Nia Warfield, Luke Kawa

5/19/25

S&P 500 erases big early losses, powering through to sixth straight gain

US Treasury bonds may have been downgraded, but the stock market wasn’t.

The S&P 500 shrugged off the Moody’s decision and some unsettling trade talk out of China, erasing an early loss of 1% to finish up 0.1%, as did the Nasdaq 100. The Russell 2000 brought up the rear with a 0.4% decline. It’s a continuation of a pattern we’ve been seeing recently, where any early dips are aggressively bought.

That marks the sixth straight rise for the benchmark US stock index.

Most S&P sector ETFs moved higher, led by healthcare. Tech, consumer discretionary, and energy all retreated.

UnitedHealth led gains on the day, up 8% as company insiders stepped up with huge buys from the S&P 500’s worst performer. Meanwhile, Solar and climate-tech stocks like First Solar, AES Corp, and Enphase Energy led declines after GOP lawmakers said they plan to axe clean energy tax credits more quickly than planned. Elsewhere…

American vaccine maker Novavax rose nearly 15% after it announced that the Food and Drug Administration fully approved its COVID-19 vaccine, Nuvaxovid. Rival vaccine maker Moderna also popped over 7% on the day.

Dollar General was also a bright spot on the day, jumping nearly 5% with its stock now up nearly 30% so far this year.

Best Buy shares fell 3% even as UBS analysts said the electronics retailer could see continued sales momentum as US-China trade tensions begin to ease.

Walmart shares dipped as much as 2% in early trading before closing the day flat after President Donald Trump criticized the retailer on Saturday for “trying to blame tariffs.”

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27m

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 ending August 31 saw 17.8 million guests, up about 2% from the same stretch in 2024, 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 around 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 extended 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 around 52% year-to-date.

markets

2h

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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J. Edward Moreno

2h

Moderna, Pfizer dip after WaPo reports Trump officials’ plan to link Covid vaccines to child deaths

Vaccine makers are falling after The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration plans to link the coronavirus vaccine to 25 child deaths.

Moderna and Pfizer, the two companies who sell the vaccine in the US, fell by more than 5% and 2%, respectively. The coronavirus vaccine is virtually the only revenue driver for Moderna, while Pfizer has a larger and more diverse portfolio.

Trump officials to link child deaths to covid shots, alarming career scientists

DEVELOPING PROBLEMS

Concerns about rising government debt are not strictly an American problem

Global government debt piles are swelling to record levels. That’s an issue for many nations, but developing countries may be most at risk.

Closeup rolled of variety banknote and multi currency around the world. Exchange rate and Forex investment concept.-Image.

markets

4h

RH slips after missing Q2 estimates and trimming its outlook amid cost pressure

Restoration Hardware shares dropped Friday morning after the luxury furniture brand missed Q2 estimates and tightened its full-year outlook.

Adjusted earnings per share came in at $2.93, below the Street’s estimate of $3.21. Revenue was $899.2 million, also missing analysts’ forecast of $905 million.

RH now expects full-year revenue growth of 9% to 11%, down from prior guidance of 10% to 13%, as margins get squeezed by tariffs and weakness in the housing market. Wall Street had been looking for about 10% growth this year.

The retailer is taking steps to blunt cost pressures, including shifting sourcing away from China. RH expects receipts to fall from 16% in Q1 to 2% in Q4, with vendors absorbing a meaningful portion of the tariff impact. RH is also boosting US manufacturing capacity in North Carolina and pushing back a new concept launch to next spring.

RH shares are down about 43% year to date.

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