Stock Market Today (LIVE): CPI Report and Iran Tensions Weigh on Futures as Trump Leads a Power Delegation to Beijing

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Amazon Starts 30-Minute Drops

10:15 am — AMZN -1.5%

Amazon (AMZN 1.32%) is launching “Amazon Now,” a service delivering packages in 30 minutes or less across dozens of U.S. cities. Utilizing a network of micro-fulfillment “dark stores” and Flex drivers, the retail giant aims to reach tens of millions of customers by year-end. This aggressive move directly challenges gig-economy rivals like DoorDash (DASH 0.13%) and Uber (UBER 1.11%) by offering 24/7 access to everything from electronics to groceries. CEO Andy Jassy maintains that ultra-fast speeds drive higher conversion and customer retention, effectively turning logistics into a competitive weapon against brick-and-mortar leader Walmart (WMT +1.17%).

• Dark Store Strategy: By shifting inventory to 5,000-square-foot urban hubs rather than highway warehouses, Amazon minimizes the “last mile” to minutes rather than hours.
• Fee Structure Shifts: Prime members will pay a $3.99 premium for the lightning-speed service, creating a high-margin revenue stream that offsets the increased cost of rapid, on-demand logistics.

Hims & Hers Stock Plummets on Widening Loss

10:10 am — HIMS -9.9%

Hims & Hers Health (HIMS 10.36%) shares tanked by up to 15% Tuesday as the telehealth firm’s first-quarter net loss nearly doubled to $92 million. While revenue nudged up 4% to $608 million, investors were spooked by a significant drop in adjusted EBITDA and a lowered outlook. The company is navigating a painful transition after settling with Novo Nordisk (NVO +0.91%) to stop selling cheap, compounded versions of weight-loss drugs like Wegovy. Under the new pact, Hims will sell branded GLP-1s but must cease the “mass compounding” that previously fueled its margins. With revenue per subscriber slipping to $80, the firm faces a steep uphill climb to prove its business model works without patented shortcuts.

• Shortage Loophole Closes: Hims previously exploited a regulatory loophole allowing non-patent holders to sell drugs during shortages, but the resolution of GLP-1 supply issues has rendered this strategy obsolete.
• Safety First, Profits Second: Novo Nordisk’s legal pressure forced Hims to pull its $49 “copycat” pills, a move that clarifies the company’s regulatory risk but leaves a $350 million EBITDA goal looking increasingly ambitious.

Opening Bell

9:35 am — MU -4.5%, AMD -1.3%, QCOM -5.7%

The S&P 500 pulled back from record highs Tuesday after April’s Consumer Price Index hit 3.8%, its highest annual level since 2023. This hotter-than-expected data, driven by West Texas Intermediate futures surging past $100, sparked a sell-off in high-flying tech names. Micron Technology (MU 3.86%) reversed its recent 37% weekly surge with a 4% drop, dragging peers Advanced Micro Devices (AMD 1.49%) and Qualcomm (QCOM 7.19%) lower. With President Trump declaring the U.S.-Iran ceasefire on “massive life support,” investors are bracing for a persistent energy-driven inflation story that could dominate the remainder of the year.

• Geopolitical Premium Returns: Crude prices are pricing in a collapse of diplomatic talks after Tehran demanded full sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and billions in war reparations.
• Structural Inflation Risks: Analysts warn that two consecutive readings above 3% suggest price pressures are becoming entrenched, potentially forcing the Federal Reserve to maintain restrictive rates longer than anticipated.

Zebra Technologies Rides Automation Tailwinds

9:10 am — ZBRA +13.5% in pre-market trading

Zebra Technologies (ZBRA +19.45%) reported encouraging first-quarter results with a 14.3% increase in net sales and non-GAAP earnings of $4.75 up better than 18%. The company demonstrated robust demand across both its Connected Frontline and Asset Visibility & Automation segments with segment sales up 21% and 7% respectively and there’s no doubt the market is pleased with the fact that leadership raised guidance across the board. Zebra continues to benefit from tailwinds in e-commerce, automation, and physical AI, and we don’t see those trends slowing down anytime soon.

GameStop’s $56B eBay Bid ‘Lacks Credibility’

8:30 am — EBAY -0.95%, GME -2.37% in pre-market trading

eBay (EBAY 0.20%) has officially rejected a $56 billion unsolicited takeover bid from GameStop (GME 0.91%), dismissing the proposal as “neither credible nor attractive.” The eBay board cited deep concerns over a massive funding gap and the high debt load required for the $125-per-share cash-and-stock deal. Despite CEO Ryan Cohen’s $20 billion financing commitment from TD Bank (TD 0.78%) and a plan to use retail stores as fulfillment hubs, eBay leadership expressed full confidence in its current turnaround strategy under Jamie Iannone. The rejection follows a combative week of social media antics from Cohen, who even saw his personal eBay account suspended during the pursuit.

• Financing Under Fire: Critics note that GameStop’s $10 billion market cap makes acquiring a $48 billion giant nearly impossible without extreme equity dilution or “distressed-level” leverage.
• The Synergistic Stretch: While Cohen eyes live commerce and local authentication hubs, eBay’s board countered that its focus on luxury goods and trading cards is already delivering superior shareholder returns.

This Morning’s Breakfast News

7:30 am — ONON +5.49% in pre-market trading

On Holding (ONON 5.91%) rose over 5% ahead of the opening bell after results showed record net sales and profitability, driven by a 44.4% revenue growth in the APAC region versus the previous year, as well as lifting its full-year profit outlook.

