Stock Markets May 21, 2026 02:02 PM

Tech and energy names lead Thursday’s market swings as retail lags

Arm and IBM post notable gains while Walmart retreats amid broker rating shift; broad moves span mega-caps to small-caps

By Caleb Monroe ARM IBM SNDK QCOM MU

Stocks across market-cap ranges moved sharply on Thursday, with notable strength in chip-related and quantum-linked names and weakness in select retailers. Arm and IBM were among the biggest gainers in the mega-cap cohort, while smaller technology and energy plays recorded double-digit rallies. Retail heavyweight Walmart fell after a rating adjustment, and a handful of mid- and small-cap issuers saw outsized intraday swings tied to CHIPS Act letters of intent and corporate announcements.

Tech and energy names lead Thursday’s market swings as retail lags
ARM IBM SNDK QCOM MU

Key Points

  • Arm and IBM were among the largest mega-cap gainers, with Arm up 13.0% and IBM rising 9.89% tied to a quantum chip foundry announcement.
  • Letters of intent and project partnerships tied to CHIPS Act funding and energy initiatives drove substantial gains in several mid- and large-cap technology and quantum-related companies.
  • Walmart fell after a broker rating move, and multiple small- and mid-cap names posted double-digit intraday swings, indicating elevated volatility across several sectors including semiconductors, energy, and retail.

Markets saw divergent action across multiple capitalization tiers on Thursday, driven by company-specific announcements and broker actions. Below is a structured rundown of the largest movers, organized by market-cap classification and including the intraday percentages reported for each stock.


Mega-cap movers (Market Cap: $200 billion USD or higher)

  • Arm (ARM) +13.0%
  • IBM (IBM); IBM to establish quantum chip foundry with $1B CHIPS funding +9.89%
  • SanDisk Corp-Exch (SNDK) +9.75%
  • Qualcomm Inc (QCOM) +5.15%
  • Micron Tech (MU) +3.42%
  • Lam Research Corp (LRCX) +3.38%
  • Cisco Sys Inc (CSCO) +3.25%
  • Wal-mart Stores (WMT); Freedom Broker upgrades Walmart stock rating to hold on strong results -6.83%
  • Alibaba-exch (BABA) -2.11%
  • Texas Instru (TXN) -2.27%

Within this large-cap group, chipmakers and infrastructure suppliers posted gains, with Arm leading the pack. IBM reported a move connected to quantum chip manufacturing tied to CHIPS funding, which correlated with a near 10% gain.


Large-cap movers (Market Cap: $10-$200 billion USD)

  • Applied Blockchain (APLD); Applied Digital secures $7.5B hyperscaler lease for 300MW facility +21.05%
  • Spotify Technology (SPOT) +16.13%
  • Yandex (NBIS); Nebius partners with Bloom Energy for 328 MW fuel cell project +15.08%
  • Polo Ralph Laur (RL) +15.03%
  • Globalfoundries (GFS); GlobalFoundries launches quantum manufacturing business +13.6%
  • Bloom Energy Corp (BE) +11.53%
  • Lumentum Holdings Inc (LITE) +11.64%
  • dMY Technology Group III (IONQ) +11.05%
  • Fervo Energy Co Ltd (FRVO) +10.52%
  • Intuit (INTU) -19.74%

Announcements tied to energy projects, quantum initiatives and large-scale infrastructure leases drove a number of the larger-cap moves. Intuit recorded a sharp decline among this group.


Mid-cap movers (Market Cap: $2-$10 billion USD)

  • Churchill Capital (INFQ); Infleqtion signs letter of intent for $100M CHIPS funding +29.65%
  • DPCM Capital (QBTS); D-Wave signs letter of intent for $100M CHIPS Act funding +27.44%
  • Rigetti Computing Inc (RGTI); Rigetti Computing signs letter of intent for $100m CHIPS Act funding +26.3%
  • Cree Inc. (WOLF) +22.21%
  • Birkenstock Holding ltd (BIRK) +20.69%
  • Enphase Energy Inc (ENPH) +18.27%
  • Advance Auto Parts (AAP) +17.88%
  • SNXX (SNXX) +19.85%
  • Quantum Computing OTC (QUBT) +17.63%
  • CSCO +3.26% (additional intraday mention)

Several mid-cap names moved sharply after letters of intent related to CHIPS Act funding were announced, producing large intraday gains in quantum and semiconductor-adjacent companies.


Small-cap movers (Market Cap: $300 million - $2 billion USD)

  • FuelCell Energy (FCEL); FuelCell Energy appoints John Livingston to board of directors +24.09%
  • LITX (LITX) +22.94%
  • IONX (IONX) +21.61%
  • Destiny Tech100 (DXYZ) +21.07%
  • Omnilit Acquisition (OPTX) +20.62%
  • Fast Acquisition Corp II (FBYD) +19.81%
  • AAOX (AAOX) +15.62%
  • WhiteFiber (WYFI) +20.09%
  • Mega Fortune Co Ltd (MGRT) -19.88%

Small-cap stocks saw sizable intraday swings, including energy-related and acquisition vehicle names. One issuer within this bracket posted a nearly 20% drop.


Additional intraday percentage cluster and repeated mentions

The session included multiple repeated intraday mentions and percentage figures across tickers, reflecting intense intraday activity. Examples of additional intraday figures as reported include CSCO +3.26%, QCOM +4.91%, SNDK +9.68%, LRCX +2.92%, INTU -19.73%, WMT -6.5%, RL +15.12%, IBM +10.75%, MU +3.56%, TXN -2.5%, WOLF +20.69%, FCEL +24.68%, ENPH +16.98%, AAP +18.97%, BABA -2.16%, LITE +11.28%, SPOT +14.64%, BE +10.98%, QUBT +18.15%, IONQ +11.03%, QBTS +27.56%, INFQ +30.19%, GFS +13.62%, RGTI +25.77%, APLD +21.72%, ARM +12.64%, BIRK +20.05%, FBYD +19.81%, DXYZ +21.1%, IONX +22.58%, MGRT -19.88%, WYFI +18.6%, SNXX +19.7%, LITX +22.61%, AAOX +12.85%, FRVO +10.05%.


What this session signals

Thursday's moves underscore a market environment in which corporate developments - including announcements of CHIPS Act-related letters of intent, energy partnerships, board appointments and broker rating changes - can produce rapid, large-percentage moves across capitalization tiers. Semiconductors, quantum manufacturing, alternative energy projects and select retail names were among the most visible sectors in play.


Closing note

Investors tracking the session saw a mixture of sizable advances and declines across sectors and market caps. The day's largest percentage moves tended to cluster around technology- and energy-linked news and formalized but not necessarily final arrangements such as letters of intent and project partnerships.

Risks

  • Letters of intent cited for CHIPS Act funding are not final funding agreements; their tentative nature introduces execution risk for companies that rallied on those announcements. (Impacts: semiconductor and quantum manufacturing sectors.)
  • Broker rating changes can trigger notable price moves, as seen with Walmart's decline following an upgrade to hold; such analyst actions can alter sentiment quickly. (Impacts: retail sector.)
  • Concentration of large percentage moves in small- and mid-cap stocks suggests higher intraday volatility that may affect investors in energy, technology and special-purpose acquisition entities.

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