Key Takeaways
- The S&P 500 finished essentially unchanged 0.1% on Friday, July 18, 2025, with strong consumer sentiment data pointing to waning tariff worries.
- Invesco shares soared after the asset manager petitioned shareholders to reclassify the
Invesco QQQ Trust as an open-ended fund. - Netflix posted better-than-expected quarterly profits but predicted a lower operating margin in the second half of the year. Shares of the video streamer dropped.
Major U.S. equities indexes were mixed heading into the weekend as a report showing an uptick in consumer sentiment suggested that unease over possible tariff impacts could be dwindling.
The S&P 500 wavered throughout Friday’s session before ending with a minimal loss of less than 0.1%, wrapping up the week just below Thursday’s closing high. The Dow dropped 0.3%, while the Nasdaq eked out a gain of less than 0.1% to complete a sweep of five record daily closes this week. Read Investopedia’s full coverage of today’s trading here.
Investment manager Invesco (IVZ) filed a proxy statement asking shareholders of the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) for permission to restructure the Nasdaq 100-tracking fund. The proposed reclassification of the massive tech-focused exchange-traded fund to an open-ended fund from a unit investment trust could boost Invesco’s fee revenue while lowering costs for shareholders. Invesco shares surged 15%, posting the S&P 500’s strongest daily performance.
Shares of Regions Financial (RF) advanced 6.1% after the Alabama-based banking company beat second-quarter profit expectations. Year-over-year growth in net interest income and fee income contributed to the strong quarterly results.
Power producer Talen Energy (TLN) announced a $3.5 billion deal to acquire a pair of gas-fired plants in Pennsylvania and Ohio. The move is part of the energy infrastructure firm’s portfolio expansion efforts as it aims to position itself to meet demand from power-intensive data centers. Talen stock soared more than 24% on Friday. Shares of nuclear power players Vistra (VST) and Constellation Energy (CEG), which have drawn attention for their own data center ambitions, were up 6.1% and 4.3%, respectively.
Dell Technologies (DELL) shares powered some 6% higher. Analysts at Bank of America said the tech firm could come close to doubling its earnings per share by 2030. BofA believes demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure from businesses and government entities along with resurgent capital spending on cloud technology could drive an acceleration in revenue growth for Dell over the next five years.
Elevance Health (ELV) shares plunged for a second straight session, shedding 8.4% on Friday. The downswing for the insurer’s stock came after Elevance cut its full-year guidance, citing high costs related to Medicaid and Affordable Care Act coverage. Other health insurance stocks joined in the two-day swoon following Elevance’s reduced forecast. Shares of Molina Healthcare (MOH) posted a Friday decline of more than 10%, falling the furthest of any S&P 500 stock.
Netflix (NFLX) shares sank 5.1% in the wake of its quarterly earnings release. The video streaming giant topped net income estimates and lifted its full-year revenue guidance. Netflix said its operating margin would be lower in the second half of 2025 compared with the first half of the year, reflecting higher content amortization along with more sales and marketing costs involved in promoting a wider roster of content during the third and fourth quarters.
Manufacturing conglomerate 3M (MMM) posted better-than-expected sales and profits for the second quarter and raised its 2025 outlook. Although the strong numbers initially helped push shares of the Post-it notes maker higher, the stock changed course during 3M’s earnings call as executives discussed sluggishness in the global economy and a challenging environment for the company’s consumer electronics and auto parts businesses. 3M shares ended 3.7% lower.
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