{"id":3317,"date":"2026-01-29T15:15:33","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T15:15:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/?p=3317"},"modified":"2026-01-29T15:15:33","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T15:15:33","slug":"us-stocks-open-flat-after-big-tech-earnings-fed-decision-sp-below-7000","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/?p=3317","title":{"rendered":"US stocks open flat after Big Tech earnings, Fed decision: S&P below 7,000"},"content":{"rendered":"
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US stocks were mixed on Thursday as investors balanced a fresh wave of earnings from major technology companies against the Federal Reserve\u2019s latest interest rate decision and lingering political and geopolitical uncertainty.<\/p>\n

The S&P 500 edged up 0.1%, reflecting a cautious tone after the benchmark briefly crossed the 7,000 level in the prior session. <\/p>\n

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added just 16 points, while the Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.1%, weighed down by a sharp decline in Microsoft shares.<\/p>\n

Tech earnings drive sharp divergences<\/h2>\n

Earnings from large technology companies dominated market attention and drove wide dispersion across individual stocks. <\/p>\n

Meta Platforms was among the session\u2019s standout performers, surging about 9% after the Facebook parent issued a stronger-than-expected first-quarter sales forecast. <\/p>\n

The upbeat outlook reassured investors about advertising demand and helped offset broader concerns about slowing growth in parts of the technology sector.<\/p>\n

Tesla shares also advanced, rising 1.6% after the electric-vehicle maker reported fourth-quarter results that exceeded expectations. <\/p>\n

The gains in Meta and Tesla underscored how selective optimism around earnings continues to support parts of the market, even as investors scrutinise guidance closely.<\/p>\n

That optimism was tempered by a steep sell-off in Microsoft. Shares of the software giant plunged roughly 10%, marking what would be its worst one-day decline since March 2020. <\/p>\n

Microsoft reported that cloud growth slowed in its fiscal second quarter and issued softer-than-expected guidance on operating margin for the fiscal third quarter. <\/p>\n

The results raised questions about the pace of expansion in one of the most important engines of growth for Big Tech and weighed heavily on the Nasdaq.<\/p>\n

Investors are now looking ahead to results from Apple, which is scheduled to report earnings after the market close on Thursday. <\/p>\n

Apple\u2019s report is expected to be a key test of consumer demand and margins, particularly as markets assess the broader health of the technology sector.<\/p>\n

Outside of technology, Caterpillar shares rose more than 1% after the industrial manufacturer posted fourth-quarter results that comfortably beat Wall Street expectations, offering a more cyclical counterpoint to the mixed signals coming from Big Tech.<\/p>\n

Fed decision reinforces cautious stance<\/h2>\n

Thursday\u2019s muted market moves followed the Federal Reserve\u2019s policy decision on Wednesday, when the central bank kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at a target range of 3.5% to 3.75%. The decision was widely anticipated, and markets reacted only modestly.<\/p>\n

In its post-meeting statement, the Federal Open Market Committee said indicators suggest that \u201ceconomic activity has been expanding at a solid pace\u201d and that the unemployment rate \u201chas shown some signs of stabilization.\u201d <\/p>\n

At the same time, the Fed reiterated that inflation remains above its 2% target.<\/p>\n

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reinforced that message, saying inflation is still well above the central bank\u2019s goal and underscoring expectations that policymakers will proceed cautiously.<\/p>\n

Two Fed governors, Stephen Miran and Christopher Waller, dissented from the decision in favor of a 25 basis-point rate cut. <\/p>\n

Despite those dissents, the overall signal from the meeting was one of patience. <\/p>\n

Futures markets continue to price in two quarter-point cuts by the end of 2026, according to the CME FedWatch Tool, but expectations for near-term easing remain low.<\/p>\n

Traders now largely expect the Fed to hold rates steady through the end of the current quarter and potentially until Powell\u2019s term as chair concludes in May.<\/p>\n

Political and geopolitical risks linger<\/h2>\n

Beyond monetary policy, concerns over the Federal Reserve\u2019s independence have added another layer of uncertainty to the market backdrop. <\/p>\n

A Department of Justice criminal investigation involving Powell, along with an evolving effort to remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook, has drawn attention to potential political interference in monetary policymaking. <\/p>\n

Those developments have contributed to a more cautious risk appetite among investors.<\/p>\n

Geopolitical risks have also weighed on sentiment. <\/p>\n

Reuters reported that US President Donald Trump is considering options against Iran, including targeted strikes on security forces and leadership figures, as protests continue in the country. <\/p>\n

The report added to broader unease about global stability, even as markets attempted to focus on earnings and economic fundamentals.<\/p>\n

The post US stocks open flat after Big Tech earnings, Fed decision: S&P below 7,000<\/a> appeared first on Invezz<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

US stocks were mixed on Thursday as investors balanced a fresh wave of earnings from major technology companies against the Federal Reserve\u2019s latest interest rate decision and lingering political and geopolitical uncertainty.The S&P 500 edged up 0.1%, reflecting a cautious tone after the benchmark briefly crossed the 7,000 level in the prior session. The Dow…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3318,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stock"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3317\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tradertideinsights.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}