Markets
Luke Kawa

US stocks rise; bonds surge on cooling labor market data


Another day, another small gain for US stocks as the S&P 500 closed up 0.2%, extending its winning streak to three.

More defensive sectors like real estate and consumer staples led the way higher on Tuesday, though Nvidia still chipped in with a 1.2% advance. Meanwhile, commodity-linked stocks bore the brunt of selling, with the materials sector down 1.1% and energy stocks falling 1%.

While US stocks have been subdued at the index level as of late, the bond market rally continues to be intense. The iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF gained 1.2%, its fourth straight daily gain. Data continue to point to a cooling in US economic activity: on the heels of yesterday’s disappointing manufacturing survey, April’s JOLTS report showed job openings fell by more than anticipated and are nearing pre-pandemic levels. Traders have gone from pricing in as little as 32 basis points of easing for 2024 last week to 46 basis points as of Tuesday.

Outside of the US, Indian stocks faced significant selling pressure, with the iShares MSCI India ETF off 6.1% after surprising early election results showed Prime Minister Modi’s party is unlikely to retain its majority. Companies seen as close to Modi fared particularly poorly.

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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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