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Luke Kawa

US stock futures erase losses on report of new Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz

S&P 500 futures erased small losses on Sunday evening after Axios reported that Iran, through Pakistan, is offering a fresh proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the conflict. West Texas Intermediate futures are off their highs, but still up 1.6% as of 9:33 p.m. ET. According to Axios, this deal would punt the issue of Iran’s nuclear program to a later date.

This new potential off-ramp follows some less than encouraging news on the status of talks between the two sides. On Saturday, President Donald Trump said that he canceled a trip to Pakistan during which Steve Witkoff (special envoy to the Middle East) and Jared Kushner (Trump’s son-in-law) had been expected to negotiate with Iran. On Sunday, Trump told Fox News that Iran “can come to us, or they can call us” if they want to talk.

The Strait of Hormuz, a key choke point for global oil flows, has been largely closed since the conflict started roughly two months ago, despite a ceasefire agreement that was said to be contingent on the reopening of this waterway. In addition to Iranian military threats, which initially made passage through the strait too dangerous for most vessels to attempt, the US has also recently started a naval blockade to limit Iranian oil exports.

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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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