U.S. stocks ended a shade higher on Tuesday following softer-than-expected labor market data that reaffirmed expectations of an interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve.
Data on Tuesday showed that U.S. job openings fell to their lowest level in more than three years in April, signaling an easing in labor market tightness that supported a Fed rate cut this year. The U.S. Treasury yields slipped following the report.
Market Snapshot
The S&P 500 gained 7.94 points, or 0.15%, to end at 5,291.34, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 28.38 points, or 0.17%, to 16,857.05. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 140.26 points, or 0.36%, to 38,711.29.
Market Movers
CrowdStrike Holdings Inc forecast second-quarter revenue above market estimates on Tuesday, helped by strong demand for its cybersecurity offerings in the wake of growing online challenges spurred by the use of artificial intelligence $(AI)$. Shares of the Austin, Texas-based company rose 6.69% after the bell.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise forecast third-quarter revenue above Wall Street expectations on Tuesday, helped by upbeat demand for its artificial intelligence servers, sending its shares up more than 16% in extended trading.
Stitch Fix Inc. shares rallied 24.3% in the extended session Tuesday after the online styling company posted a narrower-than-expected quarterly loss and unveiled a current-quarter guidance that was also better than hoped.
Bath & Body Works stock tumbled nearly 13% and was the worst performer in the S&P 500 after the fragrance retailer said it expects second-quarter adjusted earnings to be between 31 cents and 36 cents a share, compared with Wall Street estimates of 38 cents.
Designer Brands stock was down 20%. The owner of shoe store DSW reported first-quarter adjusted earnings of 8 cents a share, which missed Wall Street estimates of 13 cents a share, according to FactSet. Meanwhile, sales for the quarter of $746.6 million beat analysts’ expectations of $737 million.
Carnival stock was up 5.8%. The cruise line operator said after the stock market closed on Monday that in March 2025, it will retire the P&O Cruises Australia brand and combine its Australia operations into Carnival. A Melius Research analyst said on Tuesday that “this could be the catalyst needed to start a rally.”
GitLab stock fell 4.9%, even though late Monday, the software-development platform reported adjusted earnings and revenue for its first quarter that were above Wall Street expectations. D.A. Davidson analyst Gil Luria wrote in a research note that “adoption of its new AI features is taking time to benefit revenue.”
Paramount Global dropped 4.4% after the entertainment company announced cost-cutting plans at its annual meeting on Tuesday. According to reports, these plans would take place if the company didn’t sell, and include exploring joint-venture opportunities with other media companies and divesting noncore assets.
American depositary receipts of BP were down 2.3% after S&P Global downgraded its outlook for the oil company. The credit-rating firm cited increased stock buybacks and dividend increases that will make it harder to pay down debt as a reason for the downgrade.
GameStop stock was down 5.4% while AMC Entertainment Holdings dipped 0.4% after both meme stocks soared on Monday. Shares of both companies jumped after a Reddit account tied to Keith Gill, who is known as Roaring Kitty, posted a screenshot that showed a large position in the videogame retailer.
Intel stock was down 0.9% after initially rising in the premarket session. Chief Executive Pat Gelsinger made a handful of announcements regarding new chips at the Computex trade show in Taiwan. Nvidia stock gained 4.9% on Monday after the chip maker unveiled its next-generation AI hardware, and the stock rose another 1.3% on Tuesday.
Market News
Bank of America Defends Its Street-High Price Target on Nvidia Stock
Bank of America analyst Vivek Arya called Nvidia a "top pick," reiterating his buy rating on the stock and raising his price target to $1,500. Nvidia stock ends at $1164.37 and hits a record high on Tuesday.
The analyst noted that with this statement, Nvidia is essentially accelerating its product upgrade cycle from two years to one year. This will "continue to bolster Nvidia's AI leadership position," according to Arya.
Tesla Likely to Spend $3 Bln-$4 Bln on Nvidia Hardware This Year
Tesla will likely spend between $3 billion and $4 billion on its purchases of chip company Nvidia hardware this year, CEO Elon Musk said in a post on X on Tuesday.
Musk also said that out of the $10 billion in artificial intelligence-related capital expenditure this year, around half would be internal spend.