 | | Good Afternoon! | Hey, everyone. It's Adam from Elite Trade Club. Here’s what moved the market today. |
|
| | | | Markets 📈 | U.S. indexes had a promising start on Tuesday, but the bullish sentiment faded by the end of the trading day. Investor sentiment took a hit as consumer confidence fell to its lowest since 2021. | DJIA [+0.01%] S&P 500 [+0.16%]
|
| Nasdaq [+0.46%] Russell 2K [-0.57%]
|
|
|
|
| | Market-Moving News 📈 | Transportation | Alphabet Drives Self-Driving Ambitions Further with New Waymo City Launch
| | Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) continues to grow its autonomous mobility presence through Waymo, announcing its expansion into Washington, DC. The company plans to introduce its Waymo One service to the capital by 2026, adding to a growing list of cities already operating its driverless technology. | Waymo runs fully autonomous rides in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Austin. As part of a broader nationwide strategy, it has also resumed testing in several other urban areas, including Las Vegas and San Diego. Washington, DC, marks a significant addition as Waymo increases its footprint across the East Coast. | Alphabet's autonomous unit will deploy additional vehicles in the capital in the coming weeks. The expansion aligns with the company’s continued focus on regulatory collaboration as it works with local officials to enable operations without human drivers. | The service currently uses all-electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles, though Waymo is partnering with Hyundai to bring the Ioniq 5 into future deployments. Riders use the Waymo One app to hail these vehicles, and the company reports it now handles over 200,000 paid rides weekly. | While public acceptance grows, Waymo continues to address safety concerns. The company recently updated its software following isolated incidents and maintains that, based on internal safety data, its technology performs better than human drivers. | By expanding to new cities and partnering with policymakers, Alphabet reinforces its commitment to bringing autonomous technology to scale in real-world settings. |
|
| | | | Financial Services | Retail Shift Grows as JPMorgan Adds Affirm to Merchant Payments Network | | JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is expanding its digital payment ecosystem by integrating Affirm's installment loan services into its merchant payments platform. The move will allow U.S. businesses using JPMorgan’s infrastructure to offer flexible “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) options directly at checkout. | Merchants can embed Affirm’s financing at the point of sale, providing consumers with loans ranging from one month to five years. This partnership enables businesses to meet growing customer demand for payment flexibility while streamlining the user experience across e-commerce and in-store channels. | Affirm joins JPMorgan’s growing list of fintech collaborations, following a similar announcement involving Klarna earlier this year. The bank continues to evolve its Commerce Platform by supporting popular third-party providers, further enhancing the value proposition for its merchants. | With this addition, JPMorgan reinforces its position as a key player in the BNPL space, giving merchants more control over how they engage shoppers during transactions. The move aligns with broader trends in digital commerce, where convenience and personalization play a vital role in shaping loyalty. | JPMorgan’s integration with Affirm builds on an existing processing relationship and reflects its ongoing investment in payment innovation. While no launch timeline has been disclosed, the update marks another step toward offering seamless financing options to a broader customer base. | By embedding these services within its payments network, JPMorgan adds value to merchants and consumers without disrupting its core banking model. |
|
| | Technology (Sponsored) | | | The Magnificent Seven—Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Nvidia, Meta Platforms, and Tesla—have redefined market leadership. | But as their record-breaking growth slows, the focus shifts to the next generation of industry leaders. | Analysts have identified seven global companies with the potential to rise above the rest in 2025. | These stocks are poised to surge, fueled by growing market share, robust cash flows, and innovative strategies that set them apart from the competition. | (By clicking the link above, you will get this free report and a free subscription to MarketBeat's daily email newsletter. You are also agreeing to the terms of our privacy policy. Unsubscribe at any time.) | Position yourself to capture the next wave of market-defining opportunities. | Click here to uncover the “7 Stocks That Will Be Magnificent in 2025” before the market catches on. | (By clicking the link above, you will get this free report and a free subscription to MarketBeat's daily email newsletter. You are also agreeing to the terms of our privacy policy. Unsubscribe at any time.) |
|
| | Freight Logistics | CSX Reaches Five-Year Labor Agreement with Signalmen Union | | CSX Corporation (CSX) has reached a five-year agreement with the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS), reinforcing its commitment to labor stability across its rail operations. | This tentative deal covers over 1,200 workers responsible for signals and switch operations, a critical component of CSX’s freight rail infrastructure. The agreement includes improved wages, healthcare benefits, and paid time off provisions, and it is pending final ratification by union members. | Earlier this year, CSX finalized a similar agreement with nearly 4,200 Teamsters-represented workers, continuing its track record of structured labor negotiations. Another union, the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers, approved a five-year agreement with the company this month, indicating broad momentum on labor settlements. | These agreements form part of its broader labor alignment strategy, following ongoing calls for enhanced worker benefits across the freight industry. | The company’s steady collaboration with unions comes amid a renewed national focus on improving conditions for rail employees. As workforce demands grow across critical transportation sectors, companies like CSX are moving to secure long-term agreements supporting operational reliability and worker satisfaction. | The agreement with BRS will be finalized and ratified, and the following implementation phase will be determined. For now, the proposal marks another step in CSX’s effort to maintain labor continuity while meeting evolving service and workforce expectations across its national rail system. |
|
| | Top Winners and Losers 🔥 | | | Zhengye Biotechnology Holding [ZYBT] $8.20 (+41.38%) | Zhengye Biotechnology, a Chinese company producing veterinary vaccines, posted its best daily performance since its recent IPO concluded in January. Investors are confident about its upside potential given the stronger-than-expected demand for the stock. | Forte Biosciences Inc [FBRX] $8.51 (+34.65%) | Forte Biosciences expanded its recovery after hitting its YTD bottom last week. Today, the biotech firm gained nearly 40%, leveraging the bullish sentiment in the broader healthcare sector. | Saiheat Limited [SAIH] $9.21 (+23.46%) | Saiheat, a company developing liquid-cooling data centers, is making a bold recovery attempt after hitting a record low last Friday. |
| |
|
| | | | | | Cormedix Inc [CRMD] $7.34 (-31.85%) | Cormedix is another struggling biotech firm, although it does much better on larger timeframes compared to GLTO. The company’s financial report released today showed that Q4 was the first profitable quarter on record, but investors had higher expectations from annual results. | USA Rare Earth Inc [USAR] $6.71 (-29.37%) | USA Rare Earth has shown extreme volatility after making its debut on the Nasdaq earlier this month. The rare earth miner broke above $18 shortly after its IPO but has quickly lost traction. Investors are shifting to a wait-and-see mode following the appointment of a new CEO on Monday. | Gakecto Inc [GLTO] $4.90 (-26.87%) | Galecto was one of the worst performers today, losing nearly 27% and hitting a record low earlier today after erasing recent gains. Investors are not impressed with the company’s annual results, even though it recently acquired a promising leukemia drug candidate. |
| |
| | |
| | | | That's it for today! Please, write us back, and let us know what you think of the Closing Bell Roundup. We're always eager to hear feedback! | Thanks for reading. I'll see you at the next open! | Best Regards,
— Adam G.
Elite Trade Club |
|
| | | | Click here to get our daily newsletter straight to your cell for free. | P.S. Just like this newsletter, it's 100% free*, and you can stop at any time by replying STOP. |
| |
|
|
|
