Wall Street Lunch: Gallup’s Decision To Stop Approval Ratings Sparks Questions

Company Performance - Cisco (CSCO) reported solid earnings and guidance but saw its stock decline due to concerns over rising memory costs, which analysts believe are manageable given Cisco's strength in AI-related areas [5] - AppLovin (APP) also experienced a stock drop despite beating revenue and earnings estimates, guiding for Q1 revenue between $1.745 billion and $1.775 billion, exceeding the $1.7 billion estimate [5] - Rollins (ROL) was the largest decliner in the S&P 500 after missing both revenue and adjusted earnings estimates, attributing the shortfall to erratic weather patterns affecting seasonal work [6] Economic Indicators - Existing home sales fell by 8.4% in January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.91 million, below the consensus estimate of 4.2 million and down from 4.27 million in December [7] - The decline in home sales is being compared to lows seen during the Great Recession, with some analysts suggesting that the drop may be temporary and could reverse if mortgage rates decrease in the coming quarters [8] Market Trends - The S&P 500 has not shown significant gains this year, but there is a rotation away from last year's leading sectors, benefiting less trendy areas of the market [9] - The S&P 500 Machinery Index has increased by over 20% year to date, with companies like Cummins (CMI), Nordson (NDSN), PACCAR (PCAR), Caterpillar (CAT), and Parker-Hannifin (PH) receiving strong ratings [10]