Benzinga Market Movers: Beyond Meat, Intel, Newmont — Inflation Data Raises Expectations for Rate Cuts
Market Overview: Markets experienced gains this week due to softer-than-expected inflation figures, with major indexes reaching all-time highs, while strong earnings from the auto sector also contributed to the bullish sentiment.
Bullish Stocks: Notable stock performances included Beyond Meat, which surged over 24% after a debt swap reduced bankruptcy risk, Intel, which reported strong Q3 earnings driven by AI demand, and Alphabet, whose shares rose after Anthropic expanded its use of Google Cloud technologies.
Bearish Stocks: Newmont Corp's stock declined despite beating Q3 expectations due to production concerns, while AST SpaceMobile's shares fell after announcing a convertible note offering that raised dilution fears among investors.
Clean Energy Performance: The Invesco WilderHill Clean Energy ETF outperformed both the VanEck Semiconductor ETF and NVIDIA, rising 44% year-to-date, despite challenges posed by the Trump administration's policies on clean energy.
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- Newmont's Strong Performance: In fiscal year 2025, Newmont's sales rose 21% to $22.7 billion, with a net income of $7.1 billion, showcasing its robust competitiveness in the global gold market despite risks from commodity price volatility.
- SSR Mining's Turnaround: SSR Mining's revenue surged 66.5% to nearly $1.7 billion in FY 2025, achieving a net income of $402.7 million, a significant recovery from a $261.3 million loss in 2024, indicating strong business resilience.
- Financial Health Comparison: Newmont's debt-to-equity ratio stands at 0.2 with a current ratio of 2.3, reflecting its solid financial health, while SSR Mining maintains a lower debt-to-equity ratio of 0.1 and a current ratio of 2.1, indicating low leverage and good short-term liquidity.
- Future Outlook and Risks: While Newmont excels in cash flow and dividends, it faces notable legal and compliance risks; conversely, SSR Mining is poised to receive $1.5 billion from the sale of its Copler mine in Turkey, which could be used for expansion and shareholder returns, thereby reducing asset risk.
- Options Trading Trend: In both the SPDR Gold ETF (GLD) and VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX), options volumes leaned bullish, particularly as GDX rallied over 4% despite falling gold futures, indicating ongoing market confidence in gold.
- Bullish vs. Bearish Contrast: Over 10,000 call options were traded in GDX compared to only 4,400 puts, reflecting investor expectations for a price rebound, especially with the 100 and 110 strike calls expiring on June 18.
- Large Trade Signals: A trader spent over $1 million acquiring thousands of 85-strike puts in the GDX market, indicating concerns about potential declines in gold prices, contrasting sharply with the bullish call activity and highlighting market divergence.
- Market Uncertainty: Although gold is down nearly 20% from its all-time high in January, it has still risen 89% over the past two years, while gold mining stocks have surged 144%, reflecting complex market sentiments amid geopolitical uncertainties and unclear interest rate outlooks.
- GameStop Options Volume: GameStop Corp saw options trading volume of 110,203 contracts, representing approximately 11 million shares, which is about 110.4% of its average daily trading volume over the past month, indicating strong market interest in its future performance.
- High Demand for $30 Call Option: Notably, the $30 strike call option expiring on September 17, 2027, has seen 15,011 contracts traded today, equating to approximately 1.5 million shares, reflecting a significant bullish sentiment among investors regarding GameStop's stock price.
- Newmont Options Activity: Newmont Corp experienced options trading volume of 74,166 contracts, representing around 7.4 million shares, which is approximately 106.9% of its average daily trading volume over the past month, showcasing ongoing market interest in the company.
- Active Trading of $50 Call Option: The $50 strike call option expiring on June 18, 2026, has recorded a trading volume of 27,003 contracts, or about 2.7 million shares, indicating a positive outlook among investors for Newmont's future performance.
- Price Fluctuation Analysis: SPMO's 52-week low is $103.88 per share, with a high of $149.60, and the last trade was at $149.58, indicating the stock is near its peak, potentially attracting investor interest.
- Technical Analysis Tool: Comparing the latest share price to the 200-day moving average can provide valuable insights for investors, helping to assess market trends and price movements effectively.
- ETF Trading Mechanism: Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) trade like stocks, where investors buy and sell 'units' that can be created or destroyed based on demand, impacting the liquidity and market performance of the ETF.
- Inflows and Outflows Monitoring: Weekly monitoring of changes in shares outstanding for ETFs helps identify those experiencing significant inflows or outflows, allowing investors to evaluate the impact on underlying holdings and make more informed decisions.
- Gold Investment Misconception: While purchasing physical gold or gold ETFs like SPDR Gold Trust offers direct exposure to precious metals, long-term investors may find this approach overly reliant on gold price fluctuations, making effective asset diversification challenging.
- Mining Company Advantages: For instance, Newmont Mining generated $3.1 billion in free cash flow in Q1 2026, benefiting from high gold prices, showcasing the profit potential of mining companies during price surges, although their operational risks and capital-intensive nature cannot be overlooked.
- Streaming and Royalty Companies: Companies like Franco-Nevada, Royal Gold, and Wheaton Precious Metals mitigate operational risks by providing upfront cash to miners in exchange for the right to purchase gold at favorable prices, enabling long-term growth potential while maintaining diversified portfolios.
- Learning About Streaming Investments: Although streaming and royalty companies are relatively niche in the investment landscape, understanding these firms and their unique business models will be worthwhile for long-term investors looking to add gold exposure in 2026, as they offer better protection and profitability amid market volatility.
- Gold Investment Options: Short-term investors can opt for gold bullion or gold ETFs, while long-term investors should consider mining companies like Newmont, which generated $3.1 billion in free cash flow in Q1 2026, reflecting strong profitability from high gold prices.
- Mining Company Advantages: Newmont's production capacity grows with rising gold prices, and despite the complexities and capital intensity of mining operations, its long-term growth potential makes it a noteworthy investment choice.
- Streaming and Royalty Companies: Companies like Franco-Nevada, Royal Gold, and Wheaton Precious Metals provide upfront funding to miners in exchange for the right to purchase gold at favorable prices in the future, thereby reducing operational risks and achieving diversified revenue streams.
- Investor Recommendations: For long-term investors looking to add gold in 2026, streaming and royalty companies offer a more attractive business model; although they are relatively niche in the market, their stable profit margins and growth potential warrant further exploration.











