Image source: The Motley Fool. Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS Chief Executive Officer — Surendralal Karsanbhai Chief Financial Officer — Michael Baughman Chief Operating Officer — Ram Krishnan TAKEAWAYS Underlying Orders Growth -- Up 9%, resulting in four consecutive quarters of strong order growth and a trailing twelve-month orders increase of 6%. -- Up 9%, resulting ...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. ET CALL PARTICIPANTS Chief Executive Officer — Surendralal Karsanbhai Chief Financial Officer — Michael Baughman Chief Operating Officer — Ram Krishnan TAKEAWAYS Underlying Orders Growth -- Up 9%, resulting in four consecutive quarters of strong order growth and a trailing twelve-month orders increase of 6%. -- Up 9%, resulting in four consecutive quarters of strong order growth and a trailing twelve-month orders increase of 6%. Underlying Sales Growth -- Increased 2%, led by 11% growth in Test and Measurement and broad-based 14% growth in identified verticals. -- Increased 2%, led by 11% growth in Test and Measurement and broad-based 14% growth in identified verticals. Adjusted Segment EBITDA Margin -- Reported at 27.7%, exceeding internal expectations; excluding a software renewal dynamic, up 40 basis points year over year. -- Reported at 27.7%, exceeding internal expectations; excluding a software renewal dynamic, up 40 basis points year over year. Adjusted Earnings Per Share (EPS) -- Reached $1.46, a 6% increase, and full-year guidance raised to $6.40-$6.55 per share. -- Reached $1.46, a 6% increase, and full-year guidance raised to $6.40-$6.55 per share. Free Cash Flow -- Delivered $202 million for the quarter with a 14% margin, positioning for full-year growth of approximately 10% and greater than 18% margin. -- Delivered $202 million for the quarter with a 14% margin, positioning for full-year growth of approximately 10% and greater than 18% margin. Backlog -- Ended at $7.9 billion, up 9%, with a book-to-bill ratio of 1.13, supporting sales through 2026 and into 2027. -- Ended at $7.9 billion, up 9%, with a book-to-bill ratio of 1.13, supporting sales through 2026 and into 2027. Annual Contract Value (ACV) from Software -- Grew 9% to $1.6 billion; management expects 10%+ growth for the full year. -- Grew 9% to $1.6 billion; management expects 10%+ growth for the full year. Regional Sales Pe...
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba's Qwen team of AI researchers has emerged in the last year as one of the global leaders of open source AI development, releasing a host of powerful large language models and specialized multimodal models that approach, and in some cases, surpass the performance of the proprietary U.S. leaders such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and xAI. Now the Qwen team is back agai...
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba's Qwen team of AI researchers has emerged in the last year as one of the global leaders of open source AI development, releasing a host of powerful large language models and specialized multimodal models that approach, and in some cases, surpass the performance of the proprietary U.S. leaders such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and xAI. Now the Qwen team is back again this week with a compelling release that matches the "vibe coding" frenzy that has arisen in recent months: Qwen3-Coder-Next , a specialized 80-billion-parameter model designed to deliver elite agentic performance within a lightweight active footprint. It's been released on a permissive Apache 2.0 license, enabling commercial usage by large enterprises and indie developers alike, with the model weights available on Hugging Face in four variants and a technical report describing some of its training approach and innovations. The release marks a major escalation in the global arms race for the ultimate coding assistant, following a week that has seen the space explode with new entrants. From the massive efficiency gains of Anthropic’s Claude Code harness to the high-profile launch of the OpenAI Codex app and the rapid community adoption of open-source frameworks like OpenClaw , the competitive landscape has never been more crowded. In this high-stakes environment, Alibaba isn't just keeping pace — it is attempting to set a new standard for open-weight intelligence. For LLM decision-makers, Qwen3-Coder-Next represents a fundamental shift in the economics of AI engineering. While the model houses 80 billion total parameters, it utilizes an ultra-sparse Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) architecture that activates only 3 billion parameters per forward pass. This design allows it to deliver reasoning capabilities that rival massive proprietary systems while maintaining the low deployment costs and high throughput of a lightweight local model. Solving the long-context bottleneck The core...
