Stock Market Today (LIVE): Abbott (-5%) Catches a Flu-Season Miss; Schwab Down 10% Despite Record Revenue

📌 Top story -- scroll down for more updates

4:05 pm

Stocks climbed Thursday, with the Nasdaq and S&P 500 on pace for back-to-back record closes, as investors grew more optimistic about a potential U.S.-Iran nuclear deal. President Trump said talks could resume this weekend, adding, "We’re very close." Oil prices surged, with Brent crude rising 4.7% to $99.39 a barrel.

3:36 pm — ABT -5.49%

Abbott (ABT 6.00%) cut its full-year outlook after a weak flu season dented diagnostic testing demand and a recent acquisition weighed on earnings. The company now expects adjusted EPS of $5.38–$5.58, below prior guidance and estimates, as profit fell year over year despite revenue growth. Shares dropped, extending a rough 12-month stretch, even as management pointed to long-term growth from its Exact Sciences deal.

3:28 pm — BIRD -27.66%

By Seth JaysonTeam Rule Breakers

You may have seen the news that Allbirds (BIRD 35.79%) is now an AI company. This is, to put it plainly, a bad joke. If this company spent all the cash I figure it might have on its balance sheet, AND the reported $50 million convertible funding facility, that would be $100 million, if I have it right. That is, at best, enough to build and equip maybe a 2-3 MW AI datacenter, but would leave zero cash left to actually run it. No one builds a DC that size, so this Bird AI, despite having zero history in the space, must expect to be able to raise tens of billions of dollars—because that is the table stakes to get into a space that has so far turned out to be a cash incineration space. None of the neo-clouds profit a dime. Do yourself a favor and put this into the same investment bucket that would house train wrecks and fishook mishap videos.

2:48 pm — SCHW -6.94%

Shares of Charles Schwab (SCHW 7.59%) fell after Q1 results that were broadly strong but missed on key metrics. Revenue rose 16% to nearly $6.5 billion and EPS jumped to $1.43, driven by a 34% surge in trading activity and $140 billion in net new assets. Still, a slight revenue miss and weaker net interest income—hit by lower rates—drove the sell-off. With the stock already flat since last summer and trading near 16x expected earnings, the drop may reflect sentiment as much as fundamentals.

2:30pm AMD +5.71%

Shares of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD +7.74%) jumped after a Wall Street analyst raised their price target—only for the stock to immediately surpass it. The call kept a “hold” rating but pointed to a mix shift toward higher-margin data center chips and upside from a multiyear AI deal with Meta Platforms (META +0.83%). With AMD up sharply over the past year, valuation has expanded alongside optimism around AI demand, leaving investors weighing continued growth against rising expectations.

1:10 pm -- TSLA -1.0%

Tesla (TSLA 0.69%) is facing scrutiny as registration data reveals that nearly 20% of fourth-quarter Cybertruck sales came from Elon Musk’s own empire. SpaceX alone accounted for 1,279 units, with Boring Co. and Neuralink also adding to a "buying spree" estimated at $100 million. Without these internal transactions, registrations for the pickup would have plummeted 51% sequentially. This reliance on affiliate purchases highlights a potential demand ceiling for the polarizing EV just as Tesla battles to regain its global lead from China's BYD (BYDDF +3.34%) and established rivals like Ford (F 2.12%).

1:00 pm

Quantum computing stocks rallied hard this week after Nvidia (NVDA 0.26%) unveiled Ising, a new family of open-source AI models designed to make quantum computing more practical. IonQ (IONQ +3.15%) and D-Wave Quantum (QBTS +3.41%) have each surged over 50% since Monday, while Rigetti Computing (RGTI +1.83%) and Quantum Computing (QUBT +0.43%) are up more than 20%.

12:40 pm -- CVS +0.9%

Over 500 warehouse workers and drivers at a critical CVS Health (CVS +2.28%) distribution center in Virginia have authorized a strike for May 1. Represented by Teamsters Local 592, the group is protesting proposed cuts to healthcare and core benefits while demanding a fair contract. The facility serves as a primary hub for stores across the Mid-Atlantic, including high-volume markets in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. While CVS maintains that a work stoppage is not imminent and contingency plans are ready, a prolonged walkout could strain regional inventory levels just as the company navigates a complex healthcare landscape.

12:10 pm -- META +0.4%

Meta Platforms (META +0.83%) will raise U.S. prices for its Quest VR headsets starting April 19, citing surging memory chip costs. The entry-level Quest 3S jumps to $349.99, while the 512GB Quest 3 sees a $100 increase to $599.99. This pricing shift reflects a broader supply squeeze as chipmakers prioritize high-margin AI infrastructure for Alphabet (GOOG 0.51%) and Microsoft (MSFT +2.20%), leaving consumer hardware manufacturers like Dell (DELL +8.92%) and Sony (SONY +1.06%) to pass costs to buyers. For investors, the hike signals Meta is cooling its "growth-at-all-costs" metaverse burn, which has drained over $70 billion from Reality Labs since 2021.

