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Luke Kawa

US stock futures slump, oil jumps after Iranian media reports explosions on Kharg Island

Stocks returned to negative territory in premarket trading and oil futures jumped after Iranian state-sponsored media said that explosions were heard on Kharg Island.

The Mehr News Agency, which reported this at 6:25 a.m. ET, did not comment on the source of these explosions. Fox News reported that the US targeted military installations, and unintentionally hit a landing dock. Axios also reported that the strikes were intended to hit military targets, citing a US official.

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF turned from slightly positive to down about 0.5% in the wake of this report, and extended losses after President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that “a whole civilization will die tonight.”

West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures traded about 3% higher to $116 per barrel after having previously been roughly flat.

Trump’s Tuesday morning post seemingly reaffirms his commitment to escalate attacks on Iran, including targets that can be considered war crimes, if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened. His current deadline, which has previously been pushed back on multiple occasions, is 8 p.m. on Tuesday night.

On Sunday, the president’s Truth Social account posted that “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran.”

Kharg Island handles roughly 90% of Iran’s crude exports. Strikes that reduce Iran’s ability to ship oil would further disrupt energy markets, which have been roiled by the war and the limited movement of tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, a key choke point. Initial US attacks on Kharg Island in March were said to have hit military sites rather than energy infrastructure.

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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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