The stock market today July 18 2025 is basically a masterclass in how to ignore bad news. If you’ve been watching the screens, you’ve seen the Nasdaq composite edge up just enough—about 10 points—to hit yet another record high. That’s five in a row now. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 basically spent the day doing a slow-motion shrug, closing fractionally lower at 6,296.79 after hitting its own intraday peak early on. It's weird, honestly. We have massive tariffs from the spring still rattling around, insurance companies tanking, and yet the tech-heavy indexes just keep climbing.
The Big Winners and the Weird Sell-offs
You’d think a company like Netflix beating expectations would be cause for a party. Nope. Even though they topped net income estimates and hiked their revenue outlook, shares of Netflix (NFLX) got slapped with a 5.1% drop. Why? Investors got spooked by the "lower operating margins" talk for the rest of 2025. It turns out marketing all that new content is expensive.
On the flip side, Invesco (IVZ) was the star of the S&P 500 today, surging 15%. They want to restructure the QQQ trust, and the market absolutely loved the idea. Then you have the energy sector. Talen Energy (TLN) went on a tear, jumping 24% after announcing they’re buying natural gas plants to power AI data centers. It’s the same story we've seen all year: if you mention "AI" and "infrastructure" in the same sentence, the money starts flying.
What’s Happening Under the Hood?
The Dow didn't have such a great time, falling 0.3% to close at 44,342.19. 3M (MMM) led the losers there, dropping nearly 4% despite a decent report. Executives started talking about "global sluggishness" during the call, and that was enough to pull the rug out. It's a reminder that while the Nasdaq feels invincible, the old-school industrial side of the economy is feeling the friction of those tariffs.
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Healthcare was the real disaster zone today. Molina Healthcare (MOH) plummeted over 10%, and Elevance Health (ELV) shed 8.4%. When Elevance cut guidance because Medicaid and ACA costs were too high, it took the whole sector down with it. If you’re holding health insurance stocks right now, it’s a bit of a bloodbath.
Economic Data: The Consumer is Still Alive
Basically, the reason the stock market today July 18 2025 didn't completely roll over is the June retail sales data. It came in at a 0.6% increase. People are still spending money. Combine that with weekly jobless claims dropping to 221,000, and you get a picture of an economy that is stubbornly resilient.
- Nasdaq Composite: Up less than 0.1% to 20,895.66 (New Record)
- S&P 500: Down less than 0.1% to 6,296.79
- Dow Jones: Down 0.3% to 44,342.19
- Russell 2000: Down 0.6% to 2,240.01
Yields on the 10-year Treasury eased a bit, which usually helps tech stocks. But the vibe is definitely "cautiously optimistic" rather than "irrational exuberance." We’re seeing a broadening of the market, sort of. While the "Magnificent 7" are mostly doing the heavy lifting, banks like Regions Financial (RF) and Charles Schwab (SCHW) actually posted solid gains today after beating profit expectations.
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Why Everyone Is Talking About Tariffs
You can't talk about the market this summer without mentioning the April "Liberation Day" tariffs. They’ve been a massive cloud over the indices for months. While the 2Q25 GDP grew at a solid 3% annualized rate, a lot of that was just because imports dropped—businesses bought everything they needed before the tariffs hit.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is already warning that these trade barriers are going to bite harder in the second half of the year. We're already seeing it in companies like 3M. They are the canary in the coal mine for how trade policy actually hits the bottom line.
Actionable Insights for Investors
If you're looking at your portfolio after today's close, here's what you actually need to do. First, stop chasing the AI energy hype blindly. Talen and Vistra are flying, but the valuations are getting stretched thin. Second, watch the healthcare space for a bottom. The sell-off in Molina and Elevance feels like a massive overcorrection based on a single guidance cut, which might open up a value play if you have a long stomach.
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Most importantly, keep an eye on the Fed's next move. Even with record highs, the market is pricing in a 90% chance of a rate cut in September. If that data starts to turn—especially if unemployment ticks up past 4.2%—those record highs on the Nasdaq could vanish pretty quickly. Diversification into financials might be the "boring" move that saves your 2025 returns.
Stay focused on the earnings calls, not just the headlines. As we saw with Netflix, "beating expectations" doesn't mean a thing if the outlook for the next six months looks expensive.