Hold The Ketchup 🥪
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CLOSING BELL
It’s Friday!
Welp it’s a wrap, the market closed down for the week after a red Friday.
It was a tumultuous week that matched record prices with new tariff pauses, with a fresh 35% threat on Canada if negotiators fail to reach a deal soon. Still, initial earnings reports from the newest quarter showed an ever-resilient U.S. consumer that kept buying despite rising costs. Next week, the six largest banks report to really get the earnings season going. Bloomberg analyst estimates show the market expects trading revenue bumps after record trading days in April.
In the meantime, Bitcoin, crypto in general, and Nvidia keep hitting all-time highs. Nvidia’s founder, Jensen Huang, became richer than Warren Buffett, selling his stock this week. Oh, and the Chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac said Powell might resign over redecorations. Hope you have a wonderful weekend. 👀
Today’s issue covers Kraft Heinz might go back to Kraft, Heinz; Walgreens is going private finally, and more. 📰
With the final numbers for indexes and the ETFs that track them, 2 of 11 sectors closed green, with energy $XLE ( ▲ 0.45% ) leading and financials $XLF ( ▼ 1.04% ) lagging.
S&P 500 $SPY ( ▼ 0.35% ) 6,259
Nasdaq 100 $QQQ ( ▼ 0.23% ) 22,780
Russell 2000 $IWM ( ▼ 1.38% ) 2,234
Dow Jones $DIA ( ▼ 0.66% ) 44,371
STOCKS
Hold The Ketchup, Sandwiches Might Have Two Christmases This Year 🥪
Kraft, the maker of Heinz ketchup and Dijon mustard, is preparing for a breakup, an important reminder for M&A heads enjoying 2025’s dealmaking.
According to an exclusive from the Wall Street Journal, the $32B market cap tableside giant is reversing the massive merger orchestrated by Warren Buffett and 3G Partners private equity a decade ago.
The firm hopes to spin off many Kraft products into a separate entity valued at as much as $20B. It would mean Kraft singles and lunchmeats might trade under a separate name, while the mainline Kraft Heinz ticker $KHC ( ▲ 2.53% ) focuses on trending products like hot sauce, according to the report.
Just four years into the marriage, the 2015 merger had soured, unlike Kraft cheese, which never seems to go bad at the bottom of my fridge drawer. In 2019, the firm said it faced higher costs and pressure on its brands, even writing down the Kraft and Oscar Mayer valuations by $15B.
Since the deal, the stock has fallen 60%, and the goal of the divorce (if the board approves it) is to create two firms that add up to a greater valuation separately.
The split would punctuate a sign of the slimming times. In the face of Ozempic-skinny customers and inflating price tags, big food has faced big problems in the North American market, and it might not even be the main course yet. 🍗
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No wonder Pacaso has earned $110M+ in gross profits to date, including 41% YoY growth last year alone. Now, with new homes planned in Milan, Rome, and Florence, they’re really hitting their stride. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.
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*3rd Party Ad. Not an offer or recommendation by Stocktwits. See disclosure here.
COMPANY NEWS
Walgreens Finally Going Private
Speaking of deals, Walgreens shareholders approved a $10B take-private deal with Sycamore Partners, the firm said Friday.
If you think major food brands are struggling, you should take a peek at big pharmacies. There is only so much loss you can blame on shoplifting, especially while paying millions in opiate marketing settlements, and Walgreens, Rite Aid, and CVS are closing hundreds of stores while Americans more frequently shop for drugstore goods online, or in line at Walmart.
Sycamore Partners, in a deal first announced in March, finally closed in on a price tag. Shareholders approved a $10B aquizition to take $WBA ( ▼ 0.35% ) private, in a deal that will pay out $11.45 a share.
After nearly a century on the public markets, the firm will finally shut its shares down, having dropped from a price of $30 not two years ago.
