S&P 500 and Nasdaq slipped Friday as a chip stock rebound ran out of steam. Semiconductor names had staged a comeback mid-session but could not hold gains into the close.
Earnings season hit its peak today. AIG, Aflac, Vistra, and Take-Two Interactive all reported. In Europe, Allianz SE and Munich Re posted results alongside Daimler Truck. Insurers on both sides of the Atlantic were firmly in focus.
Options traders remain bullish on chips despite the choppy price action. MU, , and dominate positive bets this week. Micron carries a 71% analyst return potential, making it a standout target for bulls.
DJT (Trump Media & Technology Group) terminated its business combination agreement with Crypto.com today. The two sides pivoted to a marketing deal instead. Crypto.com's prediction markets will now be promoted to Truth Social users. The abrupt reversal closes a deal many investors had been watching closely.
SPCX short interest hit 36.4% of free float this week. Availability is near zero at 0.16%. Bears are struggling to find shares. CRWV tells the opposite story — cost to borrow surged 131% and short sellers are covering fast. Shift4 Payments also flashed a warning signal, with short utilization at 90.6% — near its 52-week peak.
European stocks slid Friday but defense names held firm. Ukraine's ratification of a $105 billion EU loan deal kept the sector supported. Iran-related headlines continued to create volatility across the week, with energy and defense stocks reacting sharply to diplomatic developments.
Analyst moves of note: Citigroup trimmed its APP target to $650 but kept a Buy. ILMN faced pressure after a board member filed over $148 million in sales this week.
ORTEX Market Intelligence content is generated by AI from a snapshot of ORTEX's proprietary data. Content is informational only and does not constitute investment advice.
