The S&P 500 soared to a new record high on Friday. The impressive tech earnings and a surprisingly strong January jobs report boosted the market, leading to gains across the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Dow. This marked the fourth consecutive week of increases after a shaky start to the year.
Following robust job growth and a jump in non-farm payrolls to 353,000 in January, Fed Chair Jerome Powell suggested that a March interest rate cut is likely off the table. This was due to the strong employment growth exceeding expectations, which adds complexity to the Federal Reserve’s decisions on interest rates, emphasizing the goal of reaching a 2% inflation target.
Benzinga provides daily reports on the stocks most popular with investors. Here is a look back at some top stories from the past week.
Positive Outlook
“Meta Platforms Analysts Raise Expectations After Q4 Earnings Beat: ‘Growth, Profits, Buyback & Dividends All In One'” by Chris Katje, emphasizes Meta Platforms’ strong Q4 performance and optimistic analyst outlooks. This was underpinned by significant advertising strength, AI advancements, and shareholder returns.
“‘DOGE Is Gonna Pop’: Crypto Analyst Predicts Dogecoin On The Verge Of A Price Jump” by Mehab Qureshi, reports cryptocurrency analyst Muro forecasting a potential 6% increase in Dogecoin’s value, influenced by developments on the X app.
“AMD CEO Highlights Huge AI Opportunity: ‘It’s Going To Change Everything We Do'” by Adam Eckert, details Advanced Micro Devices Inc. CEO Lisa Su’s optimistic outlook on AI’s transformative potential, despite the company’s stock dip post-Q4 earnings.
For additional bullish calls of the past week, check out the following:
PayPal’s Phoenix Moment? What’s Fueling The Stock Surge Ahead Of Q4 Results
Scaramucci Targets $170,000 For Bitcoin After Halving, Credits BlackRock CEO: ‘Larry Did The Reversal’
Apple Vision Pro Is ‘Mind-Blowing,’ Says CEO Tim Cook: ‘We Live In A 3D World, But The Content That We Enjoy Is Flat
Negative Trends
“‘Jaw Dropper:’ Tesla Analysts, Investors Unpack Fallout From CEO’s $55B Pay Plan Collapse While Musk Laments ‘Parasitic Load’ Of Being A Public Company” by Shanthi Rexaline, discusses the repercussions of a court ruling against Elon Musk’s lucrative compensation plan at Tesla, Inc., stirring uncertainty and strategic reevaluation among stakeholders.
“Tech Giants’ Market Concentration Echoes Dot-Com Bubble Peak, Analysts Warn” by Piero Cingari, reveals JPMorgan’s analysis of current market dynamics resembling the dot-com bubble, with top tech stocks like Apple Inc. and Amazon.com, Inc. dominating indices.
“Short Seller Does Victory Lap After Amazon Deal Dies — What Happened To iRobot?” by Natan Ponieman, details iRobot Corporation’s stock plunge and restructuring following the collapse of its merger with Amazon, amid regulatory concerns and a short seller’s vindication.
For more bearish takes, be sure to see these posts:
Bloom Energy Is Sapped By Low Visibility, Says Bearish Analyst
Fed Will Wait To See ‘The Whites Of 2% Inflation’s Eyes’ Before Cutting Rates: Economists Weigh In On Powell’s Remarks
Double Trouble For Toyota? 10 Models Grounded In New Suspension Shock After Daihatsu Debacle
Keep up with all the latest breaking news and trading ideas by following Benzinga on Twitter.