A real nice gain for me today....thanks....PLTR, NVDA, GOOGL, and MSFT. I also beat the SP500 today by.....0.96%. Come on earnings....give us some boost for tomorrow.
Good old MSFT. Microsoft stock pops 8% on earnings beat as Azure annual revenue tops $75 billion https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/30/microsoft-msft-q4-earnings-report-2025.html (BOLD is my opinion OR what I consider important content) "Key Points Microsoft said revenue jumped 18% from a year earlier. The company reported revenue from Azure and cloud services for the first time, with sales exceeding $75 billion for fiscal 2025. The stock, which is trading near a record, passed the $550 mark in extended trading. Microsoft shares jumped 8% in extended trading on Wednesday after the company reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the fiscal fourth quarter. Here’s how the company performed in comparison with LSEG consensus: Earnings per share: $3.65 vs. $3.37 expected Revenue: $76.44 billion vs. $73.81 billion expected Microsoft’s revenue increased 18% in the fiscal fourth quarter ending June 30, up from $64.7 billion a year earlier, according to a statement. That’s the fastest growth in more than three years. Net income increased to $27.23 billion from $22.04 billion a year ago. The company’s Intelligent Cloud unit, which includes the Azure cloud, produced $29.88 billion in revenue, up about 26% and beating the StreetAccount consensus of $28.92 billion. For the first time, Microsoft disclosed the scale of its Azure business in dollars. In fiscal 2025, revenue from Azure and other cloud services exceeded $75 billion, up 34% from the prior year. During the fiscal fourth quarter, revenue from Azure grew 39%. Analysts polled by StreetAccount and CNBC had anticipated Azure growth of 34.4% and 35.3%, respectively. The company’s Productivity and Business Processes segment, which is home to Office productivity software and LinkedIn, delivered $33.11 billion in revenue, topping the $32.12 billion consensus among analysts polled by StreetAccount. Microsoft’s artificial intelligence bet, which includes its OpenAI stake and billions worth of Nvidia chips, is adding to business software sales. The company said adoption of the Microsoft 365 Copilot led to higher revenue per user for Microsoft 365 commercial cloud products such as Office productivity software bundles. Microsoft said its Copilot products, including the Microsoft 365 Copilot for commercial customers and the Copilot consumer assistant in Windows, have 100 million monthly active users, CEO Satya Nadella said on a conference call with analysts. The More Personal Computing unit, which encompasses Windows, search advertising, devices and video games, totaled $13.45 billion. The number was up 9% and higher than StreetAccount’s $12.68 billion consensus. Microsoft said sales of devices and of Windows operating licenses to device makers increased 3%. Gartner, a company that researches the technology industry, estimated that PC shipments went up 4.4% in the quarter. Microsoft and its megacap tech peers are racing to build data centers packed with chips for developing artificial intelligence models and running increasingly hefty workloads. Microsoft had $24.2 billion in capital expenditures and assets acquired through finance leases for the quarter, up 27% from a year earlier. Last week, Alphabet, the parent company of Google, bumped up its 2025 capital spending forecast by $10 billion to $85 billion. Meta said on Wednesday that capital expenditures will come in between $66 billion and $72 billion for the year, raising the low end of its previous estimate from $64 billion. During the quarter, Microsoft celebrated its 50th anniversary, laid off more than 6,000 people and introduced a GitHub feature for assigning coding tasks to the Copilot assistant. The company also said LinkedIn chief Ryan Roslansky would take on added responsibility running Office productivity applications. Microsoft said it had $1.71 billion in other expense during the quarter. That includes recognized losses on equity method investments such as OpenAI. Other expense in the prior quarter totaled $623 million. As of Wednesday’s close, Microsoft shares were up 22% for the year and trading near a record, while the S&P 500 index had gained about 8%. Microsoft stock was trading above $550 after hours, pushing its market capitalization to about $4.1 trillion. That makes it the second company after Nvidia to cross the $4 trillion mark. Executives will discuss the results with analysts on a conference call starting at 5:30 p.m. ET." MY COMMENT A KILLER earnings BEAT by MSFT. At this moment shares are up after-hours by....+$44.43....or....+8.58%. If this carries through to tomorrow I could make some.....real money.
