The stock market started and the week ended with Trump tariff fears hitting the indexes, offsetting gains in the middle of the week. The Nasdaq fell, moving back below the 50-day line, while the Dow Jones and S&P 500 were little changed. Treasury yields hit 2025 lows, but rebounded somewhat, on Friday's mixed jobs report and hot inflation expectations. Palantir Technologies, Spotify, Affirm, Doximity and Cloudflare were among leading stocks gapping higher on earnings. Google-parent Alphabet and Amazon.com stumbled on results, but their heavy capital spending plans boosted AI chip plays.
Stock Market Up And Down
The major indexes rebounded strongly from Monday's intraday lows on tariff fears but then gave up weekly gains on renewed tariff fears and hot inflation expectations. The Nasdaq moved back below the 50-day line. Treasury yields and crude oil prices extended recent slides, though they came off weekly lows. Many leading stocks showed bullish action.
Economic Data Casts Doubt On Fed Rate Cuts
Friday's jobs report cast doubt on the need for further Federal Reserve rate cuts — even if President Trump weren't about to implement a sweeping economic agenda. Yet markets got a reminder of the risk that one part of that agenda — tariffs — could stymie Fed rate cuts. The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment survey showed 12-month inflation expectations jumping to a 15-month high of 4.3% from 3.3%. Long-term inflation expectations edged up to 3.3%, still the highest since 2008. The January jobs report headline flashed lackluster hiring with 143,000 new jobs, including 111,000 private sector jobs. But winter weather and the Los Angeles fires may have been a factor. Hiring in the prior two months was revised up by a combined 100,000. And the unemployment rate fell to 4%, the lowest since May.
Palantir Spikes On Accelerating Growth
Palantir Technologies reported a 75% EPS gain, up from 43% in the prior quarter. Revenue leapt 36% to $828 million, the sixth straight quarter of accelerating growth. Both beat views, with strong U.S. commercial and government gains. The data analytics software maker guided solidly higher on 2025 revenue. Shares of the AI play skyrocketed.
Google Skids On Cloud Revenue, Hot Capex
Google-parent Alphabet sold off on a higher-than-expected 2025 capital spending outlook. Google said Q4 earnings rose 31% a share, slightly beating. Gross revenue rose 12% to $96.46 billion, just missing. Ad revenue beat, but cloud revenue came in light. Alphabet forecast capital spending of $75 billion in 2025, up 43%, well above views for $59 billion.
Amazon Falls On Guidance
The e-commerce and cloud-computing giant's Q4 EPS leapt 86% as revenue grew 10% to $187.8 billion, both beating. But its outlook for sales and operating income for Q1 2025 came in below expectations, with Amazon blaming a strong dollar. Amazon Web Services sales, meanwhile, advanced 19% to $28.79 billion for Q4, just below views. CEO Andy Jassy said AI represents the biggest "technology shift and opportunity in business since the Internet." But he also cautioned that constraints on cloud capacity will make revenue growth "lumpy," echoing comments by cloud rivals Microsoft and Google. Like other tech titans, Amazon plans heavy capital spending in 2025. AMZN stock fell on the report, testing a buy point.
Capex Plans Boost AI Chip Stocks
Leading AI chip stocks got a lift from hyperscale cloud computing companies reiterating their pricey data center spending plans. Nvidia, Broadcom and Marvell Technology moved higher on booming capital expenditure plans from Google parent Alphabet, following strong capital spending outlooks from Facebook parent Meta Platforms and Microsoft. Meanwhile, semiconductor companies reporting saw mixed stock market reactions. AI-exposed AMD and Arm topped estimates but disappointed with their current-quarter guidance, though the latter held above a buy point. Chip stocks tied to cyclic industries like automotive, industrial and personal electronics were mixed. Gainers included Cirrus Logic, InterDigital, Rambus and Silicon Labs. Decliners included Impinj, Macom Technology, Qualcomm, SiTime and Skyworks.
Payment Stocks Mixed
Affirm swung to a surprise profit in its fiscal second quarter as revenue jumped 47% to $866 million, easily beating. Gross merchandise volume rose 35% to $10.1 billion, also beating. For the current quarter, the buy now, pay later specialist guided in-line for revenue. PayPal said adjusted Q4 EPS rose 5% while revenue climbed 4% to $8.37 billion, both slightly beating. Total payment volume processed from merchant customers climbed 7% to $437.8 billion, in line. PayPal guided slightly lower on Q1 2025 revenue but up slightly on full-year EPS. Shares tumbled.
Fiserv broke out of a base after reporting a 15% EPS gain, slightly beating views, and giving upbeat 2025 guidance. Q4 revenue growth slightly missed consensus.
Cybersecurity Software Strong
Fortinet reported Q4 adjusted EPS grew 33% with revenue up 17% to $1.66 billion, both beating. Billings, a sales growth metric, rose 7% to $2 billion, slightly topping. The cybersecurity firm guided 2025 revenue above consensus. FTNT stock initially jumped in Friday stock market trading, but then faded. Cloudflare earnings popped 26% in Q4, with revenue rising 27% to $459.9 million. For full-year 2025, Cloudflare guided in line with revenue. The company hosts speeds up and provides security for web applications routed through its intelligent global network. NET stock jumped.
