Latest news with #PresentSituationIndex
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Is iHeartMedia (IHRT) Stock Rocketing Higher Today
What Happened? Shares of global media and entertainment company iHeartMedia (NASDAQ:IHRT) jumped 29.4% in the morning session after the company reported strong second-quarter results. It was encouraging to see iHeartMedia beat analysts' revenue expectations this quarter. In addition, its EBITDA outperformed Wall Street's estimates. On the other hand, its EPS missed and its EBITDA guidance for next quarter fell short of Wall Street's estimates. Management pointed to strong performance in the Digital Audio Group, particularly in podcasting, which saw continued growth in both consumer and advertiser demand. Overall, this was a decent quarter. Is now the time to buy iHeartMedia? Access our full analysis report here, it's free. What Is The Market Telling Us iHeartMedia's shares are extremely volatile and have had 74 moves greater than 5% over the last year. But moves this big are rare even for iHeartMedia and indicate this news significantly impacted the market's perception of the business. The previous big move we wrote about was 14 days ago when the stock dropped 3% on the news that the latest U.S. consumer confidence report revealed underlying weakness despite a headline increase, raising concerns about future spending. While the Conference Board's headline Consumer Confidence Index rose to 97.2 in July, the details painted a more cautious picture for investors. The Present Situation Index, a measure of consumers' assessment of current business and labor market conditions, actually fell. More telling for the sector, the report showed a decline in buying intentions for major discretionary items such as homes, cars, and most appliances. This combination of factors signals potential weakness in future consumer spending, casting a shadow over companies that rely on non-essential purchases. iHeartMedia is down 0.5% since the beginning of the year, and at $2.01 per share, it is trading 23% below its 52-week high of $2.61 from December 2024. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of iHeartMedia's shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $212.92. Unless you've been living under a rock, it should be obvious by now that generative AI is going to have a huge impact on how large corporations do business. While Nvidia and AMD are trading close to all-time highs, we prefer a lesser-known (but still profitable) semiconductor stock benefiting from the rise of AI. Click here to access our free report on our favorite semiconductor growth story. 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
Fibre2Fashion
02-08-2025
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
Expectations improve, US consumer confidence hits 97.2 in July: TCB
US consumer confidence showed a modest improvement in July, with The Conference Board's (TCB) Consumer Confidence Index rising to 97.2 from a revised 95.2 in June. While the overall index ticked up by 2 points, the underlying picture remained mixed. US consumer confidence rose to 97.2 in July from 95.2 in June, driven by improved expectations despite mixed views. The Present Situation Index dipped, but the Expectations Index climbed to 74.4. Optimism grew among over-35s and Republicans. Fewer consumers expect rate hikes, though credit card rates may rise. Recession fears eased slightly but remain elevated. The Present Situation Index, reflecting consumers' views on current business and labour market conditions, fell slightly to 131.5, whereas the Expectations Index—which measures short-term outlook for income, business, and employment—rose by 4.5 points to 74.4. Despite the gain, expectations remained below the recession-warning threshold of 80 for the sixth consecutive month. The increase in confidence was primarily driven by consumers aged over 35 and spanned most income groups, except the lowest bracket of households earning under $15,000 annually. Confidence rose among Republican respondents, while it held steady among Democrats and Independents. At the same time, fewer consumers now expect interest rates to rise, and more anticipate they may fall, though credit card rates are widely expected to climb further. Consumers' financial sentiment remained relatively steady but softened slightly in July. Views on current and future family finances deteriorated modestly, and while recession expectations declined slightly, they remained elevated compared to 2024 levels. Purchasing plans showed caution, TCB said in a release. Consumers' views on the current economy offered a mixed picture. Assessments of current business conditions were slightly more favourable, with 20.1 per cent describing conditions as 'good,' down marginally from 20.5 per cent in June, and 14.3 per cent calling them 'bad,' down from 15 per cent. Labour market sentiment cooled: 30.2 per cent said jobs were 'plentiful,' up from 29.4 per cent, but 18.9 per cent said jobs were 'hard to get,' up from 17.2 per cent. Expectations for the next six months showed slight optimism. 18.4 per cent of consumers expected business conditions to improve, up from 17.1 per cent, while the share expecting worsening conditions fell to 23.3 per cent from 24.8 per cent. Similarly, 17.5 per cent expected more jobs to become available, up from 15.9 per cent, while 25.4 per cent anticipated fewer jobs—slightly down from 25.7 per cent. Income expectations were also more upbeat, with 18.2 per cent expecting a rise, up from 17.6 per cent, and 12 per cent anticipating a decline, down from 12.9 per cent. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tariffs Hurt Footwear, Apparel Growth, Says Moody's
