Markets
markets
Luke Kawa
4/23/25

Stocks jump as Trump softens stance on his two most market-unfriendly policies

Traders are continuing to step away from the ledge and into the sunshine this morning as the White House floods the zone with positive policy chatter.

A smattering of positive news on Tuesday after the close is fueling a massive relief rally on Wall Street, with US equity futures up 2.5% in early trading. At their highs of the morning, S&P futures were still about 1.5% below levels seen on April 9, after the president watered down reciprocal tariffs on most nations for 90 days.

President Donald Trump told the press that tariffs on China “will come down substantially” and not be near 145%. When asked if he would play hardball in negotiations with China, the president said no.

The president met with the heads of retail giants on Monday, many of which were facing significant operational challenges and higher costs linked to high levies on imports from the world’s second-largest economy.

And, at least with the UK, the White House also seems to be tackling an issue that limited its ability to find common ground with Japan’s trade negotiators: having clear demands upon which a deal could be ironed out. The Wall Street Journal reported on a draft document that sees US trade negotiators pushing for the UK to cut its auto tariff and relax rules on agricultural imports, among other measures.

The market-friendly tone from the White House wasn’t limited to trade. Trump remarked that he has no intention of firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell, but just wishes that he would be more active in lowering interest rates. Last week, Trump posted on Truth Social that “Powell’s termination cannot come soon enough.”

These headlines all arrived after Bloomberg reported that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the US and China would find ways to de-escalate in the very near future because the trade war was unsustainable with levies this high. These comments, from an official who has emphasized that it is “Main Street’s turn” for success, came during a private event hosted by JPMorgan in Washington, DC.

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Nia Warfield, Luke Kawa
9/12/25
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.

Horse Ranch In Zhangye
markets
Matt Phillips
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
Nia Warfield
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
Max Knoblauch
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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