Stocks Settle Slightly Higher as Bond Yields Fall

Market Overview - Overseas stock markets closed lower on Friday, with the Euro Stoxx 50 down by -0.43%, China's Shanghai Composite down -1.26%, and Japan's Nikkei Stock 225 down -1.21% [1] - The S&P 500 Index closed up +0.05%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average up +0.10%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index up +0.18% [7] Earnings Reports - More than two-thirds of S&P 500 companies have reported Q4 earnings, with 76% beating expectations. S&P earnings growth is expected to rise by +8.4% in Q4, marking the tenth consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth [2] - Rivian Automotive reported Q4 revenue of $1.29 billion, exceeding the consensus of $1.26 billion, and forecasted full-year vehicle deliveries of 62,000 to 67,000 [13] - Applied Materials reported Q1 adjusted EPS of $2.38, better than the consensus of $2.21, and forecasted Q2 adjusted EPS of $2.44 to $2.84 [14] - Airbnb reported Q4 gross booking value of $20.4 billion, surpassing the consensus of $19.46 billion, and forecasted Q1 revenue of $2.59 billion to $2.63 billion [16] Sector Performance - Software stocks rallied, with Crowdstrike Holdings up more than +4% and ServiceNow up more than +3%, contributing to the overall market support [10] - Metal companies retreated due to reports of the Trump administration working to narrow tariffs on steel and aluminum products, with Century Aluminum down more than -7% [12] - Cryptocurrency-exposed stocks rose, led by Coinbase Global, which closed up more than +16% after Bitcoin rallied more than +4% [11] Economic Indicators - US January CPI rose +2.4% year-over-year, weaker than the expected +2.5%, marking the smallest increase in 7 months [3] - Falling bond yields were bullish for stocks, with the 10-year T-note yield falling to a 2.25-month low of 4.05% [6]