Stocks Hit New Records on US-China Trade Optimism; Qualcomm Shares Soar on AI Chips for Data Centers

Keurig Dr Pepper Stock Jumped Today. Here’s Why

15 minutes ago

Shares of Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) gained when the soft-drink giant posted better-than-expected results and raised its outlook on strong domestic sales and the benefit from its acquisition of Ghost energy drinks.

The company behind its namesake coffee and soda products reported third-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $0.54, in line with what analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha were expecting. Revenue climbed 10.7% to $4.31 billion, beating estimates.

CEO Tim Cofer said the performance was lifted by “robust growth in U.S. Refreshment Beverages and encouraging sequential progress in U.S. Coffee.” U.S. Refreshment Beverages sales increased 14.4% to $2.7 billion. U.S. coffee sales were up 1.5% to $991 million as the company boosted prices for K-Cups. The Ghost acquisition added 4.4 percentage points of volume/mix growth, the company said.

Keurig Dr Pepper now sees full-year sales growth in constant currency in the high-single-digit percent range, up from its previous forecast of a mid-single-digit percent increase.

Keurig Dr Pepper shares were up 7% in intraday trading on Monday, but remain down about 10% this year. 

–Bill McColl

Why Avidity Biosciences and Dyne Therapeutic Stocks Soared 40% Monday

40 minutes ago

Shares of Avidity Biosciences (RNA) soared more than 40% Monday after Novartis (NVS) agreed to buy the U.S. biopharmaceutical firm for about $12 billion in cash to expand its RNA-based disease-fighting pipeline.

The Swiss-based drugmaker said Avidity investors would be paid $72 for every share they owned, a 46.5% premium to Avidity’s closing price Friday. It noted that prior to completion of the sale, Avidity will spin off its early stage precision cardiology programs into a new company.

The acquisition gives Novartis access to three of Avidity’s late-stage experimental treatments for serious genetic neuromuscular disease, which use RNA therapeutics called Antibody Oligonucleotide Conjugates, or AOC.

Adding Avidity’s AOC platform ​and its late-stage assets will “bolster our commitment to delivering innovative, targeted and potentially first-in-class medicines to treat devastating, progressive neuromuscular diseases,” said Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of next year.

Read the full article here.

–Bill McColl

Tesla Stock Surges as Board Chair Writes to Shareholders to Vote for Musk Pay Package

1 hr 20 min ago

Tesla (TSLA) stock jumped about 5% in recent trading after Robyn Denholm, the EV maker’s board chair, wrote a letter urging shareholders to vote for CEO Elon Musk’s pay package worth roughly $1 trillion.

Ahead of a vote on Musk’s pay early next month, Denholm wrote that “we necessarily considered what Tesla’s future without Elon would look like, and we did not believe it was the future that our shareholders deserve.” She added that “The bottom line is simple: Elon is rewarded only if and when he delivers extraordinary performance that benefits all Tesla shareholders.”

Last week, Musk railed against proxy advisory firms ISS and Glass Lewis—which recently urged investors to vote against the proposed pay package amid worries it could be too dilutive—as “corporate terrorists.”

Tesla shares are up 13% this year, trailing the benchmark S&P 500’s 16% gains.

The S&P 500 Keeps Hitting Record Highs. Investors Should Monitor These Critical Levels

2 hr 38 min ago

The S&P 500 (SPX) hit a fresh record high early Monday at the start of a busy week that includes high-stakes trade talks, the Federal Reserve’s decision on interest rates, and a wave of earnings reports from major technology companies.

The benchmark index surged Friday after a tamer-than-expected September inflation data reinforced expectations that the Fed’s policy committee will cut the benchmark rate at the end of its two-day meeting on Wednesday. Progress on trade talks between the U.S. and China, ahead of a meeting later this week between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is boosting sentiment this morning. Meanwhile, investors are preparing for the busiest earnings week of the quarter, highlighted by reports from Meta Platforms (META), Microsoft (MSFT), Alphabet (GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN), and Apple (AAPL).

The S&P 500 was up nearly 1% at 6,850 in the opening minutes of Monday’s session. The index has gained about 40% since hitting its low for the year in early April and is up 15% since the start of the year, boosted by strong corporate earnings, investor enthusiasm about AI stocks, and expectations for further rate cuts by the Fed.

The S&P 500 has traded within an ascending broadening formation since late May, recently finding support near the pattern’s lower trendline and 50-day moving average (MA).

Meanwhile, the relative strength index confirms bullish momentum and sits well below previous peaks, indicating room for further upside. However, the large-cap benchmark closed just below the upper Bollinger Band on Friday, suggesting that near-term gains may be limited before a potential pullback or consolidation.

Read the full technical analysis piece here.

–Timothy Smith

Robinhood Markets Stock Pops as It Brings Futures Trading to UK Market

3 hr 5 min ago

Robinhood Markets (HOOD) was the best-performing stock in the S&P 500 soon after markets opened Monday, with shares up 6%.

Shares popped after the company announced that it would be rolling out futures trading to eligible customers in the UK in coming weeks, with a $0.75 contract fee per trade. Customers will be able to trade on more than 40 CME Group (CME) futures products, including those on the S&P 500, oil, and gold.

“In the UK, futures trading has traditionally been seen as the preserve of institutional investors, with limited resources to help retail traders get started,” Robinhood UK president Jordan Sinclair said. “Today, we start changing that. We’re introducing futures trading in the UK with an intuitive mobile experience, smarter tools, education and insights and some of the lowest fees in the industry.”

 Robinhood shares have skyrocketed about 300% in 2025.

Carter’s Stock Drops on Weak Sales, Plan to Close Roughly 150 North American Stores

3 hr 58 min ago

Shares of Carter’s (CRI) sank 7% in premarket trading after the baby-apparel retailer reported weaker-than-expected third-quarter net sales and plans to close about 150 stores in North America.

The Atlanta-based firm reported sales of $757.8 million, down 0.1% year-over-year, when analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha expected a rise to $772.4 million. Adjusted earnings of $0.74 per share topped estimates of $0.63 per share.

CEO Douglas Palladini attributed the results in part to “elevated product costs, in part due to the impact of higher tariffs.”

Carter’s said it plans to shutter about 150 stores in North America over the next three years, up from its prior target of roughly 100 stores. “When considering sales transfer to nearby Carter’s stores and online and the elimination of fixed store expenses, the net impact of the closures is expected to be accretive to the Company’s profitability,” it said. The company also plans to lay off about 300 corporate positions, or 15%, by the end of this year.

Carter’s shares entered Monday down 40% this year.

Shares of US Rare-Earth Firms Sink Before Bell on Bessent Comments

5 hr 6 min ago

Shares of U.S. rare-earth producers dropped in premarket trading on comments by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that would delay export curbs of the minerals.

Critical Metals (CRML), USA Rare Earth (USAR), and MP Materials (MP) sank a respective 10%, 9%, and 6% before the bell after Bessent told ABC that “I believe they are going to delay that for a year while they re-examine it.”

The U.S. firms’ shares had soared earlier this month following Washington’s trade spat with Beijing. Rare-earth minerals are key to many high-tech industries, including chipmaking, and China is the top global producer. 

Entering Monday, shares of MP Materials, Critical Metals, and USA Rare Earth had skyrocketed about 350%, 120%, and 105%, respectively.

Stock Futures Rise on US-China Trade Optimism

5 hr 47 min ago

Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.6%.

S&P 500 futures advanced 0.9%.

Nasdaq 100 futures surged 1.3%.