5 Things to Watch on
May 18, 2026

Stocks are down to start the week in premarket trading but have recovered from deeply negative levels earlier in the session as investors weigh worsening geopolitical tensions ahead of Nvidia's (NVDA) earnings call later this week. Bond markets are bearing the brunt of the selloff, with the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield jumping to 4.6%, its highest since February 2025, while Japan's 30-year yield hit a record 4.2%.

Ford Motor (F) unveiled seven new vehicles and an expanded software-services push at an event in Austria today, targeting a bigger share of Europe's commercial and passenger markets. Ford Pro, F's commercial arm and Europe's segment leader for 11 consecutive years, is being repositioned as a productivity partner, with 1.2M connected vehicles now generating 6M daily health signals and a target of 25% of EBIT from software and services. The passenger lineup adds a small electric hatchback, a full EV SUV, and two crossovers, all slated for completion by 2029.

Lululemon Athletica's (LULU) board sent a shareholder letter today ahead of its June 25 annual meeting, urging votes against nominees backed by founder Chip Wilson and for its own three director candidates. The board called Wilson's perspectives "outdated" and his actions damaging to the brand, warning that electing his nominees would "jeopardize" the ability of incoming leadership to execute on the company's turnaround plan. LULU shares are down more than -40% YTD, adding urgency to the contested vote.

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) fell -5% in premarket trading today after Berkshire Hathaway (BRK) disclosed it exited its position in the health insurer less than a year after rebuilding the stake. BRK had re-entered UNH in Q2 2025, acquiring roughly 5M shares during one of the stock's steepest selloffs in years, only to exit as UNH rebounded sharply, recovering nearly +19% YTD and hitting a 52-week high of $404 last week.

Elon Musk said today he is back in Texas focused on listing plans for SpaceX, appearing virtually at a Tel Aviv summit to explain his absence. "We've got to get the SpaceX IPO stuff going here pretty soon," he said, referring to what could become the largest listing in history. Space sector stocks rallied broadly on the news, with Rocket Lab (RKLB), Intuitive Machines (LUNR), and York Space Systems (YSS) among the names posting gains of +4% to +8% in premarket trading.