2/18/25

S&P 500 closes at record high after late-day surge

The S&P 500 rose 0.2% to set fresh intraday and closing records, the Nasdaq 100 also advanced 0.2%, and the Russell 2000 outperformed with a 0.5% gain on Tuesday.

Commodity-linked S&P 500 sector ETFs (energy and materials) were the top-performing on the day, with tech, utilities, industrials, and financials also booking strong gains. Communication services were at the bottom of the leaderboard.

Chips performed well, buoyed by Micron and Intel, the latter of which boomed as acquisition rumors gained steam. Super Micro Computer’s ridiculously good month continued as investors keep buying into the story that its revenues will boom as Nvidia’s Blackwell sales ramp. The $3 trillion chip designer’s investment in WeRide also continues to fuel a massive surge in the Chinese self-driving car company’s shares.

Nike’s partnership with Kim Kardashian’s Skims produced the best day for the athletic giant since its former CEO abruptly announced his departure last September.

A filing released late Friday showed that Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway loaded up on Constellation Brands in the fourth quarter, sending shares higher.

Separately, BlackBerry got a big lift after a prominent hedge fund, Hood River, disclosed a significant stake in the cybersecurity company. Elsewhere in companies that have BB in their ticker and have seen better eras, Bath & Body Works soared on the heels of an upgrade from JPMorgan.

AMC gained as moviegoers the world over flocked to see the new “Captain America” movie despite poor reviews.

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Nia Warfield, Luke Kawa

S&P 500 goes nowhere, Nasdaq 100 hits another record, small-caps tumble

Warner Bros. Discovery led gains for the second day in a row, and only three S&P 500 sector ETFs finished in the green.

Horse Ranch In Zhangye

markets

2h

Rocket lab soars to new record close amid rally for retail faves

Rocket Lab ripped by roughly 10% Friday to close at a new all-time high, riding an upturn of retail enthusiasm for a coterie of tech-themed favorites, even as the broader market was more or less flat on the day.

Goldman Sachs’ basket of “retail favorites” — its heaviest weights are Reddit, AppLovin, and Tempus AI — was the second-biggest gainer among the company’s flagship US equity baskets on Friday, rising about 1.6%. The S&P was almost dead flat.

It’s not Rocket Lab’s first retail rodeo, as the money-losing company has more than doubled this year and is up nearly 700% over the last 12 months.

Oracle Wall Street Revisions

Analysts revise up anything and everything they thought about Oracle

After the company’s bombshell earnings this week, Wall Street thinks Oracle’s trajectory has changed.

Matt Phillips3h

markets

5h

Six Flags pops after reiterating its guidance as theme park attendance rebounds

Six Flags shares rose more than 7% today after the company reported a rebound in attendance and early season pass sales heading into the fall. The nine-week period ended August 31 saw 17.8 million guests, up about 2% from the same stretch last year, with stronger momentum in the final four weeks.

More importantly, Six Flags reaffirmed its full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance of $860 million to $910 million, showing confidence that its cost and operations strategy can stay strong for the duration of the year. Riding that wave, Six Flags also said early 2026 season pass unit sales are pacing ahead of last year, and average season pass prices are up about 3%.

The good vibes come despite a drop in in-park per-capita spending, especially from admissions, where promotions and changes to attendance mix (which parks or days guests visit) have weighed. Earlier this week, the amusement giant signed a new agreement that extended its position as the exclusive amusement park partner for Peanuts™ in North America through 2030.

Despite the rally, Six Flags shares are down about 52% year to date.

markets

6h

Rivian turns red on the year, squeezed by a recall and the looming end of the EV tax credit

Shares of EV maker Rivian are down more than 5% on Friday following the company’s recall of 24,214 vehicles due to a software issue. The stock move erases Rivian’s year-to-date gain and turns the company negative on the year.

Rivian’s 2025 model year R1S and R1T are affected by the defect, which was identified after a vehicle’s hands-free highway assist software failed to identify another vehicle on the road, causing a low-speed collision. Rivian said it’s released an over-the-air update to fix the issue.

The recall marks Rivian’s fifth this year, affecting nearly 70,000 of its vehicles.

Rivian’s shares are down more than 20% from their 2025 high, which came prior to the passage of President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” Through the legislation, the $7,500 EV tax credit is set to expire at the end of the month.

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