52 per share for the bottom line). That gave the company an extra cushion in snapping its streak of seven quarters of year-over-year profit declines.

Over the past year, the company had been punished by tariffs on imported goods, stagnant consumer spending, and increasing competition from other footwear brands like New Balance, Adidas, and Hoka.

Outgoing CFO Matthew Friend deemed it an “increasingly challenging operating environment, where sell-through remains challenged.”

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