(04/9) - Interesting Stocks Today, China Strikes Back With Tariffs! (Again)
This is a daily watchlist for short-term trading: I might trade all/none of the stocks listed, and even stocks not listed! I am targeting potentially good candidates for short-term trading; I have no opinion on them as investments. The potential of the stock moving today is what makes it interesting, everything else is secondary.
China has retaliated.
News: [US Stock Futures Rise As Dip Buyers Emerge After Selloff](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-08/us-stock-futures-rise-as-dip-buyers-emerge-after-selloff)
[**AAPL (Apple)**](https://finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=AAPL&p=d)\-China retaliates with an 84% tariff on US goods. The tariff escalation adds further pressure- Apple has flown literal planeloads of iPhones out of China but that's obviously a stop-gap measure. We've seen AAPL fall to $169, massively beyond what I could have even hoped. Still flat this but probably the #1 play if expecting a tariff reversal- the White House and Trump have signaled that tariffs are here to stay. Currently long a little from $170, but will bail if we hit those prices premarket/at the open.
**Related Tickers:** AVGO, QCOM, SWKS (all iPhone part manufacturers)
[**WMT (Walmart)**](https://finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=WMT&p=d), [**TGT (Target)**](https://finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=TGT&p=d)\-WMT scraps quarterly operating income forecast, citing Trump’s tariffs. They did cite net sales growing 3-4% this year. WMT backing away from guidance signals the "we are in danger" alarm over tariff impact on import costs and consumer demand even with net sales growing. TGT, with similar exposure, is likely to experience margin pressure in coming quarters. Margins are squeezed massively (and retailers are likely to take a loss on some goods simply because it's untenable to continue selling for a loss).
[**DAL (Delta)**](https://finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=DAL&p=d)\- CEO states Trump tariffs are hurting bookings, and was unable to reaffirm guidance. Forecasted Q2 EPS of $1.70–$2.30 vs. $2.23 est. Revenue to range -2% - +2% YoY vs. +1.9% est. Tariff fears hitting forward travel demand are a red flag, especially international bookings. Airlines face multiple macro pressures—tariffs, softening travel sentiment, currency exchange fluctuations, etc, overall a different set of circumstances from COVID yet as deadly.
[**TLT (iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF)**](https://finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=TLT&p=d)\-Massive afterhours move as China sells U.S. Treasuries, resulting in a 5 point move afterhours. Bloomberg is also citing an unwind of popular hedge fund trade. The scale and consistency of the move suggest a structural shift, not just positioning. Treasury market dislocation is raising systemic risk signals across asset classes. I think we've hit roughly \~5% for the 20 year which is a big deal- China dumping treasuries means that yields go up but exacerbate inflation in the short term, and add to volatility.
[**HUM (Humana)**](https://finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=HUM&p=d), [**CVS (CVS Health)**](https://finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=CVS&p=d), [**UNH (UnitedHealth Group)**](https://finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=UNH&p=d)\-Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced higher-than-expected Medicare Advantage payment rate increases for 2026. The unexpected increase in reimbursement rates is a huge tailwind for these providers, improving profit outlooks into 2026. We saw a spike in these health insurance names and subsequent selloff, interested in seeing if we make any sort of upward move today. (Addendum: Trump announced that pharma tariffs are also incoming, which may be the reason why we saw so many of these pull back).
[**VXX (Volatility Index)**](https://finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=VXX&p=d)/[**UVXY (ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures ETF)**](https://finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=UVXY&p=d)/[**SVIX (Short VIX)**](https://finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=SVIX&p=d)\-Volatility spike continues, but might be moving to shorting calls rather than shorting shares due to short locate issues. I'm interested in anything where VIX is above 60-65.
