4/17/25

S&P 500 ends week with modest gain even as semiconductor slump continues

US stocks ended Thursday with modest gains despite slumping in the last hour of trading on more reports that President Donald Trump is itching to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The S&P 500 rose 0.1%, the Nasdaq 100 was flat, and the Russell 2000 gained 0.9%.

It was a decent end to another tumultuous week of trading. (Markets are closed tomorrow for Good Friday.)

Energy and consumer staples were the top two S&P 500 sector ETFs, while tech and healthcare were the lone two to end the session in the red. Nvidia continued to see heavy selling pressure following enhanced restrictions on exports to China.

UnitedHealth was by far the biggest negative for the market to grapple with on Thursday, falling over 20% after cutting its 2025 outlook. Elsewhere in the healthcare space, Eli Lilly rose double digits after its weight-loss pill orforglipron succeeded in early trials.

Alphabet dipped after partially losing an advertising technology antitrust case, with penalties to be determined.

Palantir rose, as the AI software and defense company continues to see heavy buying from retail traders.

Bill Ackman’s big investment in Hertz didn’t just fuel a massive one-day gain in the stock, but rather two. Competitors in the space like Avis also caught a bid, as well.

While TSMC initially surged after posting an earnings beat along with second-quarter guidance that exceeded analysts’ expectations, that rally fizzled out over the course of the day.

Trump Media & Technology Group jumped double digits amid management’s call for the SEC to immediately investigate what it alleges is “suspicious trading” relating to a massive short position in the stock announced this week.

Update: A prior version of this piece incorrectly stated that the S&P 500 finished higher this week. Stocks were up relative to one week ago, but down relative to last Friday’s close.

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S&P 500 goes nowhere, Nasdaq 100 hits another record, small-caps tumble

Warner Bros. Discovery led gains for the second day in a row, and only three S&P 500 sector ETFs finished in the green.

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9/12/25

Rocket lab soars to new record close amid rally for retail faves

Rocket Lab ripped by roughly 10% Friday to close at a new all-time high, riding an upturn of retail enthusiasm for a coterie of tech-themed favorites, even as the broader market was more or less flat on the day.

Goldman Sachs’ basket of “retail favorites” — its heaviest weights are Reddit, AppLovin, and Tempus AI — was the second-biggest gainer among the company’s flagship US equity baskets on Friday, rising about 1.6%. The S&P was almost dead flat.

It’s not Rocket Lab’s first retail rodeo, as the money-losing company has more than doubled this year and is up nearly 700% over the last 12 months.

Oracle Wall Street Revisions

Analysts revise up anything and everything they thought about Oracle

After the company’s bombshell earnings this week, Wall Street thinks Oracle’s trajectory has changed.

Matt Phillips9/12/25

markets

9/12/25

Six Flags pops after reiterating its guidance as theme park attendance rebounds

Six Flags shares rose more than 7% today after the company reported a rebound in attendance and early season pass sales heading into the fall. The nine-week period ended August 31 saw 17.8 million guests, up about 2% from the same stretch last year, with stronger momentum in the final four weeks.

More importantly, Six Flags reaffirmed its full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance of $860 million to $910 million, showing confidence that its cost and operations strategy can stay strong for the duration of the year. Riding that wave, Six Flags also said early 2026 season pass unit sales are pacing ahead of last year, and average season pass prices are up about 3%.

The good vibes come despite a drop in in-park per-capita spending, especially from admissions, where promotions and changes to attendance mix (which parks or days guests visit) have weighed. Earlier this week, the amusement giant signed a new agreement that extended its position as the exclusive amusement park partner for Peanuts™ in North America through 2030.

Despite the rally, Six Flags shares are down about 52% year to date.

markets

9/12/25

Rivian turns red on the year, squeezed by a recall and the looming end of the EV tax credit

Shares of EV maker Rivian are down more than 5% on Friday following the company’s recall of 24,214 vehicles due to a software issue. The stock move erases Rivian’s year-to-date gain and turns the company negative on the year.

Rivian’s 2025 model year R1S and R1T are affected by the defect, which was identified after a vehicle’s hands-free highway assist software failed to identify another vehicle on the road, causing a low-speed collision. Rivian said it’s released an over-the-air update to fix the issue.

The recall marks Rivian’s fifth this year, affecting nearly 70,000 of its vehicles.

Rivian’s shares are down more than 20% from their 2025 high, which came prior to the passage of President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” Through the legislation, the $7,500 EV tax credit is set to expire at the end of the month.

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