Market Fears Semi Tariffs, Hopes For Alaskan Peace

Trump heads to Alaska to make a deal, Solar stocks heat up on tax break, and more.

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Kevin Travers
August 15, 2025 • Reading Time: 12 minutes

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CLOSING BELL
Market Fears Semi Tariffs, Hopes For Alaskan Peace

The market fell Friday after the White House announced the possibility of heavy semiconductor tariffs in the 200-300% range, and consumer confidence fell for the first time in four months. The Dow closed less than 50 points from a record, after Berkshire’s purchase of UnitedHealth stock sent the index higher.

Today's issue covers Trump heads to Alaska to make a deal, Solar stocks heat up on tax break, and more. 📰

With the final numbers for indexes and the ETFs that track them, 4 of 11 sectors closed green, with health care $XLV ( ▲ 1.68% ) leading and financials $XLF ( ▼ 1.04% ) lagging.

MACRO
Trump Heads To Alaska To Bargain With Putin

All eyes were facing West on Friday, waiting for President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet on U.S. soil in Anchorage, Alaska, to talk about ending the war in Ukraine.

Bloomberg TV, right before a low-flying show of strength spooked the small Russian man.

Trump has reportedly eyed harsher tariff sanctions on buyers of Russian oil, security guarantees, and restarting twice-cut military aid to Ukraine to try to weigh the scales, but has warned he might walk out of the meeting if it proves a waste of time. The last time Putin was in the U.S. was in 2015 at the UN after he had already started his campaign to invade the Ukraine Donbas region.

Joining Trump on the U.S. side are economic advisors Commerce Secretary Hoaward Lutnik, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

As the two walked from their respective planes and shook hands before meeting behind closed doors, Putin stopped to watch a low flyover from a stealth B-2 bomber right over his head. 🦅 

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INDUSTRY NEWS
Solar Stocks Heat Up, In Part Because Of Tax Break ☀️ 

Solar and green energy stocks climbed Friday after an update from the U.S. Treasury Department and IRS for new guidance on clean energy production and tax credits.

The update said most wind and solar facilities meet a physical work test to qualify for tax credits that are due to expire. The GOP Big Beautiful Bill sent green tax credits to the chopping block, set to expire by 2027 for projects not already under construction in one year’s time.

According to lawyers at the Private law firm Holland & Knight, the new rules allow any work on a green energy site to count as construction started. 

TLDR: New projects in the solar and wind industries are not losing their tax credits just yet. Solar stocks surged Friday: Sunrun $RUN ( ▲ 32.82% ) , Enphase $ENPH ( ▲ 8.13% ) , First Solar $FSLR ( ▲ 11.05% ) , SolarEdge $SEDG ( ▲ 17.1% ) were all higher.

TAN, the largest Solar ETF by AUM, was seeing ‘extremely bullish’ chatter Friday

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POPS & DROPS
Top Stocktwits News Stories 🗞️ 

Bitcoin cooled to $121K after hitting a record high, while Cardano led altcoin gains and traders awaited key inflation data.

Intel shares rose nearly 3% after reports surfaced that the Trump administration may take a stake in its Ohio chip facility.

Applied Materials plunged 14% after issuing weak Q4 guidance and warning of declining China demand.

Opendoor shares jumped 9% following CEO Carrie Wheeler’s resignation and a surge in retail activist momentum.

Tilray Brands requested a Nasdaq compliance extension and is considering a reverse stock split to stabilize its capital structure amid bullish retail sentiment.

U.S. retail sales rose 0.5% in July, driven by strong auto demand and in line with analyst expectations.

Lyft received a ‘Neutral’ rating and $15 price target from UBS, citing robotaxi partnerships and European expansion as signs of a steady path forward.

Goldman Sachs warned that the current “Goldilocks” market could face turbulence from an economic slowdown or tighter Fed policy.

Don’t miss a story! Follow @StocktwitsNews for a live feed in real time. ✍️ 

PRESENTED BY STOCKTWITS
Affirm Joins The Degenerate Economy Index, Polymarket Heats Up, and the Wealth Gap Widens

Stocktwits CEO Howard Lindzon is back with a new episode of This Week in the Degenerate Economy, where money, tech, and memes keep colliding.

In this week’s breakdown, Howard adds Affirm (AFRM) to the Degenerate Economy Index, shares why Polymarket might eat the gambling industry alive, and unpacks how Google Calendar became Gen Z’s secret weapon. Plus: the growing wealth gap, the Wall Street–Silicon Valley merger, and why growth stocks keep steamrolling the market.

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