Walmart(US:WMT) Di Yi Cai Jing Zi Xun·2025-08-21 23:48Market Overview - The US stock market continued its downward trend, with the S&P 500 index declining for the fifth consecutive day, as investors are concerned about potential hawkish signals from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell at the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium [2] - The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 152.81 points (0.34%) to close at 44,785.50 points, while the S&P 500 dropped by 25.61 points (0.40%) to 6,370.17 points, and the Nasdaq Composite decreased by 72.54 points (0.34%) to 21,100.31 points [2] Sector Performance - Among the 11 sectors of the S&P 500, nine sectors experienced declines, with the consumer staples sector suffering the largest drop of 1.18% [4] - Walmart's stock plummeted by 4.5% after reporting quarterly profits that fell short of expectations, despite raising its full-year sales and profit forecasts due to tariff-induced cost increases [4] Company-Specific News - Coty Inc. saw its stock price crash by 21.4% as the company anticipates a decline in sales for the current quarter due to weak consumer demand in the US [5] - Walmart reported Q2 revenue of $177.4 billion, slightly above the market expectation of $176.16 billion, but its adjusted earnings per share of $0.68 fell short of the expected $0.74, marking the first time in three years that it did not meet analyst expectations [4] Economic Indicators - The US Department of Labor reported an increase of 11,000 in initial jobless claims to 235,000, the largest rise in nearly three months, while continuing claims rose to 1.972 million, the highest since November 2021, indicating signs of a cooling job market [5] - The housing market showed resilience, with the National Association of Realtors reporting that July existing home sales totaled an annualized 4.01 million units, exceeding market expectations of 3.92 million units and the previous value of 3.93 million units [5] Commodity Market - International oil prices rose on the 21st, with light crude oil futures for October delivery increasing by $0.81 to $63.52 per barrel (1.29% increase), and Brent crude oil futures for October delivery rising by $0.83 to $67.67 per barrel (1.24% increase) [5] - COMEX gold futures for the current month fell by $6.90, a decrease of 0.20%, settling at $3,381.60 per ounce [6]