Stocks Fall as Latest Trump Tariff Threats Revive Trade Concerns; Major Indexes Post Losses for the Week

Biggest S&P 500 Movers on Friday

May 23, 2025 06:04 PM EDT

Decliners

Deckers Outdoor (DECK) shares plummeted 20%, losing the most of any S&P 500 stock. The parent company of the Hoka and Ugg footwear brands refrained from providing full-year guidance for fiscal 2026, citing uncertainties related to tariffs and trade policy. The company has a significant manufacturing footprint in China, and its nearer-term net sales forecast (for the fiscal first quarter) came in below consensus estimates.

A lackluster subscription revenue outlook weighed on shares of cloud-based software provider Workday (WDAY), which sank about 13%. Although the company topped sales and profit expectations, Workday predicted softening spending on its human capital management software by its enterprise clients. Analysts have also pointed to potential pricing pressure amid stiffening competition in human resources and financial management software.
Discount retailer Ross Stores (ROST) also shelved its full-year guidance, pointing to a lack of visibility on tariffs and their potential business impact. The company’s CEO indicated that, while direct imports account for a limited fraction of its merchandise, more than half of the products sold at Ross originate in China, so higher tariffs could hinder profitability. Ross shares plunged 9.8% on Friday.

Advancers

Shares of tax and accounting software firm Intuit (INTU) secured the top daily performance in the S&P 500, surging 8.1%. The owner of TurboTax and Credit Karma surpassed sales and profit projections for its fiscal third quarter, while its increased full-year forecasts also topped consensus expectations. Analysts praised the performance, with several firms lifting their price targets on the stock. Intuit could also be poised to benefit from the possible elimination of the free IRS direct tax filing system under the budget proposal passed by the House this week.
Other provisions of the House tax and spending bill currently headed to the Senate include the removal of green energy incentives. The likelihood of less favorable policies hammered shares of renewable energy companies this week, but several industry players managed to stage a partial recovery on Friday. Shares of solar technology firm Enphase Energy (ENPH) bounced 4.3%. Shares of AES Corp. (AES), a utility focused on generating power from renewable sources, clawed back 3.7%.
CrowdStrike (CRWD) shares advanced 2.6% on Friday to reach a record-high close. The cybersecurity firm touted recognition received for the outperformance of its identity theft protection and response capabilities. Earlier this week, CrowdStrike also announced its integration into enterprise artificial intelligence ecosystems powered by Nvidia (NVDA) Blackwell infrastructure, leveraging CrowdStrike’s own AI tools to mitigate the vulnerabilities inherent to AI operations.

-Michael Bromberg

US Steel Soars as Trump OKs Nippon Steel ‘Partnership’

May 23, 2025 05:10 PM EDT

United States Steel (X) shares popped Friday after President Donald Trump said the company will partner with Japan’s Nippon Steel, seemingly ending a long-running will-they-won’t-they deal drama.

“I am proud to announce that, after much consideration and negotiation, US Steel will REMAIN in America, and keep its Headquarters in the Great City of Pittsburgh,” Trump said on Truth Social. “This will be a planned partnership between United States Steel and Nippon Steel, which will create at least 70,000 jobs, and add $14 Billion Dollars to the U.S. Economy.”

U.S. Steel did not immediately respond to Investopedia’s request for comment.

Shares of US Steel jumped 21% Friday. The stock, which is up more than 50% so far in 2025, hit its highest level since early 2011. 

Shares of Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF), which had sought to acquire US Steel instead, fell on the news, finishing the day down about 7%.

The president last month ordered a review of Nippon Steel’s proposed takeover bid of U.S. Steel, saying he didn’t want to see the company purchased by a foreign entity.

The $14.1 billion merger between the two steelmakers was originally blocked by the Biden administration in early January due to national security concerns. The companies had sued the U.S. government to challenge the decision.

-Andrew Kessel

S&P 500, Dow Back in Negative Territory for 2025

May 23, 2025 04:52 PM EDT

The major indexes all lost ground this week as investors fretted about federal budget deliberations and the deficit in the early part of the week, while renewed concerns about global trade tensions soured sentiment to end the week.

Coming into this week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 had nudged back into positive territory for 2025. It was a noteworthy comeback for both—the Dow had been more than 11% below its end-2024 level in early April, while the S&P 500 was down 15% for the year at its low point.

With their declines this week—the Dow gave up 2.5% and the S&P 500 shed 2.6%—the two indexes moved back into negative territory for the year. The Nasdaq Composite, which fell 2.5% this week, has yet to get back into the green for 2025, after being down more than 20% for the year in early April.

