😱 σ, Snap!

Volatility's big return. Plus, Victoria Secret shares go under where most investors are comfortable with.

Happy Wednesday, Zingers! σ, snap! Volatility is back baby. Today, $SPY was looking strong, reaching nearly $512 in the afternoon before dropping more than .5% in less than a couple of hours. But in the final 30 minutes before close, it traded back up another .25%.

I wonder which will wear off first: My portfolio’s motion sickness, or my adrenaline high?

Today’s Price Action:

$SPY: +.51%
$QQQ: +.63%
$DIA: +.26%

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TODAY’S MOST VOLATILE STOCKS
TODAY’S TOP STORY
Reverse Game Night GIF by Mattel

Briefly: Speaking of volatility… Well, let’s talk about those regional banks.

So Basically: New York Community Bancorp was trading down more than 40% at one point today after the company announced it was seeking outside capital and a potential equity sale.

But Then: Ask and you shall receive. A group of investors threw the floundering bank a much-needed lifeline: An equity investment of more than $1 billion from Liberty Strategic Capital, Hudson Bay Capital, Reverence Capital Partners, Citadel Securities and other institutional investors.

So What? $NYCB bounced right back, and at one point traded up more than 100% from its lows of the day. The stock ended up closing in the green by about 7.5% today.

What Next: The news impacted the entire regional banking sector. The $KRE, an ETF tracking regional banks, traded down more than 3% today, then rose more than 4% from its lows after the NYCB lifeline was announced.

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FIVE MOVERS

Bitcoin rose more than 4% today following Tuesday’s intense sell-off. Here’s what crypto analysts are saying.

Palantir shares shot higher by more than 10% today after the company announced a new deal with the U.S. Army.

Victoria’s Secret shares dropped by more than 25% after the close, following skimpy Q4 earnings.

Pfizer stock got a vital booster today, closing up more than 4% after hitting 11-year lows.

Costco shares traded higher in today’s session, as investors took a bullish stance on the stock ahead of its earnings report coming tomorrow.

ONE TRADE IDEA FOR TOMORROW
steve mcqueen cowboy GIF

Briefly: Wall Street veteran Ed Yardeni, president of Yardeni Research, spotlighted signs of vulnerability among the stock market’s beloved Magnificent Seven.

So Basically: Yardeni observed that many companies with significant exposure to China are coming to realize that the Chinese economy may be experiencing a slowdown, and consumer purchasing patterns are not what they used to be.

So Then: Included among those companies: Apple and Tesla. Apple, which derives 20% of its revenue from China, experienced a 24% drop in its iPhone sales within the country this year. And Tesla has repeatedly cut prices in the country to compete with low-cost Chinese EVs.

So What? Yardeni emphasized the impact of AI on tech mega-stocks. “Apple hasn’t repeated the AI mantra too often,” Yardeni stated. Conversely, he said, the anticipation around NVIDIA’s upcoming convention in San Jose, CA, presents a buoyant outlook for the AI and semiconductor sectors.

PRESENTED BY FINANCE BUZZ

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