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Hey listeners, it's Saturday, February 1st. I'm Francesca Fontana for the Wall Street Journal and this is what's news in markets. Our look, the biggest stock moves of the week and the news that drove them. Let's get to it. What a way to end January. So this week was wild. We had to juggle looming tariff threats, earnings season, an update from the Fed, and a huge panic around AI. I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling like a month has passed since Monday. So where do we start? Maybe let's start with the good. Earnings season kept going strong this week with data showing that nearly 3/4 of S&P 500 companies that have reported have beaten Wall Street's forecasts. The less good we are back to wait and see when it comes to the Fed, which hit the pause button on interest rate cuts this week, which weighed on the stock market Wednesday. And of course there was that giant sell off in artificial intelligence stocks and beyond, something called Deep Seek. Don't worry, we will come back to that. So overall, how'd stocks do? Looking at the major indexes which did manage to pare some losses after Monday, The S&P 500 and NASDAQ each booked losses for the week while the Dow had a modest weekly gain. And for the year so far the dow is up 4.7%, the S&P 500 has gained 2.7% and the Nasdaq has risen 1.6%. I think it's been a while since we last talked about djt. That's the ticker for Trump Media, the president's company that's behind his Truth social platform. But we're talking DJT today because Trump's social media company is getting into finance. On Wednesday, Trump Media announced its plans to launch a new finance venture called TruthFi, starting by investing $250 million into crypto and other investments and those funds will be kept by Charles Schwab. Now we've seen that the stock Trump Media has been volatile and back around the election we all got used to checking in on the so called Trump trade. But aside from a big pop earlier this month before the inauguration the stock has been more subdued since last November. Shares of Trump Media jumped 6.8% on Wednesday, but on the week, the stock lost 2.6%. Next up, let's talk about that AI bloodbath on Monday. So let's see how fast I can make this recap. As I talk about often on this podcast, AI has been booming. Big tech is loving it and throwing money at it. And the big breakout stars include the chipmaker Nvidia and the company behind ChatGPT, OpenAI. Then this week, traders have to deal with Deepseek. Deepseek is this Chinese startup similar to OpenAI, and its models are threateningly close to its US rival. Only DeepSeek isn't throwing all that money at them. They're training them on the cheap without the most advanced chips. Cue total market meltdown. $1 trillion wiped out from the stock market on Monday, and Nvidia's market value fell more than $500 billion. And the fear was, you know what, if all of this AI spending isn't as justified as everyone thought, when the average Joe, like yours truly, thinks about AI, you know, we might think about all the problems it can solve and how fast it can solve them, and maybe less about how much energy the industry and all those data centers eat up. So along with sectors like tech getting pummeled, you know chipmaker stocks, Magnificent seven members, the usual suspects, power producer stocks like Vistra and Constellation Energy really got drained. Vistra dropped a whopping 28% on Monday, but Quad backed some ground to end the week down 12%. And Constellation Energy shares lost 21% on Monday and ended the week down 14%. Last but not least, UPS shares delivered a big loss on Thursday. Why? UPS warned investors that its 2025 revenue is expected to take a hit as the company starts phasing out more than half of its business with Amazon by June 2026. Amazon is its biggest customer, but as executives said this week, that doesn't mean it's the most profitable customer. The margins are tight and they're eating into profitability. Even so, investors seem displeased with the revenue outlook, given that UPS shares fell 14% on Thursday and ended the week down 14% as well. And now you know what's news in markets this week. You can read about more stocks that moved on. The week's news in the Score, my column in the Wall Street Journal's Exchange section. Today's show was produced by Anthony Banci and Zoe Culkin with supervising producer Michael Kosmides. I'm Francesca Fontana. Have a great weekend and see you next.
WSJ What’s News: What’s News in Markets – AI Bloodbath, Trump and Schwab, UPS Doesn’t Deliver
Release Date: February 1, 2025
Host: Francesca Fontana, The Wall Street Journal
Francesca Fontana opens the episode by highlighting the tumultuous week in the markets, encapsulated by a flurry of events including looming tariff threats, ongoing earnings season, Federal Reserve updates, and significant turbulence in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector. She remarks, "I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling like a month has passed since Monday" (06:00) to emphasize the rapid pace and intensity of the week's developments.
Despite the market's volatility, the earnings season delivered strong performances. Fontana notes that nearly 75% of S&P 500 companies that reported earnings exceeded Wall Street's forecasts, signaling robust corporate health amidst economic uncertainties. This positive trend provided a silver lining amid the week's mixed financial news.
The Federal Reserve made a pivotal move by halting interest rate cuts this week. Fontana explains, "The less good we are back to wait and see when it comes to the Fed, which hit the pause button on interest rate cuts this week, which weighed on the stock market Wednesday" (05:30). This decision introduced uncertainty into the markets, contributing to investor apprehension and influencing stock performances negatively.
A significant portion of the week's discussions revolved around the dramatic downturn in AI-related stocks. Fontana delves into the "AI bloodbath" that unfolded on Monday, triggered by the emergence of DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup. She states, "DeepSeek is this Chinese startup similar to OpenAI, and its models are threateningly close to its US rival" (11:15). Unlike its American counterpart, DeepSeek operated with lower expenditures, relying on less advanced and more affordable chips, which sparked fears about the sustainability of heavy AI investments.
This downturn led to a massive $1 trillion loss in the stock market on Monday alone, with Nvidia's market value plummeting by over $500 billion. Fontana articulates the broader market's sentiment: "If all of this AI spending isn't as justified as everyone thought... we might think about all the problems it can solve and how fast it can solve them, and maybe less about how much energy the industry and all those data centers eat up." (12:50). This shift in investor focus from potential AI breakthroughs to their environmental and economic costs caused a ripple effect across multiple sectors.
Impact on Specific Stocks:
Shifting focus to the intersection of media and finance, Fontana discusses Trump Media’s (DJT) foray into the financial sector. The company announced the launch of TruthFi, a new finance venture committing $250 million to cryptocurrency and other investments, managed by Charles Schwab. Fontana observes, "We've seen that the stock Trump Media has been volatile and back around the election we all got used to checking in on the so-called Trump trade" (08:45).
Despite a 6.8% surge in shares on Wednesday following the announcement, the stock experienced a net loss of 2.6% for the week. Fontana provides context, noting that aside from a notable spike before the inauguration, Trump Media's stock has remained relatively subdued since last November.
In the logistics sector, UPS faces significant challenges as it announced a strategic shift to phase out more than half of its business with Amazon by June 2026. Fontana explains, "UPS warned investors that its 2025 revenue is expected to take a hit as the company starts phasing out more than half of its business with Amazon by June 2026" (16:10). Despite Amazon being UPS's largest customer, the partnership has been strained due to tight margins impacting profitability.
As a result, UPS shares plunged by 14% on Thursday, reflecting investor discontent with the company's revenue outlook. Fontana underscores the gravity of the situation, stating, "Investors seem displeased with the revenue outlook, given that UPS shares fell 14% on Thursday and ended the week down 14% as well." (17:00).
Francesca Fontana wraps up the episode by directing listeners to her column, The Week's News in the Score, featured in the Wall Street Journal's Exchange section, for more detailed analyses of stock movements and market news. She acknowledges the complexity of the week's events and encourages listeners to stay informed through WSJ's comprehensive coverage.
Production Credits:
Fontana concludes with warm wishes: "Have a great weekend and see you next." (19:00)
This episode of WSJ What’s News provides a comprehensive overview of the week's critical market events, offering valuable insights for investors and followers of financial trends.