Unresolved U.S. tariff policy keeps outlook for the global retail and apparel sector at negative, said credit ratings firm Moody's Ratings. 'U.S. companies in the segment still face higher costs even at current tariff levels, with apparel and footwear, big-box and department stores struggling most,' said credit analysts at Moody's in a report last week. More from WWD Questions Remain on US-EU Trade Deal, But 'Reduction of Uncertainty' Could Be Positive Step CEO TALKS: Tim Little of Grenson on the Power of Retail, Potential Investors and Keeping a Heritage Footwear Brand Alive ERL Takes Flip-flop Trend to New Heights as the Brand Continues to Grow Footwear The credit analysts also kept their revenue growth projection for the next 12 months in the 0-3 percent range, reflecting weak unit demand offsetting increased pricing to defray higher costs. 'The effect of tariffs will drag materially on earnings through at least the first half of 2026, since companies will have limited ability to raise prices without hurting demand,' the analysts concluded, noting that affordability remains particularly critical for middle- and lower-income consumers. 'The costs of implemented tariffs will begin to hurt retailers' profitability once companies sell through any inventory that they purchased earlier in 2025,' they also said. While the largest retail and apparel firms can absorb the higher costs from tariffs, even they may face higher near-term costs as they try to restructure supply chains or re-engineer products to use inputs more cost effectively. U.S. footwear and apparel firms, and department stores, are the most likely to struggle with further tariff hikes due to reciprocal tariffs on many Asian countries, which are key sources of supply. Moody's also cited Nike and Under Armour as firms impacted by their heavy concentration in technical apparel and footwear that is difficult to move out of Asian manufacturing hubs. In addition, 'heavy promotional activity in some of their assortment makes it harder to raise prices,' the report said. The credit analysts also said they expect Walmart to outperform, as its scale and significant exposure to grocery has relatively low tariff exposure helped by the discounter's negotiating leverage with vendors coupled with its supply-chain expertise. In contrast, they expect Target's operating performance will be weak, due in part to the mass discounter's higher mix of discretionary general merchandise mix. Separately, the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index in July rose 2 points to 97.2 from a revised 95.2 in June. The Present Situation Index slipped 1.5 points to 131.5, while the Expectations component rose 4.5 points to 74.4 —although that level is below the threshold of 80, which typically signals a recession ahead for the sixth consecutive month. One data point to note is that the consumer appraisal of current job availability has weakened for the seventh consecutive month, reaching its lowest level since March 2021, said Stephanie Guichard, senior economist, global indicators at the Conference Board. 'Consumers' write-in responses showed that tariffs remained top of mind and were mostly associated with concerns that they would lead to higher prices,' Guichard said. Best of WWD All the Retailers That Nike Left and Then Went Back Mikey Madison's Elegant Red Carpet Shoe Style [PHOTOS] Julia Fox's Sleekest and Boldest Shoe Looks Over the Years [Photos]
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Why Is Harley-Davidson (HOG) Stock Rocketing Higher Today
What Happened? Shares of american motorcycle manufacturing company Harley-Davidson (NYSE:HOG) jumped 19.8% in the morning session after the company announced a strategic partnership for its financial services arm that overshadowed disappointing second-quarter results. The motorcycle maker announced a strategic partnership with KKR and PIMCO for its financing arm, Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS). This deal was set to unlock approximately $1.25 billion to $1.5 billion in cash, which the company planned to use to reduce debt by $450 million and accelerate a $1 billion share buyback program. This major strategic shift helped investors look past a challenging quarter where profit fell by nearly half. The company's revenue declined 19% to $1.31 billion, driven by a 27% drop in motorcycle sales and a 28% decrease in global shipments amid soft consumer demand. The positive reaction indicated investors prioritized the company's move to lighten its balance sheet and return capital to shareholders over the weak underlying performance. Is now the time to buy Harley-Davidson? Access our full analysis report here, it's free. What Is The Market Telling