Stock Market Recap: Big Earnings Surprises, Tariff Woes, and Rising Investor Sentiment22July2025

Retail investor mania driving Kohl stock to new heights, to the aerospace giants Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies having to deal with a continued fallout of tariff pressure, the market is at a transitional point. In the meantime Coca-Cola will launch a new cane-sugar version in the U.S. which perhaps heralds a change of the consumer preferences.

In such a blog, we shall unwrap the dynamics of these major stocks as well as the obstacles and opportunities presented in an ever volatile market. As an experienced investor or someone who simply tracks the developments in the marketplace, grasping these various drifts might assist you in dealing with the uncertainties in the future. Ready set go for Stock Market Recap

Kohl s (KSS) Gets Mega Boost As Retail Investors go Wild

Stocks of Kohl department store chain in the United States drove on Tuesday, increasing their quotation more than twice, introducing colossal volumes of trading. This rushed Kohl to become one of the most traded stocks on retail investor websites such as Stocktwits, where the stock ticker turned into the No. 1 trending stock.

The high volatility is attributable to the fact that a huge proportion of Kohl outstanding shares (roughly 49%) have been shorted according to LSEG data. Kohl shares gained 30 percent in the day, or 13.32, after a temporary stop in the trading session. Although its surge is massive, analysts such as Kim Forrest, the CIO of the Bokeh Capital Partners, warn that Kohl has not overcome all its basic issues, meaning that the price change of the stock is not independent of the speculative behavior of retail investors, similar to that seen in the so-called meme-stock mania of 2021, with stocks, like GameStop and AMC Entertainment.

More than 87 million shares had crossed by mid-morning, which was an offense 11 times the average volume of the previous month trading. This form of retail-powered momentum could be the impetus to greater volatility, though; still a laundry list of operational obstacles is facing Kohl, and investors should take the time to approach with caution.

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General Motors (GM) is Facing Headwinds as the Trade Tariffs is a Reality

Under its recent quarterly income statement, GM disclosed that even the continued impact of tariffs imposed by the trade war President Trump initiated in 2018 had exposed the company to pressure with regard to its profitability in 2025. Although the profits of businesses have been performing well especially in its major automobile business line, the firm has reduced its profit poten business forecast to 2025 as a result of growing costs engulfing aluminum and steel tariffs.

With regard to Q2, GM earnings proved to be resilient against these challenges, although the tariff situation is causing concern in the wider market and amongst analysts. As GM enjoyed high demand of its cars, especially the electric car sector, the effect of tariff increases is one of the key issues affecting company growth in future. This is the environment that GM has to maneuver to ensure that it remains competitive.

Lockheed Martin (LMT) Misses Q2 Results

Lockheed Martin has faced a decreased stock after it announced earnings that were lower than the expectation of Wall Street in the Q2. The defense and spaceship giant recorded stagnant sales of the previous year to the tune of 18.16 billion ($) slightly below the forecast of 18.59 billion dollars. GAAP of the company was a miss by a big margin of 77.3 per cent of the estimated profit of 1.46 per share per the analysts.

The operating margin of Lockheed Martin too was hit as operating margin slipped to 4.1 percent against 11.9 percent in the corresponding quarter the one year earlier. As the Free Cash Flow has become negative, and the yearly EPS guidance is also not hit, the short-term outlook of the company does not seem positive. Nevertheless, Lockheed Martin has refrained its full-year revenue guidance of $74.25 billion, which could serve to cool some of the bearishness.

Nevertheless, Lockheed Martin backlog of 166.5 billion shows its revenue will surpass in the future. Nevertheless, the company will have to solve its problems in terms of profitability to secure the investor confidence over the long term types.

Raytheon techs (RTX) Reduce 2025 profit estimate as a result of tariffs

On the negative front, Raytheon technologies (RTX), too, featured in the news when it lowered its 2025-profit outlook, mainly driven by trade tariffs that was imposed by the U.S. on the steel and aluminum imports. Although the aerospace and defense industry is strong, RTX has cautioned that the tariff load will become a major burden to its bottom line. The firm has revised its forecasts and now expects to make between 5.80 and 5.95 dollars in profits per share in 2025 rather than a profit of 6.00 to 6.15 dollars per share.

The performance of RTX in its defense segment has also been remarkable despite the headwinds on the tariff as the sales in the second quarter were reported at an increase of 8 percent to $7 billion. RTX is under a strong demand in its Patriot air defense systems; given the increase in geopolitical tensions. Vacation rentals company raised its forecast adjusted sales too in the year 2025 to predict revenues of 84.75 and 85.5 billion.

But then its Pratt car unit that makes engines of commercial jet is experiencing delays and supply chain due to the safety worry in the inspections of engines. Respond to these challenges, RTX should be able to increase its production capacity, which will play a vital role in its future performance.

Coca-cola (KO) exceeds earnings forecasts but plans cane-sugar Coke to be launched

The Q2 earnings of coca-cola came in stronger than estimated with strong demand in zero calorie beverages and increased prices. Its revenue increased by 2.5 percent to 12.62 billion dollars exceeding the estimates of analysts. Nevertheless, volumes decreased by 1 percent in the quarter partly owing to negative developments in main markets such as Mexico and India. Another thrilling news of Coca-Cola is that it will be having a cane-sugar Coke this year in the U.S.

This product which has already gained popularity in the market, such as in Mexico, has led to the interest of the health seeker consumer group. Although the decision to move on to cane sugar may increase costs of production, James Quincey, the CEO noted that the company is embracing the different sweetening alternatives to satisfy demand.

Even with the expansion of the Coca-Cola Zero Sugar formula, the increasing market has somehow become vulnerable to price. Analysts had observed that the significant increase in prices was the reason behind the upbeat on revenue, as opposed to increase in volumes. The firm continues to be optimistic on its capability to withstand the inflationary forces particularly due to its emphasis on low cost packages.

The Yields on 10-Year Treasury Drop prior to the Fed Decision

The 10-year Treasury yield softened a bit in the bond market with traders preparing themselves over the impending move by the Federal Reserve. The yield decreased 2 basis points to 4.342% with 2-year yield and the 30-year yield reducing by small amounts. The Fed will meet again next week and it is predicted by the markets based on the performance of the economy that the central bank will not change the interest rate which is at 4.25-4.5 percent currently.

The action by the Fed will be followed closely especially given the fact that they have been under political pressure by the president Donald Trump who has strongly spoken against keeping the Fed Chairman Jerome Powell.With the economy experiencing some down speeds, many are anticipating on how Fed will react to the changing market conditions, inflation.

In conclusion: Stock Market Recap

it appears the difficulties in a market, and the challenges in negotiating those markets, are not likely to change. This is because the uncertainty that products can be given an incredible value is present, and also because there is uncertainty about the products themselves.

The current stock and earnings accounts of Kohl, GM, Lockheed Martin, RTX, Coca-Cola and 10-year treasury are all indicative of a combination of an opportunity and challenge. The forces of retail investor behavior, geopolitics, and economic uncertainly are the entities that might exert further pressure on the market direction. The future performance of these companies will depend on whether they will be able to surmount the existing obstacles and achieve sustainable growth or not.

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