Stocks Are Mixed After Indexes Set New Records; Palantir Drags Nasdaq

Rare Earth Stocks Soar on Speculation of More White House Deals To Come

4 minutes ago

Shares of USA Rare Earth (USAR) soared on Friday after its CEO said the supplier of rare earth magnets and minerals was in talks with the Trump White House. 

USA Rare Earth chief Barbara Humpton said in an interview with CNBC on Thursday afternoon that the company was “in close communication with the administration,” when asked whether the company would be open to an investment by the federal government.

The Trump administration this year has taken equity stakes in several companies mining strategically significant elements. Earlier this week, the Department of Energy said it would restructure a previous deal with Lithium Americas Corp. (LAC) to take a 5% stake in the Vancouver-based company and an equal stake in the Thacker Pass lithium mine it’s developing in Nevada. And in July, the Department of Defense agreed to buy $400 million of MP Materials (MP) stock and become the rare earth miner’s largest shareholder. 

USA Rare Earth stock was up 15% in recent trading after rising 23% yesterday. Lithium Americas was recently up 28%, while MP Materials, the best-performing stock in the Russell 1000 this year, gained 3%.

Read the full article here.

–Colin Laidley

Rumble Stock Soars After the Video-Sharing Site Partners With Perplexity

1 hr 14 min ago

Shares of Rumble jumped after the video-sharing site announced a deal that would let it integrate Perplexity’s AI-powered search engine into its platform.

The news sent Rumble’s (RUM) stock soaring Friday, with the stock recently up 18%. They had lost more than 40% of their value this year through Thursday’s close but are now back at prices last seen in July.

Rumble said the deal is intended to use Perplexity’s “AI-powered tools to drive more discoverability on Rumble.com.” The companies also intend to bundle their subscription offerings and promote Perplexity’s Comet AI assistant on Rumble’s ecosystem, Rumble said.

“Every video platform faces the challenge of connecting viewers with content that matches their interests,” Perplexity Chief Business Officer Dmitry Shevelenko said. “Our search technology is designed to understand user intent and surface relevant results efficiently.”

Perplexity competes with companies OpenAI and Anthropic in using large language models to generate text answers to questions.

Rumble posted a $30.2 million net loss in the second quarter.

–Nisha Gopalan

Cracker Barrel Isn’t Done Shaking Things Up as It Looks to Recover From a Rough 2025

1 hr 51 min ago

Cracker Barrel isn’t done shaking things up.

The restaurant chain operator that lately found itself national news for uncomfortable reasons—a brand revamp that elicited unfavorable reactions from sizable chunks of the public and the disapproval of President Donald Trump—continues to adapt. It late yesterday announced several leadership changes and formally distanced itself from the firm it said worked with the company on the failed rebrand.

Cracker Barrel (CBRL) in a statement said it was “ending its engagement with Prophet, the global strategic and creative growth consultancy that advised Cracker Barrel on its previous brand refresh initiatives, including the logo and restaurant redesigns.” (Prophet did not respond to Investopedia’s request for comment in time for publication.)

The company last month announced a range of changes that signaled some urgency in getting people back on board and back into the restaurants—unsurprisingly, perhaps, with the stock down 16% this year through Thursday’s close.

Those efforts are partly about the menu—including new breakfast specials and other deals as well as an attempt at better biscuits—but also the end of a new and streamlined logo, and a paused restaurant remodeling plan. CEO Julie Masino, meanwhile, said the company would step up plans to get more feedback from its most loyal fans.

Wall Street analysts are cautiously optimistic. The mean price target on the stock, per Visible Alpha data, is currently a bit below $48, pointing toward gains of about 8% from last night’s close. That doesn’t suggest wild optimism, but it’s well off 2025 closing lows, seen in April, of $34.75. Given the company’s recent run, cautious optimism about the stock might be as welcome as one of its iconic rocking chairs on a cool evening.

–David Marino-Nachison

Watch These Tesla Price Levels as Stock Shifts Gear After Soaring in 3rd Quarter

2 hr 9 min ago

Tesla (TSLA) shares lost ground Friday morning after tumbling yesterday despite a better-than-expected deliveries report from the EV maker.1

Investors appear to be locking in profits after the stock surged 40% in the third quarter, making it the best performing member of the Magnificent Seven over that period. Tesla shares were down 1.6% at $429 in recent trading, after dropping more than 5% on Thursday.

The stock has gotten a boost in recent months from CEO Elon Musk’s renewed commitment to the company after a stint working for the Trump administration, as well as investor optimism about the company’s development of autonomous driving systems and robotics as part of a more-intense focus on AI-related opportunities.