POPS & DROPS
Top Stocktwits News Stories 🗞️
IMAX gained ground after bullish forecasts pointed to a record-breaking year, driven by strong blockbuster demand and the expansion of premium formats. Read more
Novartis failed to block MSN Pharmaceuticals from launching a generic version of its heart failure drug Entresto before its patent expires in late 2026. Read more
OPEC projected oil demand will rise 19% by 2050—driven partly by Trump’s Paris Accord exit and India’s growth—even as near-term forecasts were revised downward. Read more
Performance Food jumped 10% after reports that US Foods expressed interest in a potential merger, which could create a $100B food distribution giant. Read more
MSTR, Riot, and Coinbase rallied after Bitcoin topped $118,000 despite weakness in equity markets, as crypto sentiment turned extremely bullish and retail activity surged. Read more
Crypto leveraged traders faced two separate billion-dollar wipeouts in just 30 days as rising volatility and macro surprises triggered record forced liquidations across major tokens. Read more
MicroCloud flew after unveiling a $200M Bitcoin investment plan aimed at diversifying reserves and expanding its footprint in fintech and blockchain. Read more
XRP hit a 4-month high as retail traders piled in during Bitcoin’s rally, with momentum building toward a potential breakout above the $3 mark. Read more
Delta dropped after reports revealed it’s stripping engines from Airbus jets in Europe to avoid U.S. tariffs and power grounded aircraft back home. Read more
Louis Vuitton UK reported a cyberattack in which hackers accessed customer names, contact details, and purchase histories, marking the third breach across its LVMH brands in recent months. Read more
MiNK Therapeutics skyrocketed 700%+ after its cell therapy helped a patient achieve full remission in metastatic testicular cancer, with durable results lasting over two years. Read more
Don’t miss a story! Follow @StocktwitsNews for a live feed in real time. ✍️
STOCKTWITS RETAIL RADAR
Retail Bets Against Small-Caps After Big Run ($IWM) 🛑
After a record-breaking three-month run in U.S. equities, Stocktwits Sentiment suggests one index in particular might be due for a pullback. Let’s take a look at the Russell 2000 small-cap index.
First, Stocktwits Sentiment for the small-cap ETF $IWM has been steadily rising alongside prices since April. However, in mid-June, sentiment peaked, and during the rally last week, it signaled a divergence after failing to reach new highs. Now, sentiment has pushed firmly into ‘Bearish’ territory, suggesting retail is expecting a pullback after this record run. ⚠️
Source: Stocktwits
When combining this with the technicals, we see prices of Russell 2000 futures reaching a key area of support/resistance near 2,300. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is also signaling a divergence, and today’s price action erased this week’s gains. 🧐
Source: TradingView
With prices rallying a record 34% in three months, approaching a clear resistance area, and seeing momentum and Stocktwits sentiment diverging… retail investors are becoming more cautious at current levels. With earnings season kicking off next week, bulls are booking some gains and seeing how this index reacts in the days ahead.
Add $IWM to your watchlist to monitor this potential reversal. More importantly, to source these sentiment insights yourself, subscribe to Stocktwits Edge to unlock all the historical sentiment data for equities and crypto. 🔓️
*This real-time Stocktwits Sentiment use-case example was curated by Stocktwits’ Editor-in-Chief, Tom Bruni, and is solely for informational and educational purposes. Tom does not hold any positions in the Russell 2000 as of the time of publishing. For any questions or comments, please email tbruni[at]stocktwits[dot]com.
PRESENTED BY STOCKTWITS
WEEKEND RIP WITH BEN & EMIL: The Market’s Gone Disco, Elon’s AI Goes Rogue And Ben Gets Doinked On Ethereum Trades
Markets are on fire, Bitcoin hits new highs, and Ben narrowly avoids selling feet pics for crypto—welcome back to the Weekend Rip.
👉 Will Ben recover his ETH losses? Will Grok get reprogrammed before it’s too late? And is fettuccine the GOAT pasta? Find out on this week’s unhinged Weekend Rip.
Links That Don’t Suck 🌐
👀 Roblox Game-Buying Frenzy Is Turning Teens Into Millionaires
😨 Binance Aided Trump Crypto Firm Before Founder CZ Sought Pardon
📺️ Goldman Sachs is piloting its first autonomous coder in major AI milestone for Wall Street
⚠️(Project 2025 Architect) Vought ramps up criticism of Powell, vows investigation into Fed renovations
*3rd Party Ad. Not an offer or recommendation by Stocktwits. See disclosure here.
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