Author: PAZAMBA

After a series of tariff policies announced by President Trump, the S&P 500 ended Tuesday’s session nearly unchanged, decreasing 0.07% to 6,225.52. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 165.60 points (0.37%) to settle at 44,240.76, while the Nasdaq Composite incremented by 0.03% to close at 20,418.46. One of the day’s winners was Nvidia, which gained 1%. In contrast, larger banks like JPMorgan and Bank of America lost approximately 3%, with Goldman Sachs slipping almost 2%.

In earlier trading on Monday, the Dow Jones fell by 422.17 points (0.94%) to end at 44,406.36, triggered by Trump’s new tariffs. The S&P 500 dipped 0.79% to 6,229.98, and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.92% to end at 20,412.52. Shares of automobiles companies Toyota Motor and Honda Motor fell by 4% and 3.9% respectively, while many tech companies also saw losses, with Apple and Alphabet losing over 1%, and AMD losing over 2%. Tesla also faced a nearly 7% drop in shares after CEO Elon Musk’s announcement of forming a new political party.

Following the release of a strong June jobs report, the Dow Jones rose 344.11 points (0.77%) to settle at 44,828.53 on Thursday. The S&P 500 rose 0.83% to reach a new record close at 6,279.35, and the Nasdaq gained 1.02% to close at a new high of 20,601.10. Nonfarm payrolls rose by 147,000 in June, exceeding economists’ forecast of 110,000. This positive economic data reduced the expectations for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates in the near term.

Lastly, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite saw a weekly increase of 1.7% and 1.6% respectively, and the Dow Jones posted a weekly gain of 2.3%.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, responded sharply to recommendations from Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives, who is known for being bullish on Tesla. Ives suggested the board should create a new pay package for Musk, establish guidelines for his time at Tesla, and oversee his political activities. The recommendations, which followed a near 7% drop in Tesla’s stock, received a curt “Shut up” from Musk on social media.

Artificial intelligence giant Nvidia is inching ever closer to a $4 trillion market value according to Jim Cramer. Most recently, the company’s market capitalization stood around $3.9 trillion, with shares trading at $158 per piece. Cramer believes that Nvidia offers a comprehensive platform for AI computing, backed by both hardware and software solutions, including a program called CUDA that makes the most of the parallel computing traits of GPUs. Nvidia’s growth story traces back to the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022.

A quieter market rotation was taking place in the S&P 500, with shares moving away from recent leaders and into laggards. Some examples included selling pressure on GE Vernova and Eaton, and buying into Dover and DuPont. Despite these shifts, Nvidia’s shares were again hitting an all-time high, only a few dollars shy of the $163.93 per share benchmark that would make it the first company ever to reach a $4 trillion market value.

President Donald Trump is threatening to impose tariffs of up to 200% on pharmaceutical imports into the U.S “very soon.” This development would heap additional pressure on several large pharmaceutical companies who have previously voiced concerns about the potential impacts of such tariffs on costs, investments, and the stability of the drug supply chain. Tariff details are expected to be announced at the end of the month.

Finally, shares of energy firm Coterra are being sold off by Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust due to underperformance. The company’s status as a “geopolitical risk hedge” could not secure gains as oil prices retreated. The trust downgraded Coterra’s rating to a 3.

Despite President Donald Trump’s threats of a resurgent trade war, the U.S. stock market displayed modest movements today. The Dow slipped 0.13% losing 57 points, while the S&P 500 grew 0.05% and Nasdaq rose 0.3%. The market’s muted response appears to reflect investor sentiment that Trump’s new tariffs are more negotiating tactics than firm policy.

The recent tariff news has been interpreted as a “speed bump” rather than a significant disruption to market momentum, according to analyst Mohit Kumar. Although Trump’s tariff letters outlined increased rates for 14 trading partners, the market seems to be hopeful of tariff negotiations.

In company news, shares in Apple leaped after its movie, “F1: The Movie,” made more than $293 million at the global box office over the weekend, marking it as the tech giant’s most successful film release to date. However, with an estimated production cost between $200 and $300 million and a reported $100 million spent on marketing, the film has yet to make a profit.

