Healthcare Gets Smoked: UNH Down 18% on Medicare Proposal — Silver Breaks Records

Welcome into StockTwitsTV — we talk about the market, so you don’t have to. Host Michele Steele is joined by Megan King to break down a week where there’s plenty of green on the board… but a ton of red in healthcare. They start with UnitedHealthcare (UNH) and a brutal move lower as a U.S. proposal to hold Medicare Advantage payments flat triggers a sector-wide reset. Megan explains why this isn’t just an earnings story: a proposed 0% rate increase vs mid-single-digit expectations forces a reset of multi-year earnings models and shifts Medicare Advantage from a growth engine to a more “regulated utility-like” business with political and margin risk. Then it’s the shiny stuff: silver posts record-breaking volume, and Megan argues silver is acting as a volatility amplifier—momentum and positioning matter—but the long-term bull case remains intact on constrained supply and rising industrial demand (solar, electrification, jewelry), with a macro message of rising demand for assets that feel “real and tangible.” They also hit headline risk and AI buildout: Ubiquiti faces geopolitical/compliance optics, while Corning (GLW) rallies after Meta commits up to $6B through 2030 for fiber—proof that AI infrastructure bottlenecks are now “literal, not theoretical,” and that winners won’t just be compute, but the suppliers enabling scale. Finally, it’s a lightning round and earnings/IPO radar: Redwire and defense spending, quantum getting institutional validation via a university purchase, Boeing optimism and recovery signs, GM raising 2026 guidance despite EV-related losses, UPS shifting to higher value shipments, Union Pacific as a real-economy signal, airlines with thin margins, and celebrity brand IPO momentum with Once Upon a Farm—plus a broader takeaway that the IPO window remains disciplined, prioritizing profitability and defensibility. 00:03 — Welcome in: green market, red healthcare 00:21 — Megan’s metals take: “stockpiling” gold & silver (jewelry) 00:50 — UNH stream reaction: “$60 down isn’t a dip… it’s a crater” 01:11 — Medicare payments flat proposal + sector sympathy selloff 01:38 — Do we re-value insurers long-term? 02:29 — 0% rate vs expectations: reset of multi-year earnings models 02:57 — Buyer at these levels? Why policy risk matters 03:31 — Bad timing: UNH guides lower for first time in decades 03:56 — Silver record volume: do we see new highs? 04:21 — Silver as “volatility amplifier” (momentum/positioning/optics) 04:47 — Bull case: constrained supply + industrial demand + macro hedge 05:28 — Profit-taking? Why she’s not selling soon (watching closely) 06:26 — Ubiquiti headline risk: compliance/geopolitical optics 07:36 — Corning + Meta fiber deal: AI infra bottlenecks turn “real” 08:41 — AI winners beyond compute: infrastructure suppliers 09:02 — Lightning round: Redwire, D-Wave/FAU quantum, robotics + Microsoft, Affirm/Bolt, Reddit 09:48 — Reddit drawdown: slowed growth + AI referrals shifting to YouTube 10:12 — UK data: Reddit overtakes TikTok in weekly active users 12:03 — Redwire: defense spend + funding optionality 12:48 — Quantum: institutional validation beyond “lab phase” 14:01 — Earnings parade: Boeing + GM winners 15:34 — Why markets reward forward visibility 16:26 — UPS: yield management over volume growth 17:27 — Union Pacific: muted outlook as real-economy signal 18:17 — Airlines: American & JetBlue misses + thin margins 19:37 — IPO radar: Once Upon a Farm ($764M) 21:10 — IPO takeaway: disciplined multiples, profitability/defensibility over hype 22:23 — Wrap Disclaimer: All opinions expressed on this show are solely the opinions of the hosts’ and guests’ and do not reflect the opinions of Stocktwits, Inc. or its affiliates. The hosts are not SEC or FINRA registered advisors or professionals. The content of this show is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Please consult with your financial advisor before making any investment decision. Read the full terms & conditions here: https://stocktwits.com/about/legal/terms/