Monday, August 4, 2025
Markets reversed Friday’s selloff with relative ease today, hitting the tape in the green this morning and staying higher throughout the session. It’s a clear bounce-back to start a new week of trading. The Dow gained +585 points, +1.34%, while the S&P 500 grew +91, +1.47%. The Nasdaq was up an impressive +403 points, +1.95% on the day, and the small-cap Russell 2000 beat the field: +44 points, +2.05%.
Bond yields had already come down and they were steady today, as well: +4.20% on the 10-year and +3.69% on the 2-year. These are clear indicators that interest rates will need to come down — they are currently between +4.25-4.50%, as they have been all year so far. There is no August Fed meeting, however; unless an emergency arises, the Fed’s next chance to lower rates will come September 17th.
Factory Orders for June came in at negative levels, as expected, but 10 basis points (bps) better than expected at -4.8%. This follows the best single-month in factory orders for at least 10 years, an upwardly revised +8.3%. This clearly was a result of tariff and tariff deadline adjustments post-“Liberation Day” at the start of calendar Q2. A tariff reprieve gave companies (and individuals) the opportunity to load up ahead of any future unforeseen moves.
Q2 Earnings After the Close
Denver-based intelligence software firm
Palantir Technologies PLTR posted robust numbers in its Q2 report after the closing bell sounded today, beating on its bottom line by only 2 cents to 16 cents per share, but revenues of $1.0 billion surging past the $938.3 million expected — a record high quarter on the top line. The U.S. grew +68%, commercial was up +93% and the government +53%.
Palantir’s revenue guidance for next quarter is well beyond prior estimates, for both next quarter and the full year. The low-end of revenue guidance of $1.083 billion for the quarter and $4.14 billion for the year were already well beyond the $989.4 million and $3.92 billion, respectively. Shares are up +4% currently, and the company expects 10x revenue growth over the next decade. We expect the company will be able to shake off its Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) rating.
Hims & Hers Health HIMS, on the other hand, came up short on both top and bottom lines this afternoon, with earnings of 17 cents per share missing the Zacks consensus by a penny, with revenues of $545 million below the $553.2 million expected. The company reaffirmed full-year guidance, but at +162% year to date, shares are trading off -12% in the after-market.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals VRTX is off by an even more significant margin, -13.5%, even as the biopharma firm beat estimates on both top and bottom lines after today’s close. One of its pain drugs in Phase 2 testing failed to meet its objectives and will be discontinued. CSO David Altshuler will also be stepping down from his post.
What to Expect from the Stock Market Tomorrow
Q2 earnings season hits full throttle Tuesday, with
Caterpillar CAT,
McDonald’s MCD, big pharma
Pfizer PFE and biotech
Amgen AMGN all reporting ahead of the open, and chipmaker
AMD AMD and EV upstart
Rivian RIVN coming out with numbers after the close.
The
U.S. Trade Deficit will hit the tape Tuesday morning, expected to improve to -$61.0 billion from -$75.5 billion reported last time around. We’ll also see S&P and ISM Services PMI once the market opens, expected to remain north of the 50-level, which depicts growth versus loss. Trade deals have gone quiet of late, but there’s always a chance something new will be agreed upon, or signed.
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Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD): Free Stock Analysis Report Caterpillar Inc. (CAT): Free Stock Analysis Report Pfizer Inc. (PFE): Free Stock Analysis Report Amgen Inc. (AMGN): Free Stock Analysis Report McDonald's Corporation (MCD): Free Stock Analysis Report Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (VRTX): Free Stock Analysis Report Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR): Free Stock Analysis Report Hims & Hers Health, Inc. (HIMS): Free Stock Analysis Report Rivian Automotive, Inc. (RIVN): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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