Stock Indexes Close Higher Ahead of Nvidia Results; Dow, S&P 500 Snap Four-Session Skids

What to Expect from Walmart Earnings Thursday

36 minutes ago

Walmart’s going through plenty these days—but so are its customers. Both topics are likely to take center stage when the retail giant reports its third-quarter results on Thursday.

The update comes during a time of transition for both the company and the economy. Walmart’s (WMT) long-time CEO Doug McMillon will step down at the end of January and advise his replacement: John Furner, who has been with the company for some 45 years.

The company is switching CEOs during one of its most successful periods. Shares of Walmart hit an all-time high last month—though they’ve since fallen some 8%—after it said itwas working with OpenAI on reaching those shopping through ChatGPT. Walmart’s e-commerce and delivery business has been booming, drawing in customers with larger incomes. The company has also gained market-share with middle- and low-income consumers.

But the company has also seen signs that consumers are growing cautious. Some middle- and low-income shoppers avoided items after their prices were pushed up by tariffs, McMillon said in August.

Americans have been exhibiting a range of reactions to an economy that’s been hard to read, in part because data wasn’t published during the government shutdown. Unemployment remains relatively low, but major companies have laid off thousands, and hiring as slowed. Tariffs are putting pressure on prices, but they haven’t yet resulted in the inflation some expected.

Consumer sentiment crashed to a record low in November, though Americans continued to spend more on retail purchases. This could reflect the confidence, and spending, of wealthy consumers, who have benefitted from stock-market gains. They may cut back if the recent market slump persists.

Analysts expect Walmart to report $177.5 billion in revenue, a roughly 4.7% increase from a year earlier, according to a consensus analyst estimate compiled by Visible Alpha. They anticipate this shaking out to about $0.60 in earnings per diluted share, up from $0.58 a year earlier, per Visible Alpha. Same-store sales in the U.S. are expected to have risen about 3.9%, , according to consensus estimates from Visible Alpha.

Walmart is slated to release its numbers and address investors before the opening bell. Wall Street analysts are broadly optimistic about the stock, with all the analysts tracked by Visible Alpha holding bulling ratings.

–Sarina Trangle

Nvidia Earnings Sail Past Wall Street Expectations

47 minutes ago

AI chip giant Nvidia (NVDA) blew past Wall Street expectations with its quarterly results, sending the stock sharply higher in extended trading. The company also issued rosy revenue guidance for the current quarter, as CEO Jensen Huang said sales of its AI Blackwell platform are “off the charts.”

The company at the center of the AI boom posted adjusted earnings of $1.30 per share in the just-completed fiscal 2026 third quarter, above the $1.26 that analysts had expected, while revenue soared 62% from a year ago to $57 billion, topping the consensus analyst estimate of $55.4 billion. Nvidia pegs fourth-quarter revenue at $65 billion.

The strong results from Nvidia are bound to revive optimism about the AI trade and give the broader market a boost, though its unclear the extent to which it will ease concerns about an AI bubble.

Nvidia shares, which have lost 12% of their value since hitting a record high in late October, were up 5% in recent after-hours trading, after gaining about 3% during the regular session. Despite its weakness in recent weeks, the stock has risen nearly 40% this year through Wednesday’s close, about three times the gain of the benchmark S&P 500 index.

Read Investopedia’s full coverage of Nvidia’s results, including comments from executives during the post-earnings conference call, and reaction from investors.

Nvidia Expected to Report Blowout Earnings

4 hr 9 min ago

The big event is fast approaching. Happy Nvidia Earnings Day, everyone.

The AI chip giant is scheduled to release its quarterly results about 20 minutes after the closing bell today, and investors are expecting big things from the company at the center of the AI boom.

Analysts on average expect Nvidia (NVDA) to report $55.4 billion in revenue for the just-completed fiscal 2026 third quarter, a near-60% increase over the year-ago period, while adjusted earnings per share are estimated at $1.26. So-called whisper numbers on Wall Street point to even higher-expectations among investors, who will also be looking to CEO Jensen Huang to provide assurances that the company will continue to post massive revenue growth and that the company’s investments are paying off.

