By Francesca Fontana

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

Norfolk Southern

The U.S. may be getting closer to a transcontinental railroad.

Railroad operator Union Pacific is holding talks to acquire its smaller rival Norfolk Southern, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

A deal between the two could create the largest rail operator in the country, with a network spanning the continent. In the U.S., no railroad operator currently has a network running coast-to-coast.

The talks are in early stages, and there are no guarantees they will result in any deal or receive regulatory signoff, the Journal reported. It is also possible another suitor could emerge.

Union Pacific has a market value of $134 billion, while Norfolk is valued at $62 billion.

Norfolk Southern shares added 2.5% Friday, while Union Pacific shares lost 1.2%.

Warner Bros. Discovery

The Man of Steel's successful landing at the box office is a good sign for Warner Bros. Discovery.

The "Superman" movie, which grossed an estimated $122 million in the U.S. and Canada during its opening weekend, is the first film in Warner's overhaul of its DC Comics brand.

DC has lagged behind rival Marvel Studios for more than a decade, and Chief Executive David Zaslav sees the revamp as a crucial opportunity for Warner Bros. as it prepares to spin off its cable networks next year.

Upcoming offerings from Warner's new DC Studios, led by "Superman" director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran, includes a Supergirl spinoff, a Green Lantern TV show, and numerous Batman movies.

Warner shares rose 2.4% Monday.

Nvidia

Nvidia is back in business in China.

The $4 trillion semiconductor company received assurances from the White House it can resume selling one of its advanced artificial-intelligence chips to Chinese customers. The decision came days after Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang met with President Trump.

The Commerce Department restricted sales of the chip in April as the U.S.-China trade war ramped up, costing Nvidia billions of dollars. In June, the two countries reached a trade truce that included a pledge from China to step up approvals of rare-earth minerals needed by Western manufacturers.

Nvidia shares gained 4% Tuesday.

Citigroup

America's biggest banks posted strong earnings on Tuesday and Wednesday, signaling a resilient U.S. economy despite ongoing trade turmoil.

Still, financial stocks were weighed down by some banks' caution for the rest of the year. For instance, Wells Fargo Chief Executive Charlie Scharf noted "risk to the downside" in markets.

The sector was also pressured by concerns over a potential change at the Federal Reserve.

President Trump on Tuesday raised the possibility of firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell during a closed-door meeting, before denying the next day that he was planning to oust Powell.

One stock that bucked the larger trend was Citigroup. Its shares gained 3.7% Tuesday, closing at their highest level since the bank's near collapse in 2008.

MP Materials

America's largest rare-earths producer has struck another big deal in its efforts to derail China's dominance.

On Tuesday, MP Materials announced a $500 million deal to supply Apple with rare-earth magnets to use in iPhones and other products, with shipments expected to begin in 2027. China currently produces over 90% of the world's rare-earth magnets, which are used to make everything from cars to missile systems.

The week before, the Defense Department committed to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in MP and become its largest shareholder, in a deal that will allow MP to vastly increase its planned magnet production.

General Motors is also signed up to start taking deliveries from MP later this year.

MP Materials shares leapt 20% Tuesday.

Lucid

Electric-vehicle maker Lucid is the latest to enter the robotaxi arena.

Lucid on Tuesday announced a partnership with Uber Technologies and self-driving technology company Nuro to launch a new self-driving taxi program using Lucid's cars and Uber's ride-hailing platform.

Uber plans to deploy at least 20,000 Lucid vehicles equipped with the Nuro Driver autonomous system over six years, the companies said. The program is expected to launch in 2026 in "a major U.S. city," they said.

Tesla launched its long-awaited robotaxi service with a pilot program in Austin, Texas. The leader in the field is Alphabet's Waymo, which is operating in five U.S. cities.

Lucid shares rocketed 36% higher 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

July 18, 2025 17:39 ET (21:39 GMT)

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