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CLOSING BELL
A Big Day For Boomer Stonks

Source: Tenor

Your regular market guide, Kevin Travers, is out until Friday, so you’re stuck with me (Tom Bruni) again for the time being. Luckily, it’s the busiest earnings week of the summer, so there’s no shortage of things to write about. So let’s jump into it. 👀

Today’s issue covers boomer stocks like railroads, shipping, and healthcare. Plus, a look at market expectations ahead of tomorrow’s FOMC meeting.  📰

With the final numbers for indexes and the ETFs that track them, 5 of 11 sectors closed green, with $XLRE ( ▲ 1.67% ) leading and $XLI ( ▼ 1.14% ) lagging.

S&P 500 Heatmap – Finviz

S&P 500 $SPY ( ▼ 0.26% ) 6,371

Nasdaq 100 $QQQ ( ▼ 0.16% ) 23,308

Russell 2000 $IWM ( ▼ 0.64% ) 2,243

Dow Jones $DIA ( ▼ 0.42% ) 44,633

COMPANY NEWS
Railroad Giants Resume Merger Efforts 🚂 

Railroad stocks drove today’s newsflow as Union Pacific CFO Jennifer Hamann said the company’s acquisition of Norfolk Southern to create a transcontinental freight railroad will lead to faster delivery and lower shipping costs per mile, making the service a stronger competitor to trucking.

In a merger and acquisition call, Hamann also emphasised that with more dependable service, customers can also cut back on inventory and equipment expenses, thanks to shorter delivery cycles. 👍️ 

While the deal is expected to face some regulatory pushback, the current administration’s approach leaves many to believe the deal will close without a hitch. However, union leaders are less likely to play ball and will play a significant role in determining whether this deal gets done.

Speaking of logistics, United Parcel Service slid another 10% after highlighting challenges in the U.S. small package delivery market due to weaker consumer confidence. Average daily volumes from China to the U.S. fell 34.8% YoY in Q2 as tariffs weighed on sentiment and purchases. Management declined to issue full-year revenue or profit forecasts due to economic uncertainty. 📦️ 

On the technology front, CyberArk shares soared 14% on reports that Palo Alto Networks is looking to acquire it for over $20 billion. The cybersecurity giant has been on a buying spree since 2018, but this would be its biggest bet to date. 🧑‍💻 

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EARNINGS
Several Healthcare Stocks On The Move 🏥 

It was a big day for the healthcare sector, with many of retail’s favorite stocks in the space moving. Let’s quickly recap. 👇️ 

Novo Nordisk plunged 21% after lowering its full-year 2025 outlook, citing lower growth expectations for its blockbuster weight loss drug Wegovy and diabetes drug Ozempic. It now expects sales growth of 8% to 14% (down from 13% to 21%), and operating profit of 10% to 16% (down from 16% to 24%). 🔻 

For Wegovy, it blamed generic (compounded) versions and slower-than-expected market expansion, while for Ozempic, it cited increased U.S. competition. Stocktwits sentiment slumped as traders and investors debated whether management was attributing its operational missteps to external factors.

Eli Lilly fell 5% even after saying that its cancer drug Jaypirca was more effective than AbbVie’s drug Imbruvica. The company is now planning further testing to study Jaypirca’s superiority in the secondary endpoint of progression-free survival. It appeared that Novo Nordisk’s news overshadowed Lilly’s positive development. ⛈️ 

UnitedHealth fell 7% after reinstating its full-year 2025 guidance with numbers lower than Wall Street expectations. Its medical cost ratio jumped 430 bps YoY to 89.4% due to medical cost trends and the ongoing effects of Medicare funding reductions. The Stocktwits community is heavily debating whether this is a value trap or a buying opportunity as the stock reaches its YTD lows. 😬 

Sarepta Therapeutics rose 15% after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed the company to resume shipping its gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Elevidys) to children who are still able to walk.

Two patient deaths were reported earlier this year, causing the company to pause shipments as a complete review of safety information was completed. Today’s move marks a partial resolution, sending shares higher. 💊 

Merck fell 2% after narrowing its full-year earnings outlook and announcing a restructuring program focused on cutting $3 billion in costs. It’s now down 16% YTD and 34% over the last twelve months.

Bristol Myers and Bain Capital are launching an independent company focused on developing immunology drugs, backed by $300 million in funding. It will work on five experimental drugs licensed from Bristol Myers, which will receive 20% equity in the venture and royalties/milestone payments based on the drugs’ success. 🤝 

POPS & DROPS
Top Stocktwits News Stories 🗞️ 

Lucid Motors fell 8% after signing a multi-year partnership with actor Timothee Chalamet, their first-ever Global Brand Ambassador. Read more.

