Investing.com – Mexico stocks were higher after the close on Friday, as gains in the Industrials, Consumer Goods & Services and Consumer Staples sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Mexico, the S&P/BMV IPC gained 0.53% to hit a new 1-month high.

The best performers of the session on the S&P/BMV IPC were Gentera SAB de CV (BMV:GENTERA), which rose 4.02% or 1.07 points to trade at 27.72 at the close. Meanwhile, Alsea , S.A.B. De C.V. (BMV:ALSEA) added 3.27% or 1.38 points to end at 43.60 and Cemex SAB de CV (BMV:CEMEXCPO) was up 2.46% or 0.29 points to 12.07 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were GCC SAB de CV (BMV:GCC), which fell 4.10% or 7.77 points to trade at 181.78 at the close. Orbia Advance Corporation SAB de CV (BMV:ORBIA) declined 2.20% or 0.31 points to end at 13.75 and Becle SA (BMV:CUERVO) was down 1.51% or 0.29 points to 18.92.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Mexico Stock Exchange by 106 to 104 and 13 ended unchanged.

Gold Futures for February delivery was up 0.45% or 12.41 to $2,777.41 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in March fell 0.08% or 0.06 to hit $74.56 a barrel, while the March Brent oil contract rose 0.17% or 0.13 to trade at $78.42 a barrel.

USD/MXN was down 0.46% to 20.28, while EUR/MXN rose 0.28% to 21.28.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.55% at 107.27.

Investing.com – U.S. stocks were lower after the close on Friday, as losses in the Oil & Gas, Technology and Industrials sectors led shares lower.

At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.32%, while the S&P 500 index fell 0.29%, and the NASDAQ Composite index fell 0.50%.

The best performers of the session on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were Walmart Inc (NYSE:WMT), which rose 1.01% or 0.95 points to trade at 94.76 at the close. Meanwhile, Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) added 1.01% or 1.12 points to end at 112.16 and Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE:VZ) was up 0.92% or 0.36 points to 39.54 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA), which fell 3.12% or 4.60 points to trade at 142.62 at the close. Honeywell International Inc (NASDAQ:HON) declined 1.84% or 4.15 points to end at 221.51 and American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) was down 1.39% or 4.53 points to 321.34.

The top performers on the S&P 500 were Nextera Energy Inc (NYSE:NEE) which rose 5.20% to 72.83, Welltower Inc (NYSE:WELL) which was up 3.41% to settle at 136.75 and Lululemon Athletica Inc (NASDAQ:LULU) which gained 3.14% to close at 400.03.

The worst performers were Texas Instruments Incorporated (NASDAQ:TXN) which was down 7.52% to 185.52 in late trade, CF Industries Holdings Inc (NYSE:CF) which lost 7.50% to settle at 88.10 and Microchip Technology Inc (NASDAQ:MCHP) which was down 5.34% to 56.39 at the close.

The top performers on the NASDAQ Composite were Nvni Group Ltd (NASDAQ:NVNI) which rose 195.30% to 4.40, Evaxion Biotech AS (NASDAQ:EVAX) which was up 65.66% to settle at 6.03 and PMGC Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:ELAB) which gained 56.57% to close at 3.10.

The worst performers were Golden Star Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ:GODN) which was down 67.38% to 2.91 in late trade, Next Technology Holding Inc (NASDAQ:NXTT) which lost 53.95% to settle at 1.40 and Singularity Future Technology Ltd (NASDAQ:SGLY) which was down 38.26% to 1.63 at the close.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the New York Stock Exchange by 1484 to 1285 and 100 ended unchanged; on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, 1670 rose and 1632 declined, while 138 ended unchanged.

Shares in Golden Star Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ:GODN) fell to all time lows; losing 67.38% or 6.01 to 2.91.

The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options, was down 1.13% to 14.85.

Gold Futures for February delivery was up 0.45% or 12.41 to $2,777.41 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in March fell 0.08% or 0.06 to hit $74.56 a barrel, while the March Brent oil contract rose 0.17% or 0.13 to trade at $78.42 a barrel.

