Seana Smith

    Host

    Seana Smith co-hosts Yahoo Finance’s closing bell coverage from 3-5 p.m. ET. Previously, she anchored ‘The Ticker’ and ‘Midday Movers’ on Yahoo Finance, and spent time reporting from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Before joining Yahoo Finance, Seana worked as a writer and producer at Fox Business. Seana holds a master’s degree in economics and a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in business from Lehigh University

  • Why Newell Brands is trimming its brand portfolio: CEO

    Shares of Newell Brands (NWL) are trading higher on Friday after the company posted its first quarter report, revealing an increase in gross and operating margins. However, the company saw net sales for the quarter fall 8% year-over-year, citing the impact of unfavorable foreign exchange and business exits. Newell Brands CEO Chris Peterson joins Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi to give insight into the company's performance for the quarter and the logic behind its strategic operations. Peterson elaborates on the company's focus with certain brands: "We made the strategic choice to focus on the top 25 brands. Over the course of the last nine months, we've already reduced the company's brand portfolio from 80 brands down to about 60, so the quality of the portfolio is improving. Similarly, we made choices on geographies. We play in about 42 countries around the world, but the top ten countries represent about 90% of our sales and profit, so that's where we're focused... I don't believe that the large-scale M&A is needed to drive shareholder value for the company in the next few years." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode. This post was written by Nicholas Jacobino

  • Inflation is the 'number one' factor driving the dollar: Expert

    The US Dollar Index (DX-Y.NYB) is moving to the upside as the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge, the Personal Expenditure Consumption (PCE) Index, came in hotter than expected. TD Bank Global Head of FX and EM Strategy Mark McCormick joins Yahoo Finance to give insight into the FX market and inflation's impact on the dollar. McCormick discusses a new dominating theme in the FX market: "For a while, the market's been really focused on the relative growth developments between the US and the rest of the world, where the rest of the world has actually been narrowing that gap. Last three months, it just completely flipped, and upside surprises in inflation, which have been generally ignored by the market for the most part of the year, has become the most important dominating theme in FX." "Now what we're seeing is that inflation is taking over, and it's very strong in the US relative to other countries, particularly in the G-10. Not so much in emerging markets, but that is now what's dictating the market outcome, which is everyone's focused on, will the Fed cut? Can the Fed cut?" the FX expert adds. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode. This post was written by Nicholas Jacobino

  • Earnings: Investors are focusing on outlooks, strategist says

    It's been a wild week for stocks (^DJI,^GSPC, ^IXIC) with investors putting a lot of focus on earnings. Nicole Inui, Head of Equity Strategy for the Americas at HSBC, tells Yahoo Finance that "earnings have come in, actually, much stronger than expected." Inui notes that "when we see companies reporting earnings, it's not so much what they're reporting in the quarter, but what they are saying for the second half of the year." Watch the video above to hear why Inui thinks companies will likely be able to deliver on high earnings expectations as the year progresses. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode. This post was written by Stephanie Mikulich.

  • Inflation data could force Fed's hand on rate hikes: Economist

    March's Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) data arrived hotter than expected and GDP figures point to an economic slowdown. In this environment, economists and investors alike are revisiting the Federal Reserve's rate cut outlook. Stifel Financial Chief Economist Lindsey Piegza joins Yahoo Finance to discuss the prospects for Fed cuts. Piegza notes that although March's PCE did not show "a material increase" in inflation, the Fed had been "expecting a sizable reversal" supporting the disinflationary trend. She suggests that this report could force another adjustment to the Fed's outlook and further delay any near-term rate cuts, with the possibility of rate hikes even coming back into consideration. Regarding consumer behavior, Piegza acknowledges that the consumer remains "very resilient." However, she observes that consumers are becoming more cost-conscious, carefully weighing their spending decisions and seeking value, leading to a slowdown in "broad-based growth." "Without more of a meaningful decline or improvement in inflation, after that minimal concession, I think the Fed's hands are tied, and we'd likely see the Fed move back to the sidelines for a second, extended pause," Piegza tells Yahoo Finance. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Yahoo Finance. This post was written by Angel Smith

