It’s tempting to think some magic number will guarantee that a stock will go up or down. But the hard reality is that Wall Street is as much of an expectations game as anything else. Fast-growing companies sometimes see shares decline simply because sentiment has soured, and long-suffering businesses can rally just because investors think future performance will be less bad than the past.
That’s why finding stocks with good news updates can be just as important as finding stocks with strong fundamentals. Based on the news cycle and what’s fashionable in the moment, investments can sometimes see big gains in short order.
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The following seven stocks all are riding different good news updates to recent gains right now. That doesn’t guarantee that the good news will keep up or that the momentum will continue, of course. But based on recent performance, these “good news” stocks are definitely worth looking into:
— Avis Budget Group Inc. (ticker: CAR)
— Cboe Global Markets Inc. (CBOE)
— Corcept Therapeutics Inc. (CORT)
— DocuSign Inc. (DOCU)
— Intel Corp. (INTC)
— Newsmax Inc. (NMAX)
— Philip Morris International Inc. (PM)
Avis Budget Group Inc. (CAR)
Shares of Avis surged more than 15% from mid-March to April 1 thanks to a unique benefit for otherwise burdensome tariffs and trade wars. In short, the friction created for new car sales will naturally increase demand (and value) in the used car market, making the fleet of this rental car giant naturally more valuable. Shares are still in the red year to date, but they are up strongly from their March lows thanks to this development. It’s an open question whether U.S. consumers suffer more broadly and whether that puts pressure on travel-related businesses like Avis that would offset that short-lived bump. But for the last few weeks of March, the burgeoning tariff situation was considered good news for Avis shareholders.
Cboe Global Markets Inc. (CBOE)
While the rest of the market lost steam in recent months, CBOE hit an all-time high thanks to its unique business as a leading exchange for risk-management derivatives products. Formerly known as the Chicago Board of Options Exchange, CBOE is one of the world’s largest venues for options traders. Thanks to both the general rise of retail options as well as the use of these products to hedge risk in equity markets, CBOE has seen booming business lately. The icing on the cake is the recent launch of Cboe Clear Europe, which offers central clearing, settlement and post-trade services in European markets. This financial markets specialist is in the right place to capitalize on global volatility, so it’s no wonder shares have kept hitting new all-time highs as CBOE inks positive headlines.
Corcept Therapeutics Inc. (CORT)
A fast-growing drugmaker that is researching treatments for severe metabolic, psychiatric and oncologic disorders, Corcept is among the very best performers in 2025. CORT stock surged 126% year to date through March 31. Even after a sharp pullback in the early days of April, CORT is up more than 160% over the last year. The reason for this momentum has been favorable findings in drug trials, most recently with news that its ovarian cancer treatment cut progression of the disease by 30% in clinical settings. That tees up a likely Food and Drug Administration approval and mass market sales in the months and years ahead. Drugmakers like this are very dependent on their research pipeline, so a strong track record thanks to successful prior drug launches means this is a good news stock to watch going forward.
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DocuSign Inc. (DOCU)
Digital documents powerhouse DocuSign recently saw its shares surge 20% in just a few trading sessions after its March earnings report that beat Wall Street expectations on both the top and bottom lines. For Wall Street’s bulls, that proves DOCU stock is living up to some of the hype around artificial intelligence capabilities. Management credited the launch of AI-enabled tools last year plus the fact that DocuSign has “started to turn the corner on the core business” after troubles that began at the end of 2021. With big-name partners like Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Google parent Alphabet Inc. (GOOG, GOOGL), this software firm may be a stock to watch.
Intel Corp. (INTC)
Intel stock hasn’t exactly been a darling among investors lately, as other chipmakers have been doing well even as the one-time leader has fallen behind in a fast-changing tech landscape. However, the stock has seen signs of life with a double-digit gain in a single session in March after it named Lip-Bu Tan its new permanent CEO. The exec undoubtedly faces a tough task ahead, but Intel finally has some stability in leadership after the ouster of its last CEO back in December and a vacuum for roughly three months. What’s more, investors were cheered by Tan’s vow to support Intel’s core strength as an engineering company — the focus that made the company great in years past. Shares remain down significantly in the longer term, but there are reasons to think the good news at Intel could be part of a broader turnaround story.
Newsmax Inc. (NMAX)
A conservative news outlet that is seen as part of a Trump-friendly media establishment, Newsmax began trading at the end of March with an IPO that sold 7.5 million shares at $10 each — and then quickly saw its shares race up to top $80. There’s obviously not a long track record of this stock, but given some of the momentum we saw in other Trump trades around the election, including the Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. (DJT), there’s definitely reason to watch NMAX. Just keep in mind that DJT stock quickly peaked and now trades at half its highs if you’re interested in Newsmax, because the momentum may turn over in a hurry despite this immediately successful IPO.
Philip Morris International Inc. (PM)
You may not think a cigarette company has as much growth or momentum as some of the other names on this list, but Philip Morris has been a standout performer in 2025. Shares are up more than 20% year to date and up more than 60% or so in the past year as PM stock has regularly hit new all-time highs. The reason is a mix of good news updates and tangible fundamentals, with the tobacco giant posting better-than-expected earnings in February and raising guidance thanks to strong demand for smoke-free alternatives. Currently, about 40% of PM sales come from smoke-free products instead of its flagship brands that include Marlboro, the world’s best-selling cigarette. With good earnings as well as a good news narrative that this isn’t a tobacco stock stuck in the past, PM is evolving in ways that investors like to see.
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7 Stocks with Good News Updates originally appeared on usnews.com
