Rocket Lab Rallies as SpaceX Extends Post-IPO Slide

SPCX closed at $113.65 on July 27, 2026, down 1.23% from the prior close of $115.07 and now 15.81% below its $135.00 IPO offer price.

Executive Summary

SPCX extended its post-IPO slide Monday, opening at $113.46, dipping to a fresh session low of $108.66, and recovering to close at $113.65, a decline of 1.23% versus Friday's close of $115.07. The stock remains firmly below its $135.00 IPO offer price and well off its $160.95 first-day close, continuing a decline that market commentary has framed as a roughly 51% drawdown from the stock's post-IPO mania peak. Coverage of the session centered on two forward catalysts: SpaceX's first earnings report as a public company on August 4, and the expiration of the IPO lockup on August 6, which the Motley Fool notes could allow early shareholders to sell up to 20% of their shares and introduce over $100 billion in potential supply. Sentiment in the headlines was split — Morgan Stanley reportedly warned the stock's AI business could be valued at zero if shares fall to $100, while commentators including Scott Galloway pushed back on Morgan Stanley's own $300 price target, and Cathie Wood's Ark Investment Management added $21.3 million to its SpaceX position during the decline. Separately, Rocket Lab was reported rallying on a $266 million Space Force contract win the same day SpaceX shares slid, framed by Benzinga as Wall Street rewarding execution elsewhere in the sector.

Elon Musk also addressed the company's broader ambitions in the news flow, reaffirming SpaceX's Mars plans and touting a Starship test flight, while Starlink's satellite texting service was activated for wildfire-affected areas in Spain. None of these operational updates were tied to a specific market reaction in the reporting reviewed.

News

1. X Money Posts "Your money, on the world’s most powerful network. 𝕏 Money is rolling out to U.S. Premium and Premium+ subscribers starting today"

(Benzinga, Jul 27, 4:09 PM ET)

2. This Congressman Slammed Elon Musk — Then Bought SpaceX Stock

Multiple members of Congress disclose buying SpaceX stock, even some who aren't big fans of Elon Musk. (Benzinga, Jul 27, 3:58 PM ET)

3. Rocket Lab Rallies as SpaceX Slides. Wall Street Is Rewarding Execution Again

Rocket Lab gained after landing a $266 million Space Force contract while SpaceX shares extended their post-IPO decline. (Benzinga, Jul 27, 3:17 PM ET)

4. Aggressive Buying On Nvidia Backing Massive OpenAI Data Center And Trump Pausing Iran Attacks

Aggressive Stock Buying

Please click here for a chart of Invesco QQQ Trust Series 1 (NASDAQ:QQQ).

Note the following:

The chart shows QQQ is bouncing off of the top band of zone 2 (support).

The chart (Benzinga, Jul 27, 3:09 PM ET)

5. EXCLUSIVE: Anthropic Is a ‘Generational Company,’ Tema CEO Says — and Why LAZR Made It the Top Holding Before IPO

Tema CEO Maurits Pot calls Anthropic a "generational company" as LAZR makes the AI startup its biggest holding ahead of its highly anticipated IPO. (Benzinga, Jul 27, 2:56 PM ET)

6. Chamath Palihapitiya Has Bad News for Anthropic, OpenAI: Large Valuations Could Be 'Mathematical Mistake'

Chamath Palihapitiya warns the AI model layer is rapidly commoditizing. Dive into the Polymarket odds for the OpenAI and Anthropic IPO road shows. (Benzinga, Jul 27, 2:24 PM ET)

7. Gary Black Issues Warning to Tesla Investors Ahead of Potential SpaceX Merger

While investors may be banking on a merger between Tesla and SpaceX, Gary Black says this isn't a reason to be long Tesla stock now. (Benzinga, Jul 27, 2:11 PM ET)

8. SpaceX Stock Continues To Slide: What's Going On?

Space Exploration Technologies Corp (NASDAQ:SPCX) shares are extending their slide Monday, continuing to trade firmly below the $135 IPO price as investors brace for a wave of supply that could hit the stock in less than two weeks. (Benzinga, Jul 27, 1:49 PM ET)

Price Action

Metric	Value
Open	$113.46
High	$114.85
Low	$108.66
Close	$113.65
Change vs prior close	-$1.42 (-1.23%)
Volume	57,687,424
Intraday range	$6.19 ($108.66 – $114.85)
Close vs IPO offer ($135.00)	-15.81%
Close vs IPO-day close ($160.95)	-29.39%

SPCX opened at $113.46, already well below Friday's $115.07 close, and pushed to a new session low of $108.66 before buyers stepped back in, lifting the stock to close at $113.65, essentially flat versus the open. Volume of 57,687,424 shares was roughly in line with the prior session's 56,866,873 but ran below the stock's average-to-date volume of 75,046,464, suggesting the move lower did not come on an unusually heavy turnout. The close of $113.65 sits 15.81% below the $135.00 IPO offer price and 29.39% below the $160.95 first-day close.

The session produced a lower low but a close near the day's high, leaving the net change modest despite an intraday swing of over $6.

Technicals

SPCX has traded publicly only since June 12, 2026. With roughly six weeks of history, the 14-day RSI is usable but the 50-day and 200-day moving averages are not yet meaningful (both are flagged unavailable in the data) and should not be treated as reliable trend signals. Readings below are based on price structure, candle shape, volume, and the moving averages the history can actually support.