  • Exxon's Guyana 'mega-project' to fuel 'big growth': Strategist

    Shares of Exxon Mobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX) are trading lower on Friday as both companies revealed a dip in first quarter revenue compared to the same period last year. However, both companies beat Wall Street revenue expectations for the quarter. While some of the forecasts for these companies are mixed, upcoming projects have the potential to turn things around. Truist Managing Director of Energy Research Neal Dingmann joins The Morning Brief to give insight into the energy sector and what investors can expect from Exxon and Chevron moving forward. Dingmann explains that growth will be accelerated by two upcoming projects in particular: "They're going to have big growth...in Guyana and the Permian [Basin]. That's going to keep the remainder of their overall portfolio flat. Guyana is the one worth pointing out. If you look at the projects coming on through 2027 on a gross basis, which Exxon has 45% of this, that could do almost 1.2 billion barrels a day. You think that: the US alone is doing about 13 billion barrels. This is encroaching on over 10% of what the US alone could do with this project by 2027. That's why it's obviously a big deal on this litigation between Chevron and Exxon on the Hess deal. I cannot say enough about this Ghana project...It's a mega project to say the least. " For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Morning Brief. This post was written by Nicholas Jacobino

  • Microsoft, Alphabet: Wall Street bullish on Big Tech, Q1 results

    Wall Street analysts are exhibiting bullish sentiment toward tech giants Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) and Microsoft (MSFT) in the wake of their respective first quarter earnings reports. Prominent firms such as Oppenheimer, Barclays, and Jefferies have increased their price targets for Alphabet's stocks. Similarly, analysts at Wells Fargo and JPMorgan have raised their price targets on Microsoft. This surge of positive analyst commentary has propelled both stocks higher in Friday's trading session. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Morning Brief. This post was written by Angel Smith

  • 'Choppy market' ahead with Fed 'on pause': Strategist

    US Equities (^GSPC, ^DJI, ^IXIC) are moving higher despite the hotter-than-expected Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) reading. Big Tech earnings, however, may serve as a catalyst for the market's continued optimism. BMO Wealth Management US Chief Investment Officer Yung-Yu Ma joins The Morning Brief to give insight into how the market is moving during this earnings season and what investors should expect from recent economic data. Ma is not certain that strong earnings alone can steer the macroeconomic environment: "We definitely think earnings are important here and the growth trajectory is important. But it's also worth noting that since the market is more relying on growth now for both stabilization and the upside gains, I think we have a more inherent push and pull to the market because that growth is somewhat uncertain. We do think it's going to materialize and actually accelerate in the second half, but once you pull away the backing of the Fed and having the Fed more on pause now, inflation being a little bit stickier and the slow path down, we do think that does mean a little more of a choppy market." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Morning Brief. This post was written by Nicholas Jacobino

  • Snap stock pops on Q1 revenue beat, 10% YoY jump in active users

    Snap Inc. (SNAP) shares are surging during Friday's trading session, propelled by first quarter results that surpassed revenue expectations for the company. The social media platform reported a 21% year-over-year increase in revenue for the quarter, fueling the stock's trading activity. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Morning Brief. This post was written by Angel Smith

  • Roku warns of ad-supported streaming competition, stock slides

    Roku (ROKU) stock is trading lower on Friday as the company cautioned that the financial advantages stemming from price hikes are beginning to dissipate. The streamer also warned that heightened competition in the ad-supported streaming space could create a significant headwind. Yahoo Finance's Seana Smith and Brad Smith break down the details. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Morning Brief. This post was written by Angel Smith

