Stock Market Summary – July 21, 2025

Trade uncertainty due to the Trump administration’s ongoing trade wars has resulted in decreasing volumes for smaller U.S. ports as importers and exporters adjust supply chain timings. Ports like Oakland, Jacksonville, New Orleans, and Panama City are seeing reduced trade activity, with Oakland reporting a 10.1% decrease month-over-month in June.

CEO of tech company Astronomer, Andy Byron, stepped down following a scandal that led to $7.3 million in bets on prediction markets, with odds of resignation peaking at 80%. The controversy led to considerable trading volumes on prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket.

Trump Media and Technology Group has amassed around $2 billion in Bitcoin and related assets, contributing largely to President Trump’s net worth. The trend towards cryptocurrency appears to be benefiting Trump Media’s shares, which surged as high as 9% on Monday.

Analyst Jim Cramer shared his top 10 stock market observations, noting major moves from companies such as Block, Verizon, DoorDash, and Amazon. Cramer also highlighted potentially profitable developments such as Trump’s new spending bill and the EBITDA-strong second-quarter earnings for Verizon.

In preparation for the trading week, investors are advised to watch for factors such as the ramping up of earnings season, increasing tension between the White House and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, an impending tariff deadline, Alaska Airlines’ recent IT outage, and possible cyberattacks on key businesses and government agencies. Recent developments, such as Trump’s crypto-supportive legislation and Microsoft’s cyberattack warnings, could create ripples affecting a range of sectors and companies.

In today’s financial news, Domino’s Pizza is achieving growth in the restaurant industry as it targets discounts and deals to both overlap market share from competitors and appeal to low-end consumers. Despite missing Wall Street’s projected earnings due to a $27.4 million charge on its investment in its China licensee, Domino’s reported a notable increase in sales, especially from the introduction of its stuffed crust pizza and its $9.99 “Best Deal Ever” promotion. These strategies have led to a 3.4% growth in Q2 U.S. similar store sales, beating estimates of a 2% rise. However, Domino’s shares dipped by more than 2% during Monday’s afternoon trading.

In the stocks market, Bruker lost around 12% after announcing disappointing Q2 guidance, while Block had an 8% surge as it prepares to join the S&P 500 before trading begins on July 23rd, replacing Hess that has been bought out by Chevron. Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals dropped nearly 12%, just as Cleveland-Cliffs rose by 13% after announcing expected reduced capital expenditures and administrative expenses for the year, overriding its Q2 loss. Verizon rose by 5% when its Q2 earnings were released, revealing that the company’s earnings exceeded expectations, and Dollar Tree gained 2.2% after an upgrade to overweight from Barclays.

Regarding AI development, Melius has advised Apple to consider acquiring AI startup Perplexity, predicting that the move would cause a surge in Apple’s shares if the firm started charging users for a $200 annual subscription for using the AI-powered search engine.

In other news, Figma’s IPO may value the design software company at around $16 billion, as it released an updated IPO prospectus on Monday stating its expectation to sell 37 million shares at $25-$28 each. If achieved, Figma and its shareholders might raise $1 billion.

Lastly, Subway has appointed Burger King veteran Jonathan Fitzpatrick as its new CEO, effective July 28. Prior to his appointment, Fitzpatrick spent over a decade at automotive services provider Driven Brands and also had a stint as Burger King’s chief brand and operations officer. This news follows a long search for Subway’s new CEO after the retirement of previous CEO John Chidsey.