the final stretch of 2025, whether a Santa rally is still possible and what this choppy end ofear trade means for the start of next year. Let's ask our panel partners groups, Anastasia Maroso, CNBC contributor paying capitals Courtney Garcia, Robin Hood, Stephanie Gild. It's good to have everybody with us.Anastasia, I'll start with you. The tape feels still kind of heavy. I mean, we're getting a nice bounce today in the NASDAQ.It's much needed. I don't know how much conviction is behind it, though, in the n ...

Cruise Stocks Surge; Bank of America Spending Data Reveals Sector Strength 2 minutes ago Cruise spend remains an outperformer in the travel sector, according to new Bank of America data. Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL), Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCL), and Carnival (CCL) were up a respective 5.5%, 5%, and 4.5% to rate among the top gainers in the S&P 500 Thursday as Bank of America's monthly credit and debit card data indicated consumers continue to spend on cruising. Monthly cruise spend in No ...

Shares of Micron Technology have surged to record highs this week as analysts continue to raise their targets for the memory chip maker ahead of next week's earnings report https://t.co/A2I6sTOmLR ...

Company Performance - Home Depot's stock fell 6%, marking the worst performance in the S&P 500, after the company missed third-quarter earnings forecasts and lowered its full-year profit outlook due to a lack of storms and economic uncertainty affecting homeowner remodeling projects [4][9]. - Medtronic's stock rose approximately 5% after exceeding analysts' estimates for fiscal second-quarter sales and adjusted profit, driven by strong demand in its end markets [8][10]. Market Overview - Major U.S. equity indexes declined for the second consecutive day, with the S&P 500 dropping 0.8%, the Dow sliding 1.1%, and the Nasdaq losing 1.2%, ahead of several high-profile earnings reports and delayed jobs data [3]. - Concerns regarding high valuations in the artificial intelligence sector negatively impacted tech stocks, with Western Digital and Micron Technology shares falling 5.9% and 5.6%, respectively [5]. Regulatory Developments - Amazon and Microsoft shares decreased by 4.4% and 2.7%, respectively, following the announcement of investigations by European Union regulators into their cloud computing services [6].

Core Insights - Seagate Technology achieved the best performance among S&P 500 stocks, with shares surging 10.1% after announcing a deal to exchange $500 million in debt for cash and stock, benefiting from strong demand in AI infrastructure [1][5][9] Company Performance - Seagate's rival, Western Digital, also saw a share increase of 5.2% following Seagate's announcement, indicating a positive trend in the data storage sector [5] - Johnson Controls reported better-than-expected revenue and adjusted earnings per share for Q3, with shares jumping 8.8% due to growth in various regions, despite challenges in Asia-Pacific [7] - Zimmer Biomet Holdings experienced a significant decline, with shares plunging 15.2% after missing quarterly sales forecasts and lowering its 2025 organic sales growth outlook [10] - Super Micro Computer's shares fell 11.3% after missing sales and profit estimates, attributed to changes in delivery schedules for major AI deals [11] - Live Nation Entertainment's shares tumbled 10.6% due to lower-than-expected adjusted profit for Q3, despite revenue growth from live events [12] Market Trends - Major U.S. equity indexes gained ground, with the S&P 500 up 0.4%, the Dow up 0.5%, and the Nasdaq up 0.7%, following positive ADP payroll data indicating a return to private-sector job growth [3][4] - Other AI-exposed stocks, including Micron Technology, saw gains, with Micron's shares increasing by 8.9% after recovering from previous losses [6]

Group 1 - Shares of Applied Materials (NASDAQ: AMAT) increased by approximately 7.6% this week due to multiple analyst upgrades driven by booming demand for AI infrastructure [1][3] - Bank of America upgraded Applied Materials to a buy with a price target of $250, citing strong growth in wafer fab equipment expected in 2026 due to DRAM capacity investments [3][4] - Stifel also rated Applied Materials as a buy, raising its price target to $215, highlighting DRAM investments and the company's diversified product portfolio as key positives [4] Group 2 - Cantor analysts named Applied Materials one of their "best ideas" among semiconductor equipment stocks, justifying a $250 price target based on strong DRAM demand and growing capital spending from TSMC [4] - The semiconductor memory chip industry, including DRAM and NAND, is cyclical and can experience significant downturns following periods of oversupply, which could impact Applied Materials [5][6] - Despite diversification providing some protection, demand in certain segments of Applied Materials' business may decline sharply when the cycle turns [6]

Group 1: Federal Reserve Insights - Fed Chair Jerome Powell's upcoming speech is crucial for understanding the central bank's policy direction following recent rate decisions and market reactions [1][2] - Powell's comments will be analyzed for insights on economic conditions, inflation progress, and potential future rate adjustments [1][2] - The speech may address market dislocations or unintended consequences from recent policy decisions, impacting bond yields, the dollar, and equity sector rotation [1] Group 2: Market Recalibration and Valuations - Investors are recalibrating after the Fed's rate cut decision, focusing on the sustainability of recent market leadership amid concerning technical signals [2][3] - High-flying stocks like IonQ, Oklo, Baidu, and Alibaba have reached extreme valuations, raising concerns about potential corrections [3] - The shift from momentum to fundamentals could create downside pressure for these stocks, leading to broader market rotation into defensive sectors [3] Group 3: Semiconductor Sector Analysis - Micron's earnings report is anticipated to provide insights into memory chip demand across various applications, serving as a bellwether for the semiconductor cycle [4] - Key areas of focus include high-bandwidth memory demand from AI chip manufacturers, DRAM pricing trends, and inventory levels [4] - Micron's guidance on future demand and competition dynamics will be critical for assessing the sustainability of semiconductor investments [4] Group 4: Consumer Spending and Housing Market - Earnings from Costco and housing market data will shed light on consumer spending patterns and residential real estate trends post-Fed rate decision [5][6] - Costco's results will provide insights into membership trends and same-store sales growth, particularly during economic uncertainty [5] - New and existing home sales data will help evaluate the impact of recent rate cuts on housing activity and affordability challenges [5][6] Group 5: Economic Growth and Inflation Data - The Q2 GDP revision and Core PCE Price Index will influence Fed policy expectations and market sector rotation decisions [7] - The GDP revision will offer insights into economic momentum and consumer spending patterns that informed the Fed's recent policy [7] - The Core PCE reading will be scrutinized for evidence of disinflation progress or concerns about price stability, impacting bond yields and sector rotation [7]

Micron Technology stock received a pair of price target raises Thursday after the memory chip manufacturer reported better-than-expected fiscal third-quarter results. https://t.co/XLOudSmlK1 ...