Anything less than blockbuster results could weigh heavily on Nvidia shares and the broader market, affecting all sorts of investors. Nvidia and other tech stocks have come under pressure recently, pulling major indexes down from record highs, as concerns have mounted that an AI bubble may be forming.

This Energy Provider Is Latest Beneficiary of Trump’s Nuclear Push With $1B Loan to Restart Three Mile Island Reactor

4 hr 17 min ago

Constellation Energy (CEG) shares surged Wednesday after the power provider said it won a federal loan of up to $1 billion to restart a nuclear reactor at Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island.

The shares were up over 5% in recent trading, bringing their year-to-date gains close to 60%.

CEO Joe Dominguez praised the government’s quick decision on the loan, calling it “another huge step towards bringing hundreds of megawatts of reliable nuclear power onto the grid at this critical moment.”

Shares of Constellation and a number of other nuclear energy companies, such as Vistra (VST) and Oklo (OKLO), have seen their stocks surge this year amid anticipation of growing demand to power AI data centers, along with support from President Trump, who signed several executive orders in recent months meant to boost the industry. Shares of Vistra are up about 30% for 2025, while Oklo shares have nearly quintupled in value.

Read the full article here.

–Bill McColl

Target Has a New Idea for Spotting Trends: It’s Asking AI.

4 hr 45 min ago

Target is trying a new trick for tapping trends: asking AI.

The retailer is involving artificial intelligence in merchandising and marketing decisions as it tries to recapture its reputation for affordable-but-fashionable finds. Staff are using Target Trend Brain—an internal generative AI tool—to predict and respond to fads, Target (TGT) CEO Michael Fiddelke said on a conference call Wednesday.

It’s also testing products and promotions on “synthetic audiences” to simulate how various consumers would respond to them, he said.

“By leveraging AI to capture color, material, style and product details [and] applying consumer research and our brand principles, we can deliver unique and on-trend products to our guests faster than ever before,” Fiddelke said, according to a transcript made available by AlphaSense. 

Read the full article here.

–Sarina Trangle

Bitcoin’s Price May Be Falling, But Michael Saylor Feels ‘Indestructible’

5 hr 20 min ago

The bumps and bruises keep coming for bitcoin. Michael Saylor says he’s unbowed.

The world’s most well-known and biggest cryptocurrency is continuing to sink. On Wednesday, bitcoin (BTCUSD) set a new weekly low, falling below $89,000, according to research platform Messari. Meanwhile, crypto-linked stocks were in retreat on a tentatively upbeat day for markets: Strategy (MSTR) slid more than 11% and Coinbase Global (COIN), almost 5%, as of Wednesday afternoon.

Many investors, big and small appear to be in sell mode. While there has been some recently “buying the dip” in crypto markets on Robinhood (HOOD), according to CIO Stephanie Guild, volumes haven’t been as large as during past drawdowns. Meanwhile, spot bitcoin ETFs have collectively seen five consecutive days of net outflows totaling nearly $2.3 billion, according to Farside Investors.

There’s at least one whale-size buyer amid the wreckage: Strategy, which earlier this week disclosed that it added to its stockpile. Executive chair Michael Saylor says he’s unfazed by the latest downturn.

“Never ₿ack Down,” he wrote on X earlier today, using the “B” symbol that denotes bitcoin and sharing art depicting himself as a soldier of yore. (A few days ago, he was on a lifeboat, fleeing a sinking ship, in another artistic offering.)

Read the full article here.

–Crystal Kim

Plug Power Stock Is Plunging. Here’s What Investors Need to Know

5 hr 54 min ago

Plug Power (PLUG) shares sank Wednesday after the maker of hydrogen fuel cells announced it would sell $375 million in debt that could be converted into stock.

The company said the notes would pay a rate of 6.75%, and be sold to qualified institutional investors in a private offering. Plug Power said that it intends to use $245.6 million in net proceeds to pay off current debt having a rate of 15%, and $101.6 million plus cash on hand to pay off another debt at 7%.

The company said the notes can be converted into Plug Power stock at an initial rate of 333.3333 shares for every $1,000 of notes. That works out to a conversion price of about $3 per share—roughly a 40% premium over the stock’s Nov. 18 closing price of $2.14.