Without a last-minute extension of an expiring treaty between the United States and Russia, the world faces the end of an era of post-Cold War controls over the size of their operational nuclear weapons arsenals, raising fears of a new arms race. The New START treaty – signed in 2010, extended in 2021, and which came after the original 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty known as START 1 – expire...
Without a last-minute extension of an expiring treaty between the United States and Russia, the world faces the end of an era of post-Cold War controls over the size of their operational nuclear weapons arsenals, raising fears of a new arms race. The New START treaty – signed in 2010, extended in 2021, and which came after the original 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty known as START 1 – expires at midnight on Wednesday. China was not included. US President Donald Trump has demanded that any new agreement include China, which has declined to sign on while its nuclear arsenal remains vastly unequal to those of the major nuclear powers. Russia’s offer of a one-year extension of New START is apparently still on the table. The US-Russia treaty is more useful than some think. It limits the number of deployable, or operational, warheads. To verify compliance, both countries need to be transparent about deployment – which can help reduce miscalculation and risk. Thursday will be the first time this century the world is living with no treaty between the major nuclear powers. Caps on deployment and transparency will be gone. This will not help make the world safer. Credible nuclear deterrence is of major strategic importance to Beijing – hence it does not want to enter an arms treaty so far behind two powers that have spent years perfecting their arsenals. Moreover, there have been many advances, such as supersonic delivery. Advertisement The net result of the expiry of the New START treaty would not only be an end to checks on deployment and transparency – second-tier nuclear powers like the United Kingdom and France would be more likely to increase their arsenals, while third-tier countries like India and Pakistan may also eye arsenal expansion to keep up. The world could arguably face even greater danger from nuclear proliferation than during the Cold War, which was between two major blocs unlike the current fragmented multilateral environment in which the risk of misc...
Gene Sperling, former National Economic Council Director under Presidents Clinton and Obama and President of Sperling Economic Strategies, says the delay adds to uncertainty at a time when the labor market is already being interpreted in very different ways. He speaks with Romaine Bostick and Katie Greifeld on “The Close.” (Source: Bloomberg)
Gene Sperling, former National Economic Council Director under Presidents Clinton and Obama and President of Sperling Economic Strategies, says the delay adds to uncertainty at a time when the labor market is already being interpreted in very different ways. He speaks with Romaine Bostick and Katie Greifeld on “The Close.” (Source: Bloomberg)
Micron (MU) ended the recent trading session at $419.42, demonstrating a -4.2% change from the preceding day's closing price. The stock's performance was behind the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.84%. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a drop of 0.34%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw a decrease of 1.43%. Coming into today, shares of the chipmaker had gained 40.25% in the past month. In that same ti...
Micron (MU) ended the recent trading session at $419.42, demonstrating a -4.2% change from the preceding day's closing price. The stock's performance was behind the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.84%. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a drop of 0.34%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw a decrease of 1.43%. Coming into today, shares of the chipmaker had gained 40.25% in the past month. In that same time, the Computer and Technology sector gained 1.75%, while the S&P 500 gained 1.8%. The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of Micron in its forthcoming earnings report. In that report, analysts expect Micron to post earnings of $8.4 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 438.46%. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $18.71 billion, up 132.33% from the prior-year quarter. For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $32.9 per share and revenue of $73.3 billion, which would represent changes of +296.86% and +96.11%, respectively, from the prior year. Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Micron. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the business health and profitability. Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-term stock moves. To capitalize on this, we've crafted the Zacks Rank, a unique model that incorporates these estimate changes and offers a practical rating system. The Zacks Rank system, ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), possesses a remarkable history of outdoing, externally audited, with #1 stocks returning an average annual gain of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.31% higher. Micron presently features a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy). Investors should also note Micron's current valuation metr...