Construction firm Caterpillar emerged as the key beneficiary of Trump’s tax-and-spending bill, according to Citi Research. Analyst Kyle Menges identified four key elements of the bill that were supportive of construction equipment demand: domestic tax reform, additional government funding for infrastructure, incentives for domestic manufacturing and research & development, and 100% bonus depreciation. Year-to-date, Caterpillar’s shares have risen 8.4%.

Meanwhile, Amazon shares created a “golden cross” as investors anticipates another successful Prime Day sale. In the last three months, Amazon stocks have risen by over 30% and may soon reach the intraday high recorded in early February.

Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev brushed off OpenAI’s concerns about its tokenized shares, stating that the claim these aren’t technically equity was “not entirely relevant.” OpenAI has asserted that, as the transfer of OpenAI equity requires its approval, Robinhood’s stock tokens equate to no equity in the firm.

CoreWeave announced it will acquire Core Scientific in a $9 billion all-stock deal. The value proposition is expected to eliminate $10 billion in future lease obligations and significantly enhance operating efficiency. However, CoreWeave’s stock fell 3% and Core Scientific stock slid nearly 18%. After the deal closes, CoreWeave said it will possibly divest Core Scientific’s cryptocurrency mining business or make it ready to handle AI workloads. Shareholders of Core Scientific will receive 0.1235 CoreWeave shares for each share they hold.

The S&P 500, and the stock market in general, experienced a downtrend on Monday, following President Trump’s announcement that the U.S. will impose a 25% tariff on imports from Japan and South Korea starting August 1. Shares of Amazon remained flat despite the company’s anticipated “Prime Day”, while Meta Platforms stock saw a slight increase, the only ‘Magnificent Seven’ stock in green.

Tesla stocks saw a near 7% drop after CEO Elon Musk announced he formed a new political party, termed the ‘America Party’. CrowdStrike has been downgraded to a neutral rating from overweight by Piper Sandler, due to lack of near-term catalyst. Citigroup raised its price target on Nvidia from $180 to $190 per share, citing an expansion of AI total addressable market forecasts.

In an effort to diversify its portfolio of private assets, BlackRock acquired ElmTree Funds for $7.3B, bringing it one step deeper into private markets. The acquisition pushes BlackRock’s total private-markets acquisitions to over $28 billion since the start of 2024. BlackRock shares rose slightly on the news.

In summary, stock markets are facing a downswing owing to tariff threats by Trump. While Mega-cap companies like Amazon and Tesla are facing challenges, BlackRock is striving to diversify its portfolio in private markets.

In today’s stock market, several stocks saw significant movements.

Tesla’s stock tumbled by almost 8% following CEO Elon Musk’s announcement of forming a new political party. Uber shares reached a new all-time high of $97.12, increasing by 3% on the day and it is up by nearly 60% for the year. Royal Gold dropped more than 8% after agreeing to acquire Sandstorm Gold for $3.5 billion and Horizon Copper for $196 million.

Stellantis’ stock fell by 4% after a downgrade by Bank of America. The rare earth miner MP Materials also fell by nearly 4% after a downgrade by Jefferies. On the other hand, WNS Holdings saw a 14% rise after a proposed acquisition by Capgemini for $3.3 billion.

Shares of private prison companies Geo Group and CoreCivic gained around 3% due to an increase in funding for immigration detention. However, Apogee Therapeutics shares fell about 15% despite positive clinical trial results for an eczema treatment.

The animal health and nutrition stock, Phibro Animal Health, rose by 8% following an upgrade by JPMorgan. Shares of global contract research organization, Fortrea Holdings, fell by 8.3% and are down by more than 74% for the year.

Shares of cybersecurity company, CrowdStrike, saw a drop of over 2% after a downgrade by Piper Sandler, while Shell’s US stocks dropped nearly 3% over expected weaker gas trading earnings. MGM Resorts International lost almost 2% after Goldman Sachs initiated a sell rating on the casino stock.

In other news, Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust reduced its Goldman Sachs holdings by selling 20 shares at around $717 each, bringing the total to 220 shares.

Over in the European Union, Lithuania’s central bank has sought clarifications from Robinhood over its tokenized equities following concerns raised by OpenAI.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has indicated the possibility of upcoming trade-related announcements in the next 48 hours, adding to the excitement in the market.

