Happy Thursday! Geopolitical tensions are heating up, and the market looks underprepared. Here’s a look at seven defensive names that are soaring and drawing heavy interest from investors.

Also, this well-known hedge fund is making waves with some bold moves in its portfolio. Keep reading to see which companies were added, which positions were doubled down on, and which ones were cut. The results may surprise you.

Plus, if you’re looking for an emerging XR gaming innovator expanding alongside Meta’s massive Quest ecosystem, check out today’s sponsor.

In Today's Edition

• MARKET RECAP

• MARKET HEATMAP

• FIVE ZINGERS

• MARKET HISTORY

7 Defensive Stocks To Watch As The U.S.-Iran Conflict Spikes

The market might be underestimating what could be the next major geopolitical shock. As tensions escalate and speculation over potential military action intensifies, defense stocks are already starting to reflect a shift that many investors haven’t fully priced in yet.

Check out the seven defensive stocks that investors are flocking to right now before the next wave of headlines hit.

Virtuix Joins Meta’s Made For Meta With AI-Powered 360-Degree Treadmill

Virtuix Inc. (VTIX), the company behind Omni One, the at-home gaming system that lets players physically move through virtual worlds, is joining Meta Platforms Inc.'s Made for Meta program, expanding the reach of its flagship product to the world’s largest XR user base.

Under the deal, Virtuix will make Omni One compatible with Meta Quest headsets and games, broadening Omni One’s addressable market to over 6 million active Quest users.

Virtuix already has production capacity in place to ship 3,000 units a month, representing $100 million in annual revenue potential. Following the company’s recent European launch and reported 138% year-over-year revenue growth, they are ready to scale.

To learn more about Omni One, click here.

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Yesterday: U.S. indexes finished higher for a second straight session as investors looked to avoid another weekly decline, supported by broad gains in technology, financial, and energy. The “Magnificent Seven” boosted indexes with Nvidia rising after Meta announced plans to use millions of its chips in upcoming data center expansion. Amazon also was up after it was revealed that Bill Ackman increased his stake in the company by 65% in Q4, making it the fund’s third-largest holding. Meanwhile, oil prices surged more than 4% amid rising geopolitical tensions, after Vice President JD Vance said Iran failed to meet key U.S. demands and reiterated that President Donald Trump may use military action if they don’t comply.

On Our Radar: Analysts will be paying attention to initial jobless claims for fresh clues on labor market momentum, the U.S. trade deficit, retail and wholesale inventories for signals on supply-demand balance, and the Leading Economic Index for a read on the economy’s trajectory. On the earnings front, all eyes will be on Newmont (NEM) and Extra Space Storage (EXR) which will report after the market close today.

Shares of Doordash (DASH), AppLovin (APP), and Wendy's (WEN) were soaring, while Palo Alto (PANW), NXP Semiconductors (NXPI), and Boeing (BA) were among the day’s top laggards. But those weren’t the only companies making big moves. Here’s a look at some of the biggest winners and losers on Wednesday.

See how the market is moving with our interactive heatmap. Filter by market cap, or click on any box to explore specific sectors or assets in more detail.

Lift Off: Shares of Etsy are flying high after a big announcement, Discover what’s sending this stock into the stratosphere.

Merge & Surge: eBay crushed Wall Street estimates but the market isn’t buzzing about that. Read on to see the real reason why shares are soaring. 

Fig-tastic: Shares of Figma are soaring after an earnings beat that stunned Wall Street. See why investors are so excited and a look at how high shares could go.

Robot Rumble: Robots and AI could upend a bunch of U.S. physical jobs. Discover which roles are on the chopping block — and what it could mean for your career.

Stocks Of The Day: Are shares of Palantir and JPMorgan finally reversing now? Discover what Wall Street is watching and why these levels are so important.

See How Congress Is Trading This Erratic Market

Benzinga Edge’s Government Trade Tracker lets you monitor stock trades filed by U.S. lawmakers under the STOCK Act. See over 440 active trades across 185 members of Congress, with average performance tracking near +16.9%. Over the past 12 months alone, lawmakers have pulled more than $91 million out of the market — revealing themes retail investors often miss.

On This Day In 1981…

Ford announced a $1.5 billion net loss for the 1980 fiscal year, reporting one of the largest annual corporate losses in U.S. history up to that point. The loss came as domestic sales plunged about 33 percent and worldwide sales fell roughly 26 percent compared with the prior year. Despite the challenging times, the company was able to keep going and now has a market cap of nearly $60 billion.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“You do not beat the market by following the herd.“

— Carl Icahn

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