  • Microsoft, Alphabet earnings show AI is more than just hype

    Both Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) and Microsoft (MSFT) posted quarterly results that topped Wall Street estimates. The big takeaway from both reports? That generative artificial intelligence is here and companies are spending on it, says both Baird Technology Desk Sector Strategist Ted Mortonson and RBC Capital Markets Software Equity Analyst Rishi Jaluria. "The commentary out of both Google and Microsoft, I think, tells us that there is real demand for AI... there's actual money being put behind this. It's not just hype. It's not just people talking about it. There's actual capital being put to work," Jaluria tells Yahoo Finance's Morning Brief. Mortonson agrees. "We are going through, really, a generational infrastructure build," Mortonson says, adding that both Microsoft and Alphabet have an "advantage" because their "data center footprint already exists." Jaluria notes that investors "will be patient" with Microsoft's big spending on infrastructure as long as the company's AI-related businesses continue to show growth. As to why investors were less happy about Meta's (META) AI spending, Mortonson thinks it may come down to "a game of positioning." "Meta was extremely crowded going into the print. There's some people that, quite frankly, didn't like some of the unprofitable spend," Mortonson says. He believes that Meta is "very attractive" given how hard the stock was hit by its results, but the Microsoft does have a "huge advantage" due to its enterprise business. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Morning Brief. This post was written by Stephanie Mikulich.

  • Intel stock slides on lower Q2 forecast

    Shares of Intel (INTC) are moving lower Friday morning as the company posted its first quarter report, revealing a better-than-expected profit. However, the company posted a lower-than-expected forecast for second-quarter revenue. Yahoo Finance Anchors Brad Smith and Seana Smith discuss how Intel is competing in the chip space and whether Q1 is the bottom of its near-term supply constraints. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Morning Brief. This post was written by Nicholas Jacobino

  • Core services are a 'big problem' for the Fed: UBS Economist

    March's Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) data was consistent with expectations, reporting a 0.3% month-over-month rise. However, it slightly exceeded projections on a year-over-year basis, coming in at 2.7%. UBS Global Wealth Management Senior US Economist Brian Rose joins The Morning Brief to analyze how these figures could influence the Federal Reserve's rate cut outlook. Rose acknowledges that the current inflation data "has been too high" for the Fed to embark on monetary easing. He identifies "the big problem for the Fed" as core services, factors tied to robust demand and wage growth: "This is where they need to see disinflation," he says. In March, the core PCE inflation figure stood at 2.8%. While Rose predicts the Fed could initiate rate cuts in September, he cautioned that if inflation data persists at elevated levels, "it could get pushed back even further." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Morning Brief. This post was written by Angel Smith

  • Chevron, Exxon face energy headwinds, lower profits in Q1

    Exxon Mobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX) reported their first quarter earnings, with both companies revealing a fall in revenue for the quarter compared to the same period last year. However, both companies beat Wall Street expectations for revenue for the quarter. Chevron claims the revenue drop is partly due to lower margins on refined product sales. Yahoo Finance Reporter Ines Ferre joins The Morning Brief to analyze the latest developments for these companies and what they mean for the stocks moving forward. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Morning Brief.

  • Stocks open higher, fueled by Alphabet, Microsoft results

    The major indexes (^DJI,^GSPC, ^IXIC) opened higher on Friday morning thanks to strong results from Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) and Microsoft (MSFT). Investors seemingly were able to shrug off the latest inflation print. The core Personal Consumption Expenditures price index rose 2.8% in March, slightly more than the 2.7% economists had been expecting. It rose 0.3% from February, which was in line with estimates. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Morning Brief. This post was written by Stephanie Mikulich.

  • March PCE data shows 2.7% annual increase, stubborn inflation

    The Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) data for March aligned with forecasts, registering a 0.3% increase on a month-over-month basis and a 2.7% rise year-over-year. Yahoo Finance's Fed Reporter Jennifer Schonberger sheds light on how this figure could impact Federal Reserve rate cut expectations. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Morning Brief. This post was written by Angel Smith

  • Ford sees commercial revenue jump 36%, EV sales fall 84% YoY

    Ford (F) reported its first-quarter earnings after the bell on Wednesday afternoon, beating estimates with $42.8 billion in revenue against an expected $40.04 billion. The automaker also reported commercial revenue jump 36% but saw EV sales decline.  Yahoo Finance Reporter Pras Subramanian joins The Morning Brief to break down the numbers from Ford and what it means for investors moving forward.  For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Morning Brief. This post was written by Nicholas Jacobino

  • 10-year Treasury yields could very likely reach 5%: Strategist

    Treasury yields (^TYX, ^TNX, ^FVX) are booming this morning, the 10-year yield peaking above 4.7% after a softer-than-expected US GDP print. Saxobank Head of Fixed Income Strategy Althea Spinozzi joins Yahoo Finance's Seana Smith to discuss what the bond market may be messaging to investors on bond performances under higher inflation and interest rates. "5% is now a very high probability [for the 10-year yield]. There is also a very high probability that the yields continue to rise towards 5.25%," Spinozzi says. "However, to see a break above that level, we need to have a second wave of inflation. We need the Federal Reserve to talk about [rate] hikes again, and right now, that's a little bit of a tail scenario." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode. This post was written by Luke Carberry Mogan.

