Core Insights - Silver experienced a more significant decline compared to gold on Thursday, indicating a notable shift in market dynamics for precious metals [1] - Despite silver's sharp losses, gold is attempting to recover much of its recent downturn, suggesting a potential stabilization in the gold market [1] Market Performance - Silver's price losses have led to a downward trend for the week, contrasting with gold's recovery efforts [1] - The performance of silver and gold highlights differing investor sentiment and market reactions within the precious metals sector [1]

Core Viewpoint - Microsoft's stock has faced a significant decline of 23.5% over the past six months, influenced by Alphabet's strong cloud growth, leading to a downgrade by an analyst from Stifel [1]. Group 1: Stock Performance - Microsoft's stock price has dropped 23.5% over the last six months [1]. Group 2: Analyst Insights - Following Alphabet's earnings report, Stifel analyst Brad Reback downgraded Microsoft's stock from buy to hold, citing a lack of near-term catalysts for growth [1].

Core Viewpoint - Estée Lauder's stock is experiencing a significant decline, heading towards its worst day ever, as the company's profit outlook raised is not sufficient to meet high investor expectations despite beating earnings estimates [1] Earnings Results - Estée Lauder reported fiscal second-quarter results, raising its full-year profit outlook, but this was not enough to satisfy investors [1] - The company is facing challenges such as tariffs and increased investments in its turnaround plans, which have contributed to the stock's decline [1] Management Commentary - CEO Stéphane de La Faverie expressed optimism regarding the company's turnaround efforts, which include cost-cutting measures, layoffs, and initiatives to enhance operational agility [1] - He described the current changes as "the biggest operational, leadership, and cultural transformation in our history" [1]

Core Viewpoint - U.S. government debt is experiencing increased demand due to safe-haven interest amid rising concerns regarding the labor market [1] Group 1 - The demand for U.S. government debt is being driven by fresh concerns about the labor market [1]

Group 1 - The 5-year U.S. Treasury note offers a guaranteed income of 3.8% annually, while the 10-year Treasury note provides 4.3% [1] - Corporate bonds from BAA-rated investment-grade blue-chip companies yield an average of 5.9% per year, whereas riskier high-yield bonds average around 6.7% [1] Group 2 - Inflation-protected Treasury bonds guarantee returns that exceed inflation by 1.2% to 2.6% annually, depending on the bond's maturity [2]

Group 1 - The stock market is experiencing a pullback in precious metals and bitcoin, indicating a shift in market sentiment [1] - The S&P 500 index has shown a year-to-date increase of 0.5% as of Wednesday, excluding dividends, despite some significant declines in major components [2] - Microsoft shares have decreased by 14.4% year-to-date, contributing to the overall performance of the S&P 500 [2] Group 2 - Microsoft constitutes 5.2% of the $706 billion SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, which tracks the S&P 500 by holding all its stocks [2] - The SPDR S&P 500 ETF is weighted by market capitalization, reflecting the performance of its underlying stocks [2]

Strategy's sinking stock puts the policy of 'don't ever sell your bitcoin' to the test - MarketWatch# Strategy's sinking stock puts the policy of 'don't ever sell your bitcoin' to the test## The value of Strategy's bitcoin holdings is now below the company's market cap, which the company's CEO has said could lead to bitcoin salesPublished: Feb. 5, 2026 at 12:05 p.m. ETShareResizeBitcoin's selloff means Strategy is now losing money on its holdings, which it has been accumulating for nearly six years. Photo: ...

Core Viewpoint - Alphabet's stock is experiencing a decline despite significant growth in cloud revenue, primarily due to concerns over its projected capital expenditures for 2026, which are expected to reach $185 billion, nearly double the $91 billion spent in 2025 [1][1][1] Group 1: Financial Performance - Alphabet reported a remarkable 48% growth in cloud revenue, indicating strong performance in this segment [1][1] - The company's capital expenditure forecast for 2026 is set to nearly double compared to the previous year, raising investor concerns [1][1] Group 2: Market Reaction - Following the announcement of the capital expenditure forecast, Alphabet's stock declined by 3% on Thursday morning, reflecting investor apprehension [1][1] - Analysts have noted that Alphabet is a unique case where AI spending could lead to significant financial benefits, yet the market remains cautious [1][1]

Apple has been long criticized for its lack of an AI strategy, but now the company's more measured approach to spending looks attractive. ...

Unemployment is still very low and is likely to stay that way. ...