What Moved Markets This Week

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Wall Street finished the week sharply higher as investors weighed a stronger-than-expected U.S. jobs report, upbeat semiconductor earnings, and escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

According to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. nonfarm payrolls increased by 115K jobs in April, surpassing economists’ consensus estimate of 63K. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%, signaling continued resilience in the labor market despite broader economic uncertainty.

Shares of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) surged 26.2% for the week after the semiconductor company delivered first-quarter results and forward guidance that topped Wall Street expectations, boosting investor confidence in the firm’s growth trajectory.

Middle East tensions remained elevated after the U.S. military launched retaliatory strikes on Iranian military sites following what Washington described as an attack by Iran on Navy warships transiting the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz.

For the week, the S&P (SP500) added +2.3%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (COMP:IND) jumped +4.5%, and the blue-chip Dow (DJI) added +0.2%. Read a preview of next week’s major events in Seeking Alpha’s Catalyst Watch.

It’s been two months since the war on Iran broke out, and Seeking Alpha’s investing community doesn’t appear to have an optimistic outlook on the conflict. SA readers largely see the U.S. winning the war. But their views on the Trump administration’s military objectives and approach to Iran are less positive. Read more.

Seeking Alpha’s Calls Of The Week

Why Dycom (DY) Is A Strong Buy After The Breakout.

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B): Greg Abel Wins Big In Q1.

Cameco’s (CCJ) Robust Q1 Results, Attractive Valuation.

Harley-Davidson (HOG) Sees Strong Cultural Resurgence.

Oaktree Specialty Lending (OCSL) Needs More Improvement.

Downgrading Aviat Networks (AVNW) On Reduced Guidance.

Sixth Street Specialty (TSLX) Just Crashed After A Dividend Cut.

Moving To The Sidelines On JEPQ – The Torch Has Been Passed.

Sell Tesla (TSLA) At Current Valuation As Its Comeback Is Unlikely.

OneSpan: (OSPN) Cloudy Growth Potential, Legacy Business Drags.

Weekly Movement

U.S. Indices
Dow +0.2% to 49,609. S&P 500 +2.3% to 7,399. Nasdaq +4.5% to 26,247. Russell 2000 +1.7% to 2,861. CBOE Volatility Index +1.2% to 17.19.

S&P 500 Sectors
Consumer Staples -0.2%. Utilities -4%. Financials -1.4%. Telecom +1.9%. Healthcare -1.2%. Industrials +0.2%. Information Technology +7%. Materials +0.6%. Energy -5.4%. Consumer Discretionary +1.8%. Real Estate flat.

World Indices
London -1.3% to 10,233. France flat at 8,113. Germany +0.2% to 24,339. Japan +5.4% to 62,714. China +1.7% to 4,180. Hong Kong +2.4% to 26,394. India +0.5% to 77,328.

Commodities and Bonds
Crude Oil WTI -6.4% to $95.42/bbl. Gold +1.9% to $4,730.7/oz. Natural Gas -0.8% to 2.757. Ten-Year Bond Yield -0.2 bps to 4.364.

Forex and Cryptos
EUR/USD +0.55%. USD/JPY -0.25%. GBP/USD +0.43%. Bitcoin +2.1%. Litecoin +5.8%. Ethereum -0.1%. XRP +2.4%.

Top S&P 500 Gainers
Datadog (DDOG) +42%. Akamai Technologies (AKAM) +42%. Micron Technology (MU) +38%. Fortinet (FTNT) +32%. Sandisk (SNDK) +32%.

Top S&P 500 Losers
Zoetis (ZTS) -27%. CDW (CDW) -23%. Arista Networks (ANET) -18%. Cencora (COR) -14%. Leidos Holdings (LDOS) -13%.

Where will the markets be headed next week? Current trends and ideas? Add your thoughts to the comments section.