Markets on Edge: Chips Slide, Pfizer Stumbles, Novo Nordisk Flies

US Market Moves

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed lower Monday as chip stocks failed to hold a rebound. NVIDIA and AI-linked names dragged. Short sellers are already pressing the sector hard. Wolfspeed sits at 103.5% short interest as a percentage of free float — a bearish extreme with zero shares left to borrow.

Pfizer was the standout loser on the news wire. Its Phase 3 Sigvie-002 trial missed its primary endpoint. The drug failed to beat docetaxel in advanced lung cancer. Options traders moved immediately. Near-term puts on June 24 and June 26 expiries saw heavy activity. Short interest has risen to 3.05% of free float, up from 2.69% in late May.

Avis Budget got a potential relief catalyst. The company settled a Section 16(b) lawsuit with Pentwater for $650M in cash. That removes a major legal overhang. With 44% of free float shorted, covering pressure could build fast.

European Highlights

Novo Nordisk surged Monday, drawing the day's highest news priority score. The GLP-1 giant is rallying on fresh momentum. Sanofi also featured in biotech news. Its TZIELD drug won an FDA expansion for Type 1 diabetes, triggering a $24.5M milestone payment to MacroGenics.

European stocks broadly slid but the defense sector bucked the trend. Ukraine's ratification of a $105 billion EU loan deal boosted defense names.

Macro Watch

Fed Chair Warsh is scheduled to testify before the House Financial Services Committee on July 14. Markets are already pricing in more volatility. Warsh's move away from forward guidance is unsettling rate expectations. Investors warn it could lift US borrowing costs. Earnings season picks up Tuesday with FedEx, Carnival, and Micron reporting later this week.