Nuclear Power Stocks Jump on Report of New Trump Support

May 23, 2025 03:47 PM EDT

Shares of nuclear energy companies, including Oklo (OKLO) and NuScale Power (SMR), soared Friday as President Donald Trump signed new executive orders aimed at boosting the industry.

The executive orders are meant to speed up approval of new nuclear reactors, and strengthen fuel supply chains, among other changes.

“After decades of stagnation and shuttered reactors, President Trump is providing a path forward for nuclear innovation. Today’s executive orders allow for reactor design testing at DOE labs, clear the way for construction on federal lands to protect national and economic security, and remove regulatory barriers by requiring the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to issue timely licensing decisions,” White House Office of Science and Technology Director Michael Kratsios said in a release.

“Nuclear has the potential to be America’s greatest source of energy addition,” said Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who emphasized its importance with the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and growing demand for electricity to power data centers.

In a note to clients, Wedbush wrote that the need for AI computing power is expected to skyrocket over the next 5-10 years, and that “takes up a tremendous amount of energy.” The analysts noted that while the administration has already taken some steps to encourage nuclear power, this new executive order “is expected to be a significant tailwind for the industry.”

The analysts added that Oklo has been one of the key beneficiaries of the administration’s nuclear industry support, and raised their price target to $55 from $45.

Oklo shares were up 27% at around $51 in late trading, while NuScale surged 22% to $31.

-Bill McColl

Why Wedbush is Back Among Street’s Top Tesla Bulls

May 23, 2025 03:12 PM EDT

Wedbush analysts on Friday lifted their price target for Tesla (TSLA) stock to one of the Street’s highest as they look ahead to the electric vehicle maker’s planned June launch of fully autonomous Teslas in Austin, Texas.

The analysts, led by Dan Ives, increased their price target to $500 from $350, reclaiming the spot as the most bullish tracked by Visible Alpha. That’s well above the site’s mean just above $296, which is below current prices.

The new price target puts Wedbush analysts closer to the $550 goal it held for Tesla stock before CEO Elon Musk’s involvement in the Trump administration fired up what they called a “brand crisis tornado.”

“We believe the vast majority of valuation upside looking ahead for Tesla is centered around the success of its autonomous vision taking hold with a key June launch in Austin the beginning of this next era of growth,” the analysts wrote.

Ives previously called for Musk to step back from government work, and has said this week that he sees a “different Musk” that appears to be more committed to Tesla after saying he would scale back his government work in last month’s earnings call.

In a pair of interviews on Tuesday, Musk said that Tesla’s launch of paid autonomous rides and plans for a more affordable vehicle are on track, and said he intends to continue serving as Tesla CEO for the next five years despite reports that the company has considered searching for a successor.

Tesla shares were little changed at around $341 in late trading Friday. The stock is on track to snap a four-week winning streak.

-Aaron McDade

Workday Slides as Subscription Revenue Disappoints

May 23, 2025 01:44 PM EDT

Shares of Workday (WDAY) plunged Friday, a day after the provider of human resources software didn’t increase its full-year subscription revenue outlook as it faced what CFO Zane Rowe called an “uncertain environment.”

The company affirmed its earlier guidance for fiscal 2026 subscription revenue of $8.80 billion, which was in line with Visible Alpha expectations, and raised its non-GAAP operating margin outlook to 28.5% from 28.0%.

CEO Carl Eschenbach said, “We’re staying close to our customers as they navigate the macro environment. No company is immune to these challenges, and we’re watching it across particular markets.”

In a note to clients, Bank of America wrote the outlook “is somewhat disappointing, though it does reflect an added degree of conservatism for potential macro pressure.”

The news offset strong fiscal 2026 first-quarter results. Workday posted adjusted earnings per share of $2.23, with revenue rising 13% year-over-year to $2.24 billion. Subscription revenue grew 13% to $2.06 billion. All three exceeded analysts’ estimates. 

Workday shares were down more than 11% in recent trading, pushing the stock into negative territory for 2025.

-Bill McColl

Intuit Soars as Results Show ‘Eye-Popping’ Strength

May 23, 2025 12:54 PM EDT

Intuit (INTU) shares popped Friday as several analysts lifted their price targets after the tax and accounting software provider reported stronger-than-expected earnings  and raised its outlook.

Shares of Intuit were up 7.5% at $716 in recent trading, bringing the stock’s year-to-date gains to about 14%.

The TurboTax parent showed “eye-popping consumer strength,” UBS wrote following the results. “After a couple years of stumbling, this year’s performance likely lifts sentiment,” the bank added, raising its price target to $750 from $720.

Meanwhile, Oppenheimer analysts boosted their target to $742 from $642, calling TurboTax “largely resilient” in an uncertain macro environment. Jefferies lifted its target to $850 from $735, and Citi moved to $789 from $726.

