Latest news with #SmallBusinessOptimismIndex
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Lumen (LUMN) Stock Is Up Today
What Happened? Shares of telecommunications infrastructure company Lumen Technologies (NYSE:LUMN) jumped 4.7% in the afternoon session after the company announced it has surpassed 1,000 customers on its Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) platform, a major milestone since the service's launch. The Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) platform, which launched in late 2023, allows business customers like Best Buy, Foot Locker, and Columbia Sportswear to digitally manage and scale their network connectivity on demand. This milestone follows a recent second-quarter earnings report where Lumen posted a much narrower-than-expected loss per share of $0.03, significantly beating the consensus forecast of a $0.25 loss. During the earnings call, the company had highlighted strong growth in NaaS adoption. Adding to the positive sentiment, the company's CEO recently purchased over $500,000 worth of company stock, signaling strong internal confidence. Is now the time to buy Lumen? Access our full analysis report here, it's free. What Is The Market Telling Us Lumen's shares are extremely volatile and have had 49 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 previous big move we wrote about was about 24 hours ago when the stock gained 4.3% on the news that a key inflation report met expectations, bolstering hopes for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut, while a separate report indicated rising optimism among small businesses. The July Consumer Price Index (CPI) report showed annual inflation holding steady at 2.7%, aligning with forecasts and increasing the probability of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut to over 94%. Lower interest rates can stimulate the economy by making it cheaper for businesses to borrow and invest. Further boosting confidence, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Small Business Optimism Index rose to a five-month high. This is a crucial indicator for the Business Services sector, as many of its companies cater to small and medium-sized enterprises. The combined positive data fueled a broad, "risk-on" sentiment, where investors favor economically sensitive sectors, leading to gains across IT services, staffing, and manufacturing. Lumen is down 24.7% since the beginning of the year, and at $4.23 per share, it is trading 58.3% below its 52-week high of $10.12 from November 2024. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Lumen's shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $389.40. 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. 擷取數據時發生錯誤 登入存取你的投資組合 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
WEBTOON (WBTN) Stock Trades Up, Here Is Why
What Happened? Shares of digital storytelling platform WEBTOON (NASDAQ:WBTN) jumped 80.6% in the afternoon session after the company announced a strategic partnership with Disney and reported better-than-expected second-quarter results. The online comic platform announced a major multi-year partnership with Disney to bring approximately 100 titles from iconic brands like Marvel, Star Wars, and 20th Century Studios to its vertical-scroll app. This deal is expected to significantly boost Webtoon's content library and engage its global user base. Adding to the bullish sentiment, the company also reported strong second-quarter financial results, posting a surprise profit of $0.07 per share, where analysts had anticipated a loss. Revenue also beat expectations, rising 8.5% year-over-year to $348.3 million. In response to the news, analysts at firms like Evercore ISI and Goldman Sachs raised their price targets on the stock, signaling confidence in the company's growth trajectory following the Disney partnership. Is now the time to buy WEBTOON? Access our full analysis report here, it's free. What Is The Market Telling Us WEBTOON's shares are extremely volatile and have had 37 moves greater than 5% over the last year. But moves this big are rare even for WEBTOON and indicate this news significantly impacted the market's perception of the business. The previous big move we wrote about was 1 day ago when the stock gained 3% on the news that a key inflation report met expectations, bolstering hopes for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut, while a separate report indicated rising optimism among small businesses. The July Consumer Price Index (CPI) report showed annual inflation holding steady at 2.7%, aligning with forecasts and increasing the probability of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut to over 94%. Lower interest rates can stimulate the economy by making it cheaper for businesses to borrow and invest. Further boosting confidence, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Small Business Optimism Index rose to a five-month high. This is a crucial indicator for the Business Services sector, as many of its companies cater to small and medium-sized enterprises. The combined positive data fueled a broad, "risk-on" sentiment, where investors favor economically sensitive sectors, leading to gains across IT services, staffing, and manufacturing. WEBTOON is up 20.6% since the beginning of the year, and at $16.40 per share, has set a new 52-week high. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of WEBTOON's shares at the IPO in June 2024 would now be looking at an investment worth $712.61. 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.