• “Q1 was an outstanding start to the year and another strong proof point of our premium strategy in action”: Casper Coppetti, founder and co-CEO, noted the push to being a premium brand, with the Stock Advisor recommendation by Team Rule Breakers projecting an impressive 64.5% gross profit margin by year end.
• “The business is doing fine”: In late March, TMF chief investment officer Andy Cross explained, “even though they continue to put up some good numbers, they have some of the bigger headwinds from spending and tariffs and margins,” but flagged the business had been “a long-term performer.”

ICYMI: Monday’s Scoreboard

6:45 am — WSM +0.46% in pre-market trading

Williams-Sonoma (WSM 0.25%) was the subject of the latest Scoreboard video.

Sony’s $4B Acquisition Signals Music IP Shift

6:00 am — SONY +3.15%, BX -0.16% in pre-market trading

Sony Group (SONY +3.99%) has struck a massive $4 billion deal to acquire Recognition Music Group’s catalog from Blackstone (BX 0.11%), securing the rights to over 45,000 iconic tracks. The acquisition, made through a joint venture with Singapore’s GIC, includes legendary hits such as Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” cementing Sony’s position as a dominant force in the music intellectual property market. This exit follows Blackstone’s 2024 takeover of Hipgnosis Songs Fund and marks a high-water point for music rights as an institutional asset class. As streaming continues to favor “legacy” catalogs with enduring replay value, Sony’s aggressive deal-making highlights a strategic pivot toward owning evergreen content that provides stable, long-term cash flows.

• Institutionalizing the Hits: This transaction validates music rights as a mainstream financial asset, offering Sony a high-margin revenue stream that remains resilient regardless of broader economic cycles.
• Streaming’s Golden Oldies: With mature demographics driving consumption on major platforms, owning timeless classics allows Sony to capture a disproportionate share of global streaming royalties compared to riskier new releases.

Markel’s Buyback Enough Without Spinoff

5:15 am — MKL +0.18% in pre-market trading

Jana Partners has asked Markel‘s (MKL 0.28%) Board to spin off their Ventures businesses and do a tender offer for $2 billion worth of shares. Jana first voiced this back in 2024. While I agree that Markel is undervalued, Jana’s requests are pure financial engineering. The reasons for Markel’s underperformance are largely gone now (reinsurance, Poor Catco acquisition, and underinvestment in technology). Markel reduced their shares by about 10% over the past 5 years. The pace of repurchases will likely pick-up from here. That’s enough for me but activists aren’t often in it for the long haul.

Microsoft Caps OpenAI Payments Through 2030

5:00 am — MSFT -0.41% in pre-market trading

The Information reports Microsoft (MSFT 0.60%) and OpenAI have agreed to cap revenue-sharing payments at $38 billion as details emerge of the renegotiated contract from last month, allowing OpenAI to have a stronger pitch to take on new investors.

• Revenue-sharing will continue through to 2030: Even though the contract obligates payments for the coming years, the cap makes OpenAI more attractive when considering an IPO later this year, as it puts the company more in control of its finances.
• “It has worked out well because we took the risk”: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said he was proud of the early investment in the business, with the initial $13 billion stake estimated to be worth $92 billion.

Beazer Board Faces $25.75 Dream Finders Bid

4:30 am — DFH -2.20%, BZH -2.53% in pre-market trading

Dream Finders Homes (DFH 8.65%) went public with their offer to purchase Beazer Homes (BZH 2.11%) for $25.75 per share in cash. This was a 40% premium to Beazer’s current share price. Dream Finder’s Founder and CEO Patrick Zalupski called out Beazer’s suboptimal capital allocation strategy and lack of scale as solid reasons for the deal. DFH has proven to be a good home for the businesses they acquire. Dream Finders’ asset light business model is built for the real estate cycles. The pressure is now on Beazer’s board to respond to this very solid offer.

Before the Opening Bell

4:00 am

Stock futures are edging lower as Wall Street braces for April’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, set against the backdrop of crumbling peace hopes in the Middle East. President Trump recently declared the U.S.-Iran ceasefire on “massive life support” after rejecting Tehran’s latest proposal, a move that threatens to keep energy-driven inflation sticky. Economists expect headline CPI to land at 3.7%, a figure that will weigh heavily on the Federal Reserve’s next interest rate decision. Despite the geopolitical friction, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite closed at record highs Monday, buoyed by semiconductor strength and optimism surrounding the President’s high-stakes state visit to China today. Trump is joined by a powerhouse delegation, including Tesla (TSLA 1.55%) CEO Elon Musk and Apple (AAPL +0.48%) chief Tim Cook, to negotiate new trade and AI frameworks.

• The China “Mega-Mission”: The presence of executives from BlackRock (BLK 0.53%) and Goldman Sachs (GS 1.70%) suggests the trip aims to reopen Chinese capital markets and secure high-performance computing supply chains amid ongoing U.S. technology restrictions.
• Stagflationary Shadows: While the labor market added a surprising 115,000 jobs in April, a 3.7% inflation print would likely force the Fed to maintain a “higher-for-longer” stance, delaying any potential rate cuts.

This article was created using Large Language Models (LLMs) based on The Motley Fool’s insights and investing approach. It has been reviewed by our AI quality control systems. Since LLMs cannot (currently) own stocks, it has no positions in any of the stocks mentioned. Buck Hartzell has positions in Apple, Dream Finders Homes, Markel Group, Microsoft, and eBay. Jason Moser has positions in Amazon and Markel Group. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Amazon, Apple, BlackRock, Blackstone, DoorDash, Dream Finders Homes, Goldman Sachs Group, Hims & Hers Health, Markel Group, Micron Technology, Microsoft, On Holding, Qualcomm, Tesla, Uber Technologies, Walmart, Williams-Sonoma, Zebra Technologies, and eBay. The Motley Fool recommends Novo Nordisk. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.