Fed's first interest rate cut this year may happen in the fourth quarter: Charles Schwab
Kevin Gordon of Charles Schwab shares his view on the Fed's rate cut trajectory this year, AI's impact on American jobs, and the U.S.-China rivalry.
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17 minutes ago
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Down Nearly 60%, Should You Buy the Dip on SoundHound AI?
SoundHound AI is growing rapidly, but it's racking up steep losses. Its growing dependence on acquisitions raises a few red flags. A lot of growth has already been baked into its valuations. 10 stocks we like better than SoundHound AI › SoundHound AI (NASDAQ: SOUN), a developer of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered audio recognition tools, saw its stock close at a record high of $24.23 on Dec. 26, 2024. But since then, its stock has declined nearly 60%. Let's see why this hot stock fizzled out -- and if its pullback represents a buying opportunity for long-term investors. SoundHound AI's namesake app identifies songs by listening to several seconds of recorded audio or a few hummed bars. However, most of its growth is fueled by Houndify, its developer platform, which allows businesses to create their own custom voice recognition tools. Houndify powers voice recognition features in restaurant ordering platforms, smart TVs, connected cars, and other devices. It's an appealing option for companies that don't want to send data to Microsoft, Alphabet's Google, or other tech giants that provide their own data-gathering voice recognition services. SoundHound AI initially attracted a lot of attention for three reasons. First, its revenue surged 47% in 2022, rose another 47% in 2023, and jumped 85% in 2024. Second, the booming AI market drove a stampede of bulls to its AI-driven stock. Lastly, the AI chipmaking bellwether Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) boosted its stake in SoundHound and integrated its voice recognition tools into its Drive platform for connected vehicles. Yet Soundify's stock stumbled for three reasons. First, most of its growth in 2023 and 2024 was driven by acquisitions -- including the restaurant AI company SYNQ3, the online food ordering platform Allset, and the conversational AI company Amelia. That strategy strengthened its position in the restaurant industry, but it also indicated it was running out of room to grow. Second, those acquisitions made it even tougher to break even. Its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) margins came in at negative 73% last year -- which broadly missed its original target of achieving a positive adjusted EBITDA margin by 2024. Lastly, Nvidia liquidated its entire position in SoundHound AI earlier this year. SoundHound ended 2024 with a backlog of $1.2 billion, and it already serves big automakers like Stellantis, quick-serve restaurants like Chipotle, healthcare institutions like MUSC Health, and tech giants like Tencent. Automakers are adding more voice-activated features to their vehicles, restaurants are using more of its AI tools to process their drive-thru and phone orders, and healthcare institutions are processing more patient requests with Amelia's AI chatbots. SoundHound could still have plenty of room to expand. From 2025 to 2035, the global voice agents market could grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 34.8%, according to market research firm as more companies replace their human workers with AI-powered voice agents. For 2025, SoundHound expects its revenue to surge 97%. From 2024 to 2027, analysts expect its revenue to rise at a CAGR of 48%, from $85 million to $277 million. They also expect it to finally squeeze out a positive adjusted EBITDA of $5 million in 2027. That outlook seems promising, but a lot of its future growth has already been baked into its valuations. With a market cap of $4.1 billion, it already trades at 25.5 times this year's sales. It's also more than doubled its number of shares since it went public by merging with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) just over three years ago, and that dilution will likely continue as it relies on its secondary offerings to raise fresh cash and its stock-based compensation to subsidize its salaries and acquisitions. So while SoundHound AI is still growing rapidly, it hasn't proven that it deserves its premium valuation or that its business model is sustainable. I might nibble on the stock after its recent pullback -- since its core market is still expanding -- but I wouldn't go all in until it meaningfully narrows its losses. Before you buy stock in SoundHound AI, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and SoundHound AI wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $656,825!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $865,550!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 994% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025 Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Leo Sun has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tencent. The Motley Fool recommends Stellantis and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft, short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft, and short June 2025 $55 calls on Chipotle Mexican Grill. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Down Nearly 60%, Should You Buy the Dip on SoundHound AI? was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
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Trump Wants the Fed to Cut Interest Rates by a Full Point. That Normally Takes a Recession