I dont own META but here is their earnings.....BEAT. Meta shares climb 10% on revenue beat, raised forecast "Key Points Shares of the social media company jumped more than 10% after the company reported second-quarter earnings on Wednesday that beat on revenue. Meta said third-quarter sales will come in the range between $47.5 billion and $50.5 billion, ahead of Wall Street estimates of $46.14 billion. The company said capital expenditures will come in between $66 billion and $72 billion, raising the low end of the company’s previous estimate of between $64 billion and $72 billion." https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/30/meta-q2-earnings-report-2025.html MY COMMENT Shares are up after-hours by.....+$79.28.....or.....+11.4%. Owners might have a very enjoyable day tomorrow.
Tomorrow I hope to see a continuation of the above for....APPL and AMZN....both of which I happen to own. I hit yet another all time high today. It would be nice to hit two more as we finish out the next couple of days in the week.
A good open today on the backs of the META and MSFT earnings. Now we just have to avoid the all day FADE.
I like this little article. Market Relief and the EU-US Deal to Make a Deal Reality is exceeding expectations, which is all stocks need. https://www.fisherinvestments.com/e...arket-relief-and-the-euus-deal-to-make-a-deal (BOLD is my opinion OR what i consider important content) "Editors’ Note: MarketMinder is politically agnostic, preferring no politician nor any party. We assess developments for their economic and market implications only. With the August 1 deadline mere days away, the US has another trade deal—or more accurately, another deal to make a deal. As we hinted at on Friday, the US reached a deal with the EU over the weekend. Sentiment seems mixed, and stocks largely sighed—flat Monday and down a smidge Tuesday. We think the deal itself is largely more of the same: long on loose pledges, short on workable details, yet still better than the worst-case scenario markets priced in April. This has been fine for stocks throughout this late spring and summer of dealmaking and probably remains so, even as tariffs remain higher than they were entering the year. We have seen a lot of commentary calling this a big win for the Trump administration, contrasting the raft of concessions the EU made with the few on the US’s side. We have also seen a ton of blowback from EU heads of government. All of this chatter is political, which we will leave aside—markets don’t do sociology, personalities or anything else dominating that discussion. They deal with a policy’s implications for economic growth and corporate earnings and how those square with expectations. So that is where we focus. Technically, the agreed-to deal is a handshake of intent—a nonbinding outline for a future agreement both sides will now commence work on. It formalizes a 15% tariff rate on all EU imports except steel and aluminum, which will still face 50% rates. While this 15% rate represents an auto tariff reduction, it raises tariffs on just about everything else American consumers and businesses source from Europe. So at a high level, it creates winners and losers here. As for the EU’s concessions, they sound big, but the logistics and feasibility look questionable to us. The EU agreed to purchase $750 billion worth of US energy through 2028 and invest $600 billion here “in addition to the over $100 billion EU companies already invest in the United States every year.” In this context, it is unclear what “the EU” refers to—the supranational government itself, member-states’ governments, businesses, private investors or what have you. This detail matters, because the EU itself doesn’t exactly have a massive budget, and most of what it does spend goes to day-to-day operations (its equivalent of the civil service). Oil purchases and investments are typically the purview of the relevant companies, where the EU can’t exactly direct traffic. US oil producers are all private, too, and can sell where they choose. And then there is the math. All foreign investment is funded with a trade surplus—this is just basic national financial accounting. $600 billion is a whisker less than three years’ worth of EU trade surpluses with the US.[ii] Presumably, buying $750 billion worth of US energy would reduce that surplus (therefore reducing the US trade deficit with the EU), reducing the funds available to invest. Then again, energy analysts near-unanimously say that $750 billion is impossible given the lack of infrastructure and the EU’s green push. We get that the EU is trying to replace Russian oil and gas, but it bought only €21.9 billion ($25.2 billion) worth of Russian fossil fuels last year. Replacing three years’ worth of Russian fuel wouldn’t get us even halfway to the pledged total.[iii] Other aspects of the deal are similarly fuzzy. It pledges to “eliminate” EU tariffs in unspecified sectors and “provide meaningful quotas for other products.”[iv] It nods to “efforts to eliminate the red tape that US exporters face when doing business in the European Union,” but the pledge is simply that the EU “will work to address” this.