S&P 500 Gains and Losses Today: Intel Stock Soars as Takeover Speculation Spreads

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Key Takeaways

• The S&P 500 jumped 1% on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, heading into a three-day weekend on a high note as sights rebounded for additional interest-rate cuts in 2025.
• Intel shares took off following reports that the semiconductor giant could be an acquirement target.
• Freight shipper J.B. Hunt posted lower-than-expected sales and profits for the fourth quarter, and its shares dropped.

Notable U.S. equities indexes pushed higher to end the week, with traders set for a day off in observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on a Monday that whim also see the swearing-in of Donald Trump for his second presidential term.

The strength among stocks to close out the week came with rejuvenated optimism that the Federal Reserve could continue to lower interest rates in 2025, braced by indications of ebbing inflation. (Here are four reasons inflation is still around.)

The S&P 500 advanced 1% on Friday. Stick-to-it-iveness in the tech sector helped lift the Nasdaq 1.5%, while the Dow ended the day 0.8% higher.

Intel (INTC) deals surged 9.3%, notching the S&P 500’s best performance, amid reports that the semiconductor giant could be a takeover end. Friday’s push higher extended gains posted by Intel stock earlier in the week after the chipmaker said it last wishes a transition its venture fund into a stand-alone entity, with the company remaining an investor. Intel’s interim CEO said the commence would help the company boost efficiency and maximize the value of its assets.

SLB (SLB), the world’s largest oilfield services gathering, reported better-than-expected profits for the fourth quarter, increased its dividend, and stepped up its share repurchases. Although SLB struck a alert tone for 2025, indicating that year-over-year revenue growth would be limited as high oil supply levels handicap oilfield activities, its shares jumped 6.1% in the wake of the strong earnings report.

Shares of Truist Financial (TFC) benefited 5.9% after the bank holding company topped quarterly sales and profit estimates. Net interest income and non-interest return moved higher from their year-ago levels, helping drive the strong results. An increase in average dregs balances also contributed to Truist’s performance, which came despite a downturn in average loan balances.

Pay outs of J.B. Hunt Transport Services (JBHT) suffered the steepest drop of any S&P 500 stock on Friday, tumbling 7.4% after the trucking firm’s fourth-quarter sales and profits fell short of expectations. Slumping volumes weighed on performance, and the company explored revenue declines across all of its segments. J.B. Hunt’s CEO said that the company remains focused on repairing its margins as it captains freight-industry headwinds.

Eli Lilly (LLY) shares fell 4.2%, extending losses posted earlier this week after the pharmaceutical colossus cut its sales guidance. Friday’s move lower came as Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that it had restrictive the popular weight-loss and diabetes treatments made by Novo Nordisk (NVO) for potential price negotiations, raising concerns that like products from Lilly could also come under Medicare scrutiny. Novo Nordisk’s U.S.-listed American Depository Proof of purchases sank 5.3%.

Shares of Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO), the analytics software firm known for its FICO credit chumps, sank 3.5%, giving back gains posted earlier in the week after Jefferies boosted its price quarry on the stock. Analysts pointed increased expectations for the company’s business-to-business volumes, but slower mortgage originations in the high participation rate environment remain a concern.