5/23/25

The return of tough tariff talk sinks stocks

US stocks fell again on Friday as President Trump threatened that high tariffs on shipments from Europe and imported smartphones were around the corner.

The S&P 500 ended down 0.7%, its first four-session losing streak since the reciprocal tariff announcement on April 2, and retreated 2.6% on the week. The Nasdaq 100 finished off 0.9% while the Russell 2000 fell 0.3% on Friday.

Utilities was the best-performing S&P 500 sector ETF, buoyed by an executive order signed by Trump to make it easier to build nuclear reactors in the US and Republican senators’ pushback against cuts to clean energy tax credits. Most sectors fell, with tech and consumer discretionary performing the worst.

One key industry group to the market’s hot run since the April lows and the past two years is coming under consistent pressure. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index declined for its seventh straight session, its longest losing streak since September 2022.

Apple slid as a Trump Truth Social post regarding tariffs on smartphones singled out the company specifically, remarks that were later clarified to apply to other phone makers as well.

European automakers Stellantis, Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz were also dumped amid the president’s recommendation that tariffs on European imports should rise to 50% starting on June 1.

Deckers was the worst-performing S&P 500 constituent, down nearly 20% after issuing a disappointing forecast for the current quarter and failing to provide full-year guidance.

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Nia Warfield, Luke Kawa

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

16h

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 Phillips17h

markets

19h

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

20h

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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