The conversions will be settled in cash, stock, or a combination of both. The notes cannot be converted until Feb. 28, 2026.

Shares of Plug Power were down 16% in mid-afternoon trading, at $1.80. The stock has lost 60% of its value since hitting a 52-week high of $4.58 in early October.

–Bill McColl

The TJ Maxx CEO Says Value-Conscious Holiday Shoppers Are Driving Sales

6 hr 29 min ago

TJX (TJX) shares traded near their all-time highs Wednesday after the off-price retailer posted better-than-expected quarterly results and boosted its outlook.

The stock jumped close to 4% before paring back some of its early gains, leaving it just below its record levels Wednesday afternoon. The shares have added roughly a fifth of their value in 2025 so far.

The operator of TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Home Goods, and Sierra stores posted earnings per share of $1.28 for the third quarter, above analysts’ estimates compiled by Visible Alpha. Revenue jumped 7.5% year-over-year to $15.12 billion, also above estimates.

Same-store sales grew 5%, above company forecasts. By division, sales rose 8% at HomeGoods, 8% at TJX Canada, 9% at TJX International, and 7% at Marmaxx—a category that includes TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Sierra, and e-commerce stores.

CEO Ernie Herrman said the strong results underscore the company’s “value proposition and treasure-hunt shopping experience, which continue to draw consumers to our retail banners worldwide.”

Read the full article here.

–Bill McColl

After a Weak Summer, US Job Market Shows Signs of Recovery With 51,000 New Jobs Expected

6 hr 50 min ago

A long-delayed report on job growth Thursday is likely to show the job market bounced back in September after a dismal summer.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is set to publish its monthly report on job creation and unemployment for September on Thursday, six weeks after its regularly scheduled release. The report was one of many official statistics delayed by the government shutdown that ended last week. It will indicate whether and to what extent the job market has recovered after a significant slowdown over the majority of the summer.

U.S. employers likely added 51,000 jobs in September, according to a consensus forecast cited by economists at Bank of America. That would be more than double the 22,000 added in August, but still relatively few by recent standards: The economy added an average of 147,000 jobs each month in the 12 months through April, for example.

The unemployment rate is expected to hold steady at 4.3%, a relatively low rate by historic standards, according to the consensus forecast.

The report will demonstrate how well the job market is weathering several headwinds, including uncertainty created by President Donald Trump’s increased tariffs on most U.S. trading partners and the growing use of artificial intelligence.

Read the full article here.

–Diccon Hyatt

Why Robinhood’s CIO Has Been Looking to ‘Protect Some Capital’ Lately

7 hr 23 min ago

Some “smart money” has been seeing signs of rain—and reaching for the umbrella.

Robinhood (HOOD), the company behind the popular retail trading app, last week added to its allocation to T-bills, the short-term Treasury notes considered some of the safest investments around, “to protect some capital,” CIO Stephanie Guild said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Wednesday.

“I felt like the market was giving you signs that it was going to sell off a bit,” Guild said.

As the Cboe Volatility Index, or the VIX, spiked and broad market benchmarks reflected investor jitters, some pros were making moves to shore up their portfolios. Meanwhile, retail investors have started to tiptoe back into some of this year’s high-flyers after they took a dip.

Robinhood Strategies, the March-launched robo-advisor with over $1 billion in assets, added to its healthcare investments in October, according to Guild, and slimmed its holdings in technology. She said investors were right to start questioning the valuations of stocks ginned up on the AI-rally, and that while she believes in the possible benefits of the technology, one has to reckon with the short-term question of how much it’ll cost to develop.

Read the full article here.

–Crystal Kim

Nvidia’s Earnings Report Arrives Tonight and Its Stock Is Rising Ahead of the News

7 hr 34 min ago

Nvidia shares are showing signs of life on a critical day for financial markets.

The stock was up 2% recently ahead of the release of Nvidia’s (NVDA) quarterly results after the closing bell, the most highly anticipated event of the earnings reporting season. Coming into today’s session, the stock had lost nearly 15% of its value since hitting a record high in late October. But it’s still up nearly 40% for the year, roughly three times the gain of the S&P 500 and trailing only Google parent Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) in the Magnificent 7.