The Hill
4 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
Small-business optimism rises amid tariff uncertainty
Optimism among small businesses rose last month, with respondents reporting better business conditions, despite uncertainty around tariffs and inflation. The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) said on Tuesday that its Small Business Optimism Index went up 1.7 points in July to 100.3, just above the index's long-term average of 98. The factors that contributed to the rise of the index were respondents reporting better business conditions and arguing that it is a good time to expand. About 16 percent of respondents said it was a good time to expand their business, 5-point increase from June. The Uncertainty Index spiked by 8 points from June to 97. One-in-five small business, 21 percent, said that labor quality was the most important problem, increasing by 5 points from June. 'Optimism rose slightly in July with owners reporting more positive expectations on business conditions and expansion opportunities. While uncertainty is still high, the next six months will hopefully offer business owners more clarity, especially as owners see the results of Congress making the 20 percent Small Business Deduction permanent and the final shape of trade policy,' NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg said in a statement. 'Meanwhile, labor quality has become the top issue on Main Street again,' Dunkelberg added. When discussing the overall health of their business, 52 percent said it was 'good,' 13 percent said it was 'excellent,' 4 percent said it was 'poor' and 31 percent said it was 'fair.' Around 11 percent of owners said that inflation was their most important problem in running their business. Some net 6 percent of owners are expecting higher real sales volumes.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Small Business Owners Say Taxes Are Their Biggest Worry
Taxes were the biggest worry for small business owners in May, the monthly small business optimism survey showed. The survey results come as Congress continues to debate President Donald Trump's 'Big, Beautiful' budget bill, which has been criticized for adding to the deficit. Overall, the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index increased for the first time this year to reach 98.8, after declining on tariff Congress continues to debate President Donald Trump's signature legislative proposal, small business owners are becoming increasingly worried about the lack of clarity on taxes. The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) monthly survey on small business optimism showed that taxes are the top concern for many business owners, as inflation worries ebbed. It also found that uncertainty among small business owners rose as tariff and tax policies remained unclear. 'The economy will continue to stumble along until the major sources of uncertainty are resolved. It's hard to steer a ship in the fog,' the report said. Overall, the NFIB said small business optimism increased for the first time this year, coming in at 98.8 in May after declining in March and April amid ongoing concerns over U.S. tariffs. The report showed that tariffs didn't fuel as much inflation anxiety among business owners as they have for consumers. Instead, taxes were the top concern for 18% of business owners in May, outranking both inflation and labor quality. Inflation is frequently the top concern for small businesses, and remained the biggest worry for 14% of owners in May. Taxes haven't been the biggest concern for business owners since 2020, the report showed. 'This issue will likely remain top of mind for small firms over the next couple of months as Congress irons out the details of its tax and spending bill,' wrote Wells Fargo economists Jackie Benson and Ali Hajibeigi. The report comes as Congress considers Trump's 'Big, Beautiful' budget bill, which would extend many tax cuts that were first enacted in 2017. While the bill passed the House of Representatives by only one vote, some senators have raised questions about its spending cuts. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, once a Trump ally, has also criticized the legislation as an abomination due to projections that it will increase the budget deficit. 'Congress hasn't passed the Big Beautiful Bill yet, and Trump is still messing with tariffs; the uncertainty level is rising,' the report said. 'While tariffs might be a bumpy road while countries negotiate trade deals, Congress can do its part by passing the BBB sooner rather than later to take that piece of uncertainty off the table.' 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
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US small business sentiment improves in May, but uncertainty rising
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. small-business confidence improved in May, likely because of a de-escalation in trade tensions between Washington and China, though uncertainty over the outlook mounted amid worries over the fate of President Donald Trump's tax-cut agenda. The National Federation of Independent Business said on Tuesday its Small Business Optimism Index increased three points to 98.8 last month, rising for the first time since December. The trade truce resulted in the Trump administration slashing tariffs on Chinese goods to 30% from 145% through early August. That probably led small business owners to anticipate higher sales, accounting for most of the increase in the index. But the survey's uncertainty index rose two points to 94. "Congress hasn't passed the big beautiful bill yet, and Trump is still messing with tariffs, the uncertainty level is rising," said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg. "While tariffs might be a bumpy road while countries negotiate trade deals, Congress can do their part by passing the BBB sooner rather than later to take that piece of uncertainty off the table." Trump's so-called big beautiful bill squeaked through the U.S. House of Representatives last month, but is facing stiff opposition from conservative Republicans in the Senate amid concerns that it would significantly add to the nation's already large debt. It is at the center of a feud between Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk. The share of small businesses expecting higher inflation-adjusted sales volumes jumped 11 points to 10%, accounting for most of the improvement in the Optimism Index. There was also a big rise in the proportion expecting better business conditions, though the share reporting taxes as their single most important problem increased. The share viewing current inventory as "too low" was the highest since August 2022. That, together with lengthening delivery times of inputs to factories, suggests shortages of some goods and price hikes could be looming. The survey also confirmed the labor market was slowing. The share of owners reporting labor quality was the single most important problem for their business dropped close to levels last seen in the spring of 2020. The share raising compensation was the lowest since early 2021. "Overall, the economy will continue to stumble along until the major sources of uncertainty are resolved," said Dunkelberg. "It's hard to steer a ship in the fog."
