Major Averages Broadly Lower Near Noon
The major averages were broadly lower near noon once again as investors digest the Federal Reserve's policy decision yesterday and await more news coming out of the Middle East. The Fed left interest rates unchanged, as expected, but signaled a more patient approach toward easing, reflecting concern that recent volatility in energy prices could keep inflation elevated in the near term.Meanwhile, oil remains higher following Iran attacking a key liquefied natural gas export facility in Qatar as well as an attack on Iran's South Pars field by Israel. Commenting on the matter, President Donald Trump said that if more facilities in Qatar were struck, the U.S. would "massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field."Get caught up quickly on the top news and calls moving stocks with these five Top Five lists.1. STOCK NEWS:Micronreported, provided upbeat Q3 guidance, and raised its quarterly dividend 30%AlibabareportedFive Belowreportedand provided its outlook for Q1 and FY26Dardenreported, though consolidated SSS rose 4.2%Uberwillin Rivian2. WALL STREET CALLS:Micronto Hold from Buy at Summit InsightsFive Belowto Outperform from Market Perform at William BlairCarnivalto Overweight at Morgan StanleyKinsale Capitalto Underperform at JefferiesOppenheimerFreshworksamid challenging operating environment3. AROUND THE WEB:Federal safety regulators are intensifying scrutiny of Tesla'sFull Self-Driving system over concerns about its performance in poor roadway conditions, WSJ saysAppleis stopping "vibe coding" apps from pushing updates, citing rules on running code, The Information reportsSamsungis considering a shift toward multi-year contracts for memory chips to stabilize supply and ease concerns about a shortage and it may lengthen contracts from quarterly or annual agreements to as much as three to five years, Bloomberg saysMetaconfirmed a critical security incident after an internal rogue AI agent's actions led to the exposure of sensitive data to employees without authorization, The Information reportsJanus Hendersonclients and staff are urging the company to reject a takeover bid from Victory Capital and to instead accept a lower-priced deal from Nelson Peltz's Trian Fund Management and General Catalyst, WSJ says4. MOVERS:DLocalgains after announcing aand announcing Q4 resultsTwo Harborsincreases after receiving an unsolicited $10.70 perSatellogichigher afterRed Catlower after, with EPS higher year-over-yearCanadian Solarfalls in New York afterand providing guidance for FY265. EARNINGS/GUIDANCE:Intuitive Machines, with revenue missing consensusAebi Schmidtand provided guidance for FY26Aveanna, with CEO Jeff Shaner commenting, "The strength and momentum of all three operating divisions can be seen in our fourth quarter results as we complete the third year of our Strategic Transformation"Signet Jewelersand provided guidance for Q1 and FY27Accenture, with EPS and revenue beating consensusINDEXES:Near midday, the Dow was down 0.91%, or 422.10, to 45,803.05, the Nasdaq was down 0.86%, or 190.60, to 21,956.22, and the S&P 500 was down 0.71%, or 46.89, to 6,577.81.