Hyperbolizing about the importance of Nvidia’s quarterly results has become a bit of investor vogue lately. Will they determine the future of the company—currently the world’s most-valuable—all humanity, or just the AI trade? Whatever the case, the numbers will be closely watched and the insta-analysis plentiful.

Stocks, and particularly tech stocks, have been under pressure lately, as investors have begun to look for cracks in the argument for ever-higher investment in AI technology and offered up some skepticism about the arguably circular nature of investment in the industry.

“I think people are really gonna need (CEO Jensen Huang) to explain this circular deal mentality, because I don’t think it’s stopping anytime soon,” said Ben Reitzes, Head of Tech Research at Melius Research, in an interview on CNBC Wednesday morning. Reitzes said investors will want to hear more from Huang on his methodology, the kinds of return on investment Nvidia expects and what he sees in AI usage that gives him confidence investments are good ones.

Read the full article here.

–David Marino-Nachison

Lowe’s Stock Is Jumping After Earnings. Here’s Why Its Results Were Different Than Home Depot’s.

8 hr 26 min ago

Lowe’s (LOW) shares surged Wednesday after the home improvement retailer reported profits that topped analysts’ expectations, just a day after rival Home Depot’s (HD) profits fell short.

Lowe’s stock was up over 5% in recent trading, making it one of the best-performing stocks in the S&P 500 Wednesday morning.

The retail giant posted adjusted earnings of $3.06 per share in the third quarter, up from $2.89 the same time last year and well above the analyst consensus compiled by Visible Alpha. Revenue was roughly in line with estimates at $20.81 billion, while comparable sales grew slower than expected at 0.4%.

Lowe’s said a jump in sales online and to professional contractors helped drive the results, along with double-digit growth in “home services,” in which customers can call on professionals in the company’s network to help with tasks such as installing appliances or flooring.

Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison also said that the current quarter has started with positive comparable sales growth, which he said is notable given Lowe’s saw strong sales activity this time last year as hurricanes drove demand.

Lowe’s lifted its full-year revenue forecast to $86 billion, up from a range of $84.5 billion to $85.5 billion previously and above the analyst consensus. However, the retailer said it sees adjusted EPS coming in at the lower end of its range, at $12.25 compared to its previous projection of $12.20 to $12.45, citing “ongoing uncertainty in the macroeconomic environment.” The company said it now anticipates roughly flat comparable sales, compared to flat to 1% growth previously.

Read the full article here.

–Aaron McDade

Do Nvidia Earnings Have You Worried About What’s Next For Markets? You’re Not Alone

8 hr 42 min ago

Nvidia’s quarterly results are almost here, and anxiety is running high.

The Cboe Volatility Index (VIX), known as Wall Street’s Fear Index, on Tuesday ended the day just below 25, near its highest level since May, when the market was cooling off from April’s tariff tantrum. The index has risen substantially in the past week after coasting along in the mid-teens throughout the second half of the year. (It was recently a bit below 24; a reading below 20 is generally considered calm.)

And CNN’s Fear & Greed Index, which tracks seven stock-market metrics to gauge the mood on Wall Street, yesterday fell to its lowest level since mid-April. Six of the seven index inputs were flashing “Extreme Fear” on Wednesday morning, with measures of momentum and market breadth having slumped in recent weeks.

Recent anxiety has centered on AI, with some investors worrying that tech giants are overspending on technology with uncertain commercial prospects. Others argue AI will transform nearly every industry, justifying tech’s massive investments and high stock valuations. 

The AI bubble debate has been playing out for some time, but it intensified this month. Forty-five percent of fund managers surveyed by Bank of America in November said an AI bubble was the biggest tail risk facing the market, up from 33% last month and just over 10% in September. More than half of those surveyed said AI was already in a bubble.

Read the full article here.

–Colin Laidley

Energy Is Worst-Performing S&P 500 Sector Wednesday

9 hr 17 min ago

On a positive day for the S&P 500, energy shares are underperforming.

The S&P 500 Energy Sector was by far the worst performer of the 11 industries tracked by the benchmark index, down 1.7%—roughly double the second-worst-performing sector, Real Estate.

