Markets

US stocks jump on hopes of de-escalation between Israel and Iran

US stocks rallied as some of the geopolitical risk premium built into markets late last week dissipated amid reports that Iran is seeking a de-escalation with Israel.

The S&P 500 rose 0.9%, the Nasdaq 100 gained 1.4%, and the Russell 2000 ended 1.1% higher on Monday.

Communication services was the best-performing S&P sector ETF, with tech, financials, and consumer discretionary also up more than 1%.

Estée Lauder led S&P 500 gains Monday, rising over 10% after the company announced the passing of Chairman Emeritus Leonard A. Lauder. AMD was also among the top performers, jumping 8.8% as traders bet on its new AI chips to drive faster growth.

Meta rose 2.9% after revealing that its popular WhatsApp messaging platform will soon feature ads for the first time.

Major airline stocks including Delta, United, and American climbed as oil prices dipped on reports of easing Israel-Iran tensions.

Roblox jumped 3.3% and hit a 52-week high after its “Grow a Garden” game (originally created by a teenager) broke records for concurrent users.

Victoria’s Secret shares climbed 2.4% following reports that activist investor Barington Capital Group is building a stake in the struggling lingerie brand.

Palantir rose nearly 3% to a new high in early trading after geopolitical tensions in the Middle East worsened over the weekend.

CoreWeave popped 7.6% after Bank of America hiked its price target on the stock by 143%, to $185 from $76, even as it downgraded the rating from “buy” to “neutral.”

Roku soared 10% after announcing a new partnership with Amazon, giving advertisers access to 80 million households — or 80% of the US connected TV market.

Sarepta Therapeutics sank 42% after disclosing that a second patient treated with its experimental gene therapy died from liver failure.

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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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