At the forefront of investors' minds last week was the fourth-quarter report card of Nvidia (NVDA), the semiconductor giant whose performance has become a bellwether for AI demand.
Having contributed almost a quarter of the S&P 500's (^SPX) growth last year, expectations were high for the US chipmaker, and it delivered once again after the bell on Wednesday, beating estimates with its soaring revenues.
However, this didn't seem enough to satisfy investors, and the company's stock price plummeted the next day before recovering some, but not all, of the lost ground.
Here are some highlights from the last seven days, plus a glimpse at the week ahead.
The chipmaker's revenue of $39.3bn (£31.45) topped Wall Street's estimates, as did its forecast turnover for the first three months of 2025.
However, there was a fly in the ointment: its outlook for gross margin was below estimates, something that may indicate pricing pressure amid stiffening competition.
Nvidia isn't the only member of the Magnificent 7 having a tough time convincing previously awe-struck investors of its long-term appeal.
The emergence of China's DeepSeek earlier in February threw an unwelcome spotlight on the level of their AI spending, and strong report cards have done little to aid the recovery of their share prices.
For those who are losing their confidence in the American Big Tech behemoths, it turns out there are a number of highly rated European alternatives to get behind.
It was a bad week for the maker of James Bond's vehicle of choice. Aston Martin (AML.L)'s shares plummeted after it announced job cuts and the further delay of an electric car.
2024 was a challenging year for the luxury carmaker, which twice turned to investors to raise additional funds amid profit warnings. Its stock fell 13% on Wednesday, after the results came out.
Demonstrators take part in a protest against Elon Musk and Tesla outside of a Tesla showroom in New York. ·ASSOCIATED PRESS
Another carmaker having a rough ride is Elon Musk's Tesla (TSLA). Its shares are down 40% from an all-time high in December, as a series of political moves by Musk appear to be harming the stock.
His unabashed fondness for far-right politics is almost certainly alienating wide swathes of the public including existing customers and potential Tesla buyers.
Musk's forays into politics have also left investors wondering where the CEO’s attention lies.
It seems like only yesterday that bitcoin (BTC-USD) investors were celebrating the landmark breaking of the $100,000 barrier, swiftly followed by an all-time high around the $109,000 mark. Fast-forward a handful of weeks, and the wildly volatile crypto coin is down by almost a quarter from those dizzy heights.
At the start of last week, bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) saw outflows of more than $2.4bn, highlighting a shift in investor sentiment amid increasing market uncertainty.
While some analysts are convinced it's not the start of a bear market for the world's biggest cryptocurrency, others fear the economic impact of rising trade tensions could further weigh on bitcoin and other risky assets.
A survey by consumer group Which? assessed the often disappointing experiences of thousands of flyers and ranked Britain's airlines accordingly: Worst airlines in the UK revealed
As inflation refuses to go away, investors will be looking to Costco's (COST) latest results to help gauge retail sentiment, while in China, e-commerce giant JD.com (9618.HK, JD) is due to report its earnings as the threat of additional US trade tariffs looms.
This side of the pond, investors will be keen to learn more about Greggs' (GRG.L) outlook for 2025, given the bakery chain's recent slower sales growth.
The state of the nation's credit will be in the spotlight on Monday morning when the Bank of England releases mortgage approvals and individual lending data. Also keep an eye out for S&P's global manufacturing PMI.
The property market will be the focus at the end of the week, as Halifax publishes its closely-watched house price index on Friday morning.
End note: the Magnificent 7
Did you get to enjoy the Magnificent 7? No, not the financial results of Silicon Valley's biggest stars, but something arguably more inspiring. Last night saw a rare seven-planet alignment in the night sky, as Mercury joined its celestial counterparts which had already lined up together in January.
Not surprisingly the hype among stargazers for this rare event was, well, out of this world. If you missed it, you'll have to wait another 15 years for a repeat performance, according to astronomers.
