TLDR 

MARKET RECAP → Stocks dropped on Friday as fresh U.S. data fueled investor concerns about a slowing economy and persistent inflation, prompting a shift toward safer assets.

BLOCK STOCK TANKS AFTER EARNINGS MISS → Block shares plunged 17% after missing Q4 earnings estimates, with slowing Cash App growth and rising competition weighing on investor confidence. CEO Jack Dorsey promised a "year of unexpected upside," banking on Bitcoin initiatives and new product integrations. 🚀

HIMS & HERS STOCK PLUNGES AFTER FDA DECLARES SEMAGLUTIDE SHORTAGE OVER → The FDA’s crackdown on compounded semaglutide sent HIMS shares down 23%. Despite the setback, the company is doubling down on personalized medicine with new acquisitions.

UNITEDHEALTH FACES DOJ PROBE, LAYOFFS, AND STOCK SLUMP → UnitedHealthcare’s stock tumbled as a DOJ fraud probe, cost-cutting layoffs, and a $3B cyberattack payout added to its woes. Investors braced for more turbulence. 🚨

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TODAY’S TOP NEWS

Block Stock Tanks After Earnings Miss and Competitive Pressures

📉 Block shares cratered 17% on Friday, marking their worst drop since 2020 after fourth-quarter earnings and revenue missed expectations. The company reported earnings of 71 cents per share, falling short of estimates, with revenue also disappointing analysts.

🏦 Competition in the payments space intensified, with Square losing market share to rivals like Toast, Clover, and Shift4. While Cash App gross profit grew 16% year over year, user growth stagnated at 57 million for the fourth consecutive quarter, raising concerns about future expansion.

⚡ CEO Jack Dorsey remained optimistic, emphasizing long-term growth through new product integration, including Cash App, Square, and Bitcoin initiatives. He teased a "year of unexpected upside," banking on the upcoming launch of Block’s new Bitcoin mining system, Proto, in late 2025.

TODAY’S TOP NEWS

Hims & Hers Stock Plunges After FDA Ends Semaglutide Shortage

📉 FDA Cracks Down on Compounded Semaglutide – The FDA announced that the shortage of Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy had been resolved, meaning compounded versions are no longer necessary. The agency will start enforcing regulations on compounders in the next 60 to 90 days, sending shockwaves through the industry.

💰 Hims & Hers Stock Takes a Hit – Shares of Hims & Hers tumbled over 23% following the news, as the company has been prescribing compounded semaglutide at a fraction of the cost of brand-name alternatives. Despite the regulatory uncertainty, Hims & Hers’ weight loss program has driven massive investor interest, with shares surging over 200% last year and doubling in 2025 before this drop.

🧪 Expanding Despite Uncertainty – Hims & Hers doubled down on its health-tech ambitions, acquiring a U.S.-based peptide facility to enhance its personalized medication offerings and Trybe Labs, an at-home lab testing startup. The moves signal a long-term strategy focused on metabolic health, cognitive performance, and preventative medicine—regardless of regulatory hurdles.

TODAY’S TOP NEWS

UnitedHealth Faces DOJ Probe, Layoffs, And Stock Slump

📉 UnitedHealthcare took another hit as reports surfaced of a DOJ fraud investigation into its Medicare billing practices. The probe examines whether the insurer manipulated diagnoses to increase government payouts. Shares fell 9% on Friday, adding to a 23% decline over the past three months.

💰 Cost-cutting measures ramped up as UnitedHealthcare pursued buyouts and potential layoffs. The insurer is under pressure to rein in expenses, with digital efficiencies among its key strategies. Meanwhile, billionaire Bill Ackman publicly criticized the company over its handling of a patient care dispute before later retracting his claims.

🔍 UnitedHealth Group continued to battle fallout from a cyberattack that compromised 190 million patient records. The breach forced the company to pay out over $3 billion in damages. With mounting legal and financial challenges, analysts warned of prolonged uncertainty but downplayed immediate financial impact from the DOJ investigation.

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