S&P 500, Nasdaq Close Out Strong Week at Record Highs; Tesla Rebounds from Sell-Off, Intel Drops After Weak Earnings

S&P 500 Gains and Losses Today: Deckers Stock Jumps as Global Footprint Grows; Intel Shares Sink

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Advancers:

• Shares of Deckers Outdoor (DECK) moved more than 11% higher, scoring the S&P 500’s top daily performance. The parent company of the Ugg, Hoka, and Teva footwear brands topped revenue and earnings per share estimates for its fiscal first quarter, boosted by a nearly 50% year-over-year surge in international sales.
• Newmont (NEM) also reported better-than-expected quarterly sales and profits, and shares of the gold mining giant jumped 6.9%. Higher gold prices helped underpin the strong performance for the world’s largest producer of the yellow metal. Newmont’s gold sales were up more than 26% from a year ago, although sales of copper, silver, lead, and zinc moved lower. The company also announced a $3 billion buyback program. 
• VeriSign (VRSN), a provider of domain names and other internet infrastructure services, also boosted its share repurchase program, authorizing an additional $913 million in buybacks. Although second-quarter revenue fell short of consensus forecasts, earnings per share for the period exceeded expectations. VeriSign lifted its full-year forecasts, highlighting strong demand for dot-com and dot-net addresses. VeriSign stock surged 6.7% to log its first-ever close above $300.

Decliners:

• Charter Communications (CHTR) shares plummeted more than 18%, losing the most of any stock in the S&P 500 on Friday. The provider of TV, internet, and phone services missed second-quarter profit estimates, and while quarterly revenue was in line with forecasts, Charter reported a steeper-than-expected decline in internet subscribers. Charter, operator of the Spectrum cable service, announced a deal in May to merge with rival Cox Communications. Shares of competitor Comcast (CMCSA) also fell on Friday, slipping 4.8%. 
• Intel (INTC) reported an unanticipated second-quarter loss, and its shares dropped 8.5%. Although revenue for the period topped forecasts, the shortfall in profitability raised concerns about the chipmaker’s progress on its turnaround plan under CEO Lip-Bu Tan, which has included layoffs and other cost-cutting measures. Intel also said it will slow down construction of its manufacturing facilities in Ohio and cancel previously announced projects in Germany and Poland.
• Shares of Healthpeak Properties (DOC), a real estate investment trust that invests in healthcare facilities, fell 6.7%. Healthpeak reported lower-than-expected revenue for the second quarter but matched analysts’ forecasts with its adjusted funds from operations per share, a key measure of profitability for REITs.

-Michael Bromberg

Tesla Could Roll Out Robotaxis in San Francisco Soon. Its Stock Is Surging.

1 hr 44 min ago

Tesla (TSLA) could expand its robotaxi service to San Francisco as early as this weekend, according to a report Friday. Its stock surged, making up some of its losses from the day before.

Tesla shares were up over 3% in recent trading, but are still headed for a losing week after tumbling nearly 8% Thursday on a weaker-than-expected earnings report. The electric vehicle maker’s profits declined for a second straight quarter, as Tesla has seen sales fall in key markets like the U.S. and China. 

Tesla could be prepared to roll out its robotaxis in San Francisco as early as this weekend, after their launch in Austin, Texas last month, Business Insider reported Friday, citing an internal memo to staff. The test program will operate in a geofenced area that includes a large portion of the Bay Area, the report said.

Tesla did not immediately respond to an Investopedia request for comment on the report.

Separately, a trio of Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest ETFs collectively bought more than 140,000 shares of Tesla for nearly $44 million on Thursday, according to an Investor’s Business Daily report.

The longtime Tesla bull’s ARK Invest purchased more than 115,380 shares on Tuesday, and 60,000 shares on July 18, an earlier IBD report said. Tesla is the top holding of the ARK Innovation ETF, making up nearly 10% of the fund’s weight.

-Andrew Kessel

Meme Stocks Partied Like it Was 2021 This Week

2 hr 31 min ago

Meme traders are back and doing donuts in the stock market. What does it all mean? More than anything, a big appetite for risk.

Shares of companies like Kohl’s (KSS), Opendoor (OPEN), 1-800-FLOWERS (FLWS), GoPro (GPRO)—and, yes, Krispy Kreme (DNUT)—all popped at various moments this week as investors piled in, often for reasons no more obvious than the thrill of watching picks fly. On forums like Reddit’s wallstreetbets, enthusiasm jumped from stocks like Sydney Sweeney-powered American Eagle (AEO) to GoPro (GPRO).

