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Stock market today: Nvidia set to build on milestones as S&P 500, Nasdaq hold near records

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5 months ago

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Stock market today: Nvidia set to build on milestones as S&P 500, Nasdaq hold near records

US stocks took a breather on Thursday after a Big Tech-fueled winning session, with more labor data on deck to test investors’ growing hopes for interest rate cuts.

S&P 500 futures (ES=F) wavered along the flatline on the heels of a record close. Contracts on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM=F) and the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) were also little changed.

Stocks are regrouping after the roaring rally that also lifted the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) to an all-time high on Wednesday. Tech stocks helped drive the gains, with Nvidia (NVDA) overtaking Apple (AAPL) as the second biggest US company as both topped $3 trillion in market value.

AI chipmaker Nvidia’s shares continued to rise in pre-market trading, up around 2%. But other megacap techs faltered, with Apple, Meta (META), and Microsoft (MSFT) all losing ground slightly.

Meanwhile, Treasury yields revived from declines that bolstered the stock rally. The benchmark 10-year yield (^TNX) edged up to almost 4.30%, coming off its lowest level since March hit Wednesday.

The market has greeted recent soft economic readings as a reason to put a Federal Reserve policy pivot back on the table, with the ADP private payrolls miss just the latest sign of a labor market cooldown. Traders now see a 69% chance of a September rate cut, versus around 50% a week ago, according to the CME FedWatch tool.

Meanwhile across the pond, the European Central Bank cut interest rates by 25 basis points on Thursday for the first time since 2019 in a widely anticipated move.

Read more: How does the labor market affect inflation?

US Jobless claims last week came in at 229,000, more than the 220,000 forecast by economists. The data comes as investors gauge whether the Fed will nail its wished-for soft landing for the economy. But the countdown is on for the May monthly jobs report on Friday, seen as pivotal for stocks.

In individual movers, Lululemon (LULU) shares popped 9% in pre-market trading after the athleisure wear maker boosted its profit outlook and stock buyback program.

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  • A new face on the Walmart board

    A meaningful new side hustle for one of the most popular CEOs in the fast-food industry.

    Chipotle (CMG) CEO Brian Niccol has been officially elected as a director of the Walmart (WMT) board. He is now the fifth new, independent director Walmart has onboarded since 2017, CEO Doug McMillon said Wednesday morning prior to the shareholders’ vote.

    Niccol takes the spot of longtime board member Rob Walton (son of Walmart founder Sam Walton) who retired as of Wednesday.

    This isn’t Niccol’s first rodeo as a board member outside the confines of Chipotle. He previously served on the boards of KB Home (KBH) and Harley-Davidson (HOG).

    The addition of Niccol makes a lot of sense.

    Both Chipotle and Walmart have seen success in recent years as value-conscious consumers seek items that they believe allow them to stretch their dollars. Niccol has also led the charge on digital ordering at Chipotle, whereas McMillon has led a digital rebirth at Walmart.

    While other food chains struggled to keep traffic up last quarter, Chipotle saw its same-store sales jump by 7%, in part thanks to Niccol’s efforts.

    A similar vibe at Walmart: Its US same-store sales increased 3.9% year-over-year.

    Shares of the burrito chain are up nearly 38% year-to-date, while Walmart shares are up more than 26%. It’s also worth noting that Walmart recently conducted a 3-for-1 stock split, while Chipotle is awaiting shareholder approval for its 50-for-1 split.

  • Hey, before you get excited about this Lululemon quarter

    The bears raided Lululemon’s (LULU) stock prior to its earnings report last night, so I get the 9% pre-market pop on results that weren’t that brutal.

    But this wasn’t a typical Lululemon quarter (strong double-digit growth at each division) by any means, and the positive reaction may be overdone.

    Of worry is that comparable sales in the Americas division were unchanged versus the prior year. The company called out misses with customers in colors, usually not a good sign of future demand. (I used to cover the stock as an analyst — believe me, this isn’t a good indicator.)

    “We advise investors to be sellers on any strength, the Lululemon brand and its fundamentals have peaked, in our view, and we anticipate relentless competition ahead,” said Jefferies analyst Randal Konik in a client note this morning.

    Konik reiterated an under-perform rating on the stock.

    Makes a lot of sense.

  • Good to learn the AI terminology

    If you are going to invest in AI, it’s good practice to understand the lingo.

    And that includes yours truly, who isn’t investing in AI but is writing way more about it than I thought I would a decade ago.

    Helpful insight into the topic of “liquid cooling” below in my chat with HPE (HPE) CEO Antonio Neri on Yahoo Finance Live. I think you will be hearing more about this, given the power that new AI chips generate.

    I also found what Neri said about Nvidia (NVDA) to be of interest.

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