Markets
Yiwen Lu
9/25/24

US stocks pull back from highs

The S&P 500 closed Wednesday down 0.2%, retreating from record highs. The Russell 2000 fell 1.2%. The Nasdaq 100, however, gained a modest 0.1% after wobbling between the positive and negative territory.

On the economic front, new home sales declined in August. Mortgage rates continued to drop, triggering a rise in refinancing activities to its highest level since April 2022.

Utilities and technology were the only two S&P sector ETFs that advanced. Utilities was up 0.5%, thanks to Vistra and Constellation Energy, both among the best individual performers of the day. Technology added 0.3% as hardware and semiconductor stocks, including Intel and AMD, rose. HP Enterprise also jumped 5.1% after Barclays upgraded their rating for the stock, citing demand from artificial intelligence data centers.

Among the S&P 500’s losers for Wednesday were GM and Ford, down 4.9% and 4.1% each. Morgan Stanley downgraded both stocks and lowered their price targets, citing competition from China.

Declines were widespread, as only 132 S&P 500 stocks gained. 

Treasury yields edged higher. Gold hit another record high. Oil prices pulled back from yesterday’s gain, as WTI crude for November delivery settled 2.6% down at $69.7 per barrel, while November Brent crude lost 2.3% to settle at $73.5 per barrel.

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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.

markets

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

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’sbig, 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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