Most markets are marking time as investors await news on the trade front. Equities, Treasuries, and the dollar are flatlining, while crude oil is up a bit. Gold and silver are mixed.
Markets are eagerly awaiting the results of US-China trade talks currently underway in London. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are leading the US delegation, while Vice Premier He Lifeng is at the head of the Chinese team.
The US wants China to export rare earth metals more freely, while China wants the US to ease its own export restrictions. It’s possible the talks will extend to tomorrow – so it’s not 100% clear when we’ll hear results.
WBD, HOOD, COIN (YTD % Change)
Data by YCharts
Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. (WBD) is trying to prop up its stock by splitting itself in two. The media conglomerate will carve out its HBO Max streaming service and movie and television show studios from its cable networks. The cable business entity will then include networks like CNN and TNT.
It’s a remarkable development considering the current firm is the result of a 2022 mega-merger that meshed all the businesses together under a single corporate umbrella. WBD shares have lost 7% year-to-date and 41% in the last three years.
Finally, shares of Robinhood Markets Inc. (HOOD) dipped after the red-hot brokerage stock did NOT get added to the S&P 500. Investors were hoping S&P Dow Jones Indices would add HOOD to the index as part of its quarterly rebalancing process. But that didn’t happen late Friday.
Companies can be added if they have a market capitalization of at least $20.5 billion and are based and listed in the US. HOOD’s market cap is around $66 billion after a 101% YTD rally. The crypto-trading and exchange company Coinbase Global Inc. (COIN) earned S&P 500 membership last month. Its shares are up 1.2% YTD.
