Wall Street’s rollercoaster ride isn’t slowing down anytime soon. On the final trading day of a holiday-shortened week, investors are waking up to a market that’s… well, kind of all over the place.
Let’s break it down.
Dow Takes a Dive, Nasdaq Holds Steady
S&P 500 futures are up 0.3%, while Nasdaq futures rose by 0.6%, and Dow futures saw a decline of 1.6%, ouch.
What’s dragging the Dow into the red?
Two words: UnitedHealth Group. The health insurance behemoth tanked nearly 20% in premarket trading after missing both revenue and profit expectations.
Worse still, they slashed their 2025 forecast thanks to a spike in care costs from Medicare Advantage customers.
Translation? Big healthcare just tripped over its shoelaces, and the Dow is feeling the fall.
Eli Lilly Pops on Weight Loss Drug Success
On the bright side, Eli Lilly is flexing its biotech muscles again. The pharma giant jumped 11% premarket after its weight-loss and diabetes pill crushed Phase 3 trials.
With the global weight loss drug market exploding (hello, GLP-1 gold rush), Lilly is positioning itself as the player to beat.
Hertz Roars Again After Ackman Reveal
Don’t call it a comeback, or actually, maybe do.
Hertz stock jumped 12% this morning, following a jaw-dropping 56% surge on Wednesday.
Why the hype? Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square just took a stake, signaling major confidence in the company that barely clawed its way out of pandemic-era bankruptcy.
If Ackman’s backing it, the bulls are definitely sniffing an opportunity.
Netflix, Nvidia, and That Tariff Cloud
Netflix is up 1.4% ahead of today’s earnings. Investors are expecting strong subscriber growth and profitability from its password crackdown and ad tier.
Nvidia, however, cast a shadow on Wednesday after warning that new China export restrictions could cost it billions. Cue tech sector nerves.
Mixed Mood Across the Globe
In Europe, France’s CAC 40 is down 0.8%, Germany’s DAX follows the trend with a 0.6% drop, while the UK’s FTSE 100 falls by 0.7%.
Investors are skittish as the ECB eyes rate cuts and Trump’s tariff tantrum heats up again, this time with Japan in the crosshairs.
In Asia, Nikkei 225 (Japan) is up 1.4%, Hang Seng (Hong Kong) increased by 1.6%, Kospi (South Korea) skyrocketed 0.9%, and Shanghai Composite jumped 0.1%.
Japan saw a strong rally after Trump met with a Japanese trade delegation, claiming “Big Progress!” on social media (though… no one’s quite sure what that means).
Meanwhile, Honda is playing it safe. The automaker just announced it’s shifting hybrid Civic production for U.S. buyers from Japan to Indiana, possibly hedging against incoming tariffs.