Micron (MU) ended the recent trading session at $419.42, demonstrating a -4.2% change from the preceding day's closing price. The stock's performance was behind the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.84%. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a drop of 0.34%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw a decrease of 1.43%. Coming into today, shares of the chipmaker had gained 40.25% in the past month. In that same ti...
Micron (MU) ended the recent trading session at $419.42, demonstrating a -4.2% change from the preceding day's closing price. The stock's performance was behind the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.84%. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a drop of 0.34%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw a decrease of 1.43%. Coming into today, shares of the chipmaker had gained 40.25% in the past month. In that same time, the Computer and Technology sector gained 1.75%, while the S&P 500 gained 1.8%. The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of Micron in its forthcoming earnings report. In that report, analysts expect Micron to post earnings of $8.4 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 438.46%. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $18.71 billion, up 132.33% from the prior-year quarter. For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $32.9 per share and revenue of $73.3 billion, which would represent changes of +296.86% and +96.11%, respectively, from the prior year. Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Micron. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the business health and profitability. Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-term stock moves. To capitalize on this, we've crafted the Zacks Rank, a unique model that incorporates these estimate changes and offers a practical rating system. The Zacks Rank system, ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), possesses a remarkable history of outdoing, externally audited, with #1 stocks returning an average annual gain of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.31% higher. Micron presently features a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy). Investors should also note Micron's current valuation metr...
Alibaba (BABA) ended the recent trading session at $163.65, demonstrating a -2.81% change from the preceding day's closing price. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.84% loss on the day. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 0.34%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.43%. The stock of online retailer has risen by 7.76% in the past month, leading the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 6.19% and the S&P 500's gain o...
Alibaba (BABA) ended the recent trading session at $163.65, demonstrating a -2.81% change from the preceding day's closing price. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.84% loss on the day. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 0.34%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.43%. The stock of online retailer has risen by 7.76% in the past month, leading the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 6.19% and the S&P 500's gain of 1.8%. Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of Alibaba in its upcoming earnings disclosure. It is anticipated that the company will report an EPS of $1.91, marking a 34.81% fall compared to the same quarter of the previous year. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $41.26 billion, reflecting a 7.49% rise from the equivalent quarter last year. BABA's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $5.98 per share and revenue of $147.21 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of -33.63% and +6.57%, respectively. It's also important for investors to be aware of any recent modifications to analyst estimates for Alibaba. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the business and profitability. Our research demonstrates that these adjustments in estimates directly associate with imminent stock price performance. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model. The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 6.93% lower. Right now, Alibaba possesses a Zacks Rank of #5 (Strong Sell). Looking at its valuation, Alibaba is holding ...
Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) ended the recent trading session at $320.33, demonstrating a -3.26% change from the preceding day's closing price. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.84%. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.34%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 1.43%. Shares of the chipmaker have depreciated by 3.58% over the course of the past month, underperforming the Computer and...
Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) ended the recent trading session at $320.33, demonstrating a -3.26% change from the preceding day's closing price. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.84%. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.34%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 1.43%. Shares of the chipmaker have depreciated by 3.58% over the course of the past month, underperforming the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 1.75%, and the S&P 500's gain of 1.8%. The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Broadcom Inc. in its upcoming release. The company is slated to reveal its earnings on March 4, 2026. In that report, analysts expect Broadcom Inc. to post earnings of $2.03 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 26.88%. In the meantime, our current consensus estimate forecasts the revenue to be $19.27 billion, indicating a 29.16% growth compared to the corresponding quarter of the prior year. For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $10 per share and revenue of $94.95 billion, which would represent changes of +46.63% and +48.62%, respectively, from the prior year. Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Broadcom Inc. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the business performance and profit potential. Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. To take advantage of this, we've established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational rating system. The Zacks Rank system, spanning from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), boasts an impressive track record of outperformance, audited externally, with #1 ranked stocks yielding an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the p...
Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) ended the recent trading session at $320.33, demonstrating a -3.26% change from the preceding day's closing price. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.84%. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.34%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 1.43%. Shares of the chipmaker have depreciated by 3.58% over the course of the past month, underperforming the Computer and...
Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) ended the recent trading session at $320.33, demonstrating a -3.26% change from the preceding day's closing price. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.84%. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.34%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 1.43%. Shares of the chipmaker have depreciated by 3.58% over the course of the past month, underperforming the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 1.75%, and the S&P 500's gain of 1.8%. The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Broadcom Inc. in its upcoming release. The company is slated to reveal its earnings on March 4, 2026. In that report, analysts expect Broadcom Inc. to post earnings of $2.03 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 26.88%. In the meantime, our current consensus estimate forecasts the revenue to be $19.27 billion, indicating a 29.16% growth compared to the corresponding quarter of the prior year. For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $10 per share and revenue of $94.95 billion, which would represent changes of +46.63% and +48.62%, respectively, from the prior year. Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Broadcom Inc. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the business performance and profit potential. Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. To take advantage of this, we've established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational rating system. The Zacks Rank system, spanning from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), boasts an impressive track record of outperformance, audited externally, with #1 ranked stocks yielding an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the p...
Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) ended the recent trading session at $320.33, demonstrating a -3.26% change from the preceding day's closing price. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.84%. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.34%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 1.43%. Shares of the chipmaker have depreciated by 3.58% over the course of the past month, underperforming the Computer and...
Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) ended the recent trading session at $320.33, demonstrating a -3.26% change from the preceding day's closing price. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.84%. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.34%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 1.43%. Shares of the chipmaker have depreciated by 3.58% over the course of the past month, underperforming the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 1.75%, and the S&P 500's gain of 1.8%. The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Broadcom Inc. in its upcoming release. The company is slated to reveal its earnings on March 4, 2026. In that report, analysts expect Broadcom Inc. to post earnings of $2.03 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 26.88%. In the meantime, our current consensus estimate forecasts the revenue to be $19.27 billion, indicating a 29.16% growth compared to the corresponding quarter of the prior year. For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $10 per share and revenue of $94.95 billion, which would represent changes of +46.63% and +48.62%, respectively, from the prior year. Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Broadcom Inc. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the business performance and profit potential. Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. To take advantage of this, we've established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational rating system. The Zacks Rank system, spanning from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), boasts an impressive track record of outperformance, audited externally, with #1 ranked stocks yielding an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the p...
Usually in the ballpark of a few thousand bucks per year, but the precise answer ultimately depends on what your goal is, and what you're willing to give up. Do you need some regular cash flow from (or for) your investment portfolio? In the long run, dividend stocks are likely to be your best bet. Most of these names not only regularly raise their per-share payments, but these stocks themselves ha...
Usually in the ballpark of a few thousand bucks per year, but the precise answer ultimately depends on what your goal is, and what you're willing to give up. Do you need some regular cash flow from (or for) your investment portfolio? In the long run, dividend stocks are likely to be your best bet. Most of these names not only regularly raise their per-share payments, but these stocks themselves have the potential for much-needed price appreciation. Even income-seekers need some capital growth too! But how much dividend income can you generate with, say a quarter of a million dollars? At the risk of sounding coy, it depends. Apple (AAPL 0.13%) technically pays a dividend, but with a dividend yield of only 0.4%, a $250,000 holding would only produce about $1,000 worth of annual dividend income. That's not much. A stake of this same size in Kraft-Heinz (KHC +1.43%), on the other hand, would generate nearly $16,900 worth of yearly dividend income thanks to its yield of 6.9%. However, this stock's quarterly dividend payment hasn't budged since being reduced all the way back in 2019, and the stock has performed miserably that whole time. A reasonable and sustainable dividend yield at this time is one offered by an instrument like the iShares Select Dividend ETF (DVY +0.99%), which holds a basket of 100 high-quality blue chip stocks with a minimum of five years' worth of consistent dividend payments. Expand NASDAQ : DVY iShares Trust - iShares Select Dividend ETF Today's Change ( 0.99 %) $ 1.49 Current Price $ 152.66 Key Data Points Day's Range $ 150.90 - $ 153.10 52wk Range $ 115.94 - $ 153.10 Volume 538K Some of its holdings include tobacco giant Altria, utilities outfit Edison International, and food company Archer Daniels Midland. Its current dividend yield stands at 3.7%, which is enough to drive $9,250 worth of annual dividend payments with a $250,000 position. Perhaps just as important, this ETF's dividend is likely to grow over time, as will the initial quarter-mil...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026 at 5 p.m. ET Call participants Chief Executive Officer — Samuel Wilson Chief Financial Officer — Kevin Kraus Head of Investor Relations — Kate Patterson Takeaways Total Revenue -- $185 million, exceeding the high end of guidance by approximately $3 million, with year-over-year growth of 3.4%. -- $185 million, exceeding the high end of guidance b...
