Markets

US stocks rise, S&P 500 misses out on fresh records by a whisker

The S&P 500 came tantalizingly close to both an intraday and closing record but ultimately got neither, closing up 0.8%. The Nasdaq 100 gained about 1% while the Russell 2000 bounced back with a strong 1.7% advance.

Both monetary and trade policy appear to be evolving in a favorable direction for stocks: traders are pricing in over 65 basis points of easing by the Federal Reserve through year-end (versus about 50 basis points for most of the past month or so), and the White House said its July 9 deadline before reciprocal tariffs would be ramped up wasn’t really a hard deadline.

Most S&P 500 sector ETFs rose, with consumer staples and real estate the exceptions. Energy, communication services, industrials, and materials all gained 1%.

Enphase Energy led gains on the day, up nearly 13% on reports that Congress may not slash federal tax incentives for residential rooftop solar installations. Data center company Equinix was the worst performer, down about 10%. Meanwhile...

Core Scientific surged 33% in afternoon trading after The Wall Street Journal reported that CoreWeave is in talks to acquire the company.

Super Micro Computer shares rose over 5.5% on no obvious news, just another wave of bullish call option buying.

McCormick jumped more than 5% after the spice giant posted a surprise Q2 earnings beat and reaffirmed its full-year outlook.

Avis shares climbed 2% as hedge fund Pentwater Capital disclosed it had more than tripled its stake in the rental car company.

Cyngn, a tiny industrial robotics firm, surged more than 170% after highlighting its relationship with Nvidia.

Shares of autonomous vehicle company Pony.ai jumped 12% after The New York Times reported that Uber is in talks with former CEO Travis Kalanick to help fund a potential acquisition.

Kratos Defense dropped more than 2% after announcing plans to sell ~13 million new shares at $38.50 each in a stock offering worth just over $480 million.

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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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