Stocks lost ground in early trading Tuesday, while oil prices moved higher, as investors monitored developments in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran and digested disappointing economic data.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.1% recently, while the S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite declined 0.2% and 0.3%, respectively. Stocks were coming off strong gains on Monday, when major indexes rebounded from steep declines on Friday and their first losing week in three.
The geopolitical landscape grew more complicated on Friday when Israel launched air attacks against Iran’s nuclear facilities and key personnel. The two countries have exchanged missile fire every day since then, raising concerns about the possibility of a broader conflict. President Donald Trump late Monday left a meeting of the G-7 group of world leaders earlier than expected to deal with developments in the Middle East, as Israel seeks further assistance from the U.S. in its campaign against Iran.
Oil prices continued their volatile run amid concerns that supply could be affected, either through the destruction of oil facilities or the closing down of key shipping routes. The broader worry for investors is that a long-term surge in oil prices could raise fuel costs, spur inflation and hinder economic growth. West Texas Intermediate futures, the U.S. crude oil benchmark, were up 2.2% at $73.35 per barrel this morning, after falling about 2% yesterday and jumping nearly 8% on Friday.
Traders were also keeping a close eye on economic data—reports on retail sales, industrial production and homebuilder confidence all came in weaker than expected this morning—ahead of the Federal Reserve’s decision on interest rates tomorrow. The Fed isn’t expected to adjust rates, but market participants will be eager to hear the central bank’s assessment of the economic outlook amid ongoing uncertainty about the impact of tariffs.
Shares of the world’s largest technology companies, which all gained during Monday’s rally, were mostly lower early Tuesday, led by a 2% decline for shares of EV maker Tesla (TSLA). Microsoft (MSFT), Nvidia (NVDA), Apple (AAPL), Alphabet (GOOG), Meta Platforms (META) and Broadcom (AVGO) were each down less than 1%, while Amazon (AMZN) rose slightly.
Solar stocks were the biggest decliners this morning after the Senate maintained the full removal of clean-energy tax credits in the budget bill, even as it reportedly extended the time frame for the phaseout beyond the House’s bill. Shares of SunRun (RUN) and SolarEdge Technologies (SEDG) each plunged about 40%, while Enphase Energy (ENPH) and First Solar (FSLR) fell 25% and 17%, respectively.
Crypto stocks were also losing ground as the price of bitcoin fell to $105,400, down from a high of nearly $109,000 yesterday. Major bitcoin buyer Strategy (MSTR), crypto exchange Coinbase Global (COIN) and bitcoin miner MARA Holdings (MARA) were each down about 2%.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which affects borrowing costs on all sorts of consumer and business loans, was at 4.43% in recent trading, down from 4.45% at yesterday’s close. The U.S. dollar index, which measures the performance of the dollar against a basket of foreign currencies, was up 0.3% at 98.30, after hitting a three-year low last week of around 97.60.
Gold futures were down 0.2% at $3,410 an ounce, losing ground for the second consecutive day after moving as high as $3,470 last week, near a record high, as some investors turned to the traditional safe haven amid the geopolitical uncertainty.
T-Mobile Stock Slides as Softbank Reportedly Sells Shares
52 minutes ago
T-Mobile (TMUS) stock dropped following reports Japanese investment firm SoftBank Group sold millions of the U.S. telecommunication giant’s shares.
In an unregistered overnight sale, SoftBank sold 21.5 million T-Mobile shares for $224 each, according to reporting from Bloomberg, good for $4.8 billion.
SoftBank’s sale price was below T-Mobile’s Monday closing price of about $231. In early trading Tuesday, T-Mobile shares declined about 4%, bringing them to roughly flat for 2025.
Neither SoftBank nor T-Mobile immediately responded to an Investopedia request for comment.
The move helps SoftBank fund its growing wave of investments in artificial intelligence, the report said. In April, a SoftBank-led group invested as much as $40 billion in ChatGPT developer OpenAI, which the company also formed a joint venture with earlier this year. SoftBank is also part of the Stargate AI infrastructure venture along with OpenAI and Oracle (ORCL).
