Markets

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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Lululemon’s stretch getting tested: Stock plunges after after outlook is cut

Lululemon shares are down double digits in premarket trading after the company cut its full-year sales and profit outlook, overshadowing a Q1 beat and raising fresh concerns about the brand’s turnaround efforts.

The company now expects fiscal 2026 revenue to be flat to down 1%, compared with its prior forecast for 2% to 4% growth. Guidance for full-year diluted earnings per share was dragged down to a range of $10.95 to $11.15, below the company’s previous guidance of $12.10 to $12.30 and well below Wall Street’s estimate of $13.26.

Key numbers for Q1:

  • EPS of $1.69 vs. the $1.68 expected.

  • Revenue of $2.47 billion vs. the $2.43 billion expected.

The modest top-line beat masked a widening divergence between Lululemons geographic markets. While international revenue rose 22% overall with a 30% increase in Mainland China, the bigger problem remains North America, where revenue fell 5%.

Interim co-CEO and CFO Meghan Frank acknowledged during the earnings call that recent product rollouts underperformed. A highly anticipated yoga campaign failed to generate its expected halo effect across broader product lines.

Profitability metrics took a major hit, with gross margins contracting by 410 basis points to 54.2% due to mounting tariff costs and promotional markdowns. Operating income consequently fell 37% year over year to $276.9 million.

“We experienced spikes of negative commentary in the media and on social channels with regard to our brand, which had an impact on traffic and overall top-line performance,” Frank said during the earnings call. “And second, not all of our product launches have met our expectations. While we have had several successful launches so far this year, we have seen others as we start Q2 not generate the anticipated guest response.”

Lululemons valuation has already been steadily compressing for years. While it was once one of retails richly valued stocks, investors have been questioning whether the company can return to the double-digit growth era.

The results also arrive during a leadership transition. Lululemon announced back in April that former Nike executive Heidi ONeill is set to take over as CEO in September, with investors looking to her to revive growth in North America and restore the brands growth.

As Lululemon faces both macroeconomic pressure and brand-specific challenges, its stock has dropped around 40% year to date.

markets

US job growth skyrocketed in May, blasting past expectations

The US economy added 172,000 jobs in the month of May, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday, sending 10-year Treasury yields higher.

The strong May job market surprised economists. Experts had predicted only 85,000 new jobs — just half the reported number. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%, as expected.

The job growth story is a hopeful spot for the economy as consumers continue to feel inflationary pressure from the Iran war.

Job gains were buoyed by the leisure and hospitality sector, which added 70,000 jobs, as well as local government, healthcare, and education.

Both the March and April jobs reports were revised upward, making them collectively 93,000 higher than previously reported.

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