EUR/USD was up 0.76% to 1.05, while USD/JPY fell 0.07% to 155.95.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.56% at 107.26.

Investing.com — The latest AAII Sentiment Survey reveals a significant increase in optimism among individual investors regarding the short-term outlook for stocks. Simultaneously, levels of neutral sentiment and pessimism have seen a decline.

Bullish sentiment, the expectation that stock prices will rise over the next six months, surged 18.0 percentage points to 43.4%. This marks the first time in four weeks that optimism has exceeded its historical average of 37.5%.

Neutral sentiment, the expectation that stock prices will remain essentially unchanged in the next six months, fell by 6.9 percentage points to 27.1%. This drop puts neutral sentiment below its historical average of 31.5% for the 27th time in the past 29 weeks.

Bearish sentiment, the expectation that stock prices will drop over the next six months, declined by 11.1 percentage points to 29.4%. This places pessimism below its historical average of 31.0% for the second time in 10 weeks.

The bull-bear spread, which is the difference between bullish and bearish sentiment, rose by 29.1 percentage points to 14.0%. This is the first time in five weeks that the bull-bear spread has exceeded its historical average of 6.5%.

In a special question posed this week, AAII members were asked about potential changes they anticipate making to their portfolios this year. The responses were as follows:

30.2% plan to focus more on portfolio income, including more investments in dividend-paying stocks and bonds.

28.9% do not anticipate making any changes to their portfolios.

19.5% intend to allocate more conservatively, with more investments in bonds and cash.

17.5% aim to invest more aggressively, with more investments in stocks and growth stocks.

3.4% have other plans.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

(Reuters) – Venture Global LNG’s shares were set to open up to 6% above their offer price in their debut on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday.

The LNG exporter’s stock was indicated to trade between $25.5 and $26.5, compared with the IPO price of $25. At the higher-end, it could notch a valuation of $64.11 billion.

Friday’s market has seen significant movements in various stocks across different market cap categories. In the mega-cap and large-cap sectors, stocks like Intuitive Surgical Inc (NASDAQ:ISRG) and American Express (NYSE:AXP) have shown notable intra-day stock movements based on recent company news and other factors. Below are highlights of some of the biggest stock movers, from mega-caps to small caps.

Mega-Cap Movers (Market Cap $200B+):

• Intuitive Surgical Inc (ISRG); Intuitive Announces Fourth Quarter Earnings: -4.4%
• American Express (AXP); American Express Announces Record FY 2024 Revenue, Up 9%, or 10% on an FX-Adjusted Basis: -2.8%
• Avago Technologies (NASDAQ:AVGO): +2.43%
• General Electric (NYSE:GE): -1.7%

Large-Cap Stock Movers (Market Cap $10B-$200B):

• Twilio Inc A (NYSE:TWLO); Twilio stock rating upgraded at Baird, target leaps to $160: +20.81%
• Texas Instru (NASDAQ:TXN); TI reports Q4 2024 and 2024 financial results and shareholder returns: -5.2%
• Cf Industries (NYSE:CF): -5.94%
• Microchip Technology Inc (NASDAQ:MCHP): -4.18%
• Analog Devices (NASDAQ:ADI); Analog Devices, Inc. to Report First Quarter Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Results on Wednesday, February 19, 2025: -2.92%
• Super Micro Compu (NASDAQ:SMCI): +3.22%
• NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ:NXPI): -2.67%
• Futu Holdings (NASDAQ:FUTU): +2.8%
• Birkenstock Holding ltd (NYSE:BIRK): +3.14%

Mid-Cap Stock Movers (Market Cap $2B-$10B):

• Himax Tech (NASDAQ:HIMX): +16.69%
• Sports Entertainment Acquisition (SGHC): +14.54%
• Kingsoft Cloud Holdings Ltd (KC): +14.31%
• The middleby corp (NASDAQ:MIDD): +12.09%
• Yandex (NASDAQ:NBIS): +10.61%
• Inflection Point Acquisition (LUNR): +8.52%
• GDS Holdings Ltd (NASDAQ:GDS): +8.48%
• Grindr (NYSE:GRND); Grindr to redeem warrants, forecasts higher 2024 revenue: +6.46%