Lastly, Schlumberger, an oilfield services company, has seen a dip in its valuation despite positive, diversified portfolio prospects. Investors can consider trading options to benefit from any upcoming improvements.

U.S. stocks rose notably over the past week, with fresh record highs for both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite. These gains were driven primarily by a stronger-than-expected June jobs report as well as robust optimism surrounding trade deals and expectations around the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decisions.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced by 344.11 points or 0.77%, closing at 44,828.53. The S&P 500 added 0.83% to close at 6,279.35, while the Nasdaq gained 1.02% and ended at 20,601.10. These indices have respectively posted gains of 2.3%, 1.7%, and 1.6% for the week.

Nonfarm payrolls increased by 147,000 in June, boosting confidence in the U.S. economy’s resilience amidst fast-changing trade policy and geopolitics. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate fell to 4.1%, below the expected 4.3%.

A strong jobs report reduced expectations for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates shortly. Traders priced in a roughly 95% chance that the Fed would hold steady at their meeting later this month. Moreover, President Donald Trump’s recent U.S.-Vietnam trade deal and his tax megabill, which passed the Senate on Tuesday, were also significant market movers.

Despite the enhanced jobs report for June, and the passage of Trump’s tax bill, private payrolls decreased by 33,000, stirring some concerns about the economy’s state. Though worries abound if the decline in private payroll precedes a weakening of the labor market capable of compelling the Federal Reserve to cut rates, stock markets closed nearly in positive territory, absorbing the impacts quite smoothly.

Notably, the U.S.-Vietnam trade deal brought a significant boost to the stocks. Specifically, shares of Nike, which manufactures approximately half of its footwear in Vietnam and China, rose by 4%.

For the week ahead, investors eagerly anticipate potential future deal announcements as President Trump’s early July deadline on his 90-day tariff pause draws nearer. Despite concerns about the president’s negotiation approach, markets remain optimistic.

This week, U.S. stocks recorded new highs due to optimism over trade deals and expectations for the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. The Dow Jones Industrial Average had a marginal increase, while the S&P 500 rose by nearly 0.5%, closing at a record high of 6,227.42. The Nasdaq Composite also moved up by over 0.9%, closing at a record high of 20,393.13.

This rise was strongly influenced by President Trump’s announcement of a trade deal with Vietnam. This led to investor hopes for more agreements before the July 9 tariff pause deadline. However, the labour market showed signs of a slowdown in June, with 33,000 jobs unexpectedly cut by U.S. private employers.

Stock gainers this week included Apple (AAPL), the shares of which rose after an upgrade by Jefferies (JEF) analysts. Tesla (TSLA) shares also climbed after the electric vehicle maker produced more vehicles than expected in the second quarter, despite plummeting sales.

Nvidia (NVDA) and Meta (META) also hit new records, contributing to the record highs of the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite. These record highs were the first since February, marking a recovery from the year’s tariff-triggered stock swings.

While there is still no certainty of a rate cut in July, most Fed watchers bet on at least one rate cut by September, with over 20% expecting two cuts by the same meeting. In the meantime, Trump’s proposed $4.5 trillion tax cut bill is under Senate negotiations. Although it is estimated to add $3.3 trillion to the deficit over a decade, there is pressure to get party holdouts to back the legislation.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has critiqued President Trump’s recent spending bill for potentially increasing the national debt by $3.4 trillion over the next decade. However, the bill’s approval may also see the U.S. Space Force receive a 30% YoY increase in funding, to almost $40 billion by 2026.

Despite concerns about Trump’s spending bill, investment manager John Davi has advised investors to “re-risk” their portfolios in light of improved economic outlooks associated with AI technology and corporate profits. Davi recommends looking beyond the “Mag 7” stocks for good investment opportunities, such as industrials, energy, real estate and fixed income ETFs. Specifically, he names Invesco S & P 500 Eql Wght Industrials ETF (RSPN), BNY Mellon Global Infrastructure Income ETF (BKGI) and Astoria Real Assets ETF (PPI) as good picks.

As of June 2025, job numbers in the US are up by 147,000 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, bucking the forecasted increase in unemployment to 4.3%. However, this overall positive outlook may hide a bifurcation in the labor market, as private sector jobs reportedly decreased by 33,000 in the same month according to the ADP report.

