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Yiwen Lu

US stocks dip as major week of earnings awaits

The S&P 500 slid 0.2% on Monday, an inauspicious start after posting its longest streak of weekly gains in 2024. The Nasdaq 100 notched a 0.2% gain during the last minutes of trading, while the Russell 2000 fell 1.6%. 

This week, 112 S&P 500 companies are set to release third quarter earnings. So far, the majority of S&P 500 companies have reported earnings that beat analyst expectations, lifting the market for the past two weeks. 

Bond yields jumped on Monday. The yield on the two-year Treasury note was up eight basis points to 4.03%, while the yield on the 10-year note rose 11 basis points to 4.19%. 

Real estate was the biggest laggard among major S&P 500 sectors, losing 2.1%. None of the sector’s constituents rose. Higher long-term interest rates usually serve as a reference point for mortgage rates, which separately sent rate-sensitive homebuilder stocks tumbling.

The technology sector was the only major sector that advanced on Monday, up 0.5%, largely thanks to Nvidia’s 4.1% gain. The chipmaker was the best-performing Magnificent Seven stock and outperformed the rest of the semiconductor sector, after rising nearly 20% so far this month. 

Among other individual stocks, shares of Kenvue surged 5.5% after the Wall Street Journal reported that activist investor Starboard Value has taken a sizable stake in the household product maker. Boeing rose 3.1% as the company reached a new contract proposal with its machinists’ union over the weekend, which could potentially put an end to the workers’ strike. Finally, Spirit Airlines had its best day on record with a 53% gain after striking a deal with a creditor to give the airline more time to refinance some of its debt.

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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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