Markets
Luke Kawa
2/13/25

US stocks surge on inflation relief, robust corporate earnings

Stocks rallied on Thursday on a string of strong quarterly results and some fresh data on prices that took the sting out of Wednesday’s disturbingly high CPI report. The details of January’s reading of the producer price index prompted analysts to lower their estimates for PCE inflation (the Federal Reserve’s preferred gauge of price pressures).

The S&P 500, the Nasdaq 100, and the Russell 2000 all advanced more than 1%, with the tech-heavy gauge leading the way.

Gains were widespread, with the number of S&P 500 constituents that rose outnumbering decliners by 287. The materials, consumer discretionary, and tech S&P 500 ETFs all rose by more than 1%, and all 11 were higher on the day.

The Magnificent 7 did some heavy lifting. Shares of Nvidia rose to close above their 50-day moving average for the first time since the DeepSeek-driven plunge. Tesla posted a huge gain amid reports that the State Department is poised to make a massive purchase of armored electric vehicles. And Apple ended nearly 2% higher after CEO Tim Cook teased a new product launch next Wednesday.

Intel’s romp higher continued, giving the stock its best four-day performance since the aftermath of the Black Monday 1987 crash.

A bevy of earnings-related movers on the day:

Adtech company AppLovin mooned on quarterly results that exceeded every Wall Street analyst’s estimate.

Crocs also spiked on its across-the-board earnings beat, as its previously sputtering HeyDude brand managed to tread water.

Sony soared as its PS5 sales continued to perform well and the company lifted its forecasts.

Robinhood ripped to the upside after posting much better-than-expected results after the close on Wednesday, thanks in large part to its booming crypto business.

(Disclosure: Sherwood Media is an editorially independent subsidiary of Robinhood Markets Inc.)

Reddit was one notable standout to the downside, with shares tumbling after the company said an algorithm tweak from Google was responsible for the lower-than-anticipated number of daily active users in the fourth quarter.

More Markets

See all Markets
Max Knoblauch
3h

Ford and GM reach 52-week highs as EPA seeks to repeal emissions rules

Shares of Ford and GM are each trading at 52-week highs on Friday, as investors pile into gas-powered US automakers with the looming end of the EV tax credit and the Trump administration’s potential repeal of vehicle emissions standards.

A lobby representing Ford, GM, and nearly all other major automakers has expressed support for the EPA’s proposal to repeal the long-standing endangerment finding that declared greenhouse gases a threat to human life. The finding provides the legal foundation for the EPA to regulate vehicle emissions.

Yesterday, EV giant Tesla urged the Trump administration to keep the standards in place.

Friday afternoon saw Ford shares reach their highest level since July 2024, while GM’s stock hit highs not seen since January 2022.

Citi equity analysts on the key valuation issue facing the market.

Citi’s US market analyst on the key valuation test facing the market

“It kind of comes down to, what inning do you think we are in this AI game?”

Matt Phillips5h
markets
Luke Kawa

GameStop surges as company offers promotions to boost launch of “Pokémon” Mega Evolution set

GameStop is jumping as the company offers promotions to boost interest for today’s North American launch of the Mega Evolution set of the “Pokémon Trading Card Game.”

Options activity is a little more tilted to the bull side than usual. Over the past month, a little less than four calls have changed hands for every put option. As of 10:22 a.m. ET, that ratio is over five to one.

It’s a big day for collectibles fans and gamers alike: beyond the “Pokémon TCG” drop, there are also new collections from “Yu-Gi-Oh!” and “Magic: The Gathering” being released and “EA SPORTS FC 26,” as well.

As we’ve written, “Pokémon” trading cards have been skyrocketing in value, and GameStop’s collectibles business has been accelerating. These are two sides of the same coin.

Mega Gardevoir... here I come!

markets
Matt Phillips

IREN slips after JPM gives the stock its only “sell” rating

Bitcoin miner and AI compute power provider IREN slumped in early trading after JPMorgan analyst Reggie Smith cut his rating on the stock to “underweight” from “neutral,” citing downside risks for the stock after a rally that carried it up 100% over the last month and some 600% over the last six months.

Smith is the lone member of the sell side with an “underweight” (equivalent to a “sell”) rating, per Bloomberg.

“We estimate shares are pricing in a >1 GW colocation deal, which would be a deal of record scale and capex (>$10 billion), which is possible over time, but for now, creates more downside risk in shares than upside potential,” he wrote, as quoted by Bloomberg.

He set a price target of $24, which is both 50% higher than his previous target but also 48% below where the shares closed on Thursday.

Smith is the lone member of the sell side with an “underweight” (equivalent to a “sell”) rating, per Bloomberg.

“We estimate shares are pricing in a >1 GW colocation deal, which would be a deal of record scale and capex (>$10 billion), which is possible over time, but for now, creates more downside risk in shares than upside potential,” he wrote, as quoted by Bloomberg.

He set a price target of $24, which is both 50% higher than his previous target but also 48% below where the shares closed on Thursday.

markets
Max Knoblauch

Boeing climbs as FAA expected to ease safety check process, speeding up deliveries

Shares of Boeing are taking off in premarket trading on Friday, following a report that the plane maker could soon face fewer obstacles in delivering its aircraft to customers.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, the FAA plans to give Boeing the ability to perform final safety checks on its planes. The agency will also hike the production cap on the 737 Max to 42 jets a month, up from 38.

The move is another sign of recovery for Boeing, which has struggled through years of safety issues, regulator scrutiny, and delivery delays.

The plane maker on Friday also announced that it’s secured two more hefty orders, following the $8.5 billion Uzbekistan Airways deal earlier this week. Turkish Airlines will buy 225 Boeing planes, while Norwegian Air signed a deal to order 30 737 planes. Precise financial details of the deals weren’t disclosed.

Exclusive | FAA to Ease Restrictions on Boeing Aircraft Deliveries

Exclusive | FAA to Ease Restrictions on Boeing Aircraft Deliveries

The move is another sign of recovery for Boeing, which has struggled through years of safety issues, regulator scrutiny, and delivery delays.

The plane maker on Friday also announced that it’s secured two more hefty orders, following the $8.5 billion Uzbekistan Airways deal earlier this week. Turkish Airlines will buy 225 Boeing planes, while Norwegian Air signed a deal to order 30 737 planes. Precise financial details of the deals weren’t disclosed.

Latest Stories

Sherwood Media, LLC produces fresh and unique perspectives on topical financial news and is a fully owned subsidiary of Robinhood Markets, Inc., and any views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of any other Robinhood affiliate, including Robinhood Markets, Inc., Robinhood Financial LLC, Robinhood Securities, LLC, Robinhood Crypto, LLC, or Robinhood Money, LLC.
©2025 Sherwood Media, LLC