Stock Market Today (LIVE): U.S. Launches Project Freedom in the Strait of Hormuz as Iran Diplomacy Flickers and a Weak Jobs Report Threatens the Rally

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GameStop Makes Audacious $20B Bid for eBay

7:25 am — EBAY +9.78%, GME -6.56% in pre-market trading

GameStop (GME 4.11%) announced Sunday it’s launched an audacious bid for eBay (EBAY +4.70%), with a nonbinding offer of $125 per share – spread 50/50 between cash and stock – valuing eBay at around 20% higher than at Friday’s close. eBay jumped 8% in pre-market trading – still some way short of the offer value – as GameStop was largely unmoved.

  • “It could be a legit competitor to Amazon (AMZN +0.95%)“: Gamestop CEO Ryan Cohen told The Wall Street Journal a merger could boost earnings and cut costs – expecting $2 billion of annual savings within 12 months if it goes ahead. He plans to take the bid hostile with a direct approach to shareholders if necessary.
  • “Highly confident letter” from TD Bank: GameStop says it’s secured around $20 billion in debt funding in its attempt to take control of a target valued close to 4 times its own market cap.

Today’s Change

(4.70%) $4.89

Current Price

$108.96

This Morning’s Breakfast News

7:30 am — BRK .B +0.32% in pre-market trading

Berkshire Hathaway (BRKB +0.52%) posted first-quarter earnings Saturday, the day Greg Abel hosted his first annual shareholder meeting as CEO. Revenue grew 4% year over year, with earnings per B share up 120%. Both, however, missed expectations – as much of the headline gains came from investment holdings revaluations. A Stock Advisor recommendation by Team Hidden Gems, Berkshire saw no real pre-market share price movement as a result.

  • “There are no bigger shoes to fill”: On Warren Buffett’s last day as CEO, TMF Chief Investment Officer Andy Cross hinted at the task facing Greg Abel. The new boss reassured shareholders he’ll continue to seek targets for the company’s cash pile – now at a record $380 billion – but only at the right valuations. And he dismissed any talk of a Berkshire breakup.
  • “We’ve never had more people in a gambling mood than now”: Buffett had wise words for investors relating to current market conditions, adding, “That doesn’t mean investing is terrible, but it does mean that prices for an awful lot of things will look awfully silly.”

Berkshire Hathaway vs. the S&P 500 over three years

Today’s Take: Avoiding Earnings Season Overload

6:45 am

Here’s a sneak preview, but head to the article to share how you cope with the sheer barrage of info during earnings season, or to submit questions to any of the featured analysts today!

Matt Frankel, CFP®

By Matt Frankel, CFP®
Team Hidden Gems

It can certainly be tough to keep track of everything. There are two main parts of my earnings season strategy:

  • First, I maintain a calendar of all earnings dates for companies I care about — popular stocks, my own holdings, and top companies in the sectors I cover. Some days, there are just one or two reporting stocks on my radar, but during peak weeks, it can be a couple dozen in a single day.
  • Second, I set aside the 4 to 5 p.m. hour every day during the peak earnings season to review earnings results. I don’t do anything else during that time.

But even doing those things, earnings season can be tough to keep up with, and I have to remind myself that I can’t possibly track every company’s earnings.

Before the Opening Bell

6:30 am

Stock futures remained cautious on Monday as the administration officially launched “Project Freedom,” a U.S.-led naval operation to escort neutral cargo vessels through the mine-strewn Strait of Hormuz. Despite the military activity, energy markets showed tentative optimism following news that Iran received a U.S. response to its 14-point peace roadmap delivered via Pakistani intermediaries. While geopolitical tensions dominate the tape, investors are also looking ahead to Friday’s critical jobs report. Economists anticipate a sharp cooling in the labor market, with nonfarm payrolls expected to grow by just 60,000–a significant drop from March’s 178,000–as the dual shocks of AI displacement and Middle Eastern conflict weigh on corporate hiring.

  • Oil Supply Pivot: Brent crude retreated slightly to $107 per barrel as traders bet on “Project Freedom” restoring traffic flow rather than escalating a “dual blockade” between the U.S. and Iran.
  • Resilience at a Crossroads: Though the unemployment rate is projected to hold at 4.3%, high-exposure sectors like logistics and tech are seeing increased sensitivity to these ongoing global supply chain shocks.

AI Accelerates Bloom Energy’s Growth

6:05 am — BE +2.53% Friday

David Meier

By David Meier
Team Rule Breakers

Bloom Energy (BE +1.69%) is reaping the benefits of the constrained supply of traditional power generation sources. Revenue growth accelerated, and [management] increased 2026 guidance from 60% growth to 80%. Margins are expanding, demand is rising, and the company is continuously increasing manufacturing capacity. Well done, Bloom!

Price of Bloom Energy Over 12 Months

Roku Raises Full-Year Guidance After Q1 Beat

6:00 am — ROKU +6.02% Friday

Rick Munarriz

By Rick Munarriz
Team Rule Breakers

Roku‘s (ROKU +1.40%) Q1 was robust. Revenue of $1.25 billion, up 22% (vs. 18% guidance), it’s strongest growth in 4 years. Net income of $85.7 million (vs. $50 million guidance). Full-year guidance on all metrics revised higher, naturally. Ad revevenue rose 27%, subscriptions up 30% (up 23% without Frndly TV acquisition in May of last year). Yes, platform category is expanded now. Devices revenue down 16%, but now less than 10% of top-line results. Adjusted EBITDA up 165%, trailing free cash flow up 81%. Streaming hours up just 8%, but holy monetization on that, Batman.

Roku Stock Quote

Today’s Change

(1.40%) $1.73

Current Price

$125.31

This article was created using Large Language Models (LLMs) based on The Motley Fool’s insights and investing approach. It has been reviewed by our AI quality control systems. Since LLMs cannot (currently) own stocks, it has no positions in any of the stocks mentioned. David Meier has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Matt Frankel, CFP has positions in Amazon and Berkshire Hathaway. Rick Munarriz has positions in Roku. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, Bloom Energy, Roku, and eBay. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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