Since breaking out from a broad ascending triangle last month that coincided with a bullish golden cross forming on the chart, Tesla shares had continued to trend higher.

However, in Thursday’s trading session, the stock closed below the prior day’s low to form a bearish engulfing pattern, a candlestick formation that warns of a potential move lower. Moreover, yesterday’s selling saw the relative strength index fall to its lowest level since early September, signaling weakening price momentum in the stock.

Read the full technical analysis piece here.

–Timothy Smith

Fair Isaac Stock Pops for 2nd Straight Day to End Week

3 hr 5 min ago

Fair Isaac (FICO) stock is ending the week on a high note.

The credit analytics firm was among the top-performing stocks of the S&P 500 for a second straight day, advancing more than 4% in recent trading. Yesterday, shares led the benchmark index by soaring nearly 18% on news it would provide its FICO credit scores directly to firms that provide credit reports to lenders.

The news yesterday caused shares of TransUnion (TRU) and Equifax (EFX) to tumble roughly 11% and 8.5%, respectively. However, both bounced back somewhat Friday, with those of TransUnion advancing 3.5% and Equifax less than 1%.

Casino Stocks Las Vegas Sands, Wynn Resorts Are Biggest S&P 500 Decliners Friday Morning

3 hr 36 min ago

The Consumer Discretionary sector was the second-worst performer of the 11 industries tracked by the S&P 500 Friday morning, led by declines in Las Vegas Sands (LVS) and Wynn Resorts (WYNN), the two worst individual performances about 90 after the opening bell.

Shares of the two casino operators were falling about 6% each, while those of rival MGM Resorts International (MGM) were down roughly 2%.

Although there was no obvious reason for the moves, recently released Macau gross gaming revenue figures for September came in below expectations, per reports.

Applied Materials Sees $710M Hit From China Curbs. Here’s What You Should Know

4 hr 46 min ago

Applied Materials (AMAT) said it expects a $710 million revenue hit from new restrictions on its China exports, pressuring shares of the chip manufacturing equipment maker Friday.

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security issued a rule on Sept. 29 that the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company said will “further restrict its ability to export certain products and provide certain parts and services to specific China-based customers without a license.”

Applied Materials said the new rules would reduce its fourth-quarter net revenue by $110 million, and fiscal 2026 revenue by around $600 million.

Before the BIS Affiliates Rule earlier this week, U.S. companies would only need licenses when selling their products to certain companies on what’s known as the entity list. Now, American firms would need licenses even for companies that are 50% or more owned by the companies on the list, according to the BIS, a move that it said “closes a significant loophole.” 

Read the full article here.

–Nisha Gopalan

Cracker Barrel Parts Ways With Firm That Advised on Ill-Fated Logo, Restaurant Redesigns

5 hr 59 min ago

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (CBRL) has decided it no longer wants to partner with the firm that advised it on its controversial redesigns.

The restaurant chain announced in a filing that it was “ending its engagement with Prophet, the global strategic and creative growth consultancy that advised Cracker Barrel on its previous brand refresh initiatives, including the logo and restaurant redesigns.”

On Aug. 19, the Tennessee-based chain unveiled a streamlined logo that no longer featured a male character. The updated logo upset some consumers—and caught the eye of President Donald Trump—and fueled debate about whether remodeled stores had an overly modern vibe. Within a week, the company said it would bring back the prior logo. 

Cracker Barrel shares, which entered Friday down 16% this year, are up 1% before the bell.

SoFi Is Expanding Its Options Offerings. Here’s What You Should Know

6 hr 38 min ago

SoFi Technology (SOFI) wants to make it easier to trade options for its customers.

The digital financial services provider said Thursday it has started rolling out so-called “level 1” options—which are designed for beginners—for its SoFi Invest members, including covered calls and cash-secured puts, in addition to the level 2 strategies already available.

The new offerings come with no commissions or contract fees, and SoFi said it will provide built-in educational resources to help members understand how they work. SoFi said users will be able to apply for approval in the company’s app, and that it plans to make the feature available to all eligible members in the coming weeks.

A number of SoFi’s competitors, including Charles Schwab (SCHW) and Fidelity, already offer level 1 options trading.

“By expanding access to options trading and embedding education directly into the experience, members can responsibly diversify their strategies and pursue their long-term financial goals with confidence,” SoFi CEO Anthony Noto said in a statement.

Read the full article here.

–Bill McColl

Stock Futures Point Higher After Indexes Set Closing Records

7 hr 21 min ago

Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2%.

S&P 500 futures also were up 0.2%.

Nasdaq 100 futures also advanced 0.2%.