Nvidia-Led Rally Reverses Course; Walmart Stock Soars

Shares of the world’s most valuable company lost hold of their early gains after a blowout earnings report, while a big-box retailer soared after its latest quarterly results surpassed expectations.

Major U.S. equities indexes finished Thursday’s session in the red after overdue September jobs data sent mixed signals. The tech sector led the declines, as shares of Nvidia (NVDA) pulled back from their early advance in the wake of the AI chipmaker’s better-than-expected quarterly results to close 3.2% lower.

Nvidia was one of the day’s worst-performing stocks in the Dow, which slid 0.8%. The S&P 500 fell 1.6%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped 2.2%. See here for more from Investopedia on Thursday’s market action.

Shares of other AI chipmakers lost ground along with Nvidia. Rival Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) slumped nearly 8% and Broadcom (AVGO) slipped 2%, with the PHLX Semiconductor Index registering a nearly 5% decline. Nvidia memory chip partner Micron Technology (MU) tumbled 10.9%.

Jacobs Solutions (J) shares lost the most of any stock in the S&P 500, dropping close to 11% after the engineering and consulting company reported a year-over-year decline in quarterly profits. The company said the results reflected a change in value of its investment in Amentum (AMTM), which was spun off from the company last year and combined its former intelligence arm with its cyber and critical mission solutions business.

The price of Bitcoin (BTCUSD) extended its downtrend to hover around $87,000. Shares of Robinhood Markets (HOOD), which offers crypto trading on its platform, dropped about 10%, while shares of crypto exchange operator Coinbase Global (COIN) fell 7.4%.

Walmart (WMT) shares jumped nearly 7% to notch Thursday’s top performance in the S&P 500, after the retail giant’s earnings topped analysts’ estimates. Year-over-year growth in e-commerce sales and advertising revenue helped drive the strong performance, in what could be a positive signal for U.S. consumer spending heading into the height of the holiday season.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for use of its Eylea HD eye treatment for patients with macular edema following retinal vein occlusion. Regulators also greenlighted a monthly dosing option for Eylea HD for patients a variety of eye conditions. Regeneron shares advanced 5%.

Shares of Solventum (SOLV), the health care company that was spun off from 3M (MMM) last year, gained close to 3%. The push higher followed Solventum’s announcement that it had agreed to acquire Acera Surgical, a bioscience firm focusing on regenerative wound care. Solventum is set to pay $725 million in cash for Acera, with up to $125 million in additional contingent payments tied to certain future milestones.