The S&P 500 is home to the biggest and most well-known companies in the market, making it a go-to index for investors seeking stability.
But not all large-cap stocks are created equal - some are struggling with slowing growth, declining margins, or increased competition.
Despite headlines, the market isn’t in a bear territory yet. Volatility and uncertainty are high, but history has shown that even major events like wars and financial crises become mere blips in long-term investing.
Large-cap stocks usually command their industries because they have the scale to drive market trends.
The flip side though is that their sheer size can limit growth as expanding further becomes an increasingly challenging task.
Wall Street closed mixed on Friday, with the S&P 500 managing to break a four-week losing streak despite persistent concerns over tariffs, economic uncertainty, and tech sector weakness.
Kohl's stock had high hopes with the incoming CEO and the kitchen sink quarter setting the bar low, but after posting gloomy 2025 guidance investors are stumped
Retailers are adapting their business models as technology changes how people shop. Still, demand can be volatile as the industry is exposed to the ups and downs of consumer spending.
This has stirred some uncertainty lately as retail stocks have tumbled by 15.8% over the past six months. This performance was particularly disheartening since the S&P 500 held steady.
Telsey Advisory analyst Dana Telsey maintained a Market Perform rating on Ross Stores and reduced the price target from $175 to $150. Despite reporting a slight drop in 4Q24 EPS, the company outperformed earnings expectations, driven by a one-time gain. However, the FY25 outlook and 1Q25 guidance fell short of consensus due to slowed sales growth and challenges with lower-income consumers.
The three major indices were mostly flat in midday trading Wednesday with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq slightly under the flatline and the Dow Jones up 39 points.
A head-fake in the final hour looked like it might resurrect an otherwise sour trading day, but headed back south even as it closed off the morning lows.
Off-price retail company Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) met Wall Street’s revenue expectations in Q4 CY2024, but sales fell by 1.8% year on year to $5.91 billion. On the other hand, next quarter’s revenue guidance of $4.79 billion was less impressive, coming in 6.9% below analysts’ estimates. Its GAAP profit of $1.79 per share was 7.9% above analysts’ consensus estimates.
U.S. stocks plunged Tuesday as President Donald Trump‘s tariffs on key trade partners came into effect, prompting retaliatory measures and intensifying global trade tensions.
