This article first appeared on GuruFocus. U.S. stocks opened lower Friday as investors digested corporate earnings and President Donald Trump's pick for the next Federal Reserve chair. The Nasdaq Composite fell about 0.5%, while the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average each slipped roughly 0.3%, according to a Friday moring market update. Apple (AAPL) posted fiscal first-quarter 2026 results, ...
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. U.S. stocks opened lower Friday as investors digested corporate earnings and President Donald Trump's pick for the next Federal Reserve chair. The Nasdaq Composite fell about 0.5%, while the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average each slipped roughly 0.3%, according to a Friday moring market update. Apple (AAPL) posted fiscal first-quarter 2026 results, boosted by strong iPhone sales, though services revenue grew at a slower pace. Visa (V) exceeded analyst estimates for the same period, reflecting continued strength in payment volumes. Inflation data added to market caution. The U.S. producer price index for December came in higher than expected, highlighting ongoing price pressures. Trump selected Kevin Warsh as his nominee for Federal Reserve chair, a move that may influence investor expectations for monetary policy in the coming months. Market participants are likely to stay cautious as upcoming earnings and economic reports continue to shape the near-term outlook.
The dollar index (DXY00) today is up by +0.53%. The dollar is climbing today after President Trump nominated Keven Warsh as the next Fed Chair. Mr. Warsh is seen as more hawkish than other Fed Chair candidates and often emphasized inflation risks during his tenure as a Fed Governor from 2006-2011. The dollar added to its gains today after US Dec producer prices rose more than expected and the Jan ...
The dollar index (DXY00) today is up by +0.53%. The dollar is climbing today after President Trump nominated Keven Warsh as the next Fed Chair. Mr. Warsh is seen as more hawkish than other Fed Chair candidates and often emphasized inflation risks during his tenure as a Fed Governor from 2006-2011. The dollar added to its gains today after US Dec producer prices rose more than expected and the Jan MNI Chicago PMI expanded at the strongest pace in more than two years, hawkish factors for Fed policy. The dollar also rose after President Trump said late Thursday that he reached a tentative deal with Senate Democrats to avert a US government shutdown. The deal would fund the Homeland Security Department for two weeks to allow more time for talks on immigration enforcement and contains full-year funding for several other government agencies. Join 200K+ Subscribers: US Dec PPI final demand rose +0.5% m/m and +3.0% y/y, stronger than expectations of +0.2% m/m and +2.8% y/y. Dec PPI ex food and energy rose +0.7% m/m and +3.3% y/y, stronger than expectations of +0.2% m/m and +2.9% y/y. The US Jan MNI Chicago PMI rose +11.3 to 54.0, stronger than expectations of 43.7 and the strongest pace of expansion in more than two years. Today's dovish comments from Fed Governor Christopher Waller were bearish for the dollar when he said, "Monetary policy is still restricting economic activity, and economic data make it clear to me further easing is needed." The dollar sank to a nearly 4-year low on Tuesday after President Trump said he's comfortable with the recent weakness in the dollar. Also, the dollar continues to be undercut as foreign investors pull capital from the US amid a growing US budget deficit, fiscal profligacy, and widening political polarization. The markets are discounting the odds at 16% for a -25 bp rate cut at the next policy meeting on March 17-18. The dollar continues to see underlying weakness as the FOMC is expected to cut interest rates by about -50 bp in 2026, ...
tupungato/iStock Editorial via Getty Images So far in a volatile market in 2026, the dominance of large-cap tech stocks in determining the market’s fate appears to be fading. Microsoft Corporation’s ( MSFT ) latest earnings may be providing the clearest indication that investors are tiring of sky-high multiples and overblown AI investments. Despite reporting strong fiscal Q2 (December quarter) res...
