What Happened?

A number of stocks jumped in the afternoon session after reports revealed easing geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Iran. The broader market rallied after President Trump announced that talks were underway to end hostilities and that he had postponed strikes against Iranian energy sites. 

The news sent major indices like the S&P 500 and Dow sharply higher, creating a 'risk-on' environment favorable to financial firms. For the asset management sector, which is closely tied to the performance of financial markets, the rally is a welcome tailwind. Rising equity values increase the value of assets under management (AUM), a key performance metric for these companies. The de-escalation also caused energy prices to tumble, with Brent crude oil falling more than 7%.

The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks.

Among others, the following stocks were impacted:

• Investment Banking & Brokerage company Stifel (NYSE: SF) jumped 3.7%. Is now the time to buy Stifel? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Investment Banking & Brokerage company Interactive Brokers (NASDAQ: IBKR) jumped 4.5%. Is now the time to buy Interactive Brokers? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Diversified Financial Services company NerdWallet (NASDAQ: NRDS) jumped 3.8%. Is now the time to buy NerdWallet? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Personal Loan company Affirm (NASDAQ: AFRM) jumped 4.9%. Is now the time to buy Affirm? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Specialty Finance company Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ: ECPG) jumped 4.8%. Is now the time to buy Encore Capital Group? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.

Zooming In On Affirm (AFRM)

Affirm’s shares are extremely volatile and have had 48 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.

The previous big move we wrote about was 11 days ago when the stock dropped 8.1% on the news that investors raised concerns over the stability of the private credit market, following a key announcement from a major bank. 

JPMorgan Chase announced it would be restricting lending to private credit providers. This decision came after the bank marked down the value of several loans in its portfolio, signaling potential stress in this rapidly growing corner of the finance world. The move sparked broader industry jitters, leading to a rush for liquidity. In response to these pressures, several large industry names were forced to limit redemptions for their key funds, adding further downward pressure on financial sector shares as investors weighed the potential for wider contagion.

Affirm is down 37.8% since the beginning of the year, and at $46.05 per share, it is trading 50% below its 52-week high of $92.18 from September 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Affirm’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at only $583.88.

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