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NBA: MAY 31 NBA Finals Preview - New York Knicks
A close-up view of a New York Knicks flag outside a bar in Midtown Manhattan (Erica Denhoff/Getty Images)
hedge of glory

A New York bar is using Kalshi to offer patrons free drinks during the first Knicks Finals game

Sentences are being written that have never been written before.

Though the cheapest resale tickets to go and see the Knicks play at Madison Square Garden in their first NBA Finals since 1999 are now floating around the ~$4,000 mark (as of writing, there is actually only one seat showing under $5,000), one NYC bar is offering to sweeten the deal for fans who choose to watch the first playoff game in their venue… but only if the Knicks win.

Patrons at The Jeffrey bar in Manhattan who show up before the game starts will have their checks covered if the Knicks win, up to the value of $100 per guest, per the bar’s post on social media. But how, in the middle of a pronounced slump for the American beer industry, can it afford such a promotion? A wealthy Knicks-loving benefactor? A (maybe misplaced) sense of optimism about the coming World Cup’s impact on business? No, it’s down to prediction markets, of course!

Play the percentage

Andrew Freedman — the owner of the bar, the man behind the offer, and, in the daytime, a hedge fund adviser — told Semafor that he used Kalshi to put $5,000 on the Knicks to win on Wednesday, which would pay out ~$8,000 if it comes in and cover around half of the expected outlay from picking up his patrons’ tabs.

Perhaps the most interesting part about the setup at The Jeffrey is that it was Kalshi’s idea, a fact Freedman revealed to Semafor and that a company spokesperson has since confirmed. The prediction market platform reached out to Freedman after a similarly generous offer around an Eastern Conference game set him back $3,700, suggesting that he hedge his promotion this time around.

So, just to recap: Knicks fans drinking at The Jeffrey might get a game day bonus; Freedman likely gets more customers through the door and gets to potentially offset the costs of doing so; and Kalshi, which already saw a whopping $11.5 billion of sports market volumes in April, cements itself as a hub to monetarily express your views on The Big Game.

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Beta Technologies climbs after Transportation Sec. Duffy posts a “Love Island” meme about his flight in electric aircraft

Air taxi maker Beta Technologies climbed by 5% in premarket trading on Wednesday after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted a video about his recent flight in the company’s electric aircraft.

The Department of Transportation announced Duffy’s Beta flight on Monday, writing that he’d become “the first Transportation Secretary in American history to fly in an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft.”

Late Tuesday, Duffy posted another video referencing the flight, writing, “🔥A HOT NEW AIRCRAFT ENTERS THE VILLA👀”

Air taxi rivals Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation were each down about 1.4% in premarket trading. All three companies are participating in the FAA’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program. All three are also down at least 10% year to date heading into market open on Wednesday.

markets

Macy’s rises on Q1 earnings, revenue beat, and raised full-year outlook

Macy’s shares are rising Wednesday morning after the department store giant exceeded Wall Street expectations for Q1 and management lifted the company’s full-year guidance.

Key numbers:

  • Adjusted earnings per share of $0.13 (compared to analyst estimates of $0.04).

  • Revenue of $4.7 billion (estimate: $4.6 billion).

Macy’s raised its guidance for the full fiscal year and now projects full-year net sales between $21.5 billion and $21.75 billion, up from the previous range of $21.4 billion to $21.65 billion. Adjusted earnings per share also got an upgrade to between $2.00 and $2.20, compared to the prior view of $1.90 to $2.10.

Macy’s Q1 comparable sales increased 3%, exceeding the company’s guidance. The standout performer was Bloomingdale’s, where comparable sales surged 10.2%, capturing its seventh straight quarter of growth. Meanwhile, beauty and skin care retailer Bluemercury also posted a robust 6.4% comparable sales gain.

The company ended the first quarter of 2026 with cash and cash equivalents of $1.3 billion and had $2.0 billion of available borrowing capacity under its asset-based credit facility. Through its quarterly dividend, Macy’s returned $50 million in cash to shareholders in the first quarter of 2026.

“We’re off to a strong start to the year, exceeding expectations for the fifth consecutive quarter as our Bold New Chapter strategy continues to build momentum,” Tony Spring, chairman and CEO of Macy’s, said in a statement. “Customers are responding — driving comparable sales growth at Macy’s and another standout quarter at Bloomingdale’s, underscoring its leadership in modern luxury.” Spring’s “A Bold New Chapter” turnaround strategy, which was announced back in 2024, relies heavily on luxury expansion and store optimization to attract affluent consumers.

markets

GameStop pops as Q1 revenue, profit rise and retailer authorizes $2 billion of stock buybacks

GameStop shares popped after-hours, as the company authorized a $2 billion stock buyback and posted a blockbuster fiscal first-quarter profit aided by unrealized gains on its options exposure to eBay stock

Here are the numbers from the retail trader favorite: 

  • Adjusted earnings per share of $0.30, up from $0.17 a year earlier and above the $0.16 estimate of… precisely one analyst.

  • Revenue of $835.3 million, up 14% from a year earlier.

  • A $2 billion stock buyback authorization, which is equivalent to about one-fifth of the company’s market cap.

  • A whopping $268 million unrealized gain because of its options exposure to eBay stock that it bought as it attempted to buy the online retailer. That led to a record quarterly net income of $389.6 million.

  • The highest first-quarter operating income ever, at $143.3 million — a number not aided by the gain in eBay stock, but rather by higher revenue and improved margins. 

Shares rose 7.1% after-hours.

The buyback authorization is a particularly interesting development for GameStop, which less than two years ago issued billions of dollars’ worth of shares as it took advantage of surging stock prices. 

Of course, it’s worth noting that the buyback authorization can be used in piecemeal fashion for the next three years, so any potential buybacks don’t have to happen any time soon — or at all.

markets

GitLab shares soar on earnings and revenue beat

Shares of GitLab soared over 8% in after-hours trading after the company’s quarterly results beat analyst expectations for earnings and revenue.

For FY2027 Q1, the code development and security platform posted:

  • Revenues of $264.2 million (estimate: $254 million).

  • Adjusted earnings per share of $0.23 (estimate: $0.21).

In a press release, GitLab CEO Bill Staples wrote, “The agentic era is creating structural tailwinds for GitLab, and Q1 showed it clearly with accelerating platform activity and promising traction from GitLab Duo Agent Platform.”

As AI eats the software development world, platforms for human coders like GitLab are facing some existential threats. Last month, GitLab shares dropped after it announced a restructuring plan, slashing its country footprint by 30%, and today it confirmed that 350 team members would be cut. The company said it expects the restructing to be complete by the end of FY 2027.

Shares of GitLab were down about 15% year to date heading into the report.

markets

Nuclear stocks gain as federal officials approve plan to restart Three Mile Island

US officials have given Constellation Energy the green light to turn the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant back on.

On Monday night, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission filed a waiver allowing the company to transfer grid rights from a gas-fired power plant outside Philadelphia to Three Mile Island. The company says that due to the waiver, it aims to restart the nuclear power facility by 2027 in order to supply Microsoft data centers with energy.

Additionally, other nuclear stocks like Oklo, GE Vernova, Energy Fuels, and Cameco Corp. traded higher Tuesday afternoon.

This comes after last weeks Energy Department announcement that it would provide weapons-grade plutonium to five energy startups, including Oklo, to be processed into fuel to generate electricity.

Companies have said these weapons stockpiles are a way to get nuclear reactors fueled quickly as the industry scales.

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