Image source: The Motley Fool. Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026 at 5 p.m. ET Call participants Chief Executive Officer — Samuel Wilson Chief Financial Officer — Kevin Kraus Head of Investor Relations — Kate Patterson Takeaways Total Revenue -- $185 million, exceeding the high end of guidance by approximately $3 million, with year-over-year growth of 3.4%. -- $185 million, exceeding the high end of guidance by approximately $3 million, with year-over-year growth of 3.4%. Service Revenue -- $179.7 million, also above the high end of guidance by about $3 million, and up 3.6% year over year. -- $179.7 million, also above the high end of guidance by about $3 million, and up 3.6% year over year. Usage-Based Offerings -- Grew nearly 60% year over year and now account for approximately 21% of service revenue, versus about 14% a year ago. -- Grew nearly 60% year over year and now account for approximately 21% of service revenue, versus about 14% a year ago. AI Adoption Metrics -- Customer contracts for intelligent customer assistant products increased 70%, and voice AI interactions rose more than 200%, now representing the majority of AI activity on the platform. -- Customer contracts for intelligent customer assistant products increased 70%, and voice AI interactions rose more than 200%, now representing the majority of AI activity on the platform. Multiproduct Customer Momentum -- All top 20 customers now use multiple products, with most having three or more, generating over three times the revenue of customers with two products. -- All top 20 customers now use multiple products, with most having three or more, generating over three times the revenue of customers with two products. New Product Growth -- Four strategic new products, including 8x8 Engage, delivered triple-digit year-over-year growth in revenue. -- Four strategic new products, including 8x8 Engage, delivered triple-digit year-over-year growth in revenue. Gross Margin -- 64.8%, down sequentially due to increased mix from...
In September 2025, Nvidia and OpenAI announced a letter of intent for Nvidia to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI's AI infrastructure. At the time, the companies said they expected to finalize details "in the coming weeks." Five months later, no deal has closed, Nvidia's CEO now says the $100 billion figure was "never a commitment," and Reuters reports that OpenAI has been quietly seeking altern...
In September 2025, Nvidia and OpenAI announced a letter of intent for Nvidia to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI's AI infrastructure. At the time, the companies said they expected to finalize details "in the coming weeks." Five months later, no deal has closed, Nvidia's CEO now says the $100 billion figure was "never a commitment," and Reuters reports that OpenAI has been quietly seeking alternatives to Nvidia chips since last year. Reuters also wrote that OpenAI is unsatisfied with the speed of some Nvidia chips for inference tasks, citing eight sources familiar with the matter. Inference is the process by which a trained AI model generates responses to user queries. According to the report, the issue became apparent in OpenAI's Codex , an AI code-generation tool. OpenAI staff reportedly attributed some of Codex's performance limitations to Nvidia's GPU-based hardware. After the Reuters story published and Nvidia's stock price took a dive, Nvidia and OpenAI have tried to smooth things over publicly. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted on X: "We love working with NVIDIA and they make the best AI chips in the world. We hope to be a gigantic customer for a very long time. I don't get where all this insanity is coming from." Read full article Comments
Today, Feb. 3, 2026, Walmart’s $1 trillion milestone stands out as rising bond yields and tech weakness drag major U.S. indexes lower. S&P 500 (^GSPC 0.84%) fell 0.84% to 6,917.81 and the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC 1.43%) dropped 1.43% to 23,255.19 amid tech weakness. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI 0.34%) slipped 0.34% to 49,240.99 after touching a record intraday high. Market movers Walmart ...
