Category: Stock Market

US Stocks Face Longest Slump of 2025 as Decline Stretches On

Posted on by Olumide Adesina

US stocks are on track to record their longest decline in 2025, following Walmart’s sell-off, with a fifth consecutive day of losses. revealed a rare profit miss, unemployment claims increased slightly, and a Fed official downplayed the necessity of a short-term interest rate cut.

Dow Pauses Below 45,000 Again Despite Early Rally

The S&P 500 Index had dropped 0.7 percent in New York on Thursday, with the consumer discretionary and staples sectors leading the way. The largest retailer in the world, Walmart, saw a 5% decline in its stock after its profits missed forecasts for the first time in three years.

There was a 0.8 percent decline in the Nasdaq 100 Index. There was a 0.6 percent decline in the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Index.

According to official data, the number of US unemployment benefit applications increased to its highest level since June. At the same time, existing home sales increased, and US manufacturing grew at its fastest rate in three years.

The maturity most susceptible to changes in Fed policy expectations, two-year Treasuries, saw an increase in yields. Megacap tech stocks have caused major indexes to plummet.

Markets Stumble: S&P 500 Down 4 Days, Nasdaq Hit by Tech Sell-Off

Posted on by Olumide Adesina

The Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 declined amid the tech blood bath.. Mixed retail earnings and the latest Federal Reserve meeting minutes also influenced investor sentiment. The tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped 0.67 percent, closing at 21,172.86, while the broader market index fell 0.24 percent to end at 6,395.78. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 experienced its fourth consecutive loss, and the Nasdaq had its second straight decline.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, however, rose 16.04 points, or 0.04 percent, ending at 44,938.31. Several well-known semiconductor and tech companies continued to generate profits for investors, fueling concerns over their high valuations and the long-term prospects of the artificial intelligence market.

The session concluded with Nvidia slightly down, while Broadcom and Advanced Micro Devices each lost about 1 percent. Intel’s stock dropped roughly 7 percent, and Palantir declined about 1 percent. Major tech giants—Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, and Meta dipped in the mid-week session.

Central bankers expressed concerns about inflation and the labor market, but mostly agreed that it was too early to lower interest rates, according to minutes from the Federal Reserve’s July meeting released on Wednesday. For the first time since 1993, two voting Fed officials dissented, with Fed Governors Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman voicing disagreement. At that time, policymakers maintained steady interest rates.

“In general, participants identified risks to both sides of the Committee’s dual mandate, with a focus on upside risk to inflation and downside risk to employment,” the minutes stated.

Although “the majority of participants judged the upside risk to inflation as the greater of these two risks,” a few believed that the employment risk was more significant. Investors will be watching for clues about the future direction of interest rates in the upcoming minutes and Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s remarks on Friday.

PLTR: Palantir’s Market Crash, $73 Billion Erased in Six Days

Posted on by Olumide Adesina

Palantir lost $73 billion in market value throughout its six-session losing streak, giving short sellers who bet against this year’s Wall Street powerhouse a rare victory after setting a record in August. 12, The data analysis and software company’s stock has dropped more than 17%.

PLTR Stock Drops 12% as Government Funding Worries Emerge

This week is expected to be the worst for PLTR since the tariff saga in early April of this year, marking their longest losing run since April 2024.

According to data from S3 Partners LLC, short sellers have made over $1.6 billion in profits since the drop. S3 data indicates that traders have wagered $4.05 billion against Palantir this year, and that amount hardly scratches the surface.

After rising 106%, the stock remains the benchmark’s largest gainer for 2025, despite performing the worst in the S&P 500 Index over the last six sessions.

Short interest as a percentage of Palantir’s float, which indicates the number of shares available for borrowing and wagering, has decreased from almost 5% a year ago to roughly 2%. As the stock increased, this implies that short sellers covered their positions, according to Matthew Unterman, managing director of S3 Partners LLC.

APLD Stock the Only Chip Gainer Today, Targets 2022 Highs on Strategic Expansion

Posted on by Skerdian Meta

Applied Digital (NASDAQ: APLD) is gaining fresh momentum as its latest earnings beat expectations and ambitious AI infrastructure plans capture investor attention. Continue reading “APLD Stock the Only Chip Gainer Today, Targets 2022 Highs on Strategic Expansion” →

U.S. Government Plans Equity Stakes in Micron, TSMC to Bolster Chip Industry

Posted on by Olumide Adesina

U.S Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is promoting a plan that would allow the government to acquire equity stakes in Intel and possibly other chipmakers like Micron and TMC in exchange for grants under the $52 billion CHIPS and Science Act.

The Trump administration is reshaping the program, which was first started under President Joe Biden to promote domestic semiconductor manufacturing, into a model that links taxpayer funding to direct ownership.

According to a previous Bloomberg report, Lutnick has already begun talks with Intel for a possible ten percent government stake. Such a holding would be worth approximately $11 billion at Intel’s current market value, which is about equal to the $101 billion in CHIPS Act grants the company has received. These grants include $3 billion to strengthen national security-related semiconductor capacity and $7.9 billion to support its domestic investment plans.

SoftBank’s most recent investment in Intel matched the US government’s ownership stake in the company.

The Japanese corporation stated it will become the fifth-largest shareholder in Intel with a $2 billion investment in the chipmaker. According to SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, “this strategic investment reflects our belief that advanced semiconductor manufacturing and supply will further expand in the United States, with Intel playing a critical role.”. Supported by the US government and SoftBank, Intel’s stock increased 7% on Tuesday.

TGT: Target Stock Dips as Board Picks Company Veteran for Top Role

Posted on by Olumide Adesina

Target’s stock (TGT) fell 7% and was among the largest decliners in the S&P 500 on Wednesday after the struggling retailer, despite showing signs of improvement in the second quarter, replaced its CEO with a veteran of the company. Michael Fiddelke, a longtime employee, will replace Brian Cornell at Target in February, the company announced.

Walmart stock is falling while Target's is on the rise.

Cornell will take on the role of executive chair of the board after serving in that capacity for eleven years.

Fiddelke recently launched and took charge of the Enterprise Acceleration Office, which Target stated was intended to change the way the company functions by “removing complexity, expanding technology, and enabling more flexibility so the team can move faster to improve performance and drive long-term growth.”

“Michael is the right leader to return Target to growth, refocus and accelerate the company’s strategy, and reestablish Target’s position as a leader in the highly dynamic and fast-moving retail environment,” said Christine Leahy, an independent board member, who stated that the board has been deliberating over a succession plan for several years

Sales decreased 0.9 percent year over year to $25.21 billion, but that was higher than what Visible Alpha’s survey of analysts predicted.

The $2.05 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) were consistent with forecasts. According to Cornell, the results “showed encouraging signs of recovery, including disciplined cost management in a challenging retail environment and improved traffic and sales trends, particularly in our stores.”