The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Palantir, Newmont, NVIDIA, Microsoft and AngloGold Ashanti
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – June 23, 2025 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Palantir Technologies PLTR, Newmont NEM, NVIDIA NVDA, Microsoft MSFT and AngloGold Ashanti PLC AU.
Here are highlights from Friday's Analyst Blog:
Wall Street's Leading Stories of First Half '25 and Outlook for 2H
The first half of 2025 has been defined by heightened volatility and uncertainty, largely stemming from the new administration's trade policies. After hitting a low in early April, Wall Street staged a strong rebound fueled by renewed optimism over trade negotiations, solid corporate earnings, easing inflation and continued momentum in artificial intelligence.
Technology stocks led the charge, with the Magnificent Seven making a powerful comeback after months of turbulence.
As the half-year mark approaches, the S&P 500 is now less than 3% below its record high, while the Nasdaq Composite is 3.4% off its all-time peak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, however, remains only marginally positive for the year. Volatility is expected to persist in the second half.
Let's discuss these events in detail below with the stocks:
Trump Tariff Policies
On April 2, Donald Trump announced sweeping new tariffs dubbed 'Liberation Day' tariffs. These included a 10% baseline tariff on nearly all imports, with a few exceptions such as pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and lumber. On top of the baseline, Trump introduced 'reciprocal' tariffs that targeted specific countries. China faced tariffs ranging from 34% to 54%, the European Union 20%, Japan 24% and Vietnam up to 46%. These tariffs officially took effect on April 9.
Facing backlash and international criticism, the Trump administration issued a 90-day pause on tariff hikes for over 75 countries on May 12, though the 10% baseline tariff remained in place. Additionally, Chinese tariffs were reduced from a peak of 145% to around 30%, though they remained substantially elevated. On May 30, Trump doubled tariffs on imported steel, raising them from 25% to 50%, citing national security concerns and the need to protect U.S. industry.
These actions faced legal scrutiny. On May 28, the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that many of the tariffs were illegal under international trade law. However, the court also issued a stay, meaning the tariffs would remain in place pending appeals.
These tariff policies triggered an initial market rout, with trillions lost in just days. However, the partial pause in tariffs and the Fed's decision to hold interest rates steady led to a strong rebound. Some sectors emerged as clear winners. Companies like Palantir Technologies surged more than 90% since the April sell-off and recently hit a new all-time high. The stock saw a solid earnings estimate revision of 3 cents over the past 60 days for this year and has an estimated growth of 41.46%. Palantir Technologies has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and a Growth Score of A.
S&P 500's Bear-Bull Ride
The S&P 500 hit a record high on Feb. 19 before tumbling toward bear market territory by April 8. However, the index staged a remarkable rebound, marking its fastest recovery since 1982. In May, it delivered the strongest performance since 1990 and the biggest monthly gain since November 2023.
Buoyed by this turnaround, a growing number of Wall Street strategists have turned bullish in recent weeks. Several firms have raised their year-end S&P 500 targets to the 6,300–6,500 range, reflecting renewed confidence in the market's outlook for the second half of 2025.
Newmont, having a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), is one of the best-performing stocks of the first half. The stock saw a positive earnings estimate revision of 5 cents for this year over the past month, with an estimated growth rate of 20.1%. Newmont has a VGM Score of A, indicating that it is poised for more gains ahead. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
NVDA vs. MSFT: The Trillion-Dollar Market Cap Battle Heats Up
The race for the title of the world's most valuable publicly traded company has intensified in 2025, with NVIDIA and Microsoft locked in a high-stakes battle for market cap supremacy. Fueled by the explosive growth of artificial intelligence, the rivalry has captured Wall Street's full attention and is reshaping the tech landscape in real time.
As of June 18, Microsoft held a slight lead with a market capitalization exceeding $3.57 trillion. Its ascent was driven by robust cloud expansion, deepening AI integrations through its partnership with OpenAI, and continued dominance in the enterprise software space. NVIDIA, meanwhile, is capitalizing on an unprecedented demand cycle for its AI chips, rapidly scaling sales of its GPUs that power the very heart of AI computing. Since bottoming at just over $94 in early April, NVDA stock has added more than $1 trillion in market value. Growth-focused traders are flocking to NVIDIA for its unprecedented AI chip momentum, high margins and dominant position in next-gen computing.
In essence, NVIDIA may be building the engine of the AI revolution, but Microsoft is constructing the operating system around it. Azure continues to be one of the fastest-growing cloud platforms globally, while Microsoft 365 and Teams have become indispensable tools in the modern digital workplace. Microsoft and NVIDIA have a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) each.
Gold Set to Shine Further
Gold stocks have surged in popularity this year, driven by a flight to safety amid growing global uncertainty. Investors are turning to the precious metal to shield their portfolios from the disruptive impact of Trump's tariffs on global trade and rising concerns of an economic slowdown. Gold recently soared to a new all-time high, topping $3,400 per ounce last month.
Escalating tensions in the Middle East—particularly the Israel-Iran conflict—have intensified safe-haven demand, pushing both gold prices and gold-related equities higher. Additionally, a weaker U.S. dollar and continued central bank accumulation have further fueled gold's rally. Goldman Sachs forecasts that gold could climb to $3,700 per ounce by the end of 2025, reinforcing the bullish outlook for the metal and gold stocks.
Among the potential beneficiaries is AngloGold Ashanti PLC, a global gold mining company with operations across Africa, the Americas and Australia. The company has seen a solid earnings estimate revision of 60 cents over the past 30 days for this year, with an estimated growth of 122.1%. Despite more than doubling year to date, AngloGold remains attractively valued, trading at a P/E ratio of 9.80 compared with the industry average of 3.26. The stock sports a Zacks Rank #1 and has a VGM Score of A, underscoring its compelling investment potential amid the ongoing gold rally.
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"
Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.
This top pick is a little-known satellite-based communications firm. Space is projected to become a trillion dollar industry, and this company's customer base is growing fast. Analysts have forecasted a major revenue breakout in 2025. Of course, all our elite picks aren't winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks' Stocks Set to Double like Hims & Hers Health, which shot up +209%.
Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners Up
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): Free Stock Analysis Report
NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA): Free Stock Analysis Report
Newmont Corporation (NEM): Free Stock Analysis Report
AngloGold Ashanti PLC (AU): Free Stock Analysis Report
Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR): Free Stock Analysis Report
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