A roaring rally in U.S. stocks will face a gauntlet of economic data, looming political uncertainty and a corporate earnings test in coming weeks as investors navigate one of the most volatile periods of the year for equity markets. The benchmark S&P 500 this week hit its first closing all-time high in two months after the Federal Reserve unveiled a hefty 50-basis point rate cut, kicking off the first U.S. monetary easing cycle since 2020. "We're entering that period where seasonality has been a bit less favorable,” said Angelo Kourkafas, senior investment strategist at Edward Jones.
FedEx said a weaker industrial economy produced a “challenging” quarter that caused it to trim its outlook for later this year, a sign of possible cooling in the wider economy.
The company also lowered its financial outlook for the fiscal year ahead, projecting earnings per share between $20 and $21 versus its prior range of $20 to $22. That sent shares tumbling nearly 15%.