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Wall Street ended the trading week higher, as investors balanced a stronger-than-expected March jobs report with rising geopolitical tensions that pushed oil prices sharply higher. Meanwhile, Tesla shares came under pressure after the EV maker’s first-quarter delivery figures fell short of expectations, adding a note of caution to the broader market tone.
U.S. nonfarm payrolls rose by 178K in March, sharply exceeding the 51K consensus estimate and rebounding from a revised 133K decline in the prior month, while the unemployment rate edged down to 4.3% from 4.4%, according to data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Oil (CL1:COM) futures surged to an intraday peak of $113.97 per barrel on Thursday, as Wall Street weighed the implications of President Donald Trump’s national address alongside escalating developments in the Middle East conflict, fueling heightened uncertainty.
Shares of Tesla (TSLA) faced pressure after the EV maker reported first-quarter deliveries that missed expectations. Tesla said it delivered 358,023 vehicles in Q1, falling short of the consensus estimate of roughly 365K units.
For the week, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (COMP:IND) popped 4.4%, while the S&P (SP500) jumped +3.3%, and the blue-chip Dow (DJI) added +2.9%. Read a preview of next week’s major events in Seeking Alpha’s Catalyst Watch.
Defense spending around the world was already on the rise, totaling $2.63T in 2025, and the war on Iran is expected to push that number even higher. The Trump administration is set to propose a record $1.5T defense budget for the next fiscal year. Yet defense stocks have declined since the war broke out, tracking the pullback in the overall market. Is it time to buy the dip? Read more.
Seeking Alpha’s Calls Of The Week
Sprouts Farmers (SFM): Intact Long-Term Growth At 50% Discount.
Robinhood (HOOD): Concerns Priced In, A New Bull Cycle Is Forming.
Abbott (ABT) Is A Brighter Investment Case Heading Into Q1 Earnings.
Kratos (KTOS) Is Leading The Charge In Hypersonics, Defense Tech.
Adidas’ (ADDYY) Valuation Is Not Reflecting Improved Fundamentals.
Alaska Air (ALK) Gets Double Downgrade On Oil Price, Macro Risk.
I Admit That I Was Really Wrong About My Novo Nordisk (NVO) Call.
Lumen (LUMN) Is Under Pressure As Its Turnaround Story Concludes.
Target (TGT) Downgraded To Sell Due To Its ‘No-Man’s Land Strategy.’
Maxeon Solar (MAXN): Get Out Before Getting Wiped Out – Strong Sell.
Weekly Movement
U.S. Indices
Dow +3% to 46,505. S&P 500 +3.4% to 6,583. Nasdaq +4.4% to 21,879. Russell 2000 +3.3% to 2,530. CBOE Volatility Index -23.1% to 23.87.
S&P 500 Sectors
Consumer Staples +0.7%. Utilities +1.6%. Financials +3.6%. Telecom +6.4%. Healthcare +2.4%. Industrials +2.9%. Information Technology +4.6%. Materials +3.4%. Energy -5.3%. Consumer Discretionary +2.7%. Real Estate +3.8%.
World Indices
London +4.7% to 10,436. France +3.4% to 7,962. Germany +3.9% to 23,168. Japan -0.5% to 53,123. China -0.9% to 3,880. Hong Kong +0.7% to 25,117. India -0.4% to 73,320.
Commodities and Bonds
Crude Oil WTI +11.9% to $111.54/bbl. Gold +3.8% to $4,679.7/oz. Natural Gas -9.5% to 2.8. Ten-Year Bond Yield -0.2 bps to 4.345.
Forex and Cryptos
EUR/USD +0.06%. USD/JPY -0.46%. GBP/USD -0.5%. Bitcoin +0.7%. Litecoin -1.2%. Ethereum +2.8%. XRP -1.3%.
Top S&P 500 Gainers
SBA Communications (SBAC) +23%. Lumentum Holdings (LITE) +20%. Sandisk (SNDK) +16%. FactSet Research Systems (FDS) +16%. EchoStar (SATS) +16%.
Top S&P 500 Losers
NIKE (NKE) -15%. Texas Pacific Land (TPL) -15%. Sysco (SYY) -14%. EQT (EQT) -11%. Boston Scientific (BSX) -10%.
Where will the markets be headed next week? Current trends and ideas? Add your thoughts to the comments section.