The return of widespread meme-stock trading coincides with a rise in Goldman Sachs’ “Speculative Trading Indicator,” which currently sits at its highest level outside of the 1998-to-2001 and 2020-to-2021 periods.

 The measure shows heightened trading volume in unprofitable stocks, penny stocks, and stocks with high enterprise-value-to-sales multiples.

The current meme mania recalls the stimulus-check-fueled rallies in GameStop (GME) and AMC Entertainment Holdings (AMC) of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Read the full article here.

–Cyrstal Kim

Deckers Levels to Watch as Stock Surges

3 hr 18 min ago

Deckers Outdoor (DECK) shares surged Friday after the footwear company’s results surpassed Wall Street estimates, boosted by strong demand in international markets.

The company behind popular brands such as Hoka and UGG posted fiscal first quarter international sales growth of nearly 50%, helping to offset a nearly 3% slide in U.S. sales. Executives pointed to opportunities to expand the footwear maker’s brands outside its domestic market, given they are underrepresented compared to larger rivals, such as Nike and Adidas.

Deckers shares were up more than 12% at around $118 in mid-afternoon trading Friday. Even with today’s rally, the stock is down more than 40% since the start of the year amid concerns about the company’s high exposure to tariffs after it pulled its annual forecast in May due to macroeconomic uncertainties.

Deckers shares have carved out two closely aligned lows between April and July, potentially laying the groundwork for a double bottom, a classic chart pattern that often marks a bullish trend reversal.

More recently, the price had rallied into the company’s quarterly results in a move that coincided with the relative strength index crossing back above its neutral threshold to signal building price momentum.

Investors should watch key overhead areas on Deckers’ chart around $132, $160 and $182, while also monitoring a major support level near $95.

Read the full technical analysis piece here.

–Timothy Smith

Some Investors Worried They Missed the Crypto Boat

3 hr 42 min ago

Many Americans are eyeballing cryptocurrency these days—perhaps unsurprisingly, with the price of bitcoin recently topping $120,000. But some are concerned that they’ve missed the moment, according to a new survey.

One in five Americans who don’t hold any crypto plan to change that this year, according to a survey of 2,000 people released recently by the National Cryptocurrency Association. Two in five of the respondents who wanted to learn more—about a third of the total—had the same idea, the survey said.

Still, a majority still say they’re more likely to stay away this year. The NCA survey found that 55% of respondents feel researching cryptocurrency is overwhelming, and 70% say they need more trustworthy information before they would consider investing in it. (Investopedia offers more resources about cryptocurrencies and how they work, which you can check out here.)

Half of those interested in learning more said they fear they’ve already missed the boat. Bitcoin, the most popular cryptocurrency, has surged by nearly 30% in 2025, earlier this month reaching a record high of over $123,000 amid expectations of a more crypto-friendly political environment and new legislation that could help digital assets become mainstream. 

Ether, the second largest cryptocurrency, has also risen lately, recently trading around $3,600. The total market value of crypto is around $3.8 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.

President Donald Trump last week signed into law the pro-crypto GENIUS Act. The law established a regulatory framework for a type of digital asset called stablecoins, paving the way for more widespread use.

–Andrew Kessel

Newmont Stock Pops as High Gold Prices Boost Earnings

4 hr 44 min ago

Newmont (NEM) shares jumped Friday after the gold mining giant posted quarterly earnings that topped expectations, with a boost from soaring gold prices. It also announced a new share repurchase program.

Shares were up close to 6% in recent trading, at their highest level in three years. With Friday’s gains, the stock has added roughly three-quarters of its value in 2025.

Newmont reported second-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $1.43, above the consensus of analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha. Revenue was up 20.1% year-over-year to $5.32 billion, $59 million above estimates.

Gold sales grew 26.5% to $4.58 billion, while copper, silver, lead, and zinc sales all declined. The company noted the average realized gold price during the period was $3,320 per ounce, $973 per ounce higher than a year ago.

CEO Tom Palmer said Newmont put in a strong performance, “producing approximately 1.5 million attributable gold ounces and generating an all time record quarterly free cash flow of $1.7 billion.”

The company also announced another $3 billion in stock buybacks.

