Yahoo Finance·2026-01-29 11:51Market Overview - Global markets are absorbing a significant amount of new information regarding earnings, currency, and political developments, yet they are maintaining stability, with the S&P 500 briefly surpassing 7,000 points [1] Federal Reserve Insights - The Federal Reserve decided to keep interest rates unchanged, with Chair Jerome Powell indicating a "clearly improving" economic outlook and expressing a relaxed stance on labor market pressures and inflation above target levels [5] - Powell suggested that any potential easing of monetary policy is unlikely to occur until mid-year, placing the decision in the hands of his successor as he nears the end of his term in May [5] Corporate Earnings and Market Reactions - The earnings reports from major U.S. tech companies revealed mixed results; Meta's stock surged by up to 10% due to a planned 73% increase in capital spending, while Microsoft saw a decline of over 6% following disappointing results in its cloud computing segment [4] - Tesla's stock rose by 2% as the company shifted its focus from declining electric vehicle sales to investments in AI and robotaxis [5] - Apple is scheduled to report its earnings later on Thursday, which could further influence market dynamics [5] Oil Market and Geopolitical Tensions - Long-term Treasury yields are rising, with attention shifting to increasing oil prices, which have risen by more than 1% amid escalating U.S.-Iran military tensions [7] - President Trump has threatened Iran with severe military action if a nuclear deal is not reached, prompting a strong response from Tehran, which vowed to retaliate [7] - Reports indicate that Trump is considering targeted strikes against Iranian leaders to incite protests, aiming for potential regime change, although no final decision has been made [8]