Markets
Luke Kawa
4/4/25

US stocks crumble on Friday to end worst week since 2020

There was no reprieve from Thursday’s massive sell-off, as Friday saw even larger declines for the S&P 500. The benchmark US stock index fell 6%, the Nasdaq 100 dropped 6.1%, and the Russell 2000 slumped 4.4% on the day.

So ends the worst week for the S&P 500 since March 2020, near the bottom of the Covid-induced bear market.

Trading volumes across all US exchanges set a record on Friday, as did the number of put options that changed hands.

The number of stocks in the S&P 500 that fell outnumbered gainers by 475, the most since March 2023. Every S&P 500 sector ETF fell at least 4%, with energy leading the way down.

The US no longer has any $3 trillion companies, as Apple fell out of that cohort with today’s retreat.

China ratcheted up the trade war by unveiling retaliatory tariffs on US goods, weighing on US companies with big exposure to the world’s second-largest economy and serving as a drag on shares of Chinese companies listed in the US. Intel’s outperformance on Thursday gave way to a double-digit loss on Friday as its exposure to China becomes a sore spot for the company in light of those retaliatory tariffs.

OPEC+’s plans to return even more oil to global markets in May, coupled with the demand shock from tariffs, sent the likes of Exxon, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips reeling.

The dealmaking and IPO pipeline is running dry in light of market conditions, with Klarna pausing its plans to go public. Bank stocks like JPMorgan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley were all throttled and underperformed the broad market.

Boeing stock fell to levels not seen since the doors of its 737 were consciously uncoupling from its body mid-flight.

However, there was a glimmer of light on the hopes for these trade barriers to be dialed back: Nike and Lululemon surged as President Trump touted progress on coming to a deal with Vietnam.

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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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