–Bill McColl

UnitedHealth Levels to Watch After Insurer Confirms DOJ Probe

5 hr 48 min ago

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) shares were recovering Friday from a sell-off yesterday that came after the health insurance giant confirmed that it’s the subject of a Department of Justice investigation.

The company said it’s complying with formal criminal and civil requests from the DOJ, a development that follows months of reports that the agency is investigating UnitedHealth’s billing practices in its Medicare Advantage program.

Since setting their April high, UnitedHealth shares have lost more than half their value, with reports of federal scrutiny compounded by a downgraded profit forecast earlier this year and the departure of the company’s CEO. Looking ahead, investors will be watching for updates on the DOJ probe and the company’s financial performance when UnitedHealth reports earnings before the market opens next Tuesday.

UnitedHealth shares fell nearly 5% on Thursday to their lowest closing level since mid-May. The stock, which is the weakest performer in the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 2025, was up 2.5% at around $285 in recent trading.

After briefly consolidating in June, UnitedHealth shares have resumed their strong downtrend on increasing volume this month, a move that has coincided with the 50-week moving average (MA) crossing below the 200-day MA to form an ominous “death cross.”

While the relative strength index confirms bearish price momentum, it also flashes oversold conditions, potentially attracting bargain hunting in the stock.

Investors should watch key support levels on UnitedHealth’s weekly chart around $250 and $215, while also monitoring overhead areas near $325 and $368.

Read the full technical analysis piece here.

–Timothy Smith

Deckers Stock Soars on Strong Earnings

6 hr 45 min ago

Deckers Outdoor (DECK) was the best-performing stock in the S&P 500 this morning after the footwear maker easily beat profit and sales forecasts and gave solid guidance on strong demand for its UGG and Hoka brand shoes overseas.

The company reported first quarter fiscal 2026 earnings per share of $0.93, more than one-third better than the average estimate of analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha. Revenue grew 16.9% to $965 million, also topping expectations.

Year-over-year sales of the Hoka brand jumped 19.8% to $653.1 million, and Ugg brand sales were up 18.9% to $265.1 million. However, sales of other brands dropped 19% to $46.3 million.

International sales soared 49.7% to $463.3 million, while domestic sales declined 2.8% to $501.3 million.

CEO Stefano Caroti said that while uncertainty remains elevated in the global trade environment, “our confidence in our brands has not changed, and the long-term opportunities ahead are significant.” 

The company sees current-quarter EPS in the range of $1.50 to $1.55. The Visible Alpha estimate was for $1.51.

Deckers shares were up 14% in recent trading. Even with today’s gains, the stock is down about 40% year-to-date, making it one of the top decliners in the S&P 500 in 2025.

–Bill McColl

Intel Slides Amid Concerns About Slow Turnaround Progress

7 hr 18 min ago

Intel (INTC) shares plunged Friday, a day after the chipmaker reported quarterly sales that topped estimates, but posted a loss as it works to engineer a turnaround under the leadership of new CEO Lip-Bu Tan. 

Shares were down 10% in early trading, threatening to wipe out most of the chipmaker’s stock gains this year. 

“There clearly is a better level of discipline at the company under the new CEO but some of these problems may not be fixable,” Jefferies analysts told clients following the results.

“There was no real sense that INTC has turned the corner” in its PC and service businesses, the analysts said, and voiced concerns that Intel’s changes have been “more incremental than sweeping” so far, with a “lack of competitive products until next year.”

They maintained a “hold” rating for the chipmaker’s stock, preferring to sit on the sidelines for now. Analysts at Citi and HSBC also reiterated neutral ratings in the wake of Intel’s earnings call, citing uncertainty around its turnaround efforts.

HSBC called Intel’s results and outlook “uninspiring” in a Friday note.

“It’s going to take time, but we see clear opportunities to enhance our competitive position, improve our profitability and create long-term shareholder value,” Tan told investors Thursday.

As part of its cost-saving measures, Intel said it plans to lay off more employees, trimming 15% of its workforce. The chipmaker said it is also halting planned projects in Germany and Poland, as well as slowing the construction of its new chipmaking facilities in Ohio.

–Kara Greenberg

Major Index Futures Little Changed

8 hr 35 min ago

Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were up 0.1%.

S&P 500 futures also rose 0.1%.

Nasdaq 100 futures were up fractionally.