tupungato/iStock Editorial via Getty Images So far in a volatile market in 2026, the dominance of large-cap tech stocks in determining the market’s fate appears to be fading. Microsoft Corporation’s ( MSFT ) latest earnings may be providing the clearest indication that investors are tiring of sky-high multiples and overblown AI investments. Despite reporting strong fiscal Q2 (December quarter) results and a robust outlook for the company’s cloud products, shares of Microsoft fell 10% post-earnings, wiping out more than $300 billion in market value for the company. The stock has now essentially reversed out all of its 2025 gains. Is it a good time to wade into this dip, or has Microsoft’s long-overdue correction just begun? Data by YCharts I last wrote a "Sell" article on Microsoft in December, when the stock was trading just shy of $500. I’m not the type of investor that digs my heels in on any particular buy/sell call or position: everything is relative to price, especially in a stock market like today's, where reasonably valued assets are few and far between. Now in the low $400s, and considering recent cloud strength, I’m more open to exploring a buy on Microsoft, though with a number of risks still littered on the near-term horizon, Microsoft remains a mixed bag for me. I’m upping my rating on the stock to "N eutral." The Good News: Software And Azure Strength Let’s first start with the positive indicators that I think favor Microsoft. First, there has been a general narrative over the past year that the era of enterprise software may be coming to an end. The idea that “software is eating the world” and that there will be applications to improve all corporate processes has been replaced by the notion that agentic AI will soon take over most white-collar tasks and bypass the need for most software. As far-fetched as I find this claim, it’s difficult not to acknowledge the impact that this fear has had on software stocks, taking big hitters like Salesforce ( CRM )...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Friday, January 30, 2026 at 11 a.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS President and Chief Executive Officer — Jennifer M. Johnson Co‑President and Chief Financial Officer — Matt Nichols Co‑President and Chief Commercial Officer — Daniel Gambach TAKEAWAYS Long-Term Inflows -- Record long-term inflows reached $118.6 billion, up 40% from the previous quarter and 22% year over year, ...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Friday, January 30, 2026 at 11 a.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS President and Chief Executive Officer — Jennifer M. Johnson Co‑President and Chief Financial Officer — Matt Nichols Co‑President and Chief Commercial Officer — Daniel Gambach TAKEAWAYS Long-Term Inflows -- Record long-term inflows reached $118.6 billion, up 40% from the previous quarter and 22% year over year, reflecting positive net flows in both public and private markets. -- Record long-term inflows reached $118.6 billion, up 40% from the previous quarter and 22% year over year, reflecting positive net flows in both public and private markets. Net Flows by Segment -- Long-term net inflows totaled $28 billion; equity, multi-asset, and alternative strategies, as well as ETFs, retail SMAs, and Canvas, all realized positive net flows. -- Long-term net inflows totaled $28 billion; equity, multi-asset, and alternative strategies, as well as ETFs, retail SMAs, and Canvas, all realized positive net flows. AUM -- Assets under management totaled $1.68 trillion at quarter end, aided by net inflows and the Apira acquisition, partially offset by net market change, distributions, and other items. -- Assets under management totaled $1.68 trillion at quarter end, aided by net inflows and the Apira acquisition, partially offset by net market change, distributions, and other items. Ex-Western Asset Net Flows -- Excluding Western Asset, long-term net inflows were $34.6 billion, nearly double the level a year ago and marking nine consecutive quarters of positive net flows on a comparable basis. -- Excluding Western Asset, long-term net inflows were $34.6 billion, nearly double the level a year ago and marking nine consecutive quarters of positive net flows on a comparable basis. Asset Class Flows -- Equity net inflows were $19.8 billion (including reinvested distributions of $24.6 billion), while fixed income saw net outflows of $2.4 billion; excluding Western Asset, fixed income achieved $2.6 bi...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Friday, January 30, 2026 at 11 a.m. ET Call participants Chairman and Chief Executive Officer — Michael K. Wirth Chief Financial Officer — Eimear Bonner Investor Relations — Jake Spiering Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Takeaways Reported earnings -- Chevron CVX +1.31% ) -- Cash flow from operations -- $10.8 billion for the quarter, i...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Friday, January 30, 2026 at 11 a.m. ET Call participants Chairman and Chief Executive Officer — Michael K. Wirth Chief Financial Officer — Eimear Bonner Investor Relations — Jake Spiering Need a quote from a Motley Fool analyst? Email [email protected] Takeaways Reported earnings -- Chevron CVX +1.31% ) -- Cash flow from operations -- $10.8 billion for the quarter, including a $1.7 billion inflow from working capital drawdown. -- $10.8 billion for the quarter, including a $1.7 billion inflow from working capital drawdown. Shareholder returns -- $3 billion in share repurchases at the high end of guidance, and a 4% increase in the quarterly dividend was announced. -- $3 billion in share repurchases at the high end of guidance, and a 4% increase in the quarterly dividend was announced. Adjusted free cash flow -- Exceeded 35% growth year over year, despite oil prices falling nearly 15%. -- Exceeded 35% growth year over year, despite oil prices falling nearly 15%. Net debt coverage ratio -- Ended the year at 1x, highlighting a strong balance sheet position. -- Ended the year at 1x, highlighting a strong balance sheet position. Organic capital expenditures -- $5.1 billion for the quarter, with full-year spend aligning with guidance. -- $5.1 billion for the quarter, with full-year spend aligning with guidance. Record production -- Achieved highest ever full-year worldwide and US oil production, with net production growth at the top end of the 6%-8% guidance range, excluding Hess acquisition impact. -- Achieved highest ever full-year worldwide and US oil production, with net production growth at the top end of the 6%-8% guidance range, excluding Hess acquisition impact. Permian Basin operations -- Delivered above 1,000,000 barrels of oil per day for the full year, maintaining plateau for three consecutive quarters. -- Delivered above 1,000,000 barrels of oil per day for the full year, maintaining plateau for three consecutive quarters. Cost re...
