Markets

S&P 500 shakes off worst day since May with best day since May

All of Friday’s worries were seemingly washed away over the weekend, with the S&P 500 posting a 1.5% gain in a widespread rally. The Nasdaq 100 gained 1.9% and the Russell 2000 led the way with a 2.1% advance, with the small-cap index the lone one of the trio to completely erase Friday’s drop.

The benchmark US stock index rebounded from its worst day since May with its best day since May, and 10 of 11 sector ETFs finished higher on the session. Energy was the only holdout, while tech and communication services delivered the most upside.

Gains on the day were led by Idexx Technologies, which jumped 27% after the veterinary lab equipment maker reported better-than-expected Q2 earnings and revenue. On Semiconductor led S&P 500 decliners, falling 15.6% after the chipmaker met Q2 estimates but saw weak sales in its two largest business units: automative and industrial.

Tesla shares rose 2.2% after the company’s board approved an “interim” stock award of 96 million shares for CEO Elon Musk, valued at nearly $30 billion at Tesla’s Friday closing price.

Joby Aviation shares jumped nearly 19% after the air taxi company said it plans to acquire the helicopter ride-share business of rival Blade Air for up to $125 million.

Opendoor Technologies shares surged 17% after the online real estate company announced after the close on Friday that it won’t pursue a reverse stock split.

Wayfair shares jumped double digits after the online home retailer delivered a massive Q2 earnings beat and its best revenue growth, even amid a shaky housing market.

Trump Media & Technology Group rose as much as 2% in premarket trading before closing modestly lower after the owner of Truth Social and a swath of crypto assets unexpectedly dropped Q2 results Friday evening.

Outside of earnings…

American Eagle shares soared almost 24% after President Donald Trump praised the retailer’s hotly discussed new marketing campaign with actress Sydney Sweeney.

Spotify jumped 5% after the music streaming giant announced another round of premium subscription price hikes as the company tries to cue up more profits.

Nio shares fell 8% as fierce competition squeezed China’s EV market, with the electric automaker reporting a month-over-month drop in July sales.

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markets

Hardware stocks jump thanks to server demand and record Lenovo revenue

Server stocks are rallying as Dell, Super Micro Computer, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise ride the momentum of Hong Kong-based Lenovo. The PC makers stock rose 19% on Friday, hitting an all-time high, on record Q4 earnings.

Powering the positive earnings report was the companys AI-related revenue, which grew 84% in the fourth quarter and now makes up over a third of total revenue. Investors seem to think the increased demand for servers could have trickle-down effects for other companies.

The companys results and commentary reinforced the outlook for strong AI-infrastructure demand while indicating resilient broader traditional server and storage spending, wrote Woo Jin Ho, a senior technology analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. Lenovos $21 billion AI-server pipeline and remarks that demand is outpacing supply support Dells AI-demand momentum and point to robust orders.

AIs insatiable computing demand is reshaping the hardware industry and driving up server demand.

Dell will report first-quarter earnings on Thursday, May 28.

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Take-Two’s “GTA 6” forecast feels absurdly conservative

Take-Two issued a 2027 net bookings forecast about $1 billion below Wall Street’s estimates. The stock is falling on Friday.

The D-Wave 2X quantum system, is operated at the NASA Advanced Supercomputing facility's Quantum Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif., as seen on Tuesday December 8, 2015.

Quantum computing CEOs hope “validating” government backing proves their technology is no longer speculative

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markets

Ross Stores surges as Q1 results beat expectations, full-year guidance raised

Ross shares are rising after the company delivered strong Q1 results, with sales topping Wall Street’s projections.

The stock soared 6.3% just after the open.

Key numbers:

  • Earnings per share of $2.02 vs. $1.47 year over year (estimate: $1.72).

  • Sales of $6.01 billion, up 21% year over year (estimate: $5.61 billion).

  • Comparable sales growth of 17% (estimate: 8.58%).

CEO Jim Conroy attributed the results to better traffic in stores. “Customer traffic was the primary driver of the strong sales trend as compelling merchandise assortments, higher customer acquisition and engagement from our ongoing marketing initiatives, and an improved in‑store experience are resonating with shoppers.”

The company also noted that transaction volume grew across all key demographics, including “income levels, ethnicities, and age groups, including younger customers.” Sales were also likely buoyed by standard seasonal tailwinds, including consumer spending from tax refunds.

Backed by the strong quarter, the company lifted its full-year targets. Ross now projects same-store sales growth of 6% to 7%, up from the prior forecast of 3% to 4%, topping Wall Street’s estimate of 4.64%. It boosted its annual EPS guidance to a range of $7.50 to $7.74, versus the prior outlook of $7.02 to $7.36.

Ross Stores has been one of the retail sector’s standout performers this year, rising around 20% year to date as of Thursday’s close.

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