Today, Feb. 3, 2026, Walmart’s $1 trillion milestone stands out as rising bond yields and tech weakness drag major U.S. indexes lower. S&P 500 (^GSPC 0.84%) fell 0.84% to 6,917.81 and the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC 1.43%) dropped 1.43% to 23,255.19 amid tech weakness. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI 0.34%) slipped 0.34% to 49,240.99 after touching a record intraday high. Market movers Walmart (WMT +3.04%) outperformed as it crossed the $1 trillion market-cap mark for the first time. PepsiCo (PEP +5.06%) gained on an earnings beat, closing up 4.93% at $162.85. But it was software and fintechs like PayPal (PYPL 20.11%) and Gartner (IT 21.36%) that led the wider fall. Both slid dramatically on earnings disappointments. Other software stocks, such as Salesforce (CRM 6.98%) also tumbled. That said, Palantir Technologies (PLTR +6.75%) jumped after posting robust AI-driven revenue growth yesterday. What this means for investors Tech stocks led the drawdown today as big names such as Nvidia (NVDA 2.82%), Microsoft (MSFT 2.87%), and Amazon (AMZN 1.73%) all lost ground. In addition to AI bubble and over-concentration concerns, new announcements from AI startup Anthropic put further automation pressure on software stocks. Today’s gainers included big retailers such as Walmart, Costco (COST +1.00%), and Target (TGT +1.61%). This suggests that investors are rotating out of high-risk growth stocks and into value investments. Reports that the U.S. Navy had shot down an Iranian drone fueled fears of heightened tensions in the Middle East and caused oil prices to spike. Brent crude rose 2.58% to $68.01 a barrel. Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury hit a multi-month high as bond yields rose in both the U.S. and Europe.
S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) fell 0.84% to 6,917.81 and the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) dropped 1.43% to 23,255.19 amid tech weakness. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES:^DJI) slipped 0.34% to 49,240.99 after touching a record intraday high. Market movers Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) outperformed as it crossed the $1 trillion market-cap mark for the first time. PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) gained on...
S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) fell 0.84% to 6,917.81 and the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) dropped 1.43% to 23,255.19 amid tech weakness. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES:^DJI) slipped 0.34% to 49,240.99 after touching a record intraday high. Market movers Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) outperformed as it crossed the $1 trillion market-cap mark for the first time. PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) gained on an earnings beat, closing up 4.93% at $162.85. But it was software and fintechs like PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) and Gartner (NYSE:IT) that led the wider fall. Both slid dramatically on earnings disappointments. Other software stocks, such as Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) also tumbled. That said, Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR) jumped after posting robust AI-driven revenue growth yesterday. What this means for investors Tech stocks led the drawdown today as big names such as Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) all lost ground. In addition to AI bubble and over-concentration concerns, new announcements from AI startup Anthropic put further automation pressure on software stocks. Today’s gainers included big retailers such as Walmart, Costco (NASDAQ:COST), and Target (NYSE:TGT). This suggests that investors are rotating out of high-risk growth stocks and into value investments. Reports that the U.S. Navy had shot down an Iranian drone fueled fears of heightened tensions in the Middle East and caused oil prices to spike. Brent crude rose 2.58% to $68.01 a barrel. Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury hit a multi-month high as bond yields rose in both the U.S. and Europe. Should you buy stock in S&P 500 Index right now? Before you buy stock in S&P 500 Index, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and S&P 500 Index wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on Dec...