Stock Market Today: The Dow Jones index dropped Friday on surprise inflation data and the Warsh nomination. Tesla rallied on SpaceX news. Gold tumbled.
Stock Market Today: The Dow Jones index dropped Friday on surprise inflation data and the Warsh nomination. Tesla rallied on SpaceX news. Gold tumbled.
Key Points Data centers are proliferating rapidly. They require semiconductor chips to run, and one big supplier is Broadcom. Broadcom's stock seems reasonably valued, too. 10 stocks we like better than Broadcom › Data centers are growing rapidly, as they're needed for artificial intelligence (AI) operations. According to S&S Insider, the data center GPU market had a market value of $23.87 billion...
Key Points Data centers are proliferating rapidly. They require semiconductor chips to run, and one big supplier is Broadcom. Broadcom's stock seems reasonably valued, too. 10 stocks we like better than Broadcom › Data centers are growing rapidly, as they're needed for artificial intelligence (AI) operations. According to S&S Insider, the data center GPU market had a market value of $23.87 billion in 2024, but is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30.5% through 2032, reaching $201.64 billion. Companies that build data centers and those that sell the technology they house are therefore poised to profit -- handsomely. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » One such company is Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO), which produces custom chips for AI. It's a leader in application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), which help customers' designs become physical semiconductor chips that can be manufactured at scale. The company has been growing at a robust clip, with full-year revenue for 2025 up 24% year over year, and net income up 42%. How has such growth translated into stock gains? Check it out: Time period Average annual return Past 3 years 77.73% Past 5 years 47.96% Past 10 years 38.94% Past 15 years 37.62% Crazy, right? Clearly, investing in Broadcom might boost your wealth substantially, especially over many years. Let's imagine you invest $1,000 in Broadcom and it grows at 25% over the next 10 years. You'll end up with about $9,300. Over 20 years? More like nearly $87,000. And those numbers are just for a single small investment. Invest in the company routinely, and you could end up with much more. A $1,000 investment in Broadcom annually, growing at 25% for 20 years, could get you to $345,000! Best of all, Broadcom's stock seems reasonably priced, unlike many stocks that are heavily into AI. Broadcom's recent forward-looking price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio...
(RTTNews) - Canadian stock market's benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index tumbled on Friday as falling precious metals prices triggered heavy selling in the materials sector. Technology stocks dropped as well, adding to market's woes. Precious metals tanked after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he is nominating former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh to succeed Fed Chair Jerome Powell. ...
(RTTNews) - Canadian stock market's benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index tumbled on Friday as falling precious metals prices triggered heavy selling in the materials sector. Technology stocks dropped as well, adding to market's woes. Precious metals tanked after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he is nominating former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh to succeed Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Warsh is seen as a bit hawkish on inflation with historical opposition to quantitative easing, suggesting a stronger dollar environment ahead. Gold prices fell nearly 7% and Silver plummeted more than 18%, due largely to profit taking after their historical surge over the past several weeks. The benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index was down 969.50 points or 2.94% at 32,046.63 a few minutes past noon. The Materials Capped Index fell nearly 8%, with several stocks in the sector plunging sharply. New Gold, Aya Gold & Silver, Discovery Silver Corp., Silvercorp Metals, Torex Gold Resources, First Majestic Silver Corp, Alamos Gold, Endeavour Silver Corp, Centerra Gold, and Lundi Gold Inc. tanked 10%-13%. In the tech sector, Dye & Durham tumbled 10%. Sylogist, Shopify and Bitfarms lost 5.4%, 5% and 3.3%, respectively. Kinaxis, Computer Modelling, Coveo Solutions, Lightspeed Commerce, Tecsys, Celestica and Blackline Safety Corp also declined sharply. Industrials, energy, consumer discretionary and financials stocks also posted sharp losses. OR Royalties Inc. shares declined sharply following the announcement of resignation of William Murray John from the company's director role, effective immediately. Data from Statistics Canada showed the Canadian GDP expanded by 0.1% from the previous month in December of 2025, according to an advance estimate. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Riz Visual/iStock via Getty Images Performance Assessment Meta Platforms, Inc. ( META ) has performed close to (slightly lagging) the broader market index since my last update on the stock: Performance since Author's Last Article on META (Seeking Alpha, Author's Last Article on META) Thesis I am becoming more bullish after Meta's Q4 FY25 results on Wednesday: AI investments are paying off nicely I...
