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Luke Kawa

US financials on track for worst day since Silicon Valley Bank crisis

The last cyclical holdouts are finally crumbling.

US banks are getting crushed, with the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund down 3.6% as of 10:45 a.m. ET. If that holds, it’ll be the worst session for the fund since March 2023, when the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank catalyzed a mini-crisis across regional banks.

All but three of the 73 stocks in the ETF are down; big banks JPMorgan and Bank of America are off more than 5%.

The performance of US financials had been one of the best indicators that the stock market’s drawdown didn’t have much to do with the economy, but rather, was more of a reversal in high-flying momentum stocks. On Friday, XLF ended the week just one penny shy of its all-time high.

But tariffs, which are poised to add another headwind to an economy that’s been losing steam amid high interest rates and waning fiscal support, appear to be the straw that has broken the camel’s back in ushering in this huge decline.

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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.

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Nike sinks to lowest level since 2014 after warning of “challenged” sales environment in Q4 report

Did Nike do it?

Investors had a mixed reaction after the global sports apparel company reported its fourth quarter earnings on Tuesday after the bell. Shares initially rose 5% as Nike beat out Wall Street expectations amid a hefty tariff refund bonus. However, the stock then sank to its lowest level since August 2014 in postmarket trading.

Here are the Q4 numbers:

  • Revenue of $11.0 billion (estimate: $10.8 billion).

  • Adjusted earnings per share of $0.20 (estimate: $0.12).

Ahead of this report, Nike warned that results would be flattered by a one-time tariff refund (now estimated at roughly $0.52 per share for the bottom line). That gave the company an extra cushion in snapping its streak of seven quarters of year-over-year profit declines.

Over the past year, the company had been punished by tariffs on imported goods, stagnant consumer spending, and increasing competition from other footwear brands like New Balance, Adidas, and Hoka.

Outgoing CFO Matthew Friend deemed it an “increasingly challenging operating environment, where sell-through remains challenged.”

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