The stock market rally gave up ground as Iran fired nearly 200 ballistic missiles vs. Israel, which has said it will retaliate. The major indexes retreated but held some key levels. Nvidia rose as CEO Jensen Huang cited "insane" demand for the next-generation Blackwell AI chips. Tesla fell after deliveries failed to meet whisper numbers. Nike tumbled on mixed results and pulled guidance. Defense stocks rallied on the conflict. Oil prices soared, lifting energy stocks.
Jobs growth came in strong, adding to data signaling the economy is on track for a soft landing or better.
Stock Market Falls On Mideast Fears
The major indexes fell modestly in the latest week, but held key levels with the Dow Jones and S&P 500 still near record highs. Defense and energy stocks were winners due to Mideast fears, with crude oil skyrocketing. But an East Coast ports strike came and went, avoiding major economic disruptions. Strong economic data is pricing out another big rate cut. Treasury yields are running back.
Jobs Data Quells Economic Fears
Friday's September jobs report appears to be a game-changer, bringing an abrupt end to concerns about heightened downside risk to the labor market that prompted the Fed's big rate cut on Sept. 18. Employers added 254,000 jobs, blowing past economists' 132,500 forecast, while the private sector's 223,000 job gain topped estimates by nearly 100,000. July and August jobs were revised up by 72,000 combined. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate backed down to 4.05%, after touching 4.3% in August, and 12-month wage growth firmed back up to 4%, after falling as low as 3.6% in July. ISM reports showed that while factory activity continued to contract in September, the service sector shifted into higher gear. S&P Global raised its tracking estimate for Q3 GDP growth to 2.8% on Friday. Markets have largely priced out a big Fed rate cut.
Tesla Deliveries Fail To Wow
The EV giant delivered 462,890 EVs in Q3, up 6% vs. a year earlier and in line with various estimates. But it was below whisper numbers of 465,000-470,000, or higher. Q3 deliveries were fueled by solid China sales, which tend to be low margin. Also, Tesla said it deployed 6.9 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy storage products in Q3, down from 9.4 GWh in Q2, but up more than 70% compared to a year ago. Meanwhile, Tesla began taking orders for cheaper non-Foundation Series Cybertrucks. The dual-motor Cybertruck costs $79,990, making it eligible for $7,500 IRA tax credits. The tri-motor Cyberbeast begins at $99,990.
China EV Sales Records
EV makers in China set delivery records for the third quarter, as new models, subsidies, discounts and more affordable options have stoked demand. EV and battery giant BYD sales hit 1.135 million, up 15% vs. Q2, led by plug-in hybrids. BYD sold 419,426 in September. Among startups, Li Auto led with more than 53,000 in September. Nio, XPeng and Zeekr delivered more than 21,000 EVs in September. XPeng's Mo3 from its new Mona sub-brand, accounted for more than half the EV maker's sales. The L60, from Nio's new affordable Onvo brand, will ramp up in earnest in the current quarter. Hopes are high for that Model Y rival, which undercuts Tesla's bestseller in price. Electric cars now account for more than half new car sales in China, as a bitter price war rages on.
GM Leads U.S. Market Amid EV Gains
In the U.S., General Motors delivered 659,601 new vehicles in Q3, though sales were down 2%. Toyota sold 542,872 vehicles, down 8%. Ford Motor grew sales 1%, bucking a 2% decline for the overall industry. In Q2, Ford grew EV sales 12% and hybrid sales 38%. That offset a 3% slump for combustion-engine vehicles, which still account for most of its sales. But GM overtook Ford in the EV race for the first time as the low-cost Equinox led a Q3 surge. GM is now a distant second to Tesla in U.S. EV sales. Investors are likely to learn more about GM's EV strategy at its investor day on Tuesday.
Carnival Beats, But Rivals Rise
Carnival reported fiscal Q3 EPS rose 48% with revenue up 15% to $7.89 billion, both modestly beating, though revenue growth continues to slow. Carnival's advanced booked position for 2025 is already ahead of 2024's record, with higher prices than last year. The cruise line operator sees adjusted EBITDA increasing around 40% to $6 billion for the year, up from its prior guidance of $5.83 billion. However, Carnival stock fell modestly, backing off a buy point. Royal Caribbean rose within a buy zone while Viking Holdings flashed buy signals.
Nike Tumbles On Weak Sales, Pulled Guidance
Fiscal Q1 EPS fell 26%, beating views, but sales slumped 10% to $11.6 billion, slightly missing. on Tuesday posted Q1 2025 earnings of 70 cents per share on $11.6 billion in revenue. Nike Direct revenue declined 13%, driven by a 20% decrease in Nike brand digital sales. Softness continues to persist in North America and China, which saw geographic revenue decline 11% and 3%, respectively. Nike withdrew its full-year 2025 guidance and postponed its investor day due to its transitional period to incoming CEO Elliott Hill, who will take over for John Donahoe on Oct. 14. Instead, Nike will release quarterly outlooks and expects Q2 revenue down 8% to 10%. Shares tumbled.
News In Brief
Nvidia rose as CEO Jensen Huang cited "insane" demand for the next-generation Blackwell AI chips. He also said Blackwell production is in full swing.
Acuity Brands reported better-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter earnings and revenue, with profit growing 8% compared to a year ago. The company guided to modest EPS and sales growth in fiscal 2025. Shares soared.
Humana plunged after disclosing that just 25% of its Medicare Advantage plans for 2025 will get four quality stars or above from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, down from 94% in 2024. That will affect payments.
Apollo Global said at its investor day that it's ahead of, or on track to hit, 2026 targets set at last year's investor day. It set new five-year targets.
AT&T agreed to sell its remaining 70% stake in DirecTV for about $7.6 billion to private equity firm TPG, which then acquired Dish TV and the streaming service Sling TV from EchoStar. TPG will pay just $1, but assume $9.8 billion in debt. A variety of U.S. regulatory agencies must sign off on the DirecTV-Dish merger. The FCC blocked a merger between the two satellite TV providers in 2002. AT&T acquired DirecTV for $48.5 billion in 2014.
Cal-Maine earnings skyrocketed, though they missed Q1 2025 views. Revenue jumped 71% as egg prices soared as a bird flu outbreak cut into egg supplies. The nation's largest egg producer is recovering from a tough fiscal 2024, which saw avian flu decimate its flocks. Shares jumped to a new high.
Spirit Airlines dived as the ultra-low-cost carrier reportedly is mulling a bankruptcy. Spirit hasn't turned a profit in several years. Earlier this year, a federal judge, siding with antitrust regulators, blocked a Spirit merger with Frontier Airlines, saying that would hurt competition.
