High-Stakes Week Ahead: Tech Giants’ Earnings and Trade Talks to Drive Market Moves
Market News 29
Market Overview: Cautious Moves Ahead of a Series of Key Events
At the start of the week, U.S. equity indexes moved in mixed directions: the S&P 500 edged up +0.06%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed +0.28%, while the Nasdaq 100 dipped −0.03%. June futures were muted as well: E-mini S&P (ESM25) gained +0.03%, and E-mini Nasdaq (NQM25) fell −0.18%.
What’s Driving Markets
Trade Policy & Yields. Investors remain hopeful about bilateral trade deals between the U.S. and key partners (excluding China). Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury yield slid to 4.20%—a two-and-a-half-week low—boosting appetite for stocks.
“Magnificent Seven” Earnings Season. All eyes are on upcoming reports from tech titans $MSFT, $META, $AMZN, and $AAPL. These Big Tech names, among some 160 S&P 500 companies reporting, will set the tone for the market.
Sector Snapshot & Macro Updates
Leaders & Laggards. Utilities and real estate led gains, each up +0.7%, while the tech sector lagged at −0.3%.
Key Calendar Events. This week’s data slate includes:
Tuesday: April Consumer Confidence (Conference Board).
Wednesday: Q1 GDP preview (+0.4% annualized), core PCE, March personal income & spending.
Thursday: Q1 earnings from $AMZN & $AAPL, April ISM Manufacturing PMI (forecast 48.0).
Friday: April Non-Farm Payrolls (≈+130k), unemployment rate (≈4.2%), and average hourly earnings.
Bond Market Signals Easing
Yields on 10-year Treasuries dipped −5 bps to 4.22%, and 2-year yields fell −8 bps to 3.68%. Traders are pricing only a 9% chance of a 25-bp Fed rate cut in early May. In Europe, German 10-year yields rose to 2.52% and UK yields to 4.51%. ECB officials noted scope for monetary easing amid trade-war pressures.
Corporate News & Stock Movers
UPS & Robots. $UPS is negotiating with Figure AI on deploying humanoid robots in logistics, potentially revolutionizing its supply-chain operations.
Nvidia Under Pressure. $NVDA shares slid over −2% after reports Huawei will test its own AI processor, dragging down peers $AMD, $AVGO, and $QCOM.
Notable Earnings & Upgrades:
$DPZ (Domino’s) touted its “Hungry for MORE” strategy and a DoorDash partnership.
$CDNS (Cadence) raised its 2025 outlook after 23% year-over-year revenue growth.
$META preps for LlamaCon to unveil Llama 4 and detail collaboration with $MSFT.
$PFE focuses on patent cliffs and pricing policy ahead of its Q1 report.
Top Gainers & Decliners
Gainers:
$ABBV +3% (raised EPS guidance).
$BA +2% (Bernstein upgrade to Outperform, $218 target).
$CGON +24% (positive late-stage trial results).
$JACK +4% (Stifel upgrade to Buy).
$ZS +1% (BNP Paribas Exane upgrade).
Decliners:
Consumer staples: $CL, $KHC, $CAG, $SJM, $KDP, $CPB down −1% to −2%.
$ERIE −4% (disappointing EPS).
$COIN −2% (Compass Point cut ratings twice).
$CMG −1% (Argus cut rating).
$ROP −1% (lower Q2 EPS guidance).
Global Context
European markets closed mixed: Euro Stoxx 50 +0.33%. Asia saw China’s Shanghai Composite −0.29%, and Japan’s Nikkei 225 +0.38%.