At the beginning of every year, each company experiences a sense of optimism towards the new year. Every company sets its targets and financial estimates, but not all will meet their goals. We know it’s only January, but Wall Street’s already serving up a volatile ride for many of them. Some companies are hitting all-time highs, while others are falling flat or stagnating for the time being.
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Let’s find out who are the best performers of the first week of 2025 and who had a tough first seven days:
The A graders
The first on the best performers list is probably the most decorated company of 2024, Nvidia (NVDA). Despite the today’s decline, It had a brilliant start to 2025, soaring to record highs thanks to booming AI advancements and new partnerships in autonomous driving. NVDA stock rose from $134 on Dec. 31 to $140, mounting a modest 4.5% increase.
The second on the list is the less-known Inari Medical (NARI), a medical device company that develops products for those who suffer from venous diseases. In a recent development, Stryker Corporation (SYK) announced a $4.9 billion acquisition of Inari Medical, leading to a 51.28% stock surge in the last five days.
Moderna (MRNA) is the third on the list. Its expectations for a Bird flu vaccine sent its shares surging 12.07% in the last five days as new cases emerged in the U.S.
Social network giant Meta Platforms (META) also enjoyed its first week of 2025. The company’s new AR/VR offerings pushed the stock up 5.5%, from $585 to $617.89 in the first week of 2025.
Last on the best performers list is Bank of America (BAC), with its stock modestly rising from $43.95 to $46.08, an almost 5% rise, and a Strong Buy rating from Wall Street analysts, who forecast strong earnings growth.
Who Gets a C-?
After awarding the Oscars for the first week, we now shift our focus to the Razzie Awards.
First on the underachievers’ list for week one is Tesla (TSLA). As been the trend, TSLA stock has exhibited volatility during the early days of 2025, culminating in a roughly 3% decline roughly 3% due to a federal investigation into its “Actually Smart Summon,” which caused Bank of America to downgrade its position from a Buy to a Hold, emphasizing execution risks regarding its robotic, AI and supercomputer initiatives.
Second on the list is Peloton (PTON). The exercise equipment company endured a rough couple of years, and the early days of 2025 have continued the trend. PTON stock dipped further due to weaker-than-expected holiday sales.
GameStop (GME), the popular meme-stock darling and retail gaming products company, has exhibited great volatility in this year’s early days. Initially declining, it has climbed upwards to a $33.37 value with the help of its devoted retail investors. However, this kind of volatility is not good for the heart; therefore, the company is currently on the underachievers list.
Another one that experienced a damning year is Intel (INTC). The needle hasn’t moved too much, with a minor decline. Still, it is already facing potential losses from increased competition from Nvidia and even more so from AMD, which is rapidly gaining ground in Intel’s core operations; the CPU cards intended for data centers are suffering from lower demands, leading to Intel’s disappointing start this year.
The Big Picture
Yes, these are still early doors for 2025, but we can’t ignore the story’s expository, which usually entails the plot’s DNA and gives solid clues as to how the plot will unfold further down the line. It doesn’t mean things won’t change and evolve, but the basis for a good or worse year is for all to see.
