Benzinga examined the prospects for many investors' favorite stocks over the last week — here's a look at some of our top stories.
Wall Street climbed to fresh record highs this week, as rising expectations for imminent Fed rate cuts countered fears surrounding the ongoing U.S. government shutdown. Tech and AI-related names — led by Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) — continued to power gains, supporting broader market strength.
With the shutdown delaying key economic releases (including the jobs report), market participants leaned heavily on sentiment and forward rate expectations. Despite the political and fiscal uncertainty, investors remained sanguine, seemingly placing more weight on the prospect of easier monetary policy.
Looking ahead, markets will focus on how long the shutdown endures, whether delayed data will validate or undercut expectations for rate cuts, and whether the Fed will reinforce its independence amid political pressures.
Benzinga provides daily reports on the stocks most popular with investors. Here are a few of this past week's most bullish and bearish posts that are worth another look.
The Bulls
"Intel stock rallies 50% over the last month — government's stake nearly doubles to $16 billion", by Erica Kollmann, reports that Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) surged roughly 50% in the past month while the U.S. government's roughly 10% stake — acquired earlier this year — has increased in value to about $16 billion, bolstering investor confidence.
"Rumble stock jumps on strategic partnership with Perplexity", by Adam Eckert, reports that Rumble Inc. (NASDAQ:RUM) rallied after announcing a strategic partnership with Perplexity, which will integrate Perplexity's AI-powered tools into Rumble.com, launch a subscription bundle, and promote Perplexity's new "Comet" browser across the Rumble ecosystem.
"Trending quantum stocks — Rigetti and D-Wave are popping", by Erica Kollmann, reports that Rigetti Computing Inc. (NASDAQ:RGTI) and D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE:QBTS) led a surge in quantum stocks after gaining traction on social media — Rigetti scored ~$5.7 million in new purchase orders for its Novera systems, and analysts at B. Riley raised targets — while sector peers IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) and Quantum Computing (NASDAQ:QUBT) also rallied.
For additional bullish calls of the past week, check out the following:
IREN Stock Hits All-Time High — Still A ‘Picasso At A Garage Sale'
Magnificent 7 Set To Power Stocks Higher In Q4, Market Expert Says: ‘Stick With What's Working'
Nike Stock Jumps On Q1 Earnings Beat: ‘We Still Have Work Ahead'
The Bears
"DraftKings stock sinks despite major NBCUniversal sports advertising partnership", by Akanksha Bakshi, reports that DraftKings Inc. (NASDAQ:DKNG) announced a multi-year exclusive sports advertising and integration deal with NBCUniversal covering major leagues and events — yet the stock dropped over 10% as investors mulled the maneuver against stiff competitive pressures in the online gaming industry.
"Netflix stock slides as Musk calls on followers to ‘cancel' subscriptions", by Adam Eckert, reports that Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) shares dropped after Elon Musk urged his followers on X to cancel their Netflix subscriptions, citing content objections and positioning the call as a protest for "the health of your kids."
"Palantir and Anduril under fire over Army's ‘high risk' battlefield tech", by Anusuya Lahiri, reports that a U.S. Army internal memo flagged fundamental security vulnerabilities in the NGC2 battlefield communications prototype co-developed by Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) and Anduril, warning the system should be considered "very high risk" due to gaps in user access control, software integrity, and data logging.
For more bearish takes, be sure to see these posts:
Applied Materials Stock Is Sliding After Hours: Here's Why
Disney's $17 Million Monthly Loss: How Jimmy Kimmel Suspension Impacts Streaming Revenue
The Last Time This Signal Flashed, Stocks Cratered — It's Back Now
Keep up with all the latest breaking news and trading ideas by following Benzinga on X.
Image created using artificial intelligence via Midjourney.
