Markets

S&P 500 gives up early gains to finish flat

The S&P 500 opened higher but couldn’t maintain its gains through the trading day, finishing flat. The Nasdaq 100 eked out another record close with a 0.2% gain and set a fresh all-time high early in the session. The Russell 2000 slid 1.2%.

Under the hood, the benchmark US stock index was soft, with decliners outnumbering stocks that gained by 229 on the day.

Only two S&P 500 sector ETFs finished in the green, tech and healthcare, with the former a large standout. Real estate, consumer staples, utilities, and consumer discretionary were all down more than 1%.

AI server company Super Micro Computer led gains among S&P 500 companies, up nearly 9%. Meanwhile, Nvidia jumped 4%, hitting a fresh all-time high after Loop Capital hiked its price target on the stock to $250 from $175. Elsewhere…

Paychex led declines, sinking 9% after the HR software provider missed Q2 sales forecasts and gave a lukewarm full-year outlook. 

Top NYC office landlords SL Green and Vornado fell 5.7% and 6.7%, respectively, as investors reacted negatively to the recent surprise win of Zohran Mamdani in New York City’s mayoral primary.

BP shares shot up briefly after a Wall Street Journal report said the oil giant was in talks to be bought by rival Shell. Shell later denied the report, and BP finished roughly 1% down.

Bumble soared 25% after the women-focused dating app said it would lay off nearly a third of its staff, a cost-cutting measure that sparked some investor confidence.

BlackBerry shares jumped over 12% a day after the now software and security company topped Q2 estimates and surprised investors by swinging to a profit.

General Mills shares slipped 5% after the Cheerios and Pillsbury parent posted mixed Q4 earnings and slashed its full-year forecast as consumers pull back on name-brand groceries.

FedEx shares were down over 3% after the legacy courier company topped Q4 earnings estimates but gave less-than-optimistic guidance for the current quarter.

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Robinhood, AppLovin, and Emcor pop on announcement of addition to S&P 500

Shares of Robinhood Markets, AppLovin, and Emcor are all rallying in post-market trading on Friday upon news that they’re being added to the S&P 500.

Shares of the brokerage popped 7.2%, the adtech company rose 7.8%, and the construction company was up a more modest 2.7% in the minutes following the announcement.

(Robinhood Markets, Inc. is the parent company of Sherwood Media, an independently operated media company subject to certain legal and regulatory restrictions.)

Strategy, another stock rumored to be in the running for inclusion in the benchmark US stock index that has been passed over, sank 2.5% in postmarket trading.

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Kenvue plunges after reports suggest RFK Jr. may try to link prenatal Tylenol use to autism

Kenvue sank 15% Friday after a WSJ report said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may attempt to link prenatal Tylenol use to autism in an upcoming government report.

Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol and formerly a division of Johnson & Johnson prior to a 2023 spin-out, pushed back, saying the science shows “no causal link” between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism, and pointed to FDA and medical groups that agree on the drug’s safety.

The FDA itself has found no “clear evidence” of harm but advises pregnant women to consult providers before taking OTC meds.

The report is also expected to float a folate-derived therapy as a potential treatment.

Tylenol is just the latest well-established medication to face scrutiny under Kennedy, who has already stirred controversy by reshaping vaccine policy and amplifying doubts about mRNA shots.

Kenvue shares are now down over 18% year-to-date.

The FDA itself has found no “clear evidence” of harm but advises pregnant women to consult providers before taking OTC meds.

The report is also expected to float a folate-derived therapy as a potential treatment.

Tylenol is just the latest well-established medication to face scrutiny under Kennedy, who has already stirred controversy by reshaping vaccine policy and amplifying doubts about mRNA shots.

Kenvue shares are now down over 18% year-to-date.

markets

Lucid surges following 6 days of losses after headlines misidentify Cantor Fitzgerald’s lower split-adjusted price target as a good thing

It’s been a shortened week, but still a rough one for Lucid. Investor blowback to the luxury EV maker’s 1-for-10 reverse stock split has sent shares to all time lows this week.

After six straight days of closing lower, Wall Street appears to have decided enough is enough and is loading up on Lucid shares on Friday, sending them up 13% in recent trading. As of 2:10pm eastern, Lucid trading volumes were at more than 240% of their 30 day average.

Some of the move could be attributed to traders reading headlines that don’t take into consideration Lucid’s reverse split. Cantor Fitzgerald on Friday slapped a new price target on Lucid of $20, compared to its previous target of $3. Some news outlets (not us!) presented that as an increase. The problem: With the 1-for-10 reverse split in effect, a comparable price target would have been $30. The new $20 target is actually... a cut.

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Sherwood Media, LLC produces fresh and unique perspectives on topical financial news and is a fully owned subsidiary of Robinhood Markets, Inc., and any views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of any other Robinhood affiliate, including Robinhood Markets, Inc., Robinhood Financial LLC, Robinhood Securities, LLC, Robinhood Crypto, LLC, or Robinhood Money, LLC.