[v] Ditto for non-tariff barriers to US agricultural exports. Echoing other recent US deals, it includes an agreement for the EU “to purchase significant amounts of US military equipment,” making one wonder if this whole exercise is just giant stimulus for a US aerospace giant whose name rhymes with Showing or Flowing or Mowing (take your pick).[vi] Digital trade barriers are also mentioned, but it amounts to a giant TBD and a pledge not to raise barriers in the future. So overall, we see higher tariffs, some handpicked winners at the company level, investment targets of questionable attainability and a whole lot of questions. We could segue into a long discussion of whether this is “good” or “bad,” but a) that is all opinion and b) markets don’t deal with that anyway. Stocks move most on the gap between reality and expectations. Yes, the tariffs are up from January. But stocks priced that eventuality in early April, between the Liberation Day panic and the 90-day pause. That sharp correction priced the tariffs threatened at the time, which were higher than those about to come into force. We reckon that is really all that matters. We are still living the reality of positive surprise, just because expectations were so awful. And that is generally all stocks need. They price sentiment in the short term, then gradually weigh how reality shapes up compared to those expectations over the next 3 – 30 months. We are living the weighing now, and it is a relief for markets overall. Meanwhile, US businesses and consumers might not like the tariffs and might feel a hard pinch, but at least having deals eases some uncertainty, letting everyone move forward. The shifting sand is getting a little less shifty, which gives a firmer footing for risk-taking and investment. We don’t have perfect clarity, but it is gradually arriving. Stocks sank on high uncertainty in April, and now they have risen since the low on falling uncertainty—bullish enough." MY COMMENT To me this is the....minimum view......good enough. My personal view of the tariffs is more positive for the markets and our economy. Under either view the markets and investors are...just fine.
The economic news of the day. BASICALLY inflation is stable and.....if you ignore the ridiculous made up 2% FED target......we are in the lower end of historic inflation here is the USA.....in a good economy. Fed's preferred inflation gauge shows price increases accelerated in June amid tariff uncertainty https://finance.yahoo.com/news/feds...n-june-amid-tariff-uncertainty-124028246.html (BOLD is my opinion OR what I consider important content) "The latest reading of the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge showed price increases accelerated in June as inflation remained above the Fed's 2% target. The "core" Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index, which strips out food and energy costs and is closely watched by the central bank, rose 0.3% from the prior month, in line with the 0.3% economists had expected and above the 0.2% increase seen in May. On an annual basis, core prices rose 2.8%, above the 2.7% economists had expected and in line with May's reading. May's 2.8% reading was revised higher from an initially reported 2.7% increase. "The above-target rise in core PCE prices in June, upward revisions to previous months’ data and the sharp rise in core goods inflation will do little to ease the Fed’s concerns about tariff-driven inflation," Capital Economics assistant economist Harry Chambers wrote in a note to clients on Thursday. The release comes just one day after the Fed opted to hold interest rates steady at its July meeting, with Fed Chair Jerome Powell stressing that it's still the "early days" of any tariff impact on inflation and that there is still "a long way to go" before the full effects will be clear. "Tariffs are beginning to make their mark on the inflation data," Oxford Economics deputy chief US economist Michael Pearce wrote in a note to clients. "While services inflation remains subdued, helped by slowing housing inflation, core goods prices are up sharply in recent months. As Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell argued on Wednesday, the Fed will not cut rates until it is confident that a temporary rise in goods prices isn't bleeding through into broader inflation and inflation expectations." Following the release markets were pricing in a 61% chance the Fed holds rates steady again at its September meeting, up from just a 40% chance seen a month ago, per the CME FedWatch Tool. Elsewhere in the release, data showed mixed signs of slowing economic activity. Real personal spending, which adjusts for inflation, rose 0.3%, below estimates for a 0.4% increase. Real personal spending had decreased 0.3% in May. Meanwhile, personal income rose 0.3% after falling 0.4% the month prior." MY COMMENT Earlier today....somewhere....actually on VARNEY.....I heard that this PCE reading was STILL lower than most if not all readings over the past FOUR YEARS. I really dont see ANYTHING scary in this data. It is very mild in historic terms here in the USA......in spite of the scary headlines and fear-mongering. CORE PCE was in line with expectations. IN FACT....CORE PCE....was the same as in May.....2.8%. That is a very reasonable and on the ow side....of historic USA inflation in a good economy. BASICALLY....no big deal to me....since....I live in the world of REALITY.