Asset Managers Slide
KKR Apollo Global Management, Ares Management and Blue Owl Capital all reported. KKR topped estimates with a 33% increase in earnings, despite a 26% drop in total revenue. The firm announced plans for a $1.1 billion increase in investments for certain private equity businesses. KKR stock tumbled from near a buy point. Apollo Global cleared FactSet views with a 16% increase in earnings and a 20% jump in fee-related revenues. Total revenue tumbled 52%, primarily driven by a major decline in premiums for retirement services. APO stock fell modestly for the week, below a key level. Ares missed on EPS while revenue topped, aided by a 7% increase in fee-related earnings. ARES stock fell from near highs, but held key levels. Blue Owl earnings increased 16%, matching analyst estimates. Fee-related revenue jumped 27% to $595.7 million, but came short of expectations for $611 million. Blue Owl stock fell solidly for the week, to right around a buy point.
Drug Earnings Top
Merck, Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly all beat sales and earnings forecasts, while GSK came up short on revenue. Merck tumbled more than 9% on weak 2025 guidance and pulled in its target for $11 billion in 2030 sales of human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil. Pfizer reported a 21% sales gain to $17.76 billion, but only 11% excluding Covid products. Pfizer gave some weak 2025 guidance. Novo Nordisk reported a 21% EPS rise and 22% sales gain, with diabetes drug Ozempic beating forecasts, but Wegovy sales were light. NVO stock rose but is near a 52-week low. GSK had mixed results, but shares jumped on a bullish 2031 outlook. Bristol Myers fell on its 2025 outlook, though it's still near highs. Eli Lilly rose strongly. Sales of its weight-loss drug Zepbound and diabetes treatment Mounjaro narrowly missed forecasts, but were in line with Lilly's preannounced figures.
Biotech Earnings
Biotech giants Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Amgen beat Wall Street's fourth-quarter expectations. Amgen said the FDA put its experimental obesity drug, AMG 513, on clinical hold. But Amgen said it expects to eventually resolve the issue, pending regulatory feedback. Q4 EPS rose 13% and revenue grew 11% to $9.09 billion, both beating. But Amgen's earnings guidance came in light due to continued investments in developing MariTide, its leading obesity drug. Amgen rose for the week. Also Tuesday, Regeneron topped forecasts with adjusted profit up 2% and sales climbing 10% to $3.79 billion. It also announced its first-ever quarterly dividend at 88 cents per share. Meanwhile, Neurocrine Biosciences tumbled on the stock market Friday after its 2025 guidance for bread-and-butter drug Ingrezza lagged expectations. The company's fourth-quarter report also came in mixed, with $267.7 million in sales narrowly missing.
Ford Guidance Trumps Earnings
Ford earnings jumped 34.5% as revenue rose 5%, with the automaker lapping easy comparisons. But the company warned of a tougher year ahead due to "market factors," diverging from the strong outlook from General Motors. Ford CEO Jim Farley called for a "comprehensive" look at U.S. tariffs. President Donald Trump slapped a 10% tariff on China imports, and threatened Mexico and Canada with a 25% tariff before suspending those duties. Ford's total sales slumped 9% last month, but EV and hybrid sales jumped 20% Notably, Ford narrowed losses in the emerging electric-vehicle business in Q4.
Stock Market News In Brief
Spotify beat analyst estimates for subscribers and users in the fourth quarter, sending shares soaring. The music streamer added 11 million premium subscribers, ending 2024 with 263 million worldwide. It also tallied 675 million monthly active users in Q4. Spotify topped views on revenue, but earnings were lighter than expected.
McKesson beat EPS views with a 4% rise but an 18% revenue gain fell short. Shares initially tumbled but it pared intraday losses and was little changed for the week.
Uber Technologies beat expectations for earnings, revenue and bookings growth for Q4. Shares tumbled Wednesday on lower-than-expected bookings guidance due to a strong dollar, but Uber stock rebounded for strong weekly gains, aided by investor Bill Ackman disclosing a stake of more than $2 billion.
Roblox tumbled after the online gaming platform missed targets for bookings and users in the fourth quarter. The company also disappointed with its 2025 guidance.
Doximity skyrocketed after the website for medical professionals reported strong earnings, a third straight quarter of accelerating revenue growth and upbeat guidance.
Chipotle Mexican Grill reported earnings rose 21% as revenue grew 13%, with same-store sales up 5%. All that was roughly in line with estimates. But guidance disappointed, while Trump tariff threats raise concerns about already-high avocado prices.
Pinterest jumped even as Q4 earnings fell short. The social media company beat on revenue and guided up on Q1 sales growth. Snapchat parent Snap, on the other hand, traded lower on its Q4 report. Earnings and sales beat expectations but the Q1 profit forecast came in light.
