Traders flood into the riskiest S&P 500 stocks on prospect of lower tariffs

As markets rebound on soothing tariff talk, traders are eschewing the safer stocks that have helped them weather rocky US equity markets and embracing their riskier counterparts.

The Invesco S&P 500 High Beta ETF, which holds the S&P 500 stocks with the most outsized movements relative to the index’s daily swings, is crushing the iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF, which holds stocks that gyrate much less than the benchmark. Shortly after midday, the daily performance gap between the two is shaping up to be the second-biggest since the start of 2024, trailing only April 9, when reciprocal tariffs were watered down.

Members of the high-beta fund include Nvidia, Super Micro Computer, and Palantir Technologies.

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Luke Kawa

8/17/26

Credit markets have a “debt” problem, not a “risk” problem

We’re getting a lot of borrowing, and that borrowing is risk-reducing (for now!)

New York City Architecture And Monuments

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7/13/26

Meet the newly public, Bezos-backed company that’s recreating the sun and stars

General Fusion CEO Greg Twinney spoke with Sherwood News from the Nasdaq during the stock’s first day of trading.

J. Edward Moreno7/7/26

SpaceX gets a wave of bullish ratings from Wall Street analysts

SpaceX received more than a dozen positive analyst calls on Tuesday — including from major Wall Street banks — as they initiate coverage on Elon Musk’s space and AI company.

SpaceX went public on June 12 at a $2.2 trillion valuation, the largest debut in history. While the company hasn’t yet posted a profit, it seems to have convinced Wall Street that it will get there and grow its valuation on the way.

Of the at least 17 analysts that gave a rating on Tuesday, all but one gave it a “buy” or “outperform” rating. MoffettNathanson was "neutral."

The ratings come as SpaceX joined the Nasdaq 100 index, a benchmark tech-heavy basket of companies that underpins millions of portfolios. The inclusion adds built-in demand for the stock from index funds and ETFs.

Still, SpaceX fell more than 5% on Tuesday amid a broader sell-off, and is currently effectively flat from its opening price of $150 a share.

Luke Kawa

7/2/26

US job growth falls far short of estimates in June; unemployment rate unexpectedly dips to 4.2%

Job growth was 57,000. Analysts foresaw job growth of 113,000; prediction markets were more optimistic, looking for job growth above 125,000 but below 150,000.

Floridians Seek Employment Opportunities At Job Fair In Sunrise

Luke Kawa

7/1/26

Meta surges on report it’s starting a cloud business to sell excess AI compute

The story of the hyperscalers in 2026 has largely been “the beatings will continue until the cash flow outlook improves;” this could help change the story for Meta. Or not.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg visits U.S. Capitol for Senate meetings

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