The Week's Top Stories is a guided tour through the biggest market stories of the week, from winning stocks to brutal dips to the facts and forecasts generating buzz on Wall Street.
BUDGET DRAMA
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has yet to secure the Republican votes for a bill that would raise the federal debt ceiling to avoid default until at least March 31, 2024. That means more uncertainty for the stock market next week, as the prospect of a default on the national debt hangs over the economy. The debt fight on Capitol Hill is also raising the cost of credit default swaps, which gauge the risk of a default on U.S. Treasury bills.
NETFLIX'S WILD RIDE
Shares of Netflix slipped on Tuesday after the company reported mixed earnings in the first quarter, including a lower-than-expected forecast for the coming quarter. The streaming giant also announced that it was ending its DVD mailing service. "We are growing, not as fast as we believe we can, not as fast as we would want to, but we are growing and we are profitable," co-CEO Ted Sarandos told investors during an earnings call. "We have a clear path to reaccelerate growth in both revenue and profit and we are executing on it."
AT&T DROPS
AT&T's stock saw its biggest sell-off since 2000 after reporting a miss on revenue and cash flow. The telecommunications company added 424,000 postpaid phone subscribers, but free cash flow was well below estimates. AT&T said it expects those factors to normalize next year. Rival companies Verizon and T-Mobile are set to report next week.
PROCTER & GAMBLE POPS
Finishing out the week, shares of Procter & Gamble popped nearly 4 percent after the company reported that it raised prices around 10 percent across its brands in the first quarter. P&G had raised prices roughly 10 percent the prior quarter as well, suggesting incredible pricing power, which investors rewarded
Nestlé has dismissed its CEO Laurent Freixe after an investigation into an undisclosed relationship with a direct subordinate. The company announced on Monday that the dismissal was effective immediately. An investigation found that Freixe violated Nestlé’s code of conduct. He had been CEO for a year. Philipp Navratil, a longtime Nestlé executive, will replace him. Chairman Paul Bulcke stated that the decision was necessary to uphold the company’s values and governance. Navratil began his career with Nestlé in 2001 and has held various roles, including CEO of Nestlé's Nespresso division since 2024.
Kraft Heinz is splitting into two companies a decade after they joined in a massive merger that created one of the biggest food companies on the planet. One of the companies will include brands such as Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese. The other will include brands like Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles and Lunchables. When the company formed in 2015 it wanted to capitalize on its massive scale, but shifting tastes complicated those plans, with households seeking to introduce healthier options at the table. Kraft Heinz's net revenue has fallen every year since 2020.
About 780,000 pressure washers sold at retailers like Home Depot are being recalled across the U.S. and Canada, due to a projectile hazard that has resulted in fractures and other injuries among some consumers.
