Markets
Luke Kawa

US stocks rise, with bitcoin and Nvidia reaching new milestones

The S&P 500 rose 0.6%, the Nasdaq 100 gained 0.7%, and the Russell 2000 advanced by 1.1% on Wednesday.

Bitcoin reached a fresh record high for the first time since May, hitting a peak of 112,009.39. And Nvidia joined the $4 trillion market cap club, a league of its own.

Every S&P 500 sector ETF rose outside of consumer staples, energy, and real estate; utilities was the best-performing. AES, a power provider to hyperscalers, jumped nearly 20% after Bloomberg reported that it’s considering a sale.

Amazon’s Prime Day is looking like a huge flop, with sales reportedly down 41% in Day 1 compared to last year, but no one seems to care: the stock was up on the day and basically trading flat from where it was right before reports of weakness in the first few hours of Prime Day sales surfaced on Tuesday.

Hims & Hers rose 4.5% after announcing it will offer a generic version of Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss shot in Canada next year.

Robinhood rose 3.6% after Bank of America boosted its price target on the brokerage to $112 from $95.

(Robinhood Markets Inc. is the parent company of Sherwood Media, an independently operated media company subject to certain legal and regulatory restrictions.)

Plug Power saw one of the biggest days for call-buying in its long and tumultuous history, propelling shares up 25% amid news that it’s buying a lot of liquid hydrogen from an unnamed partner.

Tilray shares were also a beneficiary of hot options demand, jumping 15%.

Alibaba slumped after rival JD.com announced a $1.4 billion plan to increase its footprint in the food delivery business.

Bitcoin treasury companies are not enough: GameSquare soared 40% after its board approved an ethereum treasury strategy.

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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.”

markets

Rocket Lab deal lifts space stocks

Shares of Rocket Lab are surging after announcing an $8 billion acquisition of satellite communications operator Iridium Communications, helping lift a broader basket of space-related stocks as investors piled back into the sector.

Planet Labs, AST SpaceMobile and Redwire all traded higher alongside Rocket Lab, extending gains in an industry that has drawn enhanced investor attention in recent months in light of the strategic importance that governments place on space and satellite communications infrastructure.

In a presentation, Rocket Lab’s management called the purchase “a shortcut” for its satellite communications business.

Under the terms of the agreement, Iridium shareholders will receive $27 in cash and Rocket Lab stock, valuing Iridium at $54 per share. Backed by a $3.6 billion bridge loan committed by Deutsche Bank and Wells Fargo, Rocket Lab absorbs Iridium’s globally licensed spectrum and an active base of 2.5 million subscribers.

Rocket Lab has also remained one of the most active launch providers in the sector. The company completed its 12th launch of the year last week, maintaining one of the highest launch cadences among commercial space companies.

Today's rally helps offset a brutal stretch for the group. Rocket Lab shares had fallen over 35% over the prior month, while Planet Labs stock was down more than 40% and AST SpaceMobile stock was down around 30% over the same window.

markets
Jake Lahut

Comcast shares rise on news of NBCUniversal spinoff deal

Comcast rose on the news that the telecom behemoth is spinning off NBCUniversal and Sky from its cable portfolio. 

Comcast initially jumped up to 17% in early trading, with the deal leaving management to focus on its core verticals of cable, wireless, and business services. 

NBCUniversal and Sky will form a new publicly traded company, similar to Versant Media, the holding company of CNBC and MS NOW that Comcast officially spun off in January. Bravo, one of the most lucrative properties that remained at Comcast, will remain part of NBCUniversal in the deal. The Universal theme parks and studios will also come with the new spinoff entity, along with Telemundo and Peacock.

Mike Cavanagh, the co-CEO of Comcast, will become the CEO for NBCUniversal, according to CNBC. 

The spinoff will be completed in about a year, according to a Comcast company statement. Its shareholders will also own shares in NBCUniversal, according to the same statement.

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