Trend

The daily close history shows a steady decline from the IPO-week peak of $201.80 (June 16) through a string of lower closes into late July, including $123.54 (July 21), $115.26 (July 22), $118.24 (July 23), $115.07 (July 24), and today's $113.65. The short-term moving averages are stacked in a bearish sequence: SMA-5 at $117.15, SMA-10 at $123.21, and SMA-20 at $139.07, all above the current close, with the longer averages sitting higher than the shorter ones. That ordering is consistent with a downtrend that remains intact. The EMA-5 of $117.42 sits just above the SMA-5 of $117.15, indicating the most recent closes within that five-day window were slightly higher than the earliest ones — a marginal deceleration rather than a reversal.

Candle read

Today's candle has a small body of $0.19 (open $113.46, close $113.65) against a much larger lower wick of $4.80 and a modest upper wick of $1.20, for a total range of $6.19. The close sits at the 0.81 mark of the day's range, near the top. That shape — a long lower shadow with a small body closing near the high — reads as a hammer: sellers drove price to a fresh low intraday, but buyers reclaimed most of the ground before the close.

Support levels

• $108.66 — today's intraday low, the most immediate downside marker in the data.
• $100.00 — a round-number level below the current range, also referenced in coverage of Morgan Stanley's commentary on the stock's AI valuation.

Resistance levels

• $114.85 — today's intraday high.
• $115.07 — Friday's prior close, just above today's high.
• $117.15–$117.42 — the SMA-5/EMA-5 cluster.
• $123.21 — the SMA-10.
• $139.07 — the SMA-20, well above the current price.
• $135.00 and $160.95 — the IPO offer price and first-day close, both distant overhead references.

Momentum interpretation

RSI-14 stands at 34.02, approaching but not yet inside conventional oversold territory (below 30).

Bull scenario: SPCX holds above today's low of $108.66 and reclaims the $114.85–$115.07 zone (today's high and Friday's close), then works into the $117.15–$117.42 SMA-5/EMA-5 cluster, with RSI turning up from the mid-30s.

Bear scenario: SPCX breaks below $108.66, opening a path toward the $100.00 round-number level, with RSI pushing under 30 without a bounce.

Neutral scenario: price consolidates between $108.66 and $115.07 without a decisive break of either boundary, with RSI holding in the low-to-mid 30s.

Trading Takeaway

SPCX made a new post-IPO low intraday before a partial recovery left the close nearly flat versus the open, producing a hammer-shaped candle on volume that ran below the average-to-date. The broader trend remains down, with price under every short-term moving average the data supports and RSI approaching oversold. Coverage points to two concrete catalysts ahead of the next few sessions: earnings on August 4 and the lockup expiration on August 6, the latter flagged in reporting as a potential source of significant new share supply. For the next session, the levels to watch are $108.66 on the downside and the $114.85–$115.07 zone on the upside.

Sources

1. X Money Posts "Your money, on the world's most powerful network..." — Benzinga
2. This Congressman Slammed Elon Musk — Then Bought SpaceX Stock — Benzinga
3. Rocket Lab Rallies as SpaceX Slides. Wall Street Is Rewarding Execution Again — Benzinga
4. Aggressive Buying On Nvidia Backing Massive OpenAI Data Center And Trump Pausing Iran Attacks — Benzinga
5. EXCLUSIVE: Anthropic Is a 'Generational Company,' Tema CEO Says — Benzinga
6. Chamath Palihapitiya Has Bad News for Anthropic, OpenAI — Benzinga
7. Gary Black Issues Warning to Tesla Investors Ahead of Potential SpaceX Merger — Benzinga
8. SpaceX Stock Continues To Slide: What's Going On? — Benzinga
9. 'Prof G' Scott Galloway Says Morgan Stanley's $300 SPCX Target Is the Stuff of 'Romantic Comedies' — Benzinga
10. EXCLUSIVE: Elon Musk's Space Data Center Plans Are Far From 'Dumb' — Benzinga
11. Alphabet Changed Wall Street's Favorite AI Metric: Microsoft and Meta Are Up Next — Benzinga
12. SpaceX Earnings Are Coming Aug. 4. Here's Why Aug. 6 Could Be Even More Important For Investors. — The Motley Fool
13. SpaceX's AI Could Be Worth Nothing If Stock Hits $100, Morgan Stanley Says — Benzinga
14. Alphabet's Stake in SpaceX Just Swelled to $94.1 Billion — The Motley Fool
15. As SpaceX Crashes 51% From Its Mania Peak, Market Strategist Warns This Could Tank SPCX Stock Further — Benzinga
16. Elon Musk Says 'I Will Not Forget About Mars,' Reaffirms SpaceX's Multiplanetary Vision — Benzinga
17. SpaceX Activates Free Starlink Satellite Texting as Spain Wildfires Knock Out Mobile Networks — Benzinga
18. Cathie Wood's Ark Bought $21.3 Million of SpaceX Stock as Shares Fell 45% From Their Record High — The Motley Fool
19. Elon Musk Touts 'Successful' Starship Test — Benzinga
20. Peter Schiff Says Elon Musk Lost $100 Billion Amid Tesla, SpaceX Selloff — Benzinga
21. Ross Gerber Says 'Do Not Bet Against SpaceX' — Benzinga
22. Alpaca Markets (SIP) — market data

Disclaimer

This report is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, a recommendation, or an offer to buy or sell any security. Market data and figures are sourced as cited above and may be subject to revision. Readers should verify all figures independently and consult a licensed financial advisor before making investment decisions.