Summary4 min read

WSJ Your Money Briefing

Episode: What’s News in Markets: Tariff Trade, Robinhood’s Crypto Gains, Unilever Slides
Date: February 15, 2025
Host: Francesca Fontana, The Wall Street Journal

Episode Overview

Francesca Fontana delivers a concise recap of the week’s most significant stock market movers, explaining the market impact of new tariffs, a surprising inflation report, Robinhood’s strong crypto-driven earnings, and Unilever’s strategic shake-up. The episode focuses on how financial headlines—tariffs, inflation, policy shifts, and corporate strategies—directly influenced market sentiment and the performance of key stocks.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Market Reactions to U.S. Tariffs

[00:33 - 02:30]

President Trump announced new tariffs—25% on steel and aluminum imports, especially from Canada.
Despite initial expectations, the market overall “shrugged off” the news, avoiding fears of an escalating trade war.
Winners: U.S. metal producers, including Cleveland Cliffs, U.S. Steel, and Alcoa, saw positive movement.
Losers/potentially affected: Major buyers of aluminum like Coca-Cola, which relies heavily on aluminum cans and imports from Canada.

Francesca Fontana [01:32]:

“Coke is working to keep a lid, so to speak, on potential price increases by looking for ways to use less aluminum and finding different sources for it.”

Coca-Cola’s proactive approach and positive earnings led its stock to surge 4.7% on Tuesday, closing the week nearly 8% higher.

2. Inflation Concerns and Political Developments

[00:45 - 01:22]

Wednesday’s consumer price index report showed inflation rising faster than expected, intensifying concerns that interest rate cuts could be delayed.
The market rebounded Thursday amid fresh political news:
- Hopes for a Ukraine war resolution
- Trump deferring further tariff decisions

Major indices performance for the week:

Nasdaq: +2.6%
S&P 500: +1.5%
Dow Jones: +<1%

3. Robinhood’s Crypto-Fueled Earnings

[02:31 - 03:20]

Robinhood reported a “sharp jump in quarterly profit,” in part due to a flurry of post-election crypto trading.
The “Trump bump”—the year-end market rally post-election—was driven in part by investor hopes for a more business-friendly and pro-crypto administration.
- Trump signed an executive order loosening crypto regulations, boosting major cryptocurrency prices.
Robinhood’s stock surged 14% on Thursday and ended the week almost 17% higher.

Francesca Fontana [03:08]:

“Robinhood’s one of the big winners of the so-called Trump bump... as we’ve seen, Trump is pro-crypto since taking office.”

4. Unilever Spins Out Its Ice Cream Business

[03:21 - 04:20]

Unilever confirmed it will spin off its massive ice cream business (brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers, Talenti) to streamline operations.
- The ice cream segment accounts for $8.6 billion in annual sales (14% of Unilever revenue).
The company’s results and 2025 outlook disappointed investors, with revenue growth lagging expectations.
U.S.-traded Unilever shares fell 5.6% on Thursday, declining another 1.9% on Friday.

Francesca Fontana [03:49]:

“But alas, investors weren’t all screaming for ice cream because the announcement wasn’t the only Unilever news to dig.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On market resilience despite tariff threats:
“Investors largely shrugging off the possibility of them igniting a trade war.”
— Francesca Fontana [00:47]
On Coca-Cola’s adaptation:
“He said Coke is working to keep a lid, so to speak, on potential price increases by looking for ways to use less aluminum and finding different sources for it.”
— Francesca Fontana [01:32]
On Robinhood’s gains from crypto:
“Robinhood’s one of the big winners of the so-called Trump bump, a.k.a. the end of year market rally, fueled by investors expectations that the new administration would be more business friendly.”
— Francesca Fontana [03:08]
On Unilever’s restructuring:
“Investors weren’t all screaming for ice cream because the announcement wasn’t the only Unilever news to dig.”
— Francesca Fontana [03:49]

Timestamps for Key Segments

[00:33] Episode start — Overview, market snapshot
[00:47] Tariffs and initial market reaction
[01:32] Impact on Coca-Cola, CEO’s comment on aluminum
[01:45] Stock movements and weekly market performance
[02:31] Robinhood’s earnings and crypto impact
[03:21] Unilever’s ice cream spin-off, revenue miss
[04:20] Closing remarks and preview for further reading

Episode Takeaways

U.S. markets showed resilience despite rising tariffs and inflation worries, closing the week strongly after positive political signals.
Major companies like Coca-Cola are proactively managing cost pressures from new trade policy.
The “Trump bump” and pro-crypto sentiment buoyed both markets and trading platforms like Robinhood.
Unilever’s restructuring reveals pressure on global consumer brands to simplify and streamline, but investors remain cautious after mixed results.
Listeners are encouraged to follow Francesca Fontana’s “The Score” column in the WSJ Exchange section for deeper stock analysis.