HERE is what the markets actually care about. S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit record highs on big gains from Meta and Microsoft https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/30/stock-market-today-live-updates.html (BOLD is my opinion OR what i consider important content) "Stocks rose to fresh highs on Thursday following solid earnings reports from tech giants Microsoft and Meta Platforms. Traders also looked ahead to a key trade deadline. The S&P 500 traded 0.6% higher, while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.2%. Both benchmarks hit record highs at the open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lagged, but was still 0.2% higher, or 78 points. The S&P 500 has gained more than 3% so far in July, while the Nasdaq Composite is up about 5%. The 30-stock Dow has climbed 1%. “Magnificent Seven” titans Microsoft and Meta respectively rose 6% and 11.5% on the back of better-than-expected quarterly earnings. Software giant Microsoft said that annual revenue from its cloud computing service Azure exceeded $75 billion. Meta issued an upbeat third-quarter sales outlook, surpassing the Street’s estimates. Microsoft’s strong earnings print propelled the company to a $4 trillion market capitalization. Fellow Mag-7 names Apple and Amazon are slated to report earnings after the bell Thursday. Adding to the bullish sentiment, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday said negotiations with China are at a point where both sides ” have the makings of a deal.” Bessent did not give any details on a potential deal, however, nor did he indicate when such an agreement could be made. The U.S. and China have until Aug. 12 before the truce over aggressive tariffs runs out. His comments come ahead of a key Aug. 1 trade deadline. Wall Street is coming off a mixed session. The Dow and S&P 500 closed lower Wednesday, while the Nasdaq eked out a small gain, after the Federal Reserve left its benchmark overnight policy rate steady at its July meeting, not all members agreed with the decision. Ross Mayfield, investment analyst at Baird, said those moves made sense given the market’s currently “stretched” valuations. The S&P 500′s decline marked its second day of losses following a streak of six record closes in a row. “There’s a lot of good news priced in, so I think little things on the margin can have a bigger impact when you’ve had such a run, like slightly hawkish comments in the FOMC presser,” Mayfield said to CNBC. “Sentiment has shifted back to a pretty bullish tenor, and I think the market needs to consolidate and take a breather, and it’ll grab on to whatever it needs to as an excuse.”" MY COMMENT A really nice start to the day. Looking good in the neighborhood. I am of course a long term investor.....but....I am hitting new all time highs nearly every day lately. We are in the middle of a rare and historic summer market BOOM. Imagine al the people that are siting on the sidelines and wondering when to get back in. I dont have to worry about that since....I am fully invested all the time.
I love it as a MSFT owner. Microsoft market cap tops $4 trillion, joining Nvidia above milestone after latest earnings beat https://finance.yahoo.com/news/micr...one-after-latest-earnings-beat-200637180.html
I am sure I am up nicely so far today even though I have not looked yet. The ticker tells me that I have only TWO stocks in the RED.......GOOGL and HD. That means I am having a stellar open today. After the close today I will get two more earnings reports.....AMZN and AAPL. I expect both to be good. I also notice that the SP500 is now over.....6400. It is well within striking range of my start to the year prediction of.....6800 to 6900. Tomorrow we will start the month of August......a traditional slow and sometimes down month along with September. I dont subscribe to superstition when it comes to certain months.....so I dont really care as a fully invested all the time, long term investor. With the way earnings are BEATING expectations at record levels....over 80% of the SP500 so far.....I expect the good times and the BULL MARKET to continue.
OK.....i could not resist.....I looked. I am bouncing around between one, two, or three stocks in the RED right now. The big averages are backing off some on the early big gains. Perhaps profit taking in META and MSFT......or even NVDA since it hit a new mid day all time high a little earlier today. We had so much EUPHORIA in the futures and before the open today as a result of the MSFT and META earnings.....it seems like the actual markets are now somewhat TIRED. Of course we are still facing two critical earnings after the bell today.....AMZN and AAPL.....so that "unknown" is perhaps a bit of a short term drag on the markets. I am at a new all time high in my primary account right now. I suspect that ALL the accounts that I manage are also at ALL TIME HIGHS. If you want to look long term.....we have had a HISTORIC run up in stocks since 2009. Since the pandemic.....and the 2022 bear market.....we are up HUGE. My lifelong mantra......you have to be in the markets to capture all the long term and unpredictable big gains.
As to the above....I see that the NASDAQ....is slowly slipping as the day progresses. Seems typical for mid morning......and the RANDOMNESS...... of a single day in the markets. AND....in terms of news and anything new.....it is actually a very slow day today....I am not seeing much to post.
