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Financial Markets 04/24 15:29
NEW YORK (AP) -- Wall Street's rally kept rolling Thursday as
better-than-expected profits for U.S. companies piled up, though CEOs said
they're unsure whether it will last because of uncertainty created by President
Donald Trump's trade war.
The S&P 500 charged 2% higher and pulled within 11% of its record set
earlier this year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 486 points, or 1.2%,
while the Nasdaq composite jumped 2.7%.
Tech stocks helped lead the way, including ServiceNow after the AI platform
company delivered a stronger profit for the start of 2025 than analysts
expected. The company, whose AI agents help clients manage their customers, saw
its stock jump 15.5% after it also gave a forecasted range for upcoming
subscription revenue that beat some analysts' expectations.
Southwest Airlines likewise reported stronger results than expected for the
first three months of the year. But its stock flipped between gains and losses
through the morning after it also became the latest U.S. carrier to say the
outlook for the economy looks so cloudy that it's pulling some of its financial
forecasts for the year.
CEO Bob Jordan said the company is "controlling what we can control," and
it's cutting how much flying it will do in the second half of the year.
Southwest's stock eventually pulled higher in afternoon trading and finished up
3.7%.
Rival American Airlines, meanwhile, pulled its financial forecasts for the
full year and said it plans to provide an update when "the economic outlook
becomes clearer." Its stock rose 3.1% after it also topped profit expectations
for the latest quarter.
Companies across industries have been talking about how difficult it is to
give financial forecasts for the upcoming year, as Wall Street typically
expects them to do, because of the on-again-off-again rollout of Trump's
tariffs.
U.S. stocks rallied the prior two days on hopes that Trump was softening his
approach on tariffs and his criticism of the Federal Reserve, which had earlier
shaken markets. But China, the world's second-largest economy, on Thursday
denied it's involved in active negotiations with the United States over
tariffs, saying that any suggestion of progress was as groundless as "trying to
catch the wind."
Calling Trump's policy announcements "headline turbulence," Tan Jing Yi of
the Asia & Oceania Treasury Department at Mizuho Bank warned that global
economies could be hurt in the long run, adding: "Sentiments swing from hopes
of intense relief to inflicted economic gloom."
This week began with a steep loss for U.S. stocks on fears about the trade
war, and it's been a microcosm of the market's severe swings in recent weeks as
investors struggle with how to react to conditions that sometimes change by the
hour. The only certainty is that the market will likely keep swinging until
more clarity arrives on tariffs, which many investors expect would cause a
recession unless they're rolled back.
"It's an unhealthy market backdrop right now, and we're trying not to react
too much," said John Belton, a portfolio manager at Gabelli Funds.
Households across the United States are preparing for the higher prices that
economists say tariffs would bring, while the head of the International
Monetary fund urged countries to move "swiftly'' to resolve their trade
disputes that threaten global economic growth.
In the meantime, many U.S. companies are continuing to report stronger
profit than analysts expected for the start of 2025, while offering caution and
uncertainty about the year ahead.
Toy company Hasbro was a winner and jumped 14.6% after reporting better
profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It cited
strong growth for its Magic: The Gathering game, among other products.
Texas Instruments rallied 6.6% after the semiconductor company likewise
reported a stronger profit than expected.
They helped offset a 3.7% drop for Procter & Gamble, which fell even though
the company behind Olay, Tide and Pampers reported stronger results for the
latest quarter than expected. Its revenue came in below expectations, and it
also cut its forecast for profit growth this fiscal year.
Procter & Gamble said it's expecting a $200 million hit to its earnings this
fiscal year because of higher costs for commodities.
At PepsiCo, CEO Ramon Laguarta said his company expects "more volatility and
uncertainty" and that "consumer conditions in many markets remain subdued and
similarly have an uncertain outlook."
His company's stock fell 4.9% after the beverage and snack maker cuts its
forecast for an underlying measure of profit over 2025, citing increased costs
from tariffs and subdued conditions for customers. A 25% tariff on imported
aluminum for cans is among those hitting PepsiCo and other beverage makers.
All told, the S&P 500 rose 108.91 points to 5,484.77. The Dow Jones
Industrial Average added 486.83 to 40,093.40, and the Nasdaq composite jumped
457.99 to 17,166.04.
In the bond market, Treasury yields continued to ease following their
disconcerting run higher earlier this month. Yields usually fall when fear is
dominating markets, but their surprising earlier rise stirred fears that
Trump's trade war was degrading the U.S. bond market's status as one of the
world's safest places to keep cash.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.30% from 4.40% late Wednesday,
in part on expectations that the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates later
this year to soften the economic blow that may come from tariffs.
Yields sank after a report showed slightly more U.S. workers applied for
unemployment benefits last week than economists expected. A separate report
said sales of previously occupied homes weakened by more than expected in March.
In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed amid modest moves across much of
Europe and Asia.
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AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed.
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