Big Moves in Markets, Sports, and More: What's Shaking Up the World?

Quadruple Witching and Market Moves

Quadruple Witching: A rare event where options on stocks, indexes, and futures expire on the same day.
Frequency: Occurs only four times a year.
Predictions: Goldman Sachs anticipates a record $7.1 trillion in options exposure, primarily tied to the S&P 500.
Market Reaction: Stock futures showed minimal movement in early trading.
Recent Trends: The S&P 500 and Dow Jones snapped a four-day losing streak post-inflation report.

Shares Drop: Early trading saw a decline after Nike warned of a sales drop in the current quarter.
Geographic Performance: Strong sales in North America, but China remains a challenge.
CEO Statement: "Middle inning of our comeback," though investors hoped for more.

President Trump's Order: Reclassifies marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, acknowledging medical use.
Market Reaction: Cannabis company shares fell, possibly due to fears of new competition.

Decline in Deals: Fewer deals in 2024 compared to the last year of the Biden administration.
Challenges: High interest rates and tariff uncertainty.
Notable Deals:
Union Pacific's proposed acquisition of Norfolk Southern.
Netflix's potential takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming assets.

Value: $1.48 billion, a 16% increase from last year.
Ranking: Ohio State University, last year's number one, now in second place.