In the past week:
- GDP growth slowed in the fourth quarter. U.S. consumer confidence plunged to a multi-month low, and durable goods orders declined. Gold stockpiling led to shortages. The Federal Reserve declined to further cut the federal funds rate.
- Chinese AI advancement DeepSeek triggered a tech sell-off. Alibaba also released an AI model. President Trump pushed for a bidding war for TikTok by Microsoft and Oracle.
- Apple topped earnings estimates despite weak iPhone sales. Microsoft’s earnings beat was offset by a weak outlook. Comcast and IBM topped expectations but Tesla did not. Meta posted record revenue but forecast higher costs.
- Starbucks reported weak earnings under its new CEO, and it said it would simplify its menu. Exxon, Novartis, and Southwest Airlines also posted strong results.
- UPS said it would cut its Amazon business. Amazon laid off corporate workers. Nissan also announced layoffs. Sony had leadership changes. Frontier Airlines made another bid for Spirit Airlines.
- A Whole Foods store unionized. Egg prices were projected to rise even higher. Lay’s potato chips were recalled.
Renowned investor Cathie Wood purchased 5 million more shares in innovative aerospace firm Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE: ACHR) to cap off 2024. She continues to see opportunity in disruptive tech innovation, such as eVTOL aircraft and autonomous robotaxis.
After recent sell-offs, nervous investors may be wondering if semiconductor stocks are still a good bet this year. Wall Street does not seem to have lost faith, and expectations are especially high for Wolfspeed Inc. (NYSE: WOLF) stock.
Vanguard exchange-traded funds (ETFs) could be a solid choice for retired investors looking to play the long game with their portfolios. See which two are worth looking into for smoother (lower volatility) passive income plays to power a retirement fund.
It is a good idea to keep an eye on these stock-split contenders. Splits can signal strength in the market and result in lots of bullish price action. Two notable stock-split contenders for 2025 are Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) and Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX).
Receive a complimentary copy of our report “2 Dividend Legends to Hold Forever,” which reveals why it takes much more than just a big payout to be considered a dividend legend.
And get a complimentary copy of our “The Next Nvidia” report, which includes three top stock picks poised to take off from the next breakthroughs in artificial intelligence.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©J. Michael Jones / iStock Editorial via Getty Images.