  • GDP print will have minimal impact on markets: Strategist

    Markets (^DJI, ^IXIC, ^GSPC) are moving lower on Thursday, reacting to a weaker-than-expected GDP print for the first quarter. Deutsche Bank Chief US Equity and Global Strategist Binky Chadha joins The Morning Brief to discuss his market and inflation outlooks as stocks come under pressure this session. Chadha argues that "there's very little to take away" from the GDP print, suggesting that it should be analyzed "in components." He highlights that the largest component, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Index, grew in line with its ten-year trend, indicating that GDP has "few implications for markets going forward." Chadha notes that the disappointing print stemmed from "the two largest, noisiest components of GDP": inventories and trade bonds, which, upon closer inspection, "look absolutely fine." Addressing inflation concerns, Chadha states: "Yes, of course, it matters for inflation, but the growth we've had has not mattered for inflation." He adds, "If you measure inflation relative to growth... we've been steady for about two years." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Yahoo Finance. This post was written by Angel Smith

  • Gen AI has real sustainability issues: Early Facebook investor

    Meta Platforms (META) is all in on generative AI with some on Wall Street believing its executions in artificial intelligence deployments are out-performing peers in the tech space. While reporting a first-quarter earnings beat on the top and bottom line yesterday, Meta's stock has been dragged lower into Thursday's session on the tech giant's disappointing second-quarter outlook. On Meta's earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg believed there's "a clear monetizable opportunity" for up-scalings on AI even though investors fear it will detract from Meta's core business component: its digital advertising. Elevation Partners Co-Founder Roger McNamee — who was an early Meta investor when it originally operated as Facebook — sits down with Yahoo Finance to weigh in on Meta's new AI direction and shares his criticisms on Big Tech's early generative AI adoption before working out the kinks. "If you believe that generative AI is real, then these investments may well work. The challenge that we have here is that this is a classic example of a product category where the demos are mind-bending, but the reality is something far less than that," McNamee explains. "And I think that we have seen consistently in use case after use case that the actual performance in the field has real issues, and the industry itself is trying to pretend like it's not a problem, that the amount of electrical power it requires is greater than the largest states in the country, that it needs more water than a small country. That the architecture itself appears to be deeply flawed..." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode. This post was written by Luke Carberry Mogan.

  • Fed won't be able to cut rates in 2024: Fmr. Obama econ. adviser

    The United States GDP (gross domestic profit) grew by only 1.6% in the first quarter, the smallest increase in over two years. The Federal Reserve has seemingly elected to wait for more inflation data and keep interest rates where they are as inflation continues to be hard to nail down. Wall Street experts have gone back and forth over when the Fed will cut rates, if it will even cut rates in 2024, and the slim chance of rates being pushed higher. Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government Professor Jason Furman joins Yahoo Finance to discuss the health of the economy and his theory on how — or if — the Fed will follow through with rate cuts this year. "The big surprise here was that at an annual rate in the first quarter, core PCE inflation — which is basically what the Fed is looking at — was a 3.7% annual rate. As recently as two months ago, that was expected to be 2.1%. Forecasters thought, mission accomplished," Furman, who was the Council of Economic Advisors Chair during the Obama Administration, assesses. "Instead, we now have a red flashing warning sign. The Fed will not be able to be reassured enough about inflation to cut rates any time this year... The only thing that's going to get us Fed rate cuts any time soon is a much more rapid deterioration in the job market than I expect to get or hope to get, but that's the contingency under which the Fed cuts rates before December. " For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode. This post was written by Nicholas Jacobino