Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition

On today's podcast:
1) Markets take a hit as President Trump unleashes a wave of new tariff rates. The world is facing some of the steepest US tariffs since the 1930s, with an average of 15%, according to the text. So far, the global economy has held up better than many economists expected after Trump’s initial tariff blitz. A rush to beat the elevated rates spurred a front-loading of exports, aiding many Asian economies and shielding US consumers from price spikes.
2) Shares of Amazon sell off while Apple rises following the latest tech earnings. Apple reported its fastest quarterly revenue growth in more than three years, with revenue rising 9.6% to $94 billion in the fiscal third quarter. Amazon dropped in premarket trading after projecting weaker-than-expected operating income and trailing the sales growth of its cloud rivals. CEO Andy Jassy said it was "very early days" in artificial intelligence, and that the company's efforts to lower the costs of running AI applications would draw more customers over time.
3) Investors prepare for the July jobs report to wrap up a week of key US economic data. Bloomberg Economics predicts July’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm payrolls to increase by 160,000 — higher than the consensus expectation of 105,000.

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Amazon.com dropped in late trading after projecting weaker-than-expected operating income and trailing the sales growth of its cloud rivals, leaving investors searching for signs that the company’s huge investments in artificial intelligence are paying off. Operating profit will be $15.5 billion to $20.5 billion in the period ending in September, compared with an average estimate of $19.4 billion. Sales will be $174 billion to $179.5 billion, the company said Thursday in a statement. Analysts, on average, expected $173.2 billion. Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy is engaged in an AI infrastructure arms race with Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc. that requires heavy spending on data centers. Both of those rivals earlier reported strong earnings showing they are benefiting from the AI boom.

For instant reaction and analysis, hosts Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec speak with:

• Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Technology Analyst Anurag Rana
• Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Analyst for E-commerce & Athleisure Poonam Goyal

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On today's podcast: 

1) Tech stocks surge after blowout quarters by Microsoft and Meta, and more Mag 7 earnings on tap as Apple and Amazon report today. Microsoft shares gained more than 8% in after-hours trading while Meta jumped more than 11% after both pledged to spend lavishly on artificial intelligence. Stocks rose in early trading as upbeat earnings helped drive optimism over resilient corporate profits. 

2) Fed Chair Jay Powell bucks pressure from the White House and two dissenters to leave rates unchanged. The dollar dropped, sliding from its highest level since May after Fed Chair Jay Powell Wednesday said no decision had been made about easing policy in September. 

3) President Trump unleashes a flurry of trade surprises ahead of tomorrow's deadline. The president announced tariffs of 15% on imports from South Korea and 25% on imports from India, accompanied by criticism of India's purchases of Russian energy and weapons. Deals are being drafted or have been agreed upon with several countries, including Thailand, Cambodia, and Taiwan, as Trump attempts to create a new global trade order.

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Microsoft reported better-than-expected growth in its cloud business and said spending on AI infrastructure hit a record. The closely watched Azure cloud-computing unit posted a 39% rise in sales during Microsoft’s fiscal fourth quarter, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. Analysts projected 34% revenue growth. The shares rose about 7% in extended trading after closing at $513.24 in New York. The company’s stock was up about 22% this year through the Wednesday close.

Meta also reported results that sent shares higher after the close. Meta topped projections for second-quarter sales and gave a stronger-than-expected forecast for the current period, a sign that the social media company’s advertising business is still growing quickly enough to support aggressive spending on artificial intelligence. Shares jumped as much as 10% in late trading. Third-quarter sales will be $47.5 billion to $50.5 billion, Meta said in a statement Wednesday, with the midpoint of that range exceeding the average analyst estimate of $46.2 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The social media giant, which owns Instagram and Facebook, reported second-quarter revenue of $47.5 billion. Meta stock was up 18.7% so far this year before Wednesday’s report.

