Markets

Stocks slip slightly ahead of US and China trade negotiation talks over the weekend

Stocks were largely flat on Friday after President Trump said he may cut China’s 145% tariff to 80% ahead of trade negotiations in Switzerland this weekend.

The S&P 500 slipped under 0.1%, the Nasdaq 100 ended flat, and the Russell 2000 fell 0.16%. Risk-on sectors like energy, real estate, and consumer discretionary outperformed, while healthcare, consumer staples, and communication services led the declines.

Affirm shares fell double digits after the buy now, pay later giant swung a surprise Q3 profit, but gave cooler-than-expended revenue guidance for the current quarter.

Retail favorite Rocket Lab dove 11% after the commercial space company posted a larger-than-expected Q1 loss and offered disappointing guidance for the current quarter..

Expedia shares sank 7%, one of the worst performers in the S&P 500, after the travel giant missed Q1 estimates amid softer travel demand in the US.

TKO Group shares slid 4% a day after the WWE and UFC parent raised its full-year guidance and beat on Q1 revenue, but missed on profit expectations.

Lyft soared 28% after the ride-hailing giant topped Q1 estimates, netting a record number of bookings and boosting its share buyback plan to $750 million.

Pinterest jumped nearly 5% after the company topped Q1 revenue forecasts, posted upbeat guidance, and saw record active users on its new “visual discovery platform.”

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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.

markets

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

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’sbig, 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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