Benzinga Bulls And Bears: Datadog, Centene, Lucid — And US Makes Surprise Trade Deal With Vietnam

Benzinga examined the prospects for many investors' favorite stocks over the last week — here's a look at some of our top stories.

Markets closed out a holiday‑shortened week with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 reaching fresh record highs. The rally was powered by unexpectedly strong job growth, robust factory orders, and a surprise U.S.-Vietnam trade deal that lifted sentiment.

Under the Vietnam deal, the U.S. will impose a 20% tariff on Vietnamese exports and 40% on transshipped goods, while offering U.S. companies tariff‑free access to Vietnam's domestic market — a strategic win ahead of the July 9 tariff deadline.

With June payrolls beating forecasts (+147,000 jobs, unemployment at 4.1%) and industrial orders surging, markets concluded the week on a confident note. Still, rate‑cut odds dropped sharply as the job strength reduced the case for a July Fed cut.

Benzinga provides daily reports on the stocks most popular with investors. Here are a few of this past week's most bullish and bearish posts that are worth another look.

The Bulls

"Datadog stock surges on S&P 500 inclusion", by Adam Eckert, reports that Datadog Inc. DDOG jumped more than 9% after being named to replace Juniper Networks in the S&P 500, a move expected to trigger increased institutional buying and index-tracking fund inflows.

"SharpLink Gaming stock is trending today: what's going on?", by Adam Eckert, reports that SharpLink Gaming Inc. SBET shares rose about 6% mid‑day on Thursday after the company highlighted its Ethereum treasury strategy — staking its ETH reserves into protocols, earning 102 ETH in late June, and announcing it will ring the Nasdaq closing bell in celebration of the move.

"Stock of the Day: Bank of America breaks out", by Mark Putrino, reports that Bank of America Corp. BAC appears to have broken through a key resistance level — suggesting rising demand may be propelling the stock into a sustained upward trend.

For additional bullish calls of the past week, check out the following:

650% Later, Rocket Lab CEO Isn't One Bit Worried

Apple's App Store Just Had A Blowout Quarter — And That Might Be The Signal Bulls Needed

IREN Stock Is Rising Thursday: What's Going On?

The Bears

"Centene withdraws 2025 guidance, shares dive", by Adam Eckert, reports that Centene Corp. CNC stock plunged over 21% after it pulled its full-year 2025 guidance — citing a preliminary actuarial review showing a $1.8 billion reduction in risk adjustment revenue and a projected $2.75 EPS hit — triggering a sell‑off across the health insurance sector.

"Lucid reports Q2 production, delivery numbers, shares stall", by Adam Eckert, reports that Lucid Group Inc. LCID produced 3,863 vehicles in Q2 and delivered 3,309, both record highs year‑over‑year but short of Wall Street estimates, causing shares to stall despite continued progress in scaling production and demand.

"Why Qualcomm's stock isn't soaring like its rivals", by Anusuya Lahiri, reports that Qualcomm Inc. QCOM has delivered modest 6% year‑to‑date gains — trailing the PHLX Semiconductor Index's 13% and Nvidia's 43% — due to its heavy reliance on handset markets and slower diversification into AI and data‑center chips.

For more bearish takes, be sure to see these posts:

Centene's Guidance Withdrawal Spooks Sector, Oscar Health Stock Falls

United Health Stock Is Sliding Today: What's Going On?

Webull Stock Is Sliding After The Close: What's Going On?

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