Us Harley-Davidson's shares are somewhat volatile and have had 11 moves greater than 5% over the last year. But moves this big are rare even for Harley-Davidson and indicate this news significantly impacted the market's perception of the business. The previous big move we wrote about was about 23 hours ago when the stock dropped 3% on the news that the latest U.S. consumer confidence report revealed underlying weakness despite a headline increase, raising concerns about future spending. While the Conference Board's headline Consumer Confidence Index rose to 97.2 in July, the details painted a more cautious picture for investors. The Present Situation Index, a measure of consumers' assessment of current business and labor market conditions, actually fell. More telling for the sector, the report showed a decline in buying intentions for major discretionary items such as homes, cars, and most appliances. This combination of factors signals potential weakness in future consumer spending, casting a shadow over companies that rely on non-essential purchases. Harley-Davidson is down 8.9% since the beginning of the year, and at $26.81 per share, it is trading 32.2% below its 52-week high of $39.53 from September 2024. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Harley-Davidson's shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,007. Today's young investors likely haven't read the timeless lessons in Gorilla Game: Picking Winners In High Technology because it was written more than 20 years ago when Microsoft and Apple were first establishing their supremacy. But if we apply the same principles, then enterprise software stocks leveraging their own generative AI capabilities may well be the Gorillas of the future. So, in that spirit, we are excited to present our Special Free Report on a profitable, fast-growing enterprise software stock that is already riding the automation wave and looking to catch the generative AI next. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Xponential Fitness, Topgolf Callaway, Scholastic, Hanesbrands, and LKQ Stocks Trade Down, What You Need To Know
What Happened? A number of stocks fell in the afternoon session after the latest U.S. consumer confidence report revealed underlying weakness despite a headline increase, raising concerns about future spending. While the Conference Board's headline Consumer Confidence Index rose to 97.2 in July, the details painted a more cautious picture for investors. The Present Situation Index, a measure of consumers' assessment of current business and labor market conditions, actually fell. More telling for the sector, the report showed a decline in buying intentions for major discretionary items such as homes, cars, and most appliances. This combination of factors signals potential weakness in future consumer spending, casting a shadow over companies that rely on non-essential purchases. The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks. Among others, the following stocks were impacted: Leisure Facilities company Xponential Fitness (NYSE:XPOF) fell 3.6%. Is now the time to buy Xponential Fitness? Access our full analysis report here, it's free. Leisure Facilities company Topgolf Callaway (NYSE:MODG) fell 3.1%. Is now the time to buy Topgolf Callaway? Access our full analysis report here, it's free. Media company Scholastic (NASDAQ:SCHL) fell 3.4%. Is now the time to buy Scholastic? Access our full analysis report here, it's free. Apparel and Accessories company Hanesbrands (NYSE:HBI) fell 4.2%. Is now the time to buy Hanesbrands? Access our full analysis report here, it's free. Specialized Consumer Services company LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ) fell 3%. Is now the time to buy LKQ? Access our full analysis report here, it's free. Zooming In On Hanesbrands (HBI) Hanesbrands's shares are quite volatile and have had 17 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today's move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business. The biggest move we wrote about over the last year was 2 months ago when the stock gained 5.3% on the news that the major indices rebounded (Nasdaq +2.0%, S&P 500 +2.0%) as President Trump postponed the planned 50% tariff on European Union imports, shifting the start date to July 9, 2025. Companies with substantial business ties to Europe likely had some relief as the delay reduced near-term cost pressures and preserved cross-border demand. Hanesbrands is down 46.2% since the beginning of the year, and at $4.32 per share, it is trading 51.5% below its 52-week high of $8.91 from December 2024. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Hanesbrands's shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $295.06. Here at StockStory, we certainly understand the potential of thematic investing. Diverse winners from Microsoft (MSFT) to Alphabet (GOOG), Coca-Cola (KO) to Monster Beverage (MNST) could all have been identified as promising growth stories with a megatrend driving the growth. So, in that spirit, we've identified a relatively under-the-radar profitable growth stock benefiting from the rise of AI, available to you FREE via this link. 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