Eversource Energy (ES) was the worst-performing individual stock in the S&P 500, with shares tumbling about 8.5%. APA (APA), Valero Energy (VLO), Phillips 66 (PSX), and Marathon Petroleum (MPC) also were among the biggest decliners Wednesday morning.

The S&P 500 overall was up about 0.4%, on pace to snap a four-session skid.

Bullish Stock Drops on Higher-Than-Expected Expenses Outlook

9 hr 59 min ago

Bullish (BLSH) investors are not so bullish about its fourth-quarter expenses projection.

Shares of the cryptocurrency exchange dropped more than 5% Wednesday morning after the Peter Thiel-backed firm said it sees current-quarter adjusted operating expenses of $48.0 million to $50.0 million. Analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha had expected $46.6 million.

Bullish, which also operates the CoinDesk crypto information site, reported mixed third-quarter results, with adjusted revenue of $76.5 million topping analysts’ expectations but digital asset sales of $41.6 billion coming up short of consensus.

Bullish shares have lost nearly half their value since their August IPO.

La-Z-Boy Stock Soars After Furniture Retailer Unexpectedly Delivers Sales Growth Despite ‘Choppy Landscape’

11 hr 44 min ago

La-Z-Boy (LZB) shares ended trading yesterday having lost nearly a third of their value in 2025. They look poised to significantly pare their yearly declines today.

Shares of the Monroe, Mich.-based furniture maker soared 11% in premarket trading Wednesday, a day after the company unexpectedly posted a year-over-year sales increase in its fiscal 2026 second quarter.

La-Z-Boy reported Q2 sales of $522.5 million. Although up just 0.3% from a year ago, analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha had expected a slight decline. Wholesale segment sales increased 2%.

“We were pleased to deliver modest sales growth, particularly in our Wholesale segment where we also again delivered margin expansion, continuing to create our own momentum in what remains a choppy landscape,” CEO Melinda Whittington said.

Adjusted profit of $0.71 per share easily topped analysts’ consensus forecast of $0.53.

“We are proactively taking steps to optimize our portfolio,” Whittington added. “We have announced plans to exit our non-core wholesale casegoods and upholstery businesses in the back half of the fiscal year, announced the proposed closure of our U.K. manufacturing facility, and strategically realigned our commercial leadership and corporate staffing to enhance operating efficiency.”

La-Z-Boy shares entered the day down 32% this year. 

Peter Thiel’s Hedge Fund Dumped Nvidia Shares Just Before Its Big Earnings Report

12 hr 37 min ago

While everybody is watching for Nvidia’s earnings report tomorrow, a few big investors have already taken their chips off the table.

Thiel Macro, tech titan Peter Thiel’s hedge fund, revealed in a regulatory filing late last week that it sold its entire stake in the AI bellwether during the third quarter. The 537,742 shares the firm held heading into the quarter would have been worth approximately $100 million at the end of September.

While people may sell assets for all sorts of reasons, Thiel joins a growing list of heavy hitters whose Nvidia (NVDA) moves have lately raised eyebrows on Wall Street. Japanese investment firm SoftBank revealed last week that it sold its entire Nvidia stake in October, raising about $5.8 billion. (Executives said the position was liquidated to fund investments in another AI darling, OpenAI.)

Others have outright bet against Nvidia. Scion Asset Management, run by Michael Burry, the hedge fund manager of “The Big Short” fame, revealed earlier this month that it sold short Nvidia shares valued at $186 million in the third quarter. (Scion also had a short bet against Palantir (PLTR), the data analytics firm Thiel founded in 2003, valued at more than $900 million at the end of the quarter.)

Some on Wall Street are increasingly worried that the AI boom is actually an AI bubble. They point to elevated stock valuations, uncertainty about AI’s revenue potential, and a series of circular deals between vendors and customers as causes for concern. AI bulls contend that valuations are modest compared with the Dotcom Bubble, to which the current investment cycle is frequently compared, and remind skeptics that AI investment is being driven by hugely profitable tech businesses.

Read the full article here.

–Colin Laidley

Stock Futures Tick Higher Ahead of Nvidia Earnings

13 hr 9 min ago

Futures contracts tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged 0.1% higher.

S&P 500 futures advanced 0.3%.

Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.4%.