Markets
Yiwen Lu

US stocks dip as major week of earnings awaits

The S&P 500 slid 0.2% on Monday, an inauspicious start after posting its longest streak of weekly gains in 2024. The Nasdaq 100 notched a 0.2% gain during the last minutes of trading, while the Russell 2000 fell 1.6%. 

This week, 112 S&P 500 companies are set to release third quarter earnings. So far, the majority of S&P 500 companies have reported earnings that beat analyst expectations, lifting the market for the past two weeks. 

Bond yields jumped on Monday. The yield on the two-year Treasury note was up eight basis points to 4.03%, while the yield on the 10-year note rose 11 basis points to 4.19%. 

Real estate was the biggest laggard among major S&P 500 sectors, losing 2.1%. None of the sector’s constituents rose. Higher long-term interest rates usually serve as a reference point for mortgage rates, which separately sent rate-sensitive homebuilder stocks tumbling.

The technology sector was the only major sector that advanced on Monday, up 0.5%, largely thanks to Nvidia’s 4.1% gain. The chipmaker was the best-performing Magnificent Seven stock and outperformed the rest of the semiconductor sector, after rising nearly 20% so far this month. 

Among other individual stocks, shares of Kenvue surged 5.5% after the Wall Street Journal reported that activist investor Starboard Value has taken a sizable stake in the household product maker. Boeing rose 3.1% as the company reached a new contract proposal with its machinists’ union over the weekend, which could potentially put an end to the workers’ strike. Finally, Spirit Airlines had its best day on record with a 53% gain after striking a deal with a creditor to give the airline more time to refinance some of its debt.

More Markets

See all Markets
markets

Trump’s “impossible trinity” on AI and energy

Everyone loves a good trilemma.

In economics, the most famous of the genre was developed by Fleming and Mundell, which posits that you can only successfully achieve two of the following three objectives: the free flow of capital, a fixed exchange rate, and independent sovereign monetary policy.

George Pollack, senior US policy analyst at Signum Global Advisors, proposed a trilemma of his own to describe the Trump administration’s competing policy aims as a red-hot AI boom devours power and leaves households miffed by rising electricity bills.

He wrote:

“This note flags what we believe to be a simple reality whose salience will continue growing in US politics in coming months: the Trump administration, in its remaining three years will face a trilemma as the nation waits for its energy bet to play out — proving able to achieve two, but not all three, of the following objectives:

-Fulfill AI’s energy-appetite.
-Keep repressing renewable sources of energy.
-Appease American electricity consumers.”

Trump AI trilemma

As for evidence that the Trump administration is taking a fossil fuels-first approach while stunting renewables, Pollack pointed to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which shrinks access to tax credits for green energy, as well as the end to the federal pause on liquefied natural gas export permits. However, it would be “inaccurate and unfair” to blame President Trump’s policies for surging electricity prices in recent months, he added.

While the government has pursued the expansion of nuclear power as a way to solve this trilemma, the long lead times involved are incongruent with a short-term fix.

Palantir reports Q3 earnings results

Palantir climbs toward a fresh record high ahead of earnings report

Traders and Wall Street are waiting to see whether Palantir’s latest numbers after market close today will continue to beat expectations.

Latest Stories

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.