Plus, the Biden administration said it will order 100 million more COVID-19 vaccine shots, Boeing shares are down after it reported a net loss of $11.9 billion, and GM is teaming up with Navistar on a hydrogen-fueled semi truck.
Stocks were lower to start Wednesday with the Dow dropping 377 points, or 1.1%. The S&P 500 slid 1.2%, and the Nasdaq fell 0.8%.
Speculative frenzy. GameStop is continuing its wild rally this morning, with shares up more than 143% at the time of writing. The latest move higher comes as some of the highest profile short sellers, including Melvin Capital and Citron, said they have covered most if not all of their positions. Michael Burry, who turned bullish on GameStop in 2019, called the recent rally in the stock “unnatural, insane, and dangerous.” Meanwhile, retail investors are jumping on some of the market’s other most shorted stocks. One such stock surging higher this morning is AMC Entertainment, which is up nearly 226%. “The spotlight has pivoted from Large Cap Tech/‘Retail Favorites,’ to a largely ignored corner of heavily shorted smaller cap stocks,” Barclays said in a note to clients. “In a span of a month, retail trading has significantly impacted price action and sentiment in these heavily shorted names, cementing the dominance of retail option investors.”
President Joe Biden is set to sign several executive orders today to tackle climate change and transition the country to a clean energy economy, the White House said. The executive actions will include establishing climate change as a national security priority, conserving at least 30% of federal land and oceans by 2030, and canceling new oil and gas leases on public lands and waters. The Biden administration is expected to also focus on creating green jobs and union opportunities as well as environmental justice for communities disproportionally impacted by climate change. The administration also said the climate actions will build modern and sustainable infrastructure while restoring scientific integrity in the federal government.
January is on track to be the deadliest month yet of the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly 80,000 deaths reported in the U.S. through January 26. The grim January toll surpassed the previous high set in December with five days left in the month. As the death toll and cases continue to climb higher, the Biden administration said it intends to order 100 million more doses each of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s coronavirus vaccines, and at least temporarily speed up shipments to states to about 10 million doses a week. The new purchases will increase total U.S. vaccine orders by 50% to around 600 million shots, or enough to vaccinate 300 million people. “This is going to allow millions of more Americans to get vaccinated sooner than previously anticipated – we’ve got a long way to go, though,” Biden said at the White House on Tuesday.
Boeing shares are down 3% this morning after the plan manufacturer reported a net loss that topped $11.9 billion for 2020. The company lost a staggering $15.25 a share in the fourth quarter on an adjusted basis, while analysts had expected a lost of $1.80 a share, while revenue in the quarter dropped 15% from a year earlier to $15.3 billion. “2020 was a year of profound societal and global disruption which significantly constrained our industry,” said Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun. “The deep impact of the pandemic on commercial air travel, coupled with the 737 MAX grouping, challenged our results.”
And GM is teaming up with Navistar to supply fuel-cell electric vehicle technology for a new semi truck. The deal includes privately held hydrogen-fuel company OneH2, which will be responsible for hydrogen production, storage, delivery, and safety to fuel the truck, while Navistar will take a minority stake in OneH2 under the terms of the agreement. “All parties will play a strong role in developing the consistent solution,” said Navistar CEO Persio Lisboa. “I think that this is the beginning of something, and we believe that many other customers will be able to join as we move along with the technology and the solution.”
Stocks We’re Watching
CarParts.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRTS): CarParts.com shares gained as much as 53% yesterday after the company announced its new dedicated shopping hub for the hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric vehicles. “There is a lot of misinformation out there surrounding the perceived differences in parts and repairs for electric cars compared to gas vehicles,” said CarParts.com Chief Merchandising Officer David Morris. “But in reality, hybrids and EVs have many of the same fundamental parts that gas-powered cars do–from brakes, headlights, and mirrors to fenders, control arms, and shocks or struts. Our dedicated shopping hub will help demystify the world of EV and hybrid auto parts, making it simple for customers to find the parts and information they need to get the job done.”