11:35 am — HIMS +8.5%

Hims & Hers Health (HIMS +11.28%) extended its two-day rally Thursday, surging another 6% as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. signaled an FDA shift on peptide restrictions. The agency scheduled a July review to potentially move seven peptides out of "Category 2" — a restrictive designation for substances deemed too risky for compounding pharmacies. This regulatory thaw directly benefits Hims, which acquired a specialized peptide manufacturing facility last year to target weight loss and muscle recovery markets. While year-to-date performance remains down 23% due to legal friction with Novo Nordisk (NVO +0.29%), investors are betting that looser compounding rules will stabilize the telehealth leader’s growth trajectory.

11:20 am — STLA +0.1%, MSFT +1.4% in pre-market trading

Anthropic released Claude Opus 4.7 on Thursday, a model designed to outpace predecessors in software engineering and "agentic" tasks while intentionally limiting its own cybersecurity capabilities. This strategic "differential reduction" in power distinguishes Opus 4.7 from the invitation-only Claude Mythos Preview, which remains restricted under the Project Glasswing security initiative. Available at no extra cost via Microsoft (MSFT +2.20%), Google (GOOG 0.51%), and Amazon (AMZN +0.48%), the launch reinforces Anthropic’s "safety-first" branding as it moves toward a rumored 2026 IPO. For investors, the release highlights a shift from raw power to "governed" utility as AI firms navigate increasing scrutiny from the Trump administration.

10:15 am

By Morning Show host Sanmeet DeoTeam Rule Breakers

Forget the frenzied scramble for SpaceX's expected June IPO. If you want a piece of Elon Musk's cosmic pie, the smartest Foolish move right now might just be buying shares of Alphabet (GOOG 0.51%).

According to recent filings, Google held a 6.11% stake in SpaceX at the end of 2025. Even after expected dilution to roughly 5% following SpaceX's merger with xAI, that slice is poised to be worth a staggering $100 billion if the rocket company hits its targeted $2 trillion IPO valuation.

Why Alphabet Beats the IPO Hype

Chasing a record-breaking $75 billion mega-IPO means battling institutional investors for potentially overpriced shares. Alphabet offers a brilliant backdoor play. By owning Google stock, you get the foundational stability of a dominant, cash-generating tech behemoth, plus the massive upside of a 12-figure space windfall.

How Could Google Deploy a $100 Billion Windfall?

If Alphabet eventually cashes out, the possibilities are thrilling for shareholders:

Don't just bet on the stars -- invest in the heavily diversified tech giant that already owns a piece of them.

9:30 am

The S&P 500 shattered the 7,000 level for the first time Thursday, while the Nasdaq cleared its own historic 24,000 milestone. Bullish sentiment is surging as President Trump signaled the Iran conflict is "very close to over," with fresh Israel-Lebanon talks scheduled to begin today. This diplomatic pivot has effectively erased the "war discount," returning valuations to late-February levels. While the Dow added 128 points, some strategists warn that the rally’s sustainability depends on whether gains broaden beyond the tech sector favorites that have dominated the 10-day winning streak.

9:20 am — STLA +0.1%, MSFT +1.4% in pre-market trading

Stellantis (STLA 1.81%) and Microsoft (MSFT +2.20%) have solidified a five-year strategic partnership to co-develop artificial intelligence and cybersecurity tools, a move designed to close the technology gap with Tesla and rising Chinese competitors. Under the agreement, joint teams will launch over 100 AI initiatives spanning predictive maintenance, product validation, and digital cabin features. This collaboration shifts Stellantis’ primary tech focus toward Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform as its previous SmartCockpit partnership with Amazon (AMZN +0.48%) winds down. By migrating its global infrastructure, the automaker aims for a 60% reduction in its physical data center footprint by 2029, streamlining operations while embedding AI-driven analytics into its global cyber defense center to protect vehicle data.

8:45 am -- CDNS +1.55% in pre-market trading

At its annual CadenceLIVE event, Cadence Design Systems (CDNS +1.01%) unveiled strategic alliances with Nvidia (NVDA 0.26%) and Alphabet (GOOG 0.51%) that signal a shift from simple chip design to full-scale AI system orchestration. By integrating Google's Gemini models into its ChipStack AI platform, Cadence is enabling "agent-driven" automation that can compress design cycles by up to 10X. Meanwhile, the Nvidia partnership leverages digital twins and accelerated computing to optimize "AI factories," focusing on "tokens per watt" to slash operating costs for hyperscale data centers. Together, these moves position Cadence as