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Stock market today: Nasdaq, S&P 500 poised for rebound amid Amazon cheer, jobs report

2024.11.01

US stocks were poised for a comeback on Friday as investors digested Amazon (AMZN) and Intel (INTC) earnings and all-important monthly jobs report.

Futures on the Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) popped 0.6%, while those on the S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 0.5%, both coming off steep losses fueled by after-earnings tumbles in Meta (META) and Microsoft (MSFT). Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) added 0.5%.

Upbeat earnings from Amazon are dissipating the gloom around Big Tech's prospects that drove Thursday's slump in stocks. Its shares jumped over 6% in premarket after CEO Andy Jassy said its cloud unit's AI business was seeing triple-digit revenue growth.

Morale also got a lift from Intel's (INTC) earnings beat and outlook, which revived hopes for the chipmaker's turnaround and boosted the stock. But Apple (AAPL) shares slipped as its results and outlook left Wall Street wanting more.

Markets also took in stride disappointing headline numbers from the all-important jobs report, as the US economy added just 12,000 jobs in October, significantly missing expectations. The government said those numbers were weighed down by recent hurricanes and strike activity, most prominently at Boeing (BA).

Markets are currently pricing in about 98% odds of a quarter-point rate cut at the Fed meeting next week, per CME FedWatch.

In corporates, Boeing shares tipped higher after the union backed its latest offer to end a harmful factory workers' strike. The sweetened deal would lift wages by 38%.

Meanwhile, oil prices rose almost 2% amid revived Mideast fears, after a report that Iran is planning a strike on Israel via militias that it backs in Iraq. Brent (BZ=F) crude futures traded at around $74 a barrel after briefly nudging $75, while West Texas Intermediate (CL=F) futures neared $71.

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Tech stocks in focus: Amazon, Intel, Nvidia rise while Apple sinks

Amazon (AMZN) and Intel (INTC) stocks jumped Friday, lifting Nvidia (NVDA) shares with them.

Amazon stock jumped as much as 7% premarket as the company proved it can balance hefty AI spending with profit growth. The company’s profit jumped more than 50% to over $17 billion in the third quarter, and its 11% operating margin came in above Wall Street’s expectations of just over 9%. At the same time, CEO Andy Jassy said the company will likely rack up $75 billion in expenses for the full year and spend even more next year.

That’s good news for Nvidia, which rose 1.5% premarket. The AI chipmakers’ shares had fallen a day earlier amid fears of moderating AI spending from Big Tech firms. The stock was also helped by positive sentiment on Intel, which itself jumped 7.6% premarket after giving an upbeat fourth quarter outlook. Intel’s guidance lifted chip stocks across the board after a rough few days.

Meanwhile, Apple (AAPL) fell roughly 2% on weaker-than-expected China sales, a hefty EU tax payment and a soft sales outlook for the current period. Apple projected sales will rise in the low-to-mid single digits in the December quarter, lower than the 7% expected by analysts.
Jobs report: Economy adds 12,000 jobs in big miss, unemployment rate holds steady

The US economy added just 12,000 jobs in October, fewer than the 100,000 economists expected. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.1%.

Recent strike activity, most prominently at Boeing (BA), and weather-related disruptions weighed on the labor market last month, the government said.

Yahoo Finance's Josh Schafer has the details here.
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