The New York Stock Exchange opened mixed on the 30th (local time), affected by the earnings of big tech companies and the results of this year's first monetary policy meeting of the Federal Reserve (Fed). New economic indicators are also being closely watched. The earnings report of Apple, the top company by market capitalization, due to be released after the market close, along with the impact related to the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek, is also attracting attention.
As of 10:30 a.m. on the 30th (local time) on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 51.05 points (0.11%) from the previous day, recording 44,764.57. The Standard and Poor's (S&P) 500 index was up 5.78 points (0.10%) at 6,045.09, while the Nasdaq Composite Index recorded a drop of 47.69 points (0.24%) at 19,584.63.
Earlier, the three major indexes closed lower the previous day. The Federal Reserve, which has maintained an easing monetary policy since September last year, made the decision to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged, while the hawkish tone regarding inflation in the statement from the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) had an impact. Additionally, the shockwaves from DeepSeek also weighed on the market.
The newly released economic indicators showed mixed trends. The U.S. Department of Labor announced that the number of new unemployment insurance claimants for the week of Jan. 19-25 was 207,000, below both the market expectation (over 220,000) and the previous month's figure (223,000). The number of claimants continuing to receive unemployment insurance for more than a week, which was recorded until Jan. 18, also decreased by 42,000 from the previous week to 1,858,000, indicating overall stability in the job market.
The U.S. Department of Commerce disclosed that the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate for the fourth quarter was an annualized 2.3%, slowing from the previous quarter's rate of 3.1%. This figure also fell short of the market expectation from Yonhap Infomax (over 2.6%). The annual GDP growth rate of 2.8% last year also slightly declined compared to the previous year's rate of over 2.9%.
On the same day, the European Central Bank (ECB) lowered its three key policy rates by 25 basis points (1 basis point = 0.01%) each, reflecting the easing inflation trend and financial conditions. This marks the fourth consecutive easing measure.
The stock prices of the three big tech corporations that released their fourth-quarter earnings after the market close the previous day are also fluctuating. Microsoft, the second-largest company by market capitalization, exceeded market expectations in both revenue ($696.3 billion) and earnings per share ($3.23), but its stock price fell more than 5% as the cloud growth rate declined to 31%, lower than the previous quarter's rate of 33%.
Tesla's results fell below market expectations, but the company’s CEO Elon Musk attracted new expectations by revealing plans for a fully autonomous driving (FSD) taxi service to be launched in June, causing its stock price to turn upward by 1%.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, significantly surpassed market expectations with its fourth-quarter earnings per share ($8.02), compared to the market estimate of $6.77. Additionally, the company's annual net income ($62.4 billion) surged 59% compared to the previous year's figure of $39.1 billion, resulting in its stock price rising over 2%.
The stock price of Apple, the top company by market capitalization, is showing slight weakness ahead of its fourth-quarter earnings announcement scheduled for after the market close on this day.
NVIDIA's stock price is in a downturn of around 3%, unable to recover from the aftereffects of the DeepSeek impact.
American Airlines' stock price has fallen by around 2%. On the 29th (local time), a passenger plane carrying 60 passengers and 4 crew members crashed into the Potomac River after colliding with a military helicopter at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Government authorities stated in the morning of the same day, "There seem to be no survivors."
Meanwhile, European stock markets are showing a simultaneous upward trend. The pan-European index STOXX 600 rose by 0.86%, the German DAX index increased by 0.36%, and the British FTSE index gained 1.06%.
International oil prices are also on the rise. The price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil for March delivery is trading at $73.40 per barrel, up 1.07% from the previous session, while the price of Brent crude oil for March delivery, which serves as a global benchmark, is at $77.38 per barrel, up 1.04% from the previous session.