Markets
Luke Kawa
4/23/25

US stocks end higher even as euphoria over potential tariff relief fades

US stocks opened sharply higher after President Trump softened his stance on his two most market-unfriendly policies after the close on Tuesday: onerous tariffs on China and his desire to sack Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

However, major indexes finished well off their highs of the day after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that any relief on China would not be unilateral. The S&P 500 ended 1.7% higher, the Nasdaq 100 advanced 2.3%, and the Russell 2000 went up 1.5%.

Consumer discretionary and tech were the top-performing S&P 500 sector ETFs, while energy and consumer staples finished lower. Oil stocks in particular were bedeviled by reports that OPEC+ is poised to boost production even more next month, while the softness in consumer staples was a story of traders ditching the safer stocks that have held up well during the market tumult in favor of riskier stocks.

Tesla was among the major drivers of gains in the S&P 500 today despite reporting underwhelming earnings on Tuesday after the close, thanks to CEO Elon Musk’s pledge to spend less time with DOGE and more with the company. Other so-called Trump trades like Palantir, Trump Media & Technology Group, and Axon also outperformed.

Potential relief on tariffs with China was positive for semi companies, with Intel one of the standouts in the industry amid reports that management is poised to cut 20% of its workforce.

Retailers were also massive beneficiaries of the less combative tone on cross-border commerce, with the likes of Victoria’s Secret and Five Below, which source products from Asia, outperforming the market.

Boeing’s turnaround plan continues to bear fruit, with the company’s first quarter of revenue growth since 2023 and a much smaller-than-expected loss per share driving upside for the stock.

Philip Morris gained after reporting better-than-expected earnings, buoyed by sales of enough Zyn cans to span Route 66.

Analysts at Bernstein have taken a shining to Mediterranean chain Cava, upgrading the stock and boosting their price target, contributing to a solid advance for the shares.

AT&T pared its big premarket gains on the heels of a ho-hum quarterly report in which earnings per share were in line with estimates.

CoreWeave put in another huge advance after Mike Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital deepened its partnership with the cloud-computing company at its data center campus.

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markets
Nia Warfield
9m

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 ending August 31 saw 17.8 million guests, up about 2% from the same stretch in 2024, 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 around 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 extended 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 around 52% year-to-date.

markets
Max Knoblauch
2h

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.

markets
J. Edward Moreno
2h

Moderna, Pfizer dip after WaPo reports Trump officials’ plan to link Covid vaccines to child deaths

Vaccine makers are falling after The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration plans to link the coronavirus vaccine to 25 child deaths.

Moderna and Pfizer, the two companies who sell the vaccine in the US, fell by more than 5% and 2%, respectively. The coronavirus vaccine is virtually the only revenue driver for Moderna, while Pfizer has a larger and more diverse portfolio.

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Trump officials to link child deaths to covid shots, alarming career scientists

Hyunsoo Rim
DEVELOPING PROBLEMS
4h
Concerns about rising government debt are not strictly an American problem

Global government debt piles are swelling to record levels. That’s an issue for many nations, but developing countries may be most at risk.

Closeup rolled of variety banknote and multi currency around the world. Exchange rate and Forex investment concept.-Image.
markets
Nia Warfield
4h

RH slips after missing Q2 estimates and trimming its outlook amid cost pressure

Restoration Hardware shares dropped Friday morning after the luxury furniture brand missed Q2 estimates and tightened its full-year outlook.

Adjusted earnings per share came in at $2.93, below the Street’s estimate of $3.21. Revenue was $899.2 million, also missing analysts’ forecast of $905 million.

RH now expects full-year revenue growth of 9% to 11%, down from prior guidance of 10% to 13%, as margins get squeezed by tariffs and weakness in the housing market. Wall Street had been looking for about 10% growth this year.

The retailer is taking steps to blunt cost pressures, including shifting sourcing away from China. RH expects receipts to fall from 16% in Q1 to 2% in Q4, with vendors absorbing a meaningful portion of the tariff impact. RH is also boosting US manufacturing capacity in North Carolina and pushing back a new concept launch to next spring.

RH shares are down about 43% year to date.

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