Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) stock is down 7.1% to trade at $224.28 at last glance, one of the worst-performing Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) components today. Barclays lowered its price objective on the equity to $275 from $325, citing “confusing” earnings visibility ahead of the electric vehicle (EV) company’s first-quarter report, which is due out after the close tomorrow, April 22. What's more, Reuters reported production of its cheaper, U.S.-made Model Y car is delayed.

Carrying a steep 44.4% year-to-date deficit, the shares are now on track for their third-straight daily loss. Overhead pressure at the $280 level has been stifling TSLA since early March, while longer-term resistance stems from the declining 40-day moving average. 

The security was also one of the most popular names among options traders over the last 10 days, per Schaeffer's Senior Quantitative Analyst Rocky White's list of stocks that attracted the highest options volume within that period. TSLA saw more than 13.4 million calls and 13.2 million puts traded. The most active contract was the April 240 put.

From an earnings standpoint, Tesla stock tends to underperform, finishing six of its last eight next-day sessions lower. However, it's also worth noting the security just had back-to-back positive post-earnings reactions. In the last two years, TSLA averaged an 11.3% move, regardless of direction. This time around, the options pits are pricing in a 14.7% swing.

Options look like like a solid way to bet on TSLA's next moves. The stock's  Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) of 80 out of 100, suggesting it outperformed options traders' volatility expectations during the past 12 months.

Shares of fast-casual restaurant name Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) are 5.1% lower at $45.70 this afternoon, just ahead of its first-quarter earnings report, due out after the close on Wednesday, April 23. Amid broad-market pressure, today's dip comes after the company made headlines for announcing its first-ever expansion into Mexico. Chipotle plans to open a location in Mexico City early next year in partnership with Alsea -- a move that could signal a larger push into international markets.

Per Zacks Research, analysts expect Chipotle to report earnings of 28 cents per share on $2.93 billion in revenue -- marking year-over-year gains of 3.7% and 8.5%, respectively. The stock has a mixed earnings reaction history, averaging a 6.6% move in either direction over the past eight quarters. This time around, the options market is pricing in a much larger next-day swing of 11.7%.

Chipotle stock has been stuck in a steady downtrend for most of 2025, with recent rally attempts consistently rejected at its 40-day moving average. Fresh off its third weekly loss in four, the equity is now down 24.9% year-to-date and 20.6% over the last 12 months.

Ahead of the event, BofA Global Research lowered its price target on CMG to $64 from $71 -- though that still represents a roughly 40% premium to current levels. More downward revisions could follow, as the stock’s average 12-month price objective stands at $63.

The stock’s Schaeffer’s Volatility Scorecard (SVS) sits at 25 out of 100 -- suggesting the stock has tended to underperform the volatility expectations priced into its options. For traders expecting a post-earnings breakout, that low SVS reading may warrant caution.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NYSE:NCLH) stock is down 2.2% at $16.01 at last glance, brushing off a bull note amid the broader market selloff. Loop Capital upgraded the cruise stock to "buy" from "hold" today, highlighting the company’s new pier at Great Stirrup Cay, which will allow passengers to disembark directly onto the island. 

On the charts, NCLH has been consolidating near the $16 level for the past few weeks, following its April 7, 52-week low of $12.41. The descending 20-day moving average -- a trendline in place since mid-February -- continues to apply pressure overhead. So far in 2025, the equity is down 37.8%.

Carnival Corp's (NYSE:CCL) stock chart looks starkly similar. The shares hit an eight-month low of $13.78 on April 5, and have hung out around $17.50 since. The stock was last seen 4.6% lower at $17.16, with its 20-day moving average similarly acting as resistance. Year-to-date, CCL is down 30.5%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (NYSE:RCL) has seen slightly choppier price action, steadily moving lower since its January 31 record high of $277.08. The stock is down 18.6% year-to-date, though long-term support sits below at the 320-day moving average. Looking at the charts, RCL looks like the best bet for bulls from a technical standpoint, though it's down 3.3% at $186.43 today. 

Stocks are sharply lower this afternoon, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) down more than 900 points and pacing for a fourth-straight loss. The Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) is also risking a four-day skid, while the S&P 500 Index (SPX) is eyeing its third drop in four sessions, as trade tensions and Fed uncertainty continue to weigh on sentiment.

The latest selloff comes after President Trump criticized Fed Chair Jerome Powell over the weekend, demanding him to lower interest rates and noting the economy could slow otherwise. Amid swirling questions over the central bank's independence, Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee noted tariffs could cause economic activity to fall off by summer. 

Continue reading for more on today's market, including: 

• Amazon.com stock lower on overdue bear note.
• Analysts blast Netflix stock after strong earnings.
• Plus, ASTS takes bearish spotlight; DFS pops on Capital One deal; and mounting analyst doubts ding TSLA.

AST SpaceMobile Inc (NASDAQ:ASTS) is seeing unusual put activity today, with more than 20,000 bearish bets traded -- 3 times the average intraday volume. The most active contract is the June 24 put, where new positions are being opened. ASTS was last seen 12.5% lower to trade at $20.47, pulling back below its year-to-date breakeven level after Zacks highlighted the satellite designer as its Bear of the Day.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) is one of the top SPX stocks today, last seen 1.4% higher at $161.88, after U.S. regulators approved Capital One’s (COF) $35.3 billion acquisition of the credit card giant. The deal will create the eighth-largest bank covered by government deposit insurance, with roughly $637.8 billion in combined assets -- or 2.2% of all U.S. insured deposits. The companies expect the deal to close on May 18. DFS is up 29.6% year over year, but remains down 6.2% in 2025.

Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is one of the worst-performing IXIC components this afternoon, last seen 6.9% lower at $224.70. Barclays cut its price target on the stock, citing “confusing” earnings visibility ahead of the company’s first-quarter report. Tesla stock is down 44.4% in 2025, with its 40-day moving average continuing to act as pressure after two failed rally attempts earlier this month.

Cloud giant Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM) was last seen down 4.3% to trade at $236.60 today, after a downgrade from D.A. Davidson to "underperform" from "neutral," to go with a price-target cut to $200 from $250. The firm said the company's focus on artificial intelligence (AI) is leaving its core business neglected, and also removed CRM from its quality stock list. 

Should these losses hold, CRM will close at its lowest level since June 2024. The 20-day moving average has pressured the shares lower since early-February, pushing them to a their current 29.3% year-to-date deficit. 

Over in the options pits, calls have been much more popular than usual over the last 10 weeks. Salesforce stock's 50-day call/put volume ratio of 1.78 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) ranks higher than 95% of readings from the past year. 

The stock has tended to outperform options traders' volatility expectations over the past 12 months, per its Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) of 94 out of 100. 

Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) stock is under pressure this morning, down 3.4% to trade at $166.44 at last check, after Raymond James lowered its rating to "outperform" from "strong buy" and cut its price target to $195 from $275. The analyst in coverage cited tariff-related headwinds and broader economic concerns. Scotiabank followed suit, trimming its price target to $250 from $306.

Despite the stock's steep 23.2% year-to-date deficit, Wall Street remains overwhelmingly bullish. Of the 53 brokerages covering AMZN, 52 rate it a “buy” or better, while the average 12-month price target sits at $251.36 -- a 51.2% premium to current levels. All of this points to growing potential for more downward price-target revisions or downgrades.

Amazon.com stock just logged its 10th weekly loss in the last 11. The security’s most recent rally attempt was rejected at the 20-day moving average near the $190 level earlier in April, keeping the longer-term trend bearish. However, bullish seasonality suggest some near-term upside.

With AMZN’s Schaeffer’s Volatility Scorecard (SVS) at just 26 out of 100, the stock has tended to underperform the volatility priced into its options. This low reading makes the security a compelling candidate for premium-selling strategies, particularly for traders expecting muted movement in the near term.

“For the time being, we are well positioned to wait for greater clarity before considering any adjustments to our policy stance…We may find ourselves in the challenging scenario in which our dual-mandate goals are in tension. If that were to occur, we would consider how far the economy is from each goal, and the potentially different time horizons over which those respective gaps would be anticipated to close.

     -Fed Chairman Jerome Powell in remarks to Economic Club of Chicago, April 16, 2025

The holiday-shortened April standard expiration week was a win for bears, who were in control for the seventh time in 10 weeks. Much of this was thanks to Wednesday’s price action, which appeared to be a one-two punch of option-related selling Wednesday morning (following the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY – 526.41) close below the put-heavy 540 strike) and Jerome Powell’s comments in the early afternoon that didn’t exactly spur traders into a buying frenzy.

“Just as the level that marked the all-time high in February was 20% above the August 2024 low, might the level that is 20% below the all-time closing high mark ‘The Bottom’ or at least a ‘significant trough’ for the time being?... The 5,400-5,450 area is an overhead area to watch, as this is where closes were prior to… gaps lower this month. This is in addition to being a key support level in July and September last year.”

    -Monday Morning Outlook, April 14, 2025 

Despite the down week, there was no additional damage relative to what had already been done in prior weeks from a chart perspective. In fact, about two weeks have passed since the S&P 500 Index (SPX – 5,282.70) touched the 4,915 level on successive days, which is 20% below the February all-time closing high. It was at this time that President Trump eased on tariffs by pivoting to a pause for most countries, sparking a rally from this key level.

But last week’s high was in the vicinity of 5,450, or in the area between 5,400-5,450 that we marked as a potential first level of resistance in the context of multiple resistance levels overhead. There was only one close above the 5,400-century mark before the index retreated to close the week below 5,300, with an inside day on Thursday. Inside days occur when the daily high is below the prior day’s high and the daily low is above the prior day’s low. An inside day occurred last Tuesday ahead of the Wednesday morning gap lower.

In simplistic terms, the SPX enters this week’s trading 118 points below the lower boundary of its first resistance at 5,400, which is the close ahead of last week’s gap lower and a support level in July and September of last year. And it is 162 points above the August 2024 low at 5,120, which is the first level of potential support -- implying short-term risk is slightly geared in favor of the bears.

Whether the 5,400-5,450 area is retested in the upcoming week or the recent lows in the 4,915-5,120 area, traders will have ample short-term trading opportunities in what could be volatile range trading, as earnings season continues to pick up steam and traders take cues from what is likely to be a continuance of tariff headlines that have preoccupied market participants.

With the SPX higher since its early April low, the Cboe Market Volatility Index (VIX – 29.65) has plunged during this short time span. In fact, it is at a potentially pivotal point, closing last week around the 30 level — or roughly one-half this month’s peak and its March highs. Those anchoring to the recent high may view this as a good time to buy portfolio insurance at a 50% discount, especially after the expiration of April VIX futures options last week and the standard expiration of index and equity options. As such, hedging activity amid continued tariff uncertainty could be a short-term headwind. If the VIX breaks below the 30 level decisively, it might signal that there is little need for portfolio protection, since those typically buying portfolio protection have reduced their equity exposure.

As you key to important SPX levels, the VIX action around this 30 level may cue you in on whether a retest of the lows or a retest of last week’s highs is in store in the immediate days ahead.

Todd Salamone is Schaeffer's Senior V.P. of Research

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