In contrast, London has seen its IPO fundraising slump to its lowest level in three decades for the first half of the year. This declining trend has sparked concerns about the city’s ability to maintain its status as a global capital hub. Yet, Samuel Kerr of Mergermarket suggests that interest among businesses in London listings is increasing, which may help to counter its recent negative press.

Dow, S&P, and Nasdaq numbers were not provided in the articles. More detailed information about gainers and losers in the stock market today is missing and cannot be provided.

European markets are feeling the heat of the escalating global trade war. Despite the Stoxx Europe 600 index climbing approximately 7% in 2025, analysts are warning of a dangerous assumption that the trade war is temporary. The Federal Reserve has forecast U.S. GDP growth of 1.4% this year, a decrease from the 1.7% initially forecast before the announcement of President Donald Trump’s new tariff regime. This growth slowdown is expected to affect Europe soon. Despite this, markets are still high on the hope of central bank easing and political solutions to prevent economic downturn. However, companies are facing a considerable profit margin squeeze from trade tariffs, which they have not yet passed on to consumers. Predictions for the Stoxx Europe 600 index are a mixed bag – Bank of America’s strategist warns of a strong potential downside, while Barclays predicts a 5% rise.

In other news, the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has temporarily barred Jane Street Group from accessing India’s securities market amid accusations of market manipulation. SEBI has also ordered a freeze of over $566.3 million alleged illegal gains from Jane Street. The firm is accused of artificially influencing India’s Nifty 50 index, a serious violation.

Asia-Pacific markets are mostly down as investors await U.S. trade deal details.

On the policy front, President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” boosts the oil industry while cutting support for solar and wind power. This major legislation includes the oil sector’s top priorities – opening federal lands for drilling and reducing royalties – while ending key tax credits that have supported the growth of the renewable energy sector.

In the stocks, the pan-Scandinavian airline SAS saw a significant day as Air France-KLM confirmed plans to increase its stake in the business to 60.5%, from just under 20%. Overall, analysts advise caution in the face of looming U.S. tariff risks and potential market downturn.

This week’s stock market opened the second half of the year on a high note, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq closing at multiple all-time highs. Leading the charge was Nvidia, whose stock value surpassed $3.9 trillion, alongside notable increases in Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo after capital allocation plan adjustments following the Fed’s stress tests.

However, the energy sector suffered a quarterly decrease of 9.37%, attributed to the dip in oil prices after the US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites. But overall, the weekly numbers were positive, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq advancing 1.7% and 1.6% respectively.

President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” saw the Senate remove support for solar and wind energy while supporting oil, gas, and coal industries. This is expected to benefit the US oil and gas drilling sector immensely while positing potential damage to the renewable energy industry.

On the job front, surprisingly strong employment figures saw the Dow rise 344 points, or 0.77%, with S&P 500 growing by 0.83% and the Nasdaq Composite increasing by 1.02%. In total, the economy added 147,000 jobs in June, exceeding expectations, leading to a decrease in the unemployment rate to 4.1%.

Trump’s new taxation legislation stands to benefit the wealthy, with tax experts predicting that the top tenth percentile of earners will see their average after-tax income rise to approximately $75,000 by 2026. Enhanced tax breaks for top earners are predicted due to changes to state and local tax caps, estate and gift tax, the hike in exemptions to the estate tax, and limits to the value of itemized tax deductions.

Companies like Circle, Hinge Health, and Chime Financial saw promising IPO growth, sparking optimism for the end of the IPO drought that has spanned three years. An uptick in tech IPOs has been observed, particularly following Circle’s sixfold increase from its IPO price for a market cap of $42 billion, marking promising trends for venture capital firms.

The S&P 500 reached record highs again on Thursday, with government’s June jobs report exceeding expectations, demonstrating strong nonfarm payroll growth and a lower-than-expected unemployment rate. The strong jobs numbers back Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s approach against an immediate rate cut, despite President Trump’s demands. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s wait-and-see approach thus received another boost. With the market overbought after Wednesday’s trading, possible stocks to trim from portfolios include Broadcom and bank stocks. DuPont stocks also warrant attention as Citi raised its price target by more than 16% on anticipation of solid earnings and reports of private equity’s interest in worth $2 billion of DuPont assets. However, it’s cautioned to not be too greedy and consider all possibilities before trimming.

