Markets
Bull by the horns
(Getty Images)
Bulls on parade

Three major US stock indexes post record closing highs on the same day for the first time since November 2021

Tech was far and away the best-performing S&P 500 sector ETF, while consumer staples was at the bottom of the leaderboard.

The S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, and Russell 2000 all posted fresh closing highs on Thursday.

The benchmark US stock index ended 0.5% higher, the Nasdaq 100 rallied 1%, and the Russell 2000 far outperformed with a 2.5% advance. Blue Horseshoe loves Anacott Steel, and small-cap stocks love Federal Reserve rate cuts.

The record close for the small-cap Russell 2000 was its first since November 2021, which means it’s also the first time in nearly four years that all three major indexes closed at fresh peaks on the same day.

Tech was far and away the best-performing S&P 500 sector ETF, while consumer staples was at the bottom of the leaderboard.

Gains on the day were led by Intel, which jumped 22.8%, its biggest one-day advance since 1987, after Nvidia said it would buy $5 billion worth of Intel stock as part of a broader partnership to codevelop data center and PC products. The news was a blow to Advanced Micro Devices, which was down big early but recovered to finish off just 0.8%. Elsewhere…

Declines were led in part by Darden Restaurants, which fell 7.7% after the Olive Garden and LongHorn parent company’s Q1 results came in lighter than expected.

CrowdStrike shares popped 12.8% after the company said it expects fiscal year 2027 net new annual recurring revenues to grow more than 20% — topping the Street’s estimates.

Abercrombie & Fitch leapt 5.3% after BTIG initiated coverage on the stock with a “buy” rating and set a $120 price target as brand momentum for the Y2K retailer heats up.

Novo Nordisk jumped 6.3% after the Danish GLP-1 trailblazer released two positive study results, including one for its oral semaglutide treatment (“Wegovy in a pill”).

Uber ticked 1.9% higher after the company announced a new partnership with drone operator Flytrex to begin testing an autonomous delivery-by-air system by the end of the year.

IonQ shares rose 2.1% after the company signed a memorandum of understanding with the US Department of Energy “to advance the development and deployment of quantum technologies in space.” Quantum peer Rigetti Computing jumped 12.5% on its $5.8 million contract with the Air Force Research Laboratory.

More Markets

See all Markets
Nvidia Intel deal implications, according to Wall Street analysts

Wall Street analysts think through the Nvidia-Intel deal

TL;DR: Huge for Intel, helpful for Nvidia, and potentially bad for AMD.

markets

Abercrombie & Fitch gets a lift after BTIG kicks off coverage with a “buy” rating

Abercrombie & Fitch popped over 3% Thursday afternoon after BTIG initiated coverage on the stock with a “buy” rating and set a $120 price target. Thats more than 35% above current trading levels.

“While we acknowledge headwinds from a selective consumer and tough comparisons, we have confidence in A&F’s ability to return to growth as AUR [average unit retail] headwinds abate at Abercrombie, a factor well within the company’s control, while traffic and brand health remain strong,” the firm wrote in the note.

BTIG also highlighted the retailers California-based Hollister brand, where growth is continuing to ramp up, and that cleaner inventory management is helping the retailer avoid big markdowns. Analysts also noted that Abercrombie still trades at a discount to its peers, making the upside more compelling. 

The call comes on the heels of Abercrombie’s stronger-than-expected Q2 results last month, which featured record quarterly sales and marked its 11th straight quarter of growth.

A&F shares are down 41% year to date.

markets

Analyst spotlights oil refiners’ outperformance

Major US oil refiners like Valero, Marathon Petroleum, and Phillips 66 are outperforming more than 90% of the S&P 500 this year, as a surge in global supply from OPEC+ — essentially a price-setting alliance between OPEC and Russia — has put refiners in the catbird seat when it comes to price negotiations with producers.

“We continue to assess that refiners will set the price of crude and refiners will win in a wide range of scenarios for crude, making refiners the best vehicle for long petroleum exposure,” wrote Colin Fenton, head of commodities research at 22V Research.

Crack spreads, a measure of profit margins at refiners, have risen nearly 50% so far this year.

markets

CrowdStrike pops as Wall Street boosts price targets following analyst event to talk AI strategy, revenue outlook

Cybersecurity giant CrowdStrike is climbing on Thursday after the company gave a beefy revenue outlook. Its shares are up more than 9% in early morning trading on Thursday.

CFO Burt Podbere said the company expects its fiscal year 2027 net new annual recurring revenues to grow more than 20%, an increase that would put the figure well past analyst estimates.

Assuming Wall Street’s consensus for the company’s net new ARR in fiscal 2026 ($940.3 million) is met, the company is essentially guiding for $1.13 billion in net new ARR for fiscal ’27. Wall Street was expecting $1.05 billion.

In its most recent earnings report, CrowdStrike’s total annual recurring revenue surged 20% to $4.66 billion.

Wall Street moved quickly to adjust for the bullish forecast. Deutsche Bank, Jefferies, Morgan Stanley, Capital One, and Truist, among others, all boosted their price target for the company.

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.