Key Takeaways
- The S&P 500 added 0.1% on Monday, May 20, 2024, ahead of a hotly anticipated earnings report from Nvidia and the Federal Reserve’s meeting minutes set for release later in the week.
- Norwegian Cruise Line shares sailed higher after the company boosted its guidance and announced an updated strategy.
- Shares of JPMorgan slipped as the banking giant highlighted challenges to its business at its investor day.
Major U.S. equities indexes were mixed to open the trading week. In the days ahead, quarterly results from semiconductor giant Nvidia (NVDA) could provide a gauge of progress toward the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, while minutes from the latest Federal Reserve meeting could offer insight into the ongoing battle against inflation.
The S&P 500 ticked 0.1% higher on Monday. The Nasdaq jumped 0.7% to notch a record closing high. The Dow dropped 0.5%, receding below Friday’s record and the 40,000-point milestone it achieved for the first time.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) shares sailed 7.6% higher, marking Monday’s top performance among S&P 500 stocks. The company lifted its full-year profit guidance, highlighting strong demand. Norwegian also introduced a new strategy aimed at enhancing its position as a market leader in vacation experiences, on land as well as at sea. The positive outlook also helped buoy other cruise operators’ stocks—shares of Carnival Corp. (CCL) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) were up 7.2% and 4.1%, respectively.
Moderna (MRNA) shares added 6.1% after the vaccine manufacturer reported the European Patent Office confirmed the validity of one of the company’s key patents. The decision handed Moderna a legal victory in a conflict with Pfizer (PFE) and BioNTech (BNTX) over its mRNA technology, which Moderna alleges the other firms copied as they developed their version of the COVID-19 vaccine. The competitors maintained that Moderna’s patent is invalid, and Pfizer said it may appeal the decision.
Shares of automated testing equipment maker Teradyne (TER) gained 5.8% after Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock to “buy” and boosted its price target. According to the analysts, Teradyne could benefit from a recovery in its system-on-chip and robotics division, while its high-bandwidth memory products could provide opportunities for new growth.
Jabil (JBL) shares jumped 5.2% after the electronics design and engineering firm announced CEO Kenneth Wilson is leaving the company following an investigation related to corporate policies. Jabil also withdrew its guidance for fiscal 2025, pointing to the executive shakeup, but stressed the investigation will not have an impact on its financial reporting.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) shares suffered the heaviest losses in the S&P 500 on Monday, sinking 4.5% as the financial giant held its investor day. Executives pointed to geopolitical tensions and stickier-than-expected inflation as factors affecting performance, indicating the bank could face ups and downs in its net interest income (NII) over the coming quarters. CEO Jamie Dimon also said JPMorgan would not authorize stock buybacks at current prices and discussed the possibility he might retire within five years.
Shares of Chubb (CB) sank 3.7%, giving back a portion of the strong gains posted on Thursday and Friday after Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) revealed it had accumulated a $6.72 billion stake in the property and casualty insurer. Although Berkshire began purchasing Chubb shares last year, the position remained confidential until Buffet’s firm disclosed the investment in its quarterly 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last week.
Dollar Tree (DLTR) shares dropped 3.3% ahead of the discount retailer’s earnings report, which is set to be released on Thursday. When the company most recently reported financial results, it announced plans to shutter up to around 1,000 locations and boost base prices on products in its stores to $1.50.