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April 11
RETAIL
Irvine-based Boot Barn Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BOOT) dropped 3.5% to $95.50 with a market cap of $2.9 billion. Stocks of the footwear maker has been hammered by investors worried about Pres. Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs.
RESTAURANTS
El Polo Loco Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: LOCO) declined 1.9% to $9.44 with a market cap of $281 million. Shares of the Newport Beach-based restaurant chain have dropped nearly 33% since Oct. 15. Analysts attributed the drop to economic uncertainty, tariff impact and recession risk. To see more about El Pollo Loco, read the April 14 issue of the Business Journal.
INDEXES
The Dow increased 1.1% to 40,029.37 and the Nasdaq jumped 1.34% to 16,606.16. Gold was up 2.6% to $3,260.30.
— Parimal M. Rohit
April 10
MEDTECH
Shares of Evolus Inc. (Nasdaq: EOLS) decreased 9.4% to $9.40 apiece with a market cap of $597 million. The Newport Beach maker of facial injections ’ core product is among many medtech companies facing uncertainties amid a global trade war launched by President Trump. Its core product Jeuveau, a rival to Allergan’s Botox, is manufactured in South Korea and imported into the U.S.
Shares of ICU Medical Inc. (Nasdaq: ICUI), the San Clemente-based supplier of infusion therapy-related medical equipment, dropped 9.3% to $136.95 with a market cap of $3.4 billion. On Monday, the importer presented at the 24th Annual Needham Virtual Healthcare Conference, where the firm said it has developed a proactive strategy to mitigating disruptions tied to Trump’s newly imposed tariffs.
Beta Bionics, Inc. (Nasdaq: BBNX) dipped 14% to $10.14 apiece with a market cap of $439.6 million. The medical device maker’s stock is down nearly 60% since going public Jan. 30. Yesterday, the Irvine-firm, which makes an automated insulin delivery system, said it would host an investor event on June 22 at the 85th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association conference in Chicago.
MARKETS
After a historic surge in late trading yesterday, most of the major indexes were down in midday trading today. The S&P 500 dropped 5% to 5,186.55. Dow 30 declined 4.4% to 38,807.20. Nasdaq is down 5.8% to 16,142.31.
Crude oil is down 4.3% to $59.65 a barrel. Gold is up 3.4% to $3,185.
–Nancy Luna
April 9
After President Donald Trump today announced a pause on tariffs for all countries except China, the stock market surged. Most Orange County-based companies jumped, led by Kura Sushi USA, up 31% (Nasdaq: KRUS), Indie Semiconductor Inc., up 17% (Nasdaq: INDI) and Skyworks Solutions Inc, up 16% (Nasdaq: SWKS).
MARKETS
Nasdaq jumped 10% to 16,775.90, the S&P 500 increased 7.8% to 5,370.75, and the Dow 30 was up 6.6% to 40,137.60.
Crude oil, down 3.6% to $57.43 a barrel earlier today, is now up 4.5% to $62.26. Gold climbed 3.1% to $3,083.90 an ounce. The yield on a 10-year bond jumped 3.4% to 4.4070%.
EMPLOYMENT
ActivCare Living LLC is laying off 56 employees effective June 4 due to a permanent closure, according to a state labor department filing issued on April 4. The memory care facility is at 2629 E. Chapman Ave. in Orange.
–Nancy Luna
April 8
RESTAURANTS
Costa Mesa-based restaurant chain El Pollo Loco Holdings (Nasdaq: LOCO) jumped 12% to $10.36 apiece for a market cap of $308 million. The company said it had received an unsolicited, non-binding indication of interest from Biglari Capital Corp. to acquire all of the company’s issued and outstanding shares of common stock that it does not already own.
FINANCE
Banc of California (NYSE: BANC), which moved its headquarters to Los Angeles but maintains a large presense in Orange County, rose 4.8% to $12.69 apiece for a market cap of $2 billion, making up some of the last ground after touching a 52-week low of $11.70 the day before as markets crashed. The bank said it will release first-quarter earnings on April 23.
HEALTHCARE
Orange-based Alignment Healthcare Inc. (Nasdaq: ALHC), a provider of Medicare plans to seniors, rose 9% to $19.50 each for a market cap of $3.8 billion. Stifel earlier today raised the company’s target price to $23 from the previous $18.
INDEXES
The S&P 500 rose 1.8% to 5,150.94
Dow 30 was jumped 2% to 38,707.23
Nasdaq was up 1.7% at 15,874.53
Gold increased 1.3% to $3,011.50
Major stock market indexes rose after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. was negotiating tariffs that could result in “good deals,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
April 7
FINANCE
First American Financial Corp. (NYSE: FAF) fell 5.3% to $58.36 and a market cap of $6 billion. The Santa Ana-based title insurer is scheduled to report first-quarter results on April 24, where analysts expect Q1 revenue to grow 7.3% to $1.53 billion.
TECHNOLOGY
Aliso Viejo-based Indie Semiconductor Inc. (Nasdaq: INDI) is up 11% to $1.79 per share with a market cap of $338 million following an almost 19% drop on Friday. The semiconductor hit its 52-week low during midday trading today at $1.53, its lowest share price ever.
INDEXES
Gold decreased 1.9% to $2,977.
Oil is down 1.1% to $61.32 per barrel.
The yield on a 10-year Treasury bond jumped 4.6% to 4.168%.
–Emily Santiago-Molina
April 4
DEFENSE
Huntington Beach-based Karman Holdings Inc. (NYSE: KRMN) declined 13.5% to $28.38 with a market cap of $3.8 billion. Karman’s stock dropped despite announcing it acquired Metal Technology Inc., a supplies of high-temperature alloy systems for strategic missile programs.
SEMICONDUCTORS
Indie Semiconductor Inc. (Nasdaq: INDI) is down 18.5% to $1.56 with a market cap of $300 million. The Aliso Viejo semiconductor company reported year-over-year decline in revenue and weak projections for the start of 2025.
MEDTECH
Shares of Masimo Corp. (Nasdaq: MASI) dove 5.7% to $143.76 with a market cap of $7.8 billion. Stocks of Irvine-based Masimo and related companies were hit hard after Pres. Trump applied tariffs to pacemakers, X-ray machines and other medical devices made outside of the country and imported into the U.S.
AEROSPACE
Tustin-based Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. (NYSE: SPCE) stock also dropped 5.1% to $2.63 with a market cap of $93.5 million. Pres. Trump’s tariffs caused small caps to enter a bear market, with Virgin Galactic one of the major companies in decline. Shares of Virgin Galactic declined by nearly 11% since Tuesday.
INDEXES
Indexes are now down significantly in the past two trading days following the announcements of widespread higher tariffs by President Trump and reciprocal tariffs by China.
The Dow is down 4% to 38,906.40 and Nasdaq dipped nearly 5% to 15,732.22. The S&P 500 is down 4.8% to 5,138.39.
Crude oil declined 7.8% to $61.73.
Gold is also in negative territory and decreased by 2.5% to $3,043.50.