Small-Cap Stock Movers (Market Cap $300M-$2B):

• 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD); 3D Systems & Daimler (OTC:MBGAF) Truck | Daimler Buses Innovations Maximize Vehicle Uptime by Decentralizing Spare Part Production: +22.37%
• Dana Holding (NYSE:DAN); Dana forecasts improved margins despite sales di: +16.93%
• Osprey Technology Acquisition (BKSY): +21.98%
• Customers Bancorp Inc (NYSE:CUBI); Customers Bancorp Reports Results for Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024: +13.47%
• Senseonics Holdings Inc (NYSE:SENS): +11.88%
• First Bank (NASDAQ:FRBA); First Bank Announces Fourth Quarter 2024 Net Income of $10.5 Million and Full Year Net Income of $42.2 Million: +6.59%
• Compass Therapeutics, NAQ (CMPX): -6.76%
• Midland States Bancorp Inc (NASDAQ:MSBI); Midland States Bancorp, Inc. Announces 2024 Fourth Quarter Results: -17.56%
• Swiftmerge Acquisition (ANNA): -12.82%

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This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – BMW (ETR:BMWG) has joined Chinese producers in filing a challenge at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) against EU tariffs on China-made electric vehicles (EVs), according to a filing on the court’s website.

The EU imposed tariffs on China-made EVs at the end of October after an anti-subsidy investigation. The rate for BMW, which manufactures the electric Mini Cooper and electric Mini Aceman in China, is 20.7%.

The court document showed the German automaker lodged its complaints at the General Court, the lower of two CJEU chambers, on Tuesday, a day before the deadline for filing challenges. Proceedings at the General Court last on average 18 months and can be appealed.

No further details of the cases were given.

Chinese electric vehicle makers BYD (SZ:002594), Geely and SAIC and auto sector body CCCME have also challenged the EU’s import tariffs at the court.

Investing.com – Turkey stocks were lower after the close on Friday, as losses in the Banking, Sports and Financials sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Istanbul, the BIST 100 fell 0.08%.

The best performers of the session on the BIST 100 were Reeder Teknoloji Sanayi Ve Ticaret AS (IS:REEDR), which rose 5.97% or 0.80 points to trade at 14.20 at the close. Meanwhile, Cimsa Cimento Sanayi ve Ticaret AS (IS:CIMSA) added 4.52% or 2.40 points to end at 55.50 and Girisim Elektrik Taahhut Ticaret & Sanayi AS (IS:GESAN) was up 3.84% or 1.80 points to 48.70 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Ard Grup Bilisim Teknolojileri AS (IS:ARDYZ), which fell 2.59% or 1.04 points to trade at 39.10 at the close. Akbank TAS (IS:AKBNK) declined 2.49% or 1.70 points to end at 66.45 and Ford Otomotiv Sanayi AS (IS:FROTO) was down 2.46% or 23.50 points to 932.50.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Istanbul Stock Exchange by 282 to 281 and 22 ended unchanged.

Shares in Cimsa Cimento Sanayi ve Ticaret AS (IS:CIMSA) rose to all time highs; up 4.52% or 2.40 to 55.50.

Gold Futures for February delivery was up 1.02% or 28.29 to $2,793.29 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in March fell 0.03% or 0.02 to hit $74.60 a barrel, while the March Brent oil contract rose 0.18% or 0.14 to trade at $78.43 a barrel.

USD/TRY was up 0.18% to 35.68, while EUR/TRY rose 1.12% to 37.51.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.62% at 107.19.

Investing.com — Shares of Laser Photonics Corporation (NASDAQ: LASE) climbed 3% after the company’s subsidiary, Control Micro Systems (CMS), announced receiving follow-on orders from clients in the pharmaceutical and electronics manufacturing sectors.

The orders, which include a UV Laser Drilling System for a leading pharmaceutical company and a PCB Laser Marking Workstation for marking printed circuit boards, signify the growing market demand for advanced laser equipment. These systems are noted for their high precision, safety, and durability, with features such as water-cooling, state-of-the-art ultraviolet lasers, and integrated vision systems for precise operations.