Conversely, despite fears that President Trump’s new tariffs might trigger inflation and start a trade war, the S&P 500 plunged by 19% between late February and early April and now sits almost 2% above its February high as the stock market historically trends upwards. The biggest movers in midday trading include solar stocks, cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, chip designers Synopsys, Cadence Design Systems, and online travel review company TripAdvisor. The surge in stocks of CrowdStrike and Synopsys are particularly attributed to Wedbush Securities analyst’s higher price target and the lifting of US government restrictions on exporting chip design software to China.

Still, amidst economic uncertainty and inflation, Black entrepreneurs are eager to take advantage of the Essence Festival of Culture, an event that is expected to $1 billion in economic activity. Despite the economic anxiety among the Black community, the data shows a 5% increase in median weekly salary year over year and historically low unemployment. “Essence Fest” serves as a platform for Black business owners where speakers including Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore will discuss sustainability solutions.

The S&P 500 experienced another day of gains on Wednesday, with the index on track for a record close. The technology sector rebounded with chip stocks such as Nvidia and Broadcom seeing solid gains. Bank stocks, including Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs, also performed well with all-time intraday highs following increased capital return announcements. One standout was Capital One, which despite not increasing its capital return plan, managed to hit an all-time high and is expected to extend its winning streak to 10 sessions.

President Trump announced a trade deal with Vietnam, stating that tariffs on Vietnamese imports to the U.S. will be lowered to 20% from 46%. This announcement particularly affects the retail and apparel industries, as Vietnam is the second largest supplier of footwear, apparel, and accessories to the U.S.

After a disappointing first half of the year, Apple is on the brink of a four-session winning streak, with its stock reaching its highest level since mid-May. There are speculations that Apple may partner with an AI-native platform like OpenAI to boost its lagging AI initiatives, but the lack of concrete information is restraining enthusiasm.

In the crypto space, stocks linked to Ether performed well with BitMine Immersion Technologies, Sharplink Gaming, and Bit Digital experiencing double-digit gains. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell revealed that the central bank would have lowered rates if it weren’t for Trump’s tariffs.

Lastly, Centene shares declined 30% after the company cancelled its 2025 guidance, citing lower enrollment rates in several states. Centene also received a downgrade from “buy” to “hold” at JPMorgan.

Robinhood’s stock has hit a record high of $100. The company saw a significant jump of over 30% since being left out of the S&P 500, indicating a robust investor confidence. Robinhood’s European crypto expansion plans and the potential to merge crypto technology with traditional financial services have provided a boost for the company.

JPMorgan has voiced its confidence in the little-known online lender, Qifu Technology, predicting that shares can rally more than 50%. Qifu Technology’s strong fundamentals, promising returns, and steady new loan growth put it ahead of its peers in terms of profitability and growth rate. The stock has surged by nearly 11% this year.

Health care stocks could be a lucrative option for investors bracing for a volatile second half of the year. With S&P 500 health care stocks currently selling at 17 times forward earnings, they provide an attractive option for investment. Stocks like UnitedHealth Group, Johnson & Johnson, Amgen, and Merck are beginning to outperform other sectors.

Tesla’s shares went up by 5% after second-quarter vehicle deliveries were better than expected, despite a 14% year-over-year decline. On the other hand, Centene’s shares plummeted by 30% after the company withdrew its 2025 guidance due to lower enrollment rates in health insurance marketplaces in multiple states. Other notable pre-market moves included JPMorgan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, and Citigroup, all seeing hikes of less than 1% after planning to increase dividends following Federal Reserve stress test results.

The top-of-the-day analyst calls covered a range of companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, Adobe, Amazon, and Starbucks. For example, Compass Point initiated Block as a buy, Jefferies upgraded Apple to hold from underperform, and Goldman Sachs initiated Crocs as a sell. UBS downgraded Centene to neutral from buy, following Centene’s withdrawal of 2025 guidance. Favourable views were also expressed on Netflix, Altria, Starbucks, and Microsoft among others.