President Donald Trump demanded the Federal Reserve lower its benchmark interest rate by an entire percentage point. The Fed, which operates independently of White House control, has resisted Trump's call to lower interest rates. Lower rates could boost the economy but risk igniting inflation. The Fed typically adjusts its interest rate a quarter point at a time: the last time it cut a full point was in March 2020 when the pandemic Donald Trump renewed his calls on the Federal Reserve to lower its benchmark interest rate Friday, and this time, he had a specific (and huge) ask in mind. In a series of social media posts Friday morning, Trump pointed to the economy's recent track record of solid job growth and cooling inflation, and taunted Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for not having lowered interest rates sooner. Trump said the central bank should lower its influential fed funds rate by "a full point," saying it would be economic "Rocket Fuel!"The Fed adjusts its fed funds rate, which influences borrowing costs on all kinds of loans, to keep inflation down and employment high. Fed officials have kept their rate higher than usual so far this year in an effort to push inflation down to its goal of a 2% annual rate. Officials said they are waiting to see what happens in the economy because they are concerned Trump's tariffs could push up prices and set off a fresh round of Fed's cautious approach has angered Trump, who wants rate cuts and the economic growth they could promote. A full percentage point cut would be a major move by the Fed and would bring the fed funds rate to a range of 3.25% to 3.5%, its lowest since September 2022. The Fed typically moves rates a quarter-point at a time. The last time the Fed cut rates an entire percentage point was March 2020, when it was evident that the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic would thrash the economy. Before that, the Fed cut an entire point in December 2008, during the Great Recession. The posts were the latest moves in Trump's pressure campaign to influence the Fed's decision-making about monetary policy. The central bank is designed to be insulated from politics, and Powell has said the Fed's decisions will be based only on economic considerations. Trump has repeatedly criticized Powell for not lowering interest rates, in contrast to the Fed's European counterpart. The European Central Bank has cut rates eight times since last June. The Fed cut rates three times over that time period, including a jumbo half-point cut in September, but has kept rates flat. Read the original article on Investopedia Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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18 minutes ago
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Lululemon Stretched by Tariffs, Macro
Lululemon beat Wall Street's top- and bottom-line expectations, but it cut guidance over macroeconomic concerns. The company's international business posted solid growth, but the Americas region was weak. Lululemon is taking steps to mitigate the impact of tariffs, but until U.S. consumer confidence grows, there is little the company can do to bounce back. 10 stocks we like better than Lululemon Athletica Inc. › Here's our initial take on Lululemon Athletica's (NASDAQ: LULU) financial report. Metric Q1 2024 Q1 2025 Change vs. Expectations Revenue $2.2 billion $2.4 billion 7.3% Beat Earnings per share $2.54 $2.60 2% Beat Comparable sales 6% 1% -500 bps n/a Gross margin 57.7% 58.3% 60 bps n/a Athletic apparel specialist Lululemon beat Wall Street top- and bottom-line expectations for the quarter, delivering 7.3% revenue growth and a slight uptick in earnings per share. But CEO Calvin McDonald warned of a "dynamic macroenvironment" that the company expects to weigh on results in the quarters to come. First, the good news. Revenue growth came in toward the top of Lululemon's guidance, fueled by strong 6% international comparable sales. Overall international net revenue increased by 19%, or 20% when adjusted for currency fluctuations. But Americas comp sales were down 2% and overall revenue was up by just 3%, pressured by an uncertain American consumer. Lululemon does not expect those pressures to ease in the months to come. The company cut its full-year guidance, saying it now expects to earn between $14.58 and $14.78 per share. That's down from its previous $14.95 to $15.15 per share guidance, and below Wall Street's $14.89 consensus estimate. The somber tone and cut guidance appeared to have caught investors off guard. Lululemon shares, already down 11% for the year heading into earnings, were down 20% in after-hours trading ahead of the New York open Friday. McDonald pledged to "leverage our strong financial position and competitive advantages to play offense, while we continue to invest in the growth opportunities in front of us." Lululemon has the wherewithal to weather this storm, but there is only so much the company can do in this environment. Chief financial officer Meghan Frank, on the post-earnings call, said the company is looking to take "strategic price increases" to mitigate the impact of tariffs, as well as evaluating sourcing options. But any efficiency gains made will take time to play out. The good news for investors is Lululemon market share held up well in a rough environment, which implies there is nothing wrong with the brand. But until there is more certainty on the macro front, Lululemon stock could be stuck in neutral. Full earnings report Investor relations page Additional coverage Before you buy stock in Lululemon Athletica Inc., consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Lululemon Athletica Inc. wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $674,395!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $858,011!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 997% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025 Lou Whiteman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Lululemon Athletica Inc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Lululemon Stretched by Tariffs, Macro was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