John Armstrong, Executive Vice President of LPC, expressed confidence in the CMS acquisition’s contribution to the company’s growth, stating, “These orders for additional CMS laser systems across multiple industries demonstrate both the high levels of customer satisfaction CMS is bringing to the market and the growing market demand for advanced laser equipment across various verticals. These two factors point towards continued success for this recently acquired business.”

Since its acquisition by LPC in the fourth quarter of 2024, CMS has shown rapid growth, enhancing LPC’s market differentiation and expanding its reach into new industries. The recent orders reflect CMS’s commitment to providing specialized laser equipment for various industrial applications, including pharmaceutical, PCB manufacturing, and wire processing.

Investors responded positively to the news, driving Laser Photonics’ stock upward in the trading session. The company’s ability to secure repeat business and penetrate diverse markets appears to be a key factor in its current and future success.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Investing.com — Shares of CF Industries (NYSE:CF) dropped 4% after receiving downgrades from JPMorgan and Scotiabank (TSX:BNS), signaling a bearish outlook from analysts on the company’s future performance.

JPMorgan’s Jeffrey Zekauskas changed the firm’s stance on CF Industries from Neutral to Underweight, setting a new price target at $75, down from $82. The downgrade was primarily attributed to concerns over potential increases in domestic natural gas prices, which could impact earnings estimates for the coming years and affect the cost of producing nitrogen fertilizers, a key product for CF Industries. Zekauskas highlighted the risks, stating, “We think there is more downside risk than upside appreciation potential in the shares for CF shares at current price levels.”

The analyst also pointed out the possibility that an increase in corn planted acres in the United States for 2025 might pressure corn prices. Geopolitical conflicts in Europe and changes in trade could further exacerbate pessimism regarding the US grain supply and demand balance. With CF Industries trading at a multiple higher than its historical average, the analyst believes the current valuation does not justify the potential risks.

Scotiabank followed suit, downgrading CF Industries to sector underperform from sector perform, with a price target of $88. Analyst Ben Isaacson expressed growing conviction that nitrogen margins could face pressure soon, which would likely affect companies focused solely on nitrogen.

The downgrades suggest that industry analysts are anticipating a challenging period ahead for CF Industries, particularly in terms of input costs and market dynamics that could squeeze margins. As the market prices in these concerns, investors have reacted by pulling back from the stock, reflecting the more cautious stance of the analysts.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Investing.com — Bernstein analysts upgraded Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) to Outperform from Market-Perform, raising the price target to $1,200 from $975, citing sustained subscriber growth and improving margins.

Despite its recent rally, Bernstein insists, “it is expensive only if you believe in consensus EPS of $30 for 2026,” adding that Netflix’s performance continues to exceed expectations.

Subscriber growth remains a key driver for Netflix, with the company achieving a 13% CAGR over the past five years and 16% YoY growth in 2024. 

Bernstein projects another year of double-digit growth, forecasting Netflix’s subscriber base to exceed 330 million by 2025. International markets, which remain underpenetrated, offer significant upside, especially with the success of Netflix’s ad-supported tier and regional content strategies.

The report also highlights Netflix’s Average Revenue per Member (ARM). While FX headwinds and discounted CPM rates for its ad-supported tier have diluted ARM growth, Bernstein anticipates improvement, particularly following upcoming price hikes in the U.S. 

The firm believes better advertising market recovery or a faster shift from linear dollars to streaming could further boost revenue.

Netflix’s margins are considered another standout. Bernstein notes a 35% improvement in content efficiency, with revenue per dollar spent on content rising from 1.7 to 2.3 between 2021 and 2024. 

Investments in local-language and licensed content, particularly in regions like Korea, have driven global engagement. Additionally, the firm says operational leverage has reduced SG&A expenses as a percentage of revenue, with cost efficiencies expected to continue.

Bernstein concludes that while Netflix faces open questions about long-term growth in areas like sports and gaming, its current trajectory supports the upgrade. “There are plenty of eyeballs left to entertain,” they added, reinforcing confidence in the stock’s outlook.