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Palantir and other government contractor stocks rip on reports of Musk’s departure

Stocks of major government contractors and weaponry manufacturers soared shortly before 11:30 a.m. ET on reports that President Trump had told members of his inner circle that Elon Musk would be “stepping back” from his controversial role as the administration’s hatchet man for the federal bureaucracy.

Shares of stocks like Booz Allen Hamilton, Leidos, and Palantir jumped on the news, along with Lockheed Martin and L3Harris Technologies. Those shares had been hit in recent weeks by signs that the Trump administration would carry out deep cuts to defense spending, crimping a key source of sales and profits.

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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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