The Economic Times·2026-01-29 12:46Market Overview - U.S. stock index futures showed slight gains, with Dow E-minis up 9 points (0.02%), S&P 500 E-minis up 13 points (0.19%), and Nasdaq 100 E-minis up 54.5 points (0.21%) as investors reacted to tech mega-cap earnings and AI-related spending [1][6]. Company Earnings and Performance - The latest results from three "Magnificent Seven" companies indicate that investors are willing to overlook significant AI expenditures if they anticipate tangible returns [2]. - The "Magnificent Seven" group, which constitutes about one-third of the S&P 500's market capitalization, has been a driving force behind the sustained rally in U.S. equities, maintaining elevated trading prices [3]. - Microsoft experienced a 7.5% drop in premarket trading due to disappointing cloud revenue, raising concerns about the monetization of its substantial investments in OpenAI [7]. - Meta's stock surged nearly 9% in premarket trading after it provided an optimistic revenue forecast alongside a 73% increase in its capital expenditure budget for the year [7]. - Tesla's shares rose 2.4% after announcing plans to more than double its capital expenditure to a record level [7]. - IBM's shares jumped 9.5% after exceeding earnings estimates for the fourth quarter [7]. - Southwest Airlines' shares increased by 5.3% following a forecast of stronger-than-expected annual profit despite winter storm disruptions [6]. Capital Expenditure Concerns - Capital expenditure (capex) remains a central concern for hyperscalers, with market focus shifting from growth optics to the timing and returns of AI investments [3][6]. - Traders are becoming cautious, as evidenced by Microsoft's elevated capex causing concerns about its profitability trajectory [3].