Markets
Yiwen Lu

S&P 500 snaps losing streak as Tesla goes parabolic

The S&P 500 climbed 0.2%, the first time it rose this week. The Nasdaq 100 outperformed and gained 0.8%, while the Russell 2000 was up 0.2%.

Tesla’s 21.9% day led Magnificent 7 stocks and pushed the S&P consumer-discretionary sector ETF higher by 3.2%. It was the stock’s third-best daily gain on record. 

Among other sectors, materials select fell 1.2% and was dragged down by earnings miss at Newmont Corp . Shares slid 14.7% and the stock became the biggest S&P 500 laggard of the day.

The market did not have a strong reaction to any of Thursday’s economic data. New-home sales crept higher, likely due to lower mortgage rates during September. Initial jobless claims filed last week fell. 

Treasury yields fell modestly for the first time this week. Oil futures settled lower. The dollar weakened.

More on single names: UPS surged 5.3% on the day after the company returned to profit for the first time since the end of 2022. An economic barometer, the shipping company’s solid performance may be a testament to consumer resilience. Molina Healthcare was the second-best-performing S&P constituent on the day, rising 17.7%. Whirlpool Corp. climbed 11.2%, and executives expected demand to pick up after the election. 

Conversely, Southwest Airlines slid 5.6% after the airline said it reached a deal with activist investor Elliott Investment Management to keep its CEO. IBM dropped 6.2%, as sales figures failed to impress Wall Street. 

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Roblox jumps after announcing $3 billion share buyback plan

Roblox rallied in postmarket trading on Tuesday after unveiling its first-ever share repurchase program.

The somewhat controversial, but certainly popular, gaming company has put forth a plan for $3 billion in future stock buybacks, with the intention to back up to $1 billion over the next twelve months. The stock subsequently jumped 4% after-hours.

On Tuesday, Naveen Chopra, Chief Financial Officer of Roblox said:

“Investing in continued growth will always be our highest priority, but the strength of our balance sheet and free cash flow generation allows us to support industry leading innovation while simultaneously reducing dilution.”

As of Q1 2026, Roblox had $6.2 billion in total cash, cash equivalents, and investments (for a net $5.2 billion after subtracting their $1.0 billion dollars in debt). The company posted a consolidated net loss of $248 million in Q1.

While management has the cash on hand for a $3 billion buyback, their stock been taking hits recently — falling 28% over the past month (and 45% since the beginning of the year) as the company adjusts its safety standards. In April, the video game company slashed its full year guidance due to age-verification hurdles which have slowed growth.

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Cava rallies after Q1 results impress and management hikes full-year guidance

Cava jumped 8% after the bell on Tuesday after the fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant chain was able to bring in more customers and drive up more revenue than expected in the first quarter, with management signaling that this momentum is poised to continue.

Here are the numbers:

  • Q1 revenue of $434.4 million (compared to analyst estimates of $418.2 million).

  • Q1 adjusted EBITDA of $61.7 million (estimate: $57.3 million).

  • Full-year guidance for same-restaurant sales growth of 4.5% to 6.5%, up from its prior guidance of 3% to 5% and above estimates for 4.95%.

The company also posted traffic growth of 6.8% — blowing away salad competitor Sweetgreen’s traffic decrease of 11.2% in the first quarter.

“We’re creating a bit of a bridge in a K-shaped economy and becoming very accessible for the low-income cohorts,” CFO Tricia Tolivar told Restaurant Dive. “When we look at our restaurant stratified based on median household income, we’re seeing tremendous strength in the lower-income cohorts.”

The performance of these fast-casual establishments (or slop bowl chains) has been a way to keep an eye on our increasingly unequal economy. Interestingly, as especially younger consumers seem to be pulling back, at some of these restaurants, Cava continues to perform well.

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AMC rallies after CEO Adam Aron purchases 250,000 shares

AMC popped in postmarket trading after a filing showed CEO, Chairman, and President Adam Aron bought 250,000 shares on Tuesday.

With this $344,350 purchase, Aron now owns more than 2.4 million shares of the theater chain he runs. He’s one of the 20 largest holders, per data compiled by Bloomberg.

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Nintendo climbs for third day as China ramps up its memory production

Nintendo shares are climbing on Tuesday, marking the company’s third straight session of gains — something it hasn’t done since early March. The Mario maker’s US-listed ADRs were up about 4% in Tuesday morning trading.

The return of the Switch 2 game bundle appears to have stoked investor optimism in the company’s console sales, while China’s accelerating memory production plans could alleviate some of Nintendo’s pain from the “RAMpocalypse.” For the better part of a year, memory prices have surged as AI demand hoovers up compute power. That’s squeezed video game console makers — and the broader consumer electronics industry.

Tracking the performance of Nintendo ADRs against memory giant Micron helps put this move in perspective. Nintendo is a big memory consumer, and not in the front of the line in terms of securing supply. Micron, obviously, benefits from its offerings being in high demand.

Tuesday’s price action is just a drop in the bucket, and comes as part of a recent stretch where the stock market’s high-flyers are having their wings clipped while beaten-up laggards rally.

In its first-quarter results on Monday, Chinese DRAM producer CXMT said it’s ramping up production and issued bullish guidance. The company is planning an IPO later this year, and it could be China’s biggest of the year.

For Nintendo, more global memory production could see rising costs start to deflate, improving margins in a vital year for its new console.

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