Key takeout
- The S&P 500 climbed 0.6% on July 9, 2025, as Nvidia’s stock hit an all-time high, reaching a significant market capitalization milestone.
- Shares of Power Utility AES Corp. soared following news of acquisition interest from major infrastructure investors.
- Hershey appointed a new CEO who opted out of holding shares in the company.
The major US stock index gained on Wednesday, driven largely by AI chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA), which became the first firm to achieve a global market value of $4 trillion. Meanwhile, President Trump communicated with various trading partners regarding tariff charges set to take effect on August 1.
The S&P 500’s uptrend has set new records. The Dow also rose by 0.5% during the session, while the tech sector excelled with the Nasdaq rising 0.9%—a remarkable performance.
AES Corp.’s (AES) shares jumped by 19.8%, benefiting significantly from the S&P 500 reports of potential sales. Several big-time infrastructure investors, including the BlackRock Global Infrastructure Partners unit, have expressed interest in acquiring AES amidst a backdrop of declining stock prices over recent years. Reports indicate AES has signed agreements with various high-tech companies to produce energy from diverse sources like hydro, wind, and solar, particularly for data centers.
On another note, news of a possible buyback helped boost shares of engineering design software company PTC Inc. (PTC), which surged by 17.7%. Reports suggest that Autodesk (ADSK), a competitor in the computer-aided design arena, is exploring acquisition possibilities. Conversely, Autodesk’s shares dipped by 2.4%.
In the cryptocurrency realm, Bitcoin’s prices reached a record high of around $112,000, fueled by optimism regarding the US crypto-friendly regulatory environment under Trump. Coinbase Global (Coin), the leading US crypto exchange operator, saw its shares increase by 5.4%, contributing to a notable gain of over 50% since the year began.
Recent minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee’s latest meeting indicated that policymakers are seeing a slowdown in tariff-related inflation pressures and still anticipate interest rate cuts for 2025. Dr. Horton (DHI) acquired 5.4% stakes in fellow home builders Lennar (Len) and Pultegroup (PHM), along with approximately 4.5% in housing construction supplier FirstSource (BLDR).
Boeing (BA) shares increased by 3.7% after the company reported it delivered 150 commercial jets in the second quarter, surpassing analysts’ predictions. The aviation giant exceeded expectations for its quarterly delivery of helicopters and jets in the defense segment.
On the downside, shares of Data Analytics firm Fair Isaac (FICO) showed the weakest performance in the S&P 500 for the second consecutive session, falling 6.5% on Wednesday. This decline possibly stemmed from Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, assessing mortgage borrower creditworthiness using the VantagesCore system, which competes with Fair Isaac’s credit score.
In a rather surprising turn, Hershey (HSY) shares dropped by 4.7% after the company appointed a new CEO. Kirktanner, currently the top executive at Wendy’s, is set to take charge at Hershey beginning next month, filling the position left by retiring CEO Michelle Buck.
Lastly, analysts at Rothschild & Co Redburn have downgraded Monster Beverage (MNST) stocks from “buy” to “neutral,” highlighting concerns that aluminum import tariffs could adversely impact the performance of energy drink manufacturers. Consequently, Monster stocks fell by 3.3%.