Intuit could also benefit from new legislation that would reduce competition. On Thursday, the House of Representatives voted to advance the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” the budget proposal backed by President Trump. The bill would make sweeping changes to the tax code if signed into law—including the elimination of the IRS’s Direct File program.

The free IRS direct filing system competes with Intuit’s TurboTax, which offers both free and paid tax filing software. The program was praised by its 141,000 users in its first year in 2024 and was expanded in 2025, with an estimated 30 million people eligible to use it.

-Andrew Kessel

Deckers Plunges as Ugg Parent Provides No Full-Year Outlook

May 23, 2025 11:44 AM EDT

Deckers Outdoor (DECK) shares plunged Friday morning after the Ugg and Hoka parent said it wouldn’t give a full-year outlook because of uncertainties around tariffs.

“Given the macroeconomic uncertainty related to evolving global trade policies, the Company will not be providing full year guidance for fiscal year 2026 at this time,” Deckers said.

The company, which makes many of its products in China, said it expects first-quarter net sales of $890 million to $910 million, below Visible Alpha consensus. The disappointing outlook outweighed quarterly results that came in above estimates. Deckers reported fourth-quarter earnings per share of $1.00 on revenue of $1.02 billion.

Citi analysts Friday stuck with their buy call and $150 price target on the stock, saying “any stock sell-off provides an especially favorable entry point.”

Deckers Brands also said it had appointed Cynthia L. Davis as chair of its board, effective immediately, succeeding Michael F. Devine III, who is retiring after six years in the role and 14 on the board.

Deckers shares were down nearly 20% at $101 in recent trading, pushing their year-to-date decline to 50%.

-Nisha Gopalan

IonQ Levels to Watch After Yesterday’s 37% Surge

May 23, 2025 11:14 AM EDT

IonQ (IONQ) shares fell slightly Friday morning after surging yesterday to lead quantum computing stocks higher, as the company’s CEO said it aims to become the Nvidia (NVDA) of quantum computing. 

CEO Niccolo de Masi told Barron’s in an interview that the company is “in the business of quantum just like Nvidia and Broadcom (AVGO) are in the business of classical GPUs,” asserting that he believes IonQ will be the Nvidia player.

The remarks come after D-Wave Quantum (QBTS) earlier this week announced the launch of its next gen quantum computer, known as Advantage2, underpinning bullish sentiment across Wall Street’s latest hottest sector. 

IonQ shares jumped 37% on Thursday, pushing the stock into positive territory for 2025. The shares have more than doubled from their early-April lows and have risen more than five fold over the last year, as investors bet that quantum computing will revolutionize areas like drug discovery, cybersecurity, and finance.

After finding support at the closely watched 200-day moving average, IonQ shares trended higher within a rising wedge before staging a volume-backed breakout above the pattern in Thursday’s trading session.

While the relative strength index confirms bullish price momentum with a reading above the 70 threshold, the indicator also flashes overbought  conditions that could trigger short-term profit-taking.

Investors should watch key overhead areas on IonQ’s chart around $55 and $100, while also monitoring important support levels near $28 and $18.

IonQ shares were down 1.4% at around $45 in recent trading.

Read the full technical analysis piece here.

-Timothy Smith

Trump Wants iPhones Made in US, or Apple Faces Tariffs

May 23, 2025 09:51 AM EDT

President Donald Trump warned Apple (AAPL) Friday morning that the administration will impose a tariff of at least 25% on iPhones made outside the U.S., including India, dragging the shares of the tech giant further into the red this year.

“I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhone’s that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else,” the president said in a post on his Truth Social platform of his comments to the Apple CEO. “If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S.”

The news pushed Apple’s shares sharply lower in early trading. The stock, which is riding a seven-day losing streak, was down nearly 3% recently.

Trump’s comments are his latest push to ensure that Apple doesn’t expand iPhone production in India as it shifts away from manufacturing in China, which faces among the highest import tariffs of U.S. trading partners. Apple’s imports into the U.S. have so far escaped being hit since the Trump administration exempted smartphones, computers and some other consumer electronic devices from “reciprocal” tariffs imposed in early April. 

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives on the social network X said Trump’s plan would lead to iPhone prices of around $3,500. “As we have discussed this would result in an iPhone price point that is a non-starter for Cupertino,” he wrote Friday morning.

-Nisha Gopalan

Major Index Futures Point to Sharply Lower Open

May 23, 2025 08:53 AM EDT

Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down 1.2%, or about 500 points.

S&P 500 futures dropped 1.4%.

Nasdaq 100 futures tumbled 1.8%.