Riz Visual/iStock via Getty Images Performance Assessment Meta Platforms, Inc. ( META ) has performed close to (slightly lagging) the broader market index since my last update on the stock: Performance since Author's Last Article on META (Seeking Alpha, Author's Last Article on META) Thesis I am becoming more bullish after Meta's Q4 FY25 results on Wednesday: AI investments are paying off nicely I am more confident of ROI on high capex this time Productivity metrics are getting better, but margins may erode META stock may be undervalued The charts show an ideal buy setup. AI Investments Are Paying Off Nicely Meta is guiding for meaningful revenue growth acceleration from as soon as the next Q1 FY26 quarter: Revenue (USD mn) (Company Filings, Author's Analysis) The $55 billion revenue guidance for Q1 FY26 surpassed consensus expectations by 6.9%, which is a big surprise margin for a company of Meta's scale: Revenue Guidance Surprise vs Consensus Estimate (Capital IQ, Author's Analysis) Looking into the makeup of these revenue tailwinds, we see that it is primarily led by increased, accelerating growth in revenue impressions, but also positive, albeit decelerating, growth in ad pricing: Advertising revenue impressions and pricing YoY (Company Filings, Author's Analysis) Monetization per daily active person [DAP] is also steadily increasing in the mid-high teens YoY range: Revenue per DAP (USD) (Company Filings, Author's Analysis) Much of these tailwinds is driven by the company's AI investments that are helping improve ad performance by taking into account a longer history of user behavior and mining more detail in user-content interactions. These improvements are expected to continue driving revenue growth in FY26: We expect the set of [AI] investments we’re making in 2026 will enable us to drive further gains as we continue to integrate AI across all layers of the marketing and customer engagement funnel. In Q4, we doubled the number of GPUs we used to train our GEM...
Arsenal face a tricky trip to in-form Leeds while Manchester United bid to continue their revival at home to Fulham Saturday 3pm Venue Amex Stadium Continue reading...
Arsenal face a tricky trip to in-form Leeds while Manchester United bid to continue their revival at home to Fulham Saturday 3pm Venue Amex Stadium Continue reading...
A TD Cowen research note suggests Oracle is weighing layoffs of 20,000 to 30,000 employees and the possible sale of assets such as Cerner to ease financing pressure tied to massive AI datacenter projects, including a multiyear agreement to supply computing power to OpenAI. Investor scrutiny has intensified after the company issued $18 billion in bonds and lifted its projected 2026 capital spending...
A TD Cowen research note suggests Oracle is weighing layoffs of 20,000 to 30,000 employees and the possible sale of assets such as Cerner to ease financing pressure tied to massive AI datacenter projects, including a multiyear agreement to supply computing power to OpenAI. Investor scrutiny has intensified after the company issued $18 billion in bonds and lifted its projected 2026 capital spending to $50 billion. Details of TD Cowen Report The research note estimates the OpenAI agreement alone could require around $156 billion in capital spending and the deployment of roughly 3 million high-end GPUs. Oracle’s broader AI commitments are estimated at more than $500 billion. To manage the cost, the report says Oracle could reduce headcount to free up $8 billion to $10 billion in cash flow and evaluate asset sales including Cerner, which it acquired for $28.3 billion in 2022. The company is also said to be requiring some customers to pay deposits of up to 40% upfront, though large AI clients may be excluded. Financing Challenges and Investor Reaction Investor concern has grown around how Oracle will fund its rapid datacenter build-out. The company completed one of the largest tech debt sales with an $18 billion bond issuance and later increased its capital expenditure outlook to $50 billion. Credit default swap spreads have widened sharply, signaling rising perceived default risk. TD Cowen also noted that several US banks have stepped back from financing Oracle-linked projects, making it harder for private developers leasing facilities to secure capital, while some Asian lenders appear more willing to participate. Legal Pressure and Debt Disclosure Claims Oracle has been sued by bondholders who claim the company failed to disclose how much additional debt would be required to support its AI infrastructure expansion. The lawsuit followed a bond sale that came shortly after the OpenAI agreement, with investors alleging they were surprised when Oracle later sought tens of ...