Markets
Luke Kawa
4/21/25

US stocks dumped as recession fears ramp higher

Monday was a “sell everything” day in US markets, with stocks, bonds, and currency all taking it on the chin. Traders seemingly ratcheted their views on recession risk higher as more prominent economists warned of a US downturn, and they also reacted to escalating critiques of Fed Chair Jerome Powell by President Donald Trump. The president reportedly met with executives from retail giants Walmart, Target, and Home Depot, among others, to get intel on what tariffs are doing to their business outlooks.

Stocks managed to recover from their lows of the day in the last hour of trading, with the S&P 500 finishing down 2.4%, the Nasdaq 100 off 2.5%, and the Russell 2000 2.1% lower on the day.

Consumer discretionary, energy, and tech were the worst-performing S&P 500 sectors, and all but consumer staples and materials fell at least 2%.

Nvidia tanked as its earnings estimates start to come under the knife, leaving little appeal for the stock even as it’s become cheap to the S&P 500 relative to history.

Tesla, which reports earnings on Tuesday, tumbled following a report from Reuters that the electric vehicle company’s lower-cost Model Y is being delayed once again.

Netflix, which reported strong earnings after the close last Thursday, managed to hold on to some gains amid a host of analysts upping their price target on the stock, thinking it can weather any negative lurch in the economy.

Uber declined after being sued by the Federal Trade Commission, which alleges that the ride-hailing service deceived customers and made it difficult to cancel its subscription service.

Boeing fell on the heels of reports from Reuters that jets sent to China have been returned to sender.

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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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