For instant reaction and analysis to earnings for both big tech companies, hosts Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec speak with:

• Dan Ives, Global Head of Technology Research at Wedbush Securities
• Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Technology Analyst Anurag Rana
• Greg Halter, Director of Research at Carnegie Investment Counsel

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Bloomberg's Tom Keene, Jonathan Ferro and Lisa Abramowicz discuss remarks from Fed Chair Jay Powell following the Federal Reserve's latest policy decision on a special edition of Bloomberg Surveillance|

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said interest rates are in the right place to manage continued uncertainty around tariffs and inflation, tempering expectations for a rate cut in September.
“There are many, many uncertainties left to resolve,” Powell told reporters Wednesday following the central bank’s decision to once again keep rates unchanged. “It doesn’t feel like we are very close to the end of that process.”

The Federal Open Market Committee voted 9-2 to hold its benchmark federal funds rate in a range of 4.25%-4.5%, as they have at each of their meetings this year. Governors Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman voted against the decision in favor of a quarter-point cut.

Traders pared back their expectations for rate cuts as Powell spoke. Interest-rate futures indicated roughly even odds on a reduction at the next meeting in September, down from about 60% earlier in the day. Treasuries extended losses, the dollar surged to the highest since May and the S&P 500 fell.

In their post-meeting statement, officials downgraded their view of the US economy, saying “recent indicators suggest that growth of economic activity moderated in the first half of the year.” The Fed had previously characterized growth as expanding “at a solid pace.”

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On today's podcast:
1) President Donald Trump is set to make the final call on maintaining a tariff truce with China before it expires in two weeks, an extension that would mark a con
2) Stocks struggled in the hours before Wednesday’s Federal Reserve interest-rate decision as traders tackled a heavy load of major company earnings.
3) Four-foot (1.2-meter) tsunami waves were recorded in Hawaii, while remote parts of California also braced for impact after a powerful earthquake in Russia’s Far East triggered tsunami alerts across the Pacific.

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On today's podcast:
1) Work was winding down at 345 Park Avenue on Monday when a man strode across the public plaza just outside the Midtown Manhattan tower with an assault rifle in his hand.Within minutes, at least four people were dead, as well as the gunman, in a mass shooting in the epicenter of American finance. The harrowing scene unfolded in the 44-story, dark-glass tower that houses the offices of private equity giant Blackstone Inc., consultant KPMG, the National Football League and building landlord Rudin Management.
2) Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said a 90-day extension of a trade truce with China was a likely outcome with negotiations between the two countries underway in Stockholm.
3) Barclays Plc’s traders turned in their best second quarter performance in three years as the volatility wrought by US President Donald Trump’s trade war helped them deliver revenue that topped analyst expectations.

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On today's podcast:
1) The US and European Union agreed on a hard-fought deal that will see the bloc face 15% tariffs on most of its exports, including automobiles, staving off a trade war that could have delivered a hammer blow to the global economy.
2) US and Chinese officials are meeting Monday to extend their tariff detente beyond a mid-August deadline, and haggle over other ways to further defuse trade tensions.
3) Wall Street pros are staring down a pivotal week that will likely set the tone for the rest of the year in markets and the economy.First and foremost is the conclusion of the Federal Reserve’s meeting on Wednesday, and although it isn’t expected to cut interest rates, traders and investors will be poring over commentary for clues about the path ahead. Then there’s a string of Big Tech earnings with Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc., Meta Platforms Inc. and Microsoft Corp. all reporting. And sprinkled throughout are some key indicators on the state of the economy, from gross domestic product to nonfarm payrolls.

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Bloomberg Daybreak Weekend with Tom Busby takes a look at some of the stories we'll be tracking in the coming week.

• In the US – a look ahead to a monetary policy decision from the Fed and earnings from some of the “Magnificent Seven” tech companies.
• In the UK – a look at President Trump’s trip to Scotland.
• In Asia – a look at ahead to China PMI data and a conversation on Asia tech investing.

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On today's podcast:
1) Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is smack in the middle of one of President Donald Trump’s preferred attack strategies — flooding the zone.
2) Intel Corp. tumbled in late trading after Chief Executive Officer Lip-Bu Tan sparked concerns that he was more focused on cost cutting than restoring the chipmaker’s technological edge.
3) Paramount Global’s merger with Skydance Media was approved by the US Federal Communications Commission, which backed the deal after the Trump administration extracted concessions on the news and entertainment company’s political coverage and diversity practices. 

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