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Transcript5 lines

[00:01]
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This episode is sponsored by Morgan Stanley's Thoughts on the Market. Today's Financial markets move fast. Morgan Stanley moves faster with their daily podcast, Thoughts on the Market. Thoughts on the Market covers daily trends across the global investment landscape with actionable insights from Morgan Stanley's leading economists and strategists. And with most episodes under five minutes long, staying informed has never been easier. Listen and subscribe to Thoughts on the Market wherever you get your podcasts.
[00:33]
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Hey listeners, it's Saturday, February 15th. I'm Francesca Fontana for the Wall Street Journal, and this is what's News in Markets, our look at the biggest stock moves of the week and the news that drove them. Let's get to it. Welcome back. Hope you all are taking advantage of any post Valentine's Day chocolate sales near you. This week started off with more tariffs from President Trump announced on Monday, with investors largely shrugging off the of them igniting a trade war. But investors weren't shrugging off Wednesday's inflation readout as the consumer price index picked up faster than economists had expected. That deepened traders worries that interest rates might not come down anytime soon. But the market bounced back with more political news Thursday, with Trump raising hopes of a resolution to the war in Ukraine and putting off a decision on additional tariffs on foreign goods on a weekly basis. The Nasdaq rose 2.6%, the S&P 500 gained 1.5%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added less than 1%. Now, while the market overall shrugged off Monday's tariff announcement, it still played a part in some big stock moves this week for those who miss the news or who just can't keep all the trade news straight, which I can't blame you. Those levies are 25% on imports of steel and aluminum or aluminium if you're from the UK Dealer's choice. The stock market winners there were the metal producers like Cleveland Cliffs, U.S. steel and Alcoa. But those who buy metal might have to make some changes, like Coca Cola. On Tuesday, Coke posted better than expected quarterly revenue and profit, but investors were also taking in what chief executive James Quincy had to say about aluminum prices. He said Coke is working to keep a lid, so to speak, on potential price increases by looking for ways to use less aluminum and finding different sources sources for it. Coke, as you might imagine, uses a heck of a lot of aluminum soda cans and imports the material from Canada. Coke shares ended up jumping 4.7% Tuesday and ended the week with a gain of nearly 8%. Next up, we're welcoming in the crypto golden age. At least that's the hope of many a cryptocurrency trader. And we certainly saw those hopes bolstered by Robinhood's earnings. On Wednesday, Robinhood, the trading platform, posted a sharp jump in quarterly profit, helped by a flurry of post election activity, including trading in crypto. Robinhood's one of the big winners of the so called Trump bump, AKA the end of year market rally, fueled by investors expectations that the new administration would be more business friendly. And as we've seen, Trump is pro crypto since taking office. He's signed an executive order for looser regulations for cryptocurrencies and we've seen major cryptocurrencies surging after he won the election. So how'd the stock do it? Surged 14% on Thursday and ended the week almost 17% higher. Now, I might just have an especially sweet tooth this week because first I'm talking about chocolate and now ice cream. Unilever, the consumer goods giant that makes Ben and Jerry's, Breyers, Talenti, a bunch of the big names and frozen treats, on Thursday confirmed its plans to spin off its ice cream business in order to simplify the company. Before, it had also been considering selling the unit. And that business is a big one. Last year it generated sales of more than $8.6 billion, roughly 14% of Unilever's overall revenue. But alas, investors weren't all screaming for ice cream because the announcement wasn't the only Unilever news to dig. The company also said that revenue grew less than analysts expected in the last quarter, and it gave a subdued outlook for 2025 US traded shares of Unilever fell 5.6% Thursday, and they lost an additional 1.9% on Friday. 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 Zoe Kolkin and Anthony Banci, with supervising producer Tali Arbel. I'm Francesca Fontana. Have a great weekend and see you next Saturday.
[05:10]
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In his new book, coming into how AI and other megatrends will shape your investments, Joe Davis, global chief economist at Vanguard, reveals what market and global trends signify for the future economy.
[05:22]
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The headline is it's not all doom and gloom. Much like we saw with the personal computer in the 80s, it went from do I have to worry about this thing? Do I use it to. No, actually it could help, but yet it's change.
[05:33]
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Get more insights from Vanguard on how you can navigate an uncertain market@vanguard.com.