Verve Therapeutics Soars as Eli Lilly Buys Gene Editing Firm
1 hr 28 min ago
Shares of Verve Therapeutics (VERV) skyrocketed 75% early Tuesday after Eli Lilly (LLY) announced that it would acquire the gene-editing startup for about $1.3 billion.
Eli Lilly said it will pay $10.50 per share to Verve shareholders initially, with a $3-per-share contingent value right (CVR) potentially paid out if Verve treats at least one patient with gene-editing medicine VERVE-102 for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in a Phase 3 clinical trial within a decade of the deal’s closing or termination of the CVR. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter this year.
VERVE-102 currently “is being evaluated in a Phase 1b clinical trial study and has been granted Fast Track designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,” Lilly said.
“Verve was founded with one mission in mind: transform the treatment of cardiovascular disease from chronic care to a one-dose future,” Verve CEO Dr. Sekar Kathiresan said. “In just seven years, our team has progressed three in vivo gene editing products, with two currently in the clinic. Now, we will take the next steps in the drug development journey together with an ideal strategic partner in Lilly.”
The Financial Times reported late Monday that the companies were close to a deal.
Eli Lilly shares, which entered Tuesday up roughly 5% this year, were down 1.5% about 15 minutes after the opening bell. Verve stock entered the day up 11% in 2025.
Meta is the Biggest Mag 7 Gainer in 2025—Watch These Levels
1 hr 52 min ago
Meta Platforms (META) shares were little changed before the opening bell on Tuesday after surging Monday following news the tech giant plans to introduce paid advertising to WhatsApp, a move that expands the company’s revenue-generating opportunities.
The company, which expects to launch several advertising features globally over the next few months, said that it’s introducing channel subscriptions, promoted channels, and ads to its WhatsApp Updates tab, which it says attracts about 1.5 billion users daily.
Meta shares, which rose nearly 3% to close around $702 on Monday, have gained 20% since the start of the year and are just 5% below their record high, set in mid-February, as of Monday’s close. The stock, which is the top performing member of the Magnificent Seven so far in 2025, has impressed investors with strong AI-driven ad revenue growth and plans to significantly expand its AI capacity.
After reclaiming the 50- and 200-day moving averages, Meta shares consolidated within a pennant before decisively breaking out from the pattern earlier this month. Moreover, the relative strength index confirms bullish price momentum and sits below the indicator’s overbought threshold to provide room for further upside.
However, it’s worth noting that stock’s rally from its April low has occurred on declining trading volume, suggesting that larger market participant, such as institutional investors, remain on the sidelines.
Investors should monitor important overhead areas on Meta’s chart around $741 and $865, while also watching key support levels near $635 and $603.
Read the full technical analysis piece here.
Solar Stocks Sink on Removal of Tax Credits
2 hr 31 min ago
Solar stocks tumbled Tuesday after the Senate maintained the full removal of clean-energy tax credits in the budget bill, even as it reportedly extended the time frame for the phaseout beyond the House’s bill.
Shares of SunRun (RUN) and SolarEdge Technologies (SEDG) each plunged more than 30% in premarket trading, while Enphase Energy (ENPH) and First Solar (FSLR) were each down about 20%.
Solar stocks were hammered last month after the House passed a tax and spending bill that would end tax credits for wind and solar projects in 2029, years earlier than a previous version of the bill. Citi analysts said Tuesday that the measures in the Senate’s bill were “a slight improvement” on the previous plan to terminate credits for projects that weren’t in place by the end of 2028 “but is far more restrictive than the original bill’s phase out starting in 2029 and elimination of credits in 2032.”
The analysts stuck to their sell rating on residential solar stocks, adding they expected a “sharp pullback” in shares of SunRun, SolarEdge Technologies, and Enphase Energy. The analysts said that the Senate bill “also creates significant headwinds for storage” stocks like Enphase, SolarEdge and Fluence Energy (FLNC). Fluence shares were up 7% in premarket trading.
Major Index Futures Point to Lower Open
2 hr 55 min ago
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down 0.4%.
TradingView
S&P 500 futures also declined 0.4%.
TradingView
Nasdaq 100 futures slipped 0.5%.
TradingView