Stocks ended Monday’s session with all three major averages up, seeing S&P 500 hitting another record close of 6,204.95, Dow Jones Industrial Average adding 275.50 points, and Nasdaq Composite closing up 0.47%. Notably, clean energy stocks saw a boost after a tax on solar and wind projects was removed from the Senate version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. NextEra Energy shares rose 5%, while AES shares rose 2%.

In other financial news, the Senate’s deliberations over President Trump’s spending and tax bill highlight changes that are likely to impact Americans’ finances. The bill, among other amendments, plans to remove the $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions, known as SALT, and raise it to $40,000 starting in 2025. Child tax credit is set to increase to $2,200 in 2025 and would be indexed for inflation from 2026 onward. Other notable elements include Medicaid cuts and reduced food stamp benefits. The Senate schedule will also introduce the “Trump accounts” for child savings and tax deductions for car loan interest, overtime pay, and tip income.

Despite market volatility in 2025, all of billionaire investor Ken Griffin’s hedge funds at Citadel have posted positive returns. The multistrategy Wellington fund, Citadel’s largest, saw a 2.5% gain during the first half of the year, while the tactical trading fund increased by 6.1%.

Further, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy expressed optimism about the company’s Project Kuiper initiative to provide reliable internet to global customers, which Jim Cramer of “Mad Money” also supports. Lastly, Apple’s shares surged after a report suggested the company might use models from Anthropic or OpenAI for its AI-enhanced Siri.

In the stock market news today, a proposed rule change by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services led to a decrease in shares of diabetes tech stocks. Tandem Diabetes Care and Beta Bionics fell by 4% and 6% respectively, while shares of Dexcom also took a hit, losing around 4% in value. Insulet shares went down by 4% as well.

Tesla’s stock fell by 5% after President Trump suggested a review of subsides for Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s companies as a way to cut costs. The electric vehicle maker had been criticising the president’s tax-and-spending bill.

Shares of defense contractor AeroVironment dropped about 8% after the firm announced its intention to issue offerings of $750 million in common stock and $600 million in convertible senior notes due 2030. Similarly, GE Vernova, an energy equipment maker, saw its stock fall by 7% following news that it’s considering selling off Proficy, its industrial software business.

On the more positive side, shares of toy manufacturer Hasbro surged by 5%. Investment bank Goldman Sachs upgraded the company’s stocks from a neutral to a buy rating. Also experiencing an uptick were Kontoor Brands and Hyatt Hotels, whose shares jumped 7% and nearly 5% respectively.

Casino stocks also saw a boost with Wynn Resorts and Las Vegas Sands each experiencing an 8% increase after Macau reported a strong rise in gaming revenues.

AQR Capital Management has found success this year, with its two main hedge funds doubling the S&P 500’s returns. The firm’s Apex strategy rallied 11.4% in H1 2025, and its long-short Delphi equity fund saw a 11.6% gain.

Meanwhile, US Fed Chair Jerome Powell admitted that the Federal Reserve would have already eased its monetary policy if not for the Trump administration’s tariff plan. The central bank continues to maintain its key borrowing rate at the 4.25% to 4.5% range, despite mounting pressure from the White House.

In Monday’s stock market activity, Meta Platforms Inc. shares achieved a record high of $747.90 during midday trading, likely due to strong investor interest in the company’s new AI superintelligence group. These gains followed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s recent AI hiring spree, which extends to rival companies such as OpenAI and Alphabet.

On the other hand, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq showed moderate increases after record-high closes on Friday, poised to conclude June and the second quarter with strong gains. Continued investor involvement in the stock market, regardless of temporary uncertainty such as potential trade tariffs, is crucial, given the market’s ability to bounce back. Emphasizing earnings potential as primary to stock assessment was suggested as a long-term strategy.

Joby Aviation witnessed about a 12% hike in their shares after the delivery of their first flying air taxi to the United Arab Emirates, making a significant step towards a 2026 launch in the region. Home Depot, however, saw their shares fall by roughly 0.5% after they announced the future acquisition of building materials distributor GMS for an enterprise valuation of $5.5 billion, with an aim of catering to more professional contractors.

