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Iren Cipher Mining Data Center Crypto Miners
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JPMorgan lifts Cipher Mining to “overweight,” hikes Iren price target

The crypto-miner-turned-AI-data-center trade is back on Monday.

Cipher Digital and IREN both surged Monday, amid a recovery in the AI data center trade and favorable commentary from analysts at JPMorgan.

It was a pronounced change for these crypto miners turned AI computing power providers, which have been hammered this month both by the bitcoin-based crypto sell-off as well as the sudden jitters surrounding AI.

JPMorgan analysts published a note Monday revising their price targets and ratings on the sector, citing a “flurry of deal activity” that’s reinforced their views on the theme of crypto miners converting to high-performance computing (HPC) power providers, which has been a popular trade this year. They wrote:

“Since the end of September, IREN and CIFR have signed long-term (5-15 year) cloud and colocation deals across >600 critical IT MW totaling >$19bn in contracted revenue. As such, we have increased conviction miners will be able to convert more of their capacity to HPC use cases moving forward... Our price targets imply operators in our coverage universe (excluding MARA) convert ~35% of their approved power capacity to HPC use cases by [year-end 2026].”

The analysts, led by Reginald Smith, lifted their rating on Cipher Mining to “overweight” — essentially “buy” — and bumped their December 2026 price target for the stock to $18 from $12.

JPM analysts also raised their rating on another miner turned HPC provider, CleanSpark, to “overweight” from “neutral” and left their $14 price target unchanged.

Separately, they lifted their price target for IREN to $39 from $28. But they have left their “underweight” — basically “sell” — rating on the stock, due largely to high valuations.

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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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Rocket Lab deal lifts space stocks

Shares of Rocket Lab are surging after announcing an $8 billion acquisition of satellite communications operator Iridium Communications, helping lift a broader basket of space-related stocks as investors piled back into the sector.

Planet Labs, AST SpaceMobile and Redwire all traded higher alongside Rocket Lab, extending gains in an industry that has drawn enhanced investor attention in recent months in light of the strategic importance that governments place on space and satellite communications infrastructure.

In a presentation, Rocket Lab’s management called the purchase “a shortcut” for its satellite communications business.

Under the terms of the agreement, Iridium shareholders will receive $27 in cash and Rocket Lab stock, valuing Iridium at $54 per share. Backed by a $3.6 billion bridge loan committed by Deutsche Bank and Wells Fargo, Rocket Lab absorbs Iridium’s globally licensed spectrum and an active base of 2.5 million subscribers.

Rocket Lab has also remained one of the most active launch providers in the sector. The company completed its 12th launch of the year last week, maintaining one of the highest launch cadences among commercial space companies.

Today's rally helps offset a brutal stretch for the group. Rocket Lab shares had fallen over 35% over the prior month, while Planet Labs stock was down more than 40% and AST SpaceMobile stock was down around 30% over the same window.

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