By Francesca Fontana

The Score is a weekly review of the biggest stock moves and the news that drove them.

Walt Disney

Investors celebrated Disney's plans for a new theme park.

The entertainment behemoth's seventh global park is to be built in Abu Dhabi, an expansion of its lucrative Experiences business into a new market.

Disney also posted strong earnings, saying that its U.S. theme parks attracted more guests and higher spending from visitors in the March quarter.

The company's parks in China and France have helped boost its other businesses, including its streaming platforms and its film and TV studios.

Disney and its rivals continue to face issues such as declining cable-TV usage and underperformance at the box office. A new threat has also emerged: President Trump's recent comments calling for 100% tariffs on films produced outside of the U.S.

Disney shares jumped 11% Wednesday, making it the best performer in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Berkshire Hathaway

The Oracle of Omaha is retiring.

At the conclusion of Berkshire's annual meeting on May 3, legendary investor Warren Buffett said he plans to step down as chief executive in December.

Greg Abel, who has been on deck to succeed Buffett as CEO since 2021, will take the reins on Jan. 1. Buffett will remain the conglomerate's chairman.

Buffett, who is 94, has led the company for the past 60 years. His retirement announcement surprised shareholders, as many thought that Buffett would remain CEO until his death.

Berkshire shares lost 5.1% Monday.

Ford Motor

Ford and Mattel joined the growing group of companies scrapping annual guidance due to tariff-related uncertainty.

Ford on Tuesday reported a steep decline in quarterly profit and suspended its annual guidance, saying it couldn't predict the full impact of President Trump's levies. The automaker said tariffs could cut $1.5 billion from a key measure of profit.

Mattel also scrapped its annual forecast. The maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels said it could increase U.S. toy prices, as the company is bracing for a $270 million tariff hit. Mattel is also moving more of its production out of China.

Ford shares rose 2.7% Tuesday, while Mattel gained 2.9%.

Cleveland-Cliffs

As President Trump seeks to build up American steel demand, one of the major U.S. steelmakers is shrinking.

Cleveland-Cliffs on Wednesday said it would pause or slow operations at six plants after posting a wider first-quarter loss and lower revenue. The production cuts and changes in operations are expected to affect about 2,000 jobs and save the steelmaker $300 million a year.

While steel prices climbed as customers bought up steel ahead of Trump's tariffs on imported metal, that rally has stalled. Now, buyers are holding off on placing big orders in an uncertain U.S. economy.

Cleveland-Cliffs shares plummeted 16% Thursday.

Broadcom

U.S. chip stocks got a boost, thanks to the possibility of a reprieve from tight export controls.

The Trump administration plans to overhaul controversial regulations that would limit how many artificial-intelligence chips individual countries can buy, The Wall Street Journal reported late Wednesday.

A White House spokeswoman said that the Commerce Department plans to replace the rule -- commonly known as AI diffusion -- which was set to go into effect May 15.

The decision is a temporary boon for the tech titans, but many executives are still bracing for tight restrictions. The Trump administration recently cracked down on Nvidia selling a specialized AI chip to China, causing the company to take a $5.5 billion charge.

Broadcom shares rose 1.5% Thursday.

Boeing

The new U.S. trade deal with the U.K. includes some good news for Boeing.

President Trump on Thursday announced that his administration and the U.K. had made a trade deal pact, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said a British airline would buy $10 billion worth of Boeing planes.

In exchange for the U.K. purchasing the jets and giving American farmers greater access to U.K. markets, the Trump administration agreed to roll back tariffs imposed on British steel and automobiles. The U.K. is also cutting tariffs on some U.S. beef imports and on ethanol.

On Friday, British Airways owner IAG said it has ordered 32 Boeing planes, confirming purchases touted by Lutnick the day before.

Boeing shares gained 3.3% Thursday.

Our weekly markets news roundup is now part of the WSJ's What's News podcast. Host Francesca Fontana discusses the biggest stock moves of the week and the news that drove them. Check out What's News in Markets at wsj.com/podcasts or wherever you listen.

Write to Francesca Fontana at francesca.fontana@wsj.com.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 09, 2025 17:10 ET (21:10 GMT)

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