Advanced Micro Devices rose another 3% after Bank of America raised its price target from $175 to $200 ahead of its earnings report on August 5th. Read more.

Walmart signed a multi-year partnership with the official partner of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Leagues Cup, as it pushes further into experiential retail and sports marketing. Read more.

Hershey jumped 1% after Stifel raised its price target from $160 to $180, maintaining its ‘hold’ rating. Read more.

Spotify fell 11% despite strong Q2 results and an upbeat outlook. Read more.

Royal Caribbean fell 5% despite CEO Jason Liberty saying that customer sentiment remains “very positive,” bolstered by a strong labor market, high wages, and surplus savings.” Read more.

Starbucks rose 4% after hours despite posting its sixth straight quarter of same-store sales declines. CEO Brian Niccol says the turnaround is ahead of schedule. Read more.

Opendoor fell 14% following the Board of Directors’ decision to delay the “special meeting” where they were to consider a reverse stock split. Read more.

Leslie’s dumped 34% after withdrawing fiscal 2025 forecasts and says Q3 net sales will decline 12%, saying wet weather has disrupted peak pool season. Read more.

Anthropic is reportedly close to securing $5 billion in fresh funding at a $170 billion valuation. It raised $3.5 billion at a $61.5 billion valuation in March. Read more.

Wedbush’s Dan Ives calls for ‘strong results’ from Microsoft, Apple, Meta, and Amazon, saying AI revolution will drive the second half of 2025. Read More.

Don’t miss a story! Follow @StocktwitsNews for a live feed in real time. ✍️ 

POLICY
What To Expect From The FOMC Meeting 📝 

This week’s FOMC meeting is expected to be uneventful, with the bond market (as measured by the CME FedWatch Tool) indicating a 97% chance of rates remaining unchanged. Most of the Stocktwits Community also sees things remaining unchanged, with 58% of our 25,000 vote poll expressing that view. 💤 

Source: Stocktwits

Jerome Powell’s commentary will be the wildcard, as the Fed’s updated economic projections in June already told the story of slowing growth and sticky inflation. However, after a record run from the April lows, the stock market and other risk assets have stalled as the market’s focus shifts to earnings season.

The pause in momentum suggests that investors are looking for reasons to sell in this environment, so any unexpected comments or weirdly phrased Q&A answers from Powell could trigger some weakness. Other than that, most expect the first rate cut to come in September, so we’ll keep our ears open for any hints there. 👂️ 

PRESENTED BY STOCKTWITS
Daily Rip Live With Guest Host Jake Wujastyk 🤩

Katie Petty, Shay Boloor, and Jake Wujastyk break down today’s biggest trends and the opportunities they’re seeing in the market. They break down the moves in Novo Nordisk, SoFi, Webull, PayPal, Boeing, Union Pacific, and more below!

WHAT’S ON DECK
Tomorrow’s Top Things 📋

Economic data: ADP Employment Change (8:15 am), Q2 GDP Estimate (8:30 am), Pending Home Sales (10:00 am), Crude Oil Inventories (10:30 am), FOMC Rate Decision (2:00 pm), and FOMC Press Conference (2:30 pm ET). 📊

Pre-Market Earnings: Etsy ($ETSY), Teva Pharmaceuticals ($TEVA), Altria ($MO), Amarin Corp. ($AMRN), Kraft Heinz ($KHC), Fiverr International ($FVRR). 🛏️

After-Hour Earnings: Meta ($META), Microsoft ($MSFT), Robinhood ($HOOD), Qualcomm ($QCOM), Lam Research ($LCRX), Arm Holdings ($ARM), Carvana ($CVNA), MGM Resorts ($MGM), eBay ($EBAY), Ford ($F), Applied Digital ($APLD). 🎧

P.S. You can listen to all of these earnings calls and more straight from the Stocktwits app or website. You’ll find them on the calendar page and individual symbol pages once they’re set to begin! We’ll see you there. 👍

Links That Don’t Suck 🌐

🔺 IMF upgrades global growth forecast as tariffs ease

👟 Nike loses head of North America women’s business to Athleta

🌏️ China pitches global AI governance group as the US goes it alone

💰️ SoFi announces $1.5 billion common stock offering with Goldman Sachs

💳️ JPMorgan Chase is nearing a deal to replace Goldman Sachs as Apple Card issuer, sources say

🧐 US health officials crack down on kratom-related products after complaints from supplement industry

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