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Can Sandisk do the double?

The S&P 500 just had its worst quarter in years. Here are the biggest winners and losers.

Sandisk and energy stocks soared while software names sank amid a broad sell-off in tech stocks.

The S&P 500 just wrapped up its worst quarter since Q3 2022, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine roiled markets, falling 4.6% in the first three months of 2026. That’s a sharp reversal from last year’s roughly 18% gain, which marked a third straight year of double-digit returns.

Indeed, in a market rattled by soaring oil prices and growing fears of a tech sell-off, no stock stood out more than the flash memory maker that joined the S&P 500 last November. Sandisk topped the benchmark index with a staggering 168% gain in Q1, following a whopping 559% total return in 2025. That puts it on track to top the S&P 500 list back-to-back — a feat that, according to our analysis, no stock has ever accomplished.

The rally has been fueled by insatiable demand from hyperscalers, whose data centers rely on the company’s flash storage to train and serve AI models. The broader memory and optical cohort followed suit, with Lumentum (up 91%), Ciena (up 66%), Western Digital (up 57%) — from which Sandisk was spun off last year — and Seagate (up 42%) all landing in the top 20 performers of the quarter.

Another group of high-flying stocks came from the energy sector, which just posted its second-best quarter on record relative to the S&P 500 ETF since 1999. Fifteen of the top 30 performers were energy and chemical stocks, including APA (up 74%), Occidental Petroleum (up 58%), and Valero (up 52%), as the conflict in the Middle East sent crude prices soaring well above $100 a barrel. 

At the other end of the leaderboard, AppLovin, the ad tech firm that surged 108% in 2025, became the worst performer, with a 41% decline in Q1 as short seller reports, a federal investigation, and the broader software collapse weighed on the stock throughout the quarter.

Many of the software names that dominated 2025 were also hammered by the so-called “Saaspocalypse” earlier this year, as the rise of agentic AI fueled fears that enterprise software firms could eventually be displaced. Software and software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies accounted for more than half of the bottom 20 performers in Q1, including Trade Desk (down 40%), Workday (down 40%), Adobe (down 31%), and Salesforce (down 30%).

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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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Jake Lahut

Comcast shares rise on news of NBCUniversal spinoff deal

Comcast rose on the news that the telecom behemoth is spinning off NBCUniversal and Sky from its cable portfolio. 

Comcast initially jumped up to 17% in early trading, with the deal leaving management to focus on its core verticals of cable, wireless, and business services. 

NBCUniversal and Sky will form a new publicly traded company, similar to Versant Media, the holding company of CNBC and MS NOW that Comcast officially spun off in January. Bravo, one of the most lucrative properties that remained at Comcast, will remain part of NBCUniversal in the deal. The Universal theme parks and studios will also come with the new spinoff entity, along with Telemundo and Peacock.

Mike Cavanagh, the co-CEO of Comcast, will become the CEO for NBCUniversal, according to CNBC. 

The spinoff will be completed in about a year, according to a Comcast company statement. Its shareholders will also own shares in NBCUniversal, according to the same statement.

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