Key Takeaways
- The S&P 500 added 0.3% on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, as a sharp downward revision to jobs numbers raised economic concerns but boosted rate-cut expectations.
- UnitedHealth shares surged after the insurer provided an optimistic outlook for the ratings of its Medicare Advantage plans.
- Shares of Fox Corp. lost ground after the Murdoch family settled a years-long dispute over who would take the reins of the media empire.
Major U.S. equities indexes advanced to record closing highs after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced a significant downward revision in job growth between March 2024 and March 2025.
While the data raised concerns about the trajectory of the overall economy, the latest report could add to the case for cutting interest rates at the Federal Open Market Committee's policy meeting next week.
The S&P 500 added 0.3% to close at a record high. Both the Dow and the Nasdaq rose 0.4%, joining the benchmark index in record closing territory.
Shares of insurance giant UnitedHealth Group (UNH) soared 8.6%, notching the top daily performance in the S&P 500. In a regulatory filing on Tuesday, UnitedHealth forecast that 78% of Medicare Advantage (MA) members would be enrolled in plans rated 4 stars or higher. The official Star Ratings for MA plans, which cover people age 65 and older, are typically released in October by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and determine an insurer's eligibility for quality bonus payments. Shares of health insurance peer Centene (CNC) added 7.7%.
Finland-based tech firm Nokia (NOK), once known for its flip phones and currently engaged in the networking infrastructure and software spaces, on Monday announced a partnership with the artificial intelligence server maker Super Micro Computer (SMCI). The two will collaborate to develop AI-optimized networking solutions for cloud computing providers, AI hyperscalers, and other enterprises. Supermicro shares added 7.2% on Tuesday, while Nokia's American Depositary Receipts slipped 0.1%.
Shares of Coinbase Global (COIN), operator of the largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange, advanced 5.5%. Coinbase on Tuesday announced it had hired the founders of crypto-yielding platform Sensible to advance its on-chain consumer strategy as part of its effort to build “an everything exchange.”
Shares of Humana (HUM) plunged 12%, falling the most of any S&P 500 stock on Tuesday. In contrast with fellow insurer UnitedHealth, which benefitted from a favorable outlook for its MA star ratings, Humana took a hit after analysts at Leerink Partners reported the CMS may adopt more stringent criteria for evaluating the plans in 2026. In July, Humana refiled a previously dismissed lawsuit aimed at contesting its previous MA ratings.
According to reports, a major lithium producer in China intends to restart production at a mine that had been idle since last month. While the suspension of operations at the facility in August initially raised optimism for a moderation of oversupply conditions and a rebound in prices for the key battery component, news of the impending resumption renewed pressure on the lithium industry. Shares of Albemarle (ALB), the world's largest lithium producer, tumbled 11.5%.
Fox Corp. (FOXA, FOX) shares sank more than 6% after the family of founder and media mogul Rupert Murdoch settled a longstanding dispute about who would control the family trust. Under the terms of the agreement, Murdoch's eldest son Lachlan is set to control the media empire, with his three older siblings receiving new trusts payed for by stock sales from the existing trust.
