Group 1: U.S.-China Relations - Trade teams from the U.S. and China have reached a "basic consensus" on addressing key concerns following a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and former U.S. President Donald Trump [2][8] - Both leaders expressed a desire to stabilize bilateral relations amidst ongoing trade frictions, with Xi emphasizing the importance of being "partners and friends" [2][3] Group 2: Corporate News - Piper Sandler upgraded Alphabet (GOOGL) shares, raising its price target to $330, indicating analyst confidence in the company's future performance [3][8] - Conversely, Piper Sandler revised its price target for Meta (META) downwards to $840 from $880, reflecting a more cautious outlook [3][8] Group 3: Market Reactions - The Bank of Japan's recent policy decision led to a significant spike in Dollar/Yen volatility, reaching a 4½-month high of 16.45%, indicating increased uncertainty in currency markets [4][8] - South Korean stocks gained following the completion of a U.S. trade deal, while iron ore prices rose due to optimism surrounding a potential U.S.-China trade agreement, although profit-taking tempered the rally [5][8]

Markets are in the midst of the busiest week for third quarter earnings, with results from several Big Tech companies highlighting the calendar. So far, the earnings season is off to a positive start. As of Oct. 24, 29% of S&P 500 companies have reported results, according to FactSet data, and analysts are expecting a 9.2% jump in earnings per share during the third quarter. If that figure holds, it would mark the ninth straight quarter of positive earnings growth but a deceleration from the 12% earnings ...

[Music] [Music] About a year ago, I sat across the table from one of the biggest business leaders in St. Louis, the head of a powerhouse nonprofit organization. His name carries serious weight in the startup community.Now, I was the new founding director of the regional tech council, sitting in the big fancy offices of an organization that could eat me for breakfast. Now, just the week prior, we had hosted the very first year of our regional startup pitch competition, where we had taken a hundred local foun ...

When AI starts to feel like the metaverse, the stock market's favorite trade could be in trouble. BCA Research said it was looking for one warning sign in particular when it comes to the AI boom, which has sent tech stocks into stratospheric territory as companies pour billions into AI-related investments.According to Peter Berezin, the chief global strategist at the research firm, it could be time for investors to get out when AI sees a "metaverse moment" — a scenario in which a large AI firm announces "e ...

CONCLUDED Stock Market News From Oct. 29, 2025: Stocks and Bonds Take a Hit Last Updated: 10 hours ago Stocks Are Rising Ahead of Fed Decision, Big Tech Earnings By Tools Customer Service Customer Center Network Karishma Vanjani Wall Street preps for a big day as some of the world's largest tech companies are set to unveil report cards over the next 48 hours and a decision on interest rates impends from the Federal Reserve. The S&P 500 rose 0.3% at the open, while the Dow and Nasdaq were up 0.2% and 0.7%, r ...

The Federal Reserve will make its latest interest rates decision on Wednesday, in what is shaping up to be a consequential week for Bitcoin. Analysts are widely expecting that the central bank’s chair Jerome Powell will unveil another 0.25 percentage point reduction — to a range of between 3.75% and 4%. And given that the Fed previously signaled that it is pencilling in two further rate cuts for 2025, we’re expecting to see a repeat performance in December too. Generally speaking, lower interest rates a ...

Market Overview - The S&P 500 has been in a bull market for three years, gaining 17% in 2025, but its momentum may stall depending on upcoming events [1] - The index is currently trading at 22.7 times forward earnings, a significant premium compared to the 10-year average of 18.6 times [12] Federal Reserve Interest Rate Decision - The Federal Reserve will announce its interest-rate decision on October 29, following a two-day meeting [2] - In September, the Fed cut its benchmark interest rate by 0.25 percentage points, the first cut since December 2024, as policymakers awaited clarity on the impact of trade policies [5] - Investors expect another quarter-point cut in October, followed by a similar cut in December, with potential market volatility if the Fed deviates from this path [8] Earnings Reports from Major Tech Companies - Major tech companies, including Alphabet, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple, will report their financial results between October 29 and October 30 [3][13] - Collectively, these companies account for 25% of the S&P 500 by weight, making their earnings reports critical for market movement [9] Expected Earnings - Alphabet: Revenue expected to increase 6% to $93.9 billion; earnings expected to rise 7% to $2.27 per diluted share [9] - Meta Platforms: Revenue expected to increase 22% to $49.4 billion; earnings expected to rise 11% to $6.68 per diluted share [9] - Microsoft: Revenue expected to increase 15% to $75.2 billion; earnings expected to rise 11% to $3.66 per diluted share [13] - Amazon: Revenue expected to increase 12% to $177.8 billion; earnings expected to rise 10% to $1.58 per diluted share [13] - Apple: Revenue expected to increase 7% to $101.8 billion; earnings expected to rise 7% to $1.76 per diluted share [13] Economic Impact of AI Investments - Commentary regarding artificial intelligence (AI) investments will be crucial, as capital spending related to AI was a significant source of economic growth in the first half of 2025 [10] - Any indication of conservative investment or lack of benefits from past AI infrastructure investments could raise concerns about economic strength and negatively impact the stock market [11]

Key Points Philippe Laffont's Coatue Management saw generative AI as a major threat to this tech incumbent. Recent developments may have pushed Laffont and his team to change their view. The stock still trades at an attractive valuation. 10 stocks we like better than Alphabet › In a presentation this summer, Coatue Management, headed by billionaire fund manager Philippe Laffont, laid out its case for what it sees as the next group of tech leaders. Unsurprisingly, it sees artificial intelligence ( ...

Market Overview - The current market is characterized by a narrow focus on Mega Tech companies, but there is an expectation that the market will broaden as the economy improves [2][4] - The last two years have seen the narrowest market breadth since 1998-1999, with a bifurcated economy affecting different sectors differently [3][4] Economic Indicators - The labor market is showing signs of weakness, with a significant drop in job creation, averaging only 27,000 jobs recently [9] - Concerns are rising about unemployment, with surveys indicating that people are increasingly worried about job availability [10] AI and Workforce Dynamics - Companies are undergoing layoffs to improve productivity metrics, with Nvidia's workforce productivity serving as a benchmark [11] - The integration of AI into workflows is prompting a shift in hiring practices, as companies will need to hire workers who can work alongside AI rather than those whose jobs have been replaced [12][13] Future Projections - Analysts predict that the S&P 500 could reach 7,000 by year-end, driven by excitement around AI developments and upcoming earnings reports from major companies [5][6] - The AI narrative is expected to continue influencing the market positively for the next couple of years, particularly if revenue growth from AI products is sustained [7]

US stocks jumped to new record highs on Tuesday as investors fielded the latest rush of earnings and looked to the Federal Reserve meeting to confirm interest rate cuts are on the way. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) rose 0.3%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) moved up around 0.8%, leading the way higher. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) ticked up by 0.2%, notching its third consecutive record close amid continued hopes for the AI trade. Nvidia (NVDA) led the way higher, providing a lift to the ...