Robinhood’s stock soared 10%, hitting a record high as well, after the company revealed a new plan to offer tokenized shares of private companies OpenAI and SpaceX for trade on its EU crypto app, a first for the equity market. This forms a part of Robinhood’s broader plan to expand its crypto footprint globally, opening up access to equity that was earlier available only to a limited group of investors.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite hit record highs on Friday while the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 3.6% for the month. Robinhood shares spiked by 10% following its announcement of several new crypto-related services. Cohen & Steers’ shares fell 4% after Bank of America initiated its coverage with an underperform rating and a $67 price target. Cava’s shares increased by 9% while Fortive’s stocks fell more than 5% following its spinoff of its Precision Technologies business. Oracle shares rose nearly 5% after the company announced it signed several large cloud services agreements, with one expected to contribute more than $30 billion in annual revenue from FY28. First Solar, SunRun, and SolarEdge share prices rose after the U.S. spending bill included a tax on projects that use components from China.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Juniper Networks’ shares increased by 12% and 8% respectively after a lawsuit challenging Hewlett Packard’s acquisition of Juniper Networks was settled. GMS shares rose more than 11% after Home Depot announced plans to buy it for about $4.3 billion. Tesla shares fell about 1% as the latest changes in the spending bill would accelerate a phase-out of clean energy manufacturing tax credits.

In other news, Nvidia and Microsoft are expected to be the first companies to hit a $4 trillion market cap due to growing demand for artificial intelligence, according to Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities.

Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo were the biggest winners of the Federal Reserve’s 2025 stress tests, with capital requirement easing for both banks allowing for the potential to increase dividends and share buybacks. Oracle shares also rose by 4% after a filing revealed a cloud deal that will add more than $30 billion to its annual revenue, starting in the 2028 fiscal year.

In the past week, US stock markets have witnessed a historic rebound with both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq reaching new record highs. The S&P 500 gained 0.5%, closing at a new record of 6,173.07 – its first since February 19. The Nasdaq also saw an increase of 0.5%, marking its first all-time high since December 16.

The Dow Jones, however, still has about 1,200 points (or 2.7%) to gain before it reaches its all-time high, largely due to a negative drag caused by UnitedHealth, which experienced a 39% tumble this year, along with falls in Apple, Merck, and Nike. Despite this, the Dow managed to rise by 432 points, or 1%.

The main gainers this week have been driven by the tech sector, primarily due to an AI boom that has fueled a technological rally in recent months. This was most notable in the performance of Nvidia, whose shares rose by 4%, setting a new record closing price and boosting the Nasdaq composite.

In contrast, UnitedHealth was a major looser, experiencing a significant tumble that dragged down the Dow Jones Industrial index.

The market witnessed its biggest weekly gain in six weeks, despite concerns over trade talks between the US and Canada which led to a temporary dip late on Friday. A pause on ‘reciprocal’ tariffs for 90 days and expectations of further trade deals fueled a rise.

Going forward, the market may face challenges, including a potential stalemate in Congress over raising the debt ceiling and the expiry of the 90-day reciprocal tariff pause which could see tariffs rise again. Valuations are also surging well above earnings expectations, with the S&P 500’s price-to-earnings ratio passing 23, indicating that stocks have become quite expensive compared to their profit expectations.

This week was an exciting one for the stock market, with S&P 500 and Nasdaq reaching new record highs. Despite the potential for market fluctuation due to the recent U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, the market remained steady, with the belief that the conflict would not significantly impact the U.S. economy or corporate earnings. Energy prices surged the previous week due to the bombings, however, they quickly fell again with West Texas Intermediate crude declining more than 11% during the week.

For the week, the S&P 500 made a weekly gain of 3.44% and Nasdaq made a weekly gain of 4.25%. Notable top performers for the week were Nvidia, Eaton, GE Vernova, Broadcom, and Goldman Sachs. Nvidia topped the list with more than a 9.5% increase for the week. Financial stocks like Goldman and Wells Fargo also saw positive movement after the Federal Reserve proposed reducing capital requirements for large U.S. banks.

Despite this positive news, the market faces uncertainty due to factors including President Trump’s tariffs and the looming July 9 deadline for countries to make trade deals with the U.S. to avoid tariffs. Analysts have suggested that this uncertainty could cause volatility in the stock market.

Lastly, economic data showed that the U.S. economy shrank by 0.5% in the first quarter, and jobless claims rose to their highest level since late 2021. Investors are now closely watching the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) report for signs that Trump’s tariffs have pushed prices higher.