Stocks higher on big earnings, better retail sales

Stock Market Today: Stocks higher on big earnings, better retail sales originally appeared on TheStreet.

Update 4:37 p.m. EDT

Stocks ended higher Thursday, with the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq reaching fresh highs, amid a round earnings releases and economic data reports.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 230 points, or 0.5%, to finish the session 44,484.49, while the S&P 500 added 0.5%, closing at a record 6,297.36, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 0.74% to end the day at 20,884.27.

“Consumers are flexing their spending muscle again,” said Gina Bolvin, president of Bolvin Wealth Management Group. “After May’s slump, a 0.6% jump in retail sales shows that the American shopper is alive and well—and that matters for markets. Strong retail sales are like oxygen for the economy, and Wall Street is breathing a sigh of relief today.”

Netflix posted an earnings beat after the market close, with revenue climbing 16% during the second quarter.

The company forecast revenue of $11.5 billion, operating income of $3.6 billion, and operating margins of 31.5% in Q3, and updated its 2025 guidance for revenue to $44.8 billion-$45.2 billion, up from $43.5-$44.5 billion, and margins of 29.5 percent, up from 29 percent.

“Year-over-year revenue growth was primarily a function of more members, higher subscription pricing and increased ad revenue,” Netflix said in a statement.

Update 3:50 p.m. EDT

It’s been a day where small cap stock joined the big caps in a nicely broad rally.

Nearly 180 stock hit 52-week highs including the usual suspects — Microsoft (MSFT) , Nvidia (NVDA) , Eaton (ETN) and Broadcom (AVGO) — and some of the venerable, smaller stocks like the 129-year-old Tootsie Roll Industries (TR) .

The rally was caused by strong earnings from the likes of PepsiCo (PEP) and Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) and decent retail sales and a decline in initial jobless claims.

And there was relief President Trump didn’t try to fire Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

The Standard & Poor’s 500, Nasdaq Composite and Nasdaq-100 indexes hit 452-week highs.

The S&P 500 was up 39 points to 6,302. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 254 points to 44,509, and the Nasdaq rose 177 points to 20,908.

The tech dominated Nasdaq-100 was up 189 points to 23,097.

Update 11.44 a.m. EDT

Stocks moved higher on Thursday as strong earnings and better economic news cheered investors.

Five of 11 S&P 500 sectors were higher, led by infotech stocks, including Microsoft, Palantir (PLTR) , Oracle (ORCL) and First Solar (FSLR) .

Nine of the Nasdaq 100 components sported relative strength indexes above 70, led by Teledyne Technologies (TDY) at 80.4 and Nvidia (NVDA) with an RSI of 80. Advanced Micro Devices’ (AMD) RSI was 79.4, but the shares were down slightly at $159.

Netflix (NFLX) is due to report after the close. The shares are up 41% in 2025, but the RSI was just 51.3.

An RSI above 70 suggests a stock is pricey. Above 75 suggests it is vulnerable to selling. Above 80 can indicate a selloff is near.

The earnings included record profit from Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) , the key fabricator of high-end semiconductors; raised guidance from GE Aerospace (GE) ; and decent profit from United Airlines (UAL) after Wednesday’s close and from soft-drink-and-snack giant PepsiCo (PEP) before the open.

💸💰Don’t miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet’s free daily newsletter 💰💸

In addition, retail sales in June, at least the first whack at the data, bounced back from May’s decline, and initial jobless claims fell to 221,000 from a revised 228,000 a week earlier.

The bottom line is that, so far, President Trump’s tariff ideas, which are not yet official, aren’t deterring many consumers. Trump early today proposed a standard tariff rate of 10% to 25%.

At 11:27 a.m. EDT, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was up 24 points to 6,288. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 119 points to 44,374, and the Nasdaq Composite Index rose 143 points to 20,873.

The tech dominated Nasdaq-100 Index was up 150 points to 23,057.

The Nasdaq and Nasdaq-100 indexes hit 52-week highs.

Microsoft (MSFT) hit a new 52-week high of $509.37. Also hitting 52-week highs: Nvidia (NVDA) , Broadcom (AVGO) , and crypto giant Coinbase (COIN) .

Gold was down $19.90 at $3,339 per troy ounce. Crude oil was up 65 cents to $65.81 per barrel. The 10-year Treasury yield slipped to 4.446% from 4.463% on Wednesday.

Stock Market Today: Stocks higher on big earnings, better retail sales first appeared on TheStreet on Jul 17, 2025

This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.

Source link