Wall Street Brunch: Four More Mag 7 Plus Jobs And GDP

Earnings Reports - 180 S&P 500 companies are expected to report earnings this week, including four from the Magnificent 7, which will test the market's appetite for momentum names [2] - Microsoft, Apple, Meta, and Amazon are among the key companies reporting, with Microsoft and Meta on Wednesday and Apple and Amazon on Thursday [3] Microsoft - Analysts expect Microsoft to report EPS of $3.22 on revenue of$68.44 billion, although Morgan Stanley has lowered some estimates due to macroeconomic uncertainty [4] - There are mixed views on Microsoft's strategy, with some analysts believing the company is sacrificing profitability for economies of scale, while others warn of potential impacts from tariff retaliation and a U.S. recession [5] Apple - The Street anticipates Apple will report EPS of $1.61 on revenue of$94.06 billion, with some analysts expecting a slight earnings beat due to effective tariff management [6] - However, concerns exist regarding Apple's vulnerability to tariff impacts due to its integrated supply chain and significant revenue from China [6] Economic Indicators - The first estimate of Q1 GDP is expected to show a growth rate of 0.4%, influenced by a historic import surge due to anticipated tariff hikes [7] - Payrolls are expected to rise by 130,000, with the unemployment rate holding at 4.2% and average hourly earnings increasing by 0.3% [7] Trade Relations - Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated uncertainty about direct communications between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, suggesting that high tariff levels are unsustainable for China's business model [8] - Ken Griffin criticized the Trump administration's trade policies, arguing that tariffs will not revive American manufacturing jobs and emphasized the need for the U.S. to leverage its competitive advantages [9][10]