JOBS REPORT US jobs market blows past expectations, adding 256,000 jobs in December HKSE - Delayed Quote • HKD (66077.HK) Follow Compare 0.054 +0.001 (+1.89%) At close: 3:10:32 PM GMT+8 Related News Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq sink as jobs report blows past expectations Caution reigns ahead of December's jobs report, which will shape bets on the chances of Fed rate cuts. US labor market finishes 2024 on high note, adding 256,000 jobs in December as unemployment falls to 4.1% December's jobs report will be the final look at the labor market before the Federal Reserve announces its next interest rate decision on Jan. 31. Nvidia’s AI avatar sat on my computer screen and weirded me out Nvidia unveiled a prototype AI avatar at CES 2025 that lives on your PC's desktop. The AI assistant, R2X, looks like a video game character, and it can help you navigate apps on your computer. The R2X avatar is rendered and animated using Nvidia's AI models, and users can run the avatar on popular LLMs of their choice, such as OpenAI's GPT-4o or xAI's Grok. Users can talk with R2X through text and voice, upload files to it for processing, or even enable the AI assistant to view what's happening Walgreens Q1 2025 earnings preview: Here's what to expect Walgreens is expected to report in-line earnings for the first fiscal quarter of 2025 amid a backdrop of ongoing take-private talks. MicroStrategy achieves AWS Competencies for Government and Education MicroStrategy (MSTR) announced that it has achieved the Amazon Web Services Competences in Government and Education. “Achieving this AWS Competencies in Government and Education differentiates MicroStrategy as an AWS Partner with essential skillsets to meet mandates, reduce costs, and increase innovation for customers,” the company stated. “MicroStrategy is proud to achieve the AWS Competency in both Education and Government,” said Mel Zeledon, Executive Vice President of Alliances and Transform Delta Projects Strong 2025 Earnings, Shares Surge in Pre-Market Delta Air Lines projects 2025 earnings per share to exceed $7.35 and free cash flow above $4 billion. Walgreens Reports Strong Q1 Revenue and Adjusted Earnings, Shares Dip After Net Loss Announcement Walgreens exceeds Q1 revenue and adjusted earnings estimates but reports a $265 million net loss Delta Beats Fourth-Quarter Estimates, Forecasts Double-Digit Earnings Growth in 2025 Delta Air Lines (DAL) reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results on Friday amid robust tra Beer Maker Constellation Brands' Q3 Sales Hit By Subdued Spending; Stock Slides Constellation Brands Inc (NYSE:STZ) shares are trading lower after the company reported nearly flat third-quarter sales of $2.46 billion, missing the analyst consensus estimate of $2.53 billion. Net sales for the Beer segment increased 3% Y/Y to $2.03 billion, and Wine and Spirits declined 14% to $431.4 million. Shipment volume for Beer climbed 1.6%, while Wine and Spirits declined 16.4%. Gross profit increased 1% to $1.28 billion, and the operating income slid 0.4% to $793 million. The operatin Corona beer maker Constellation Brands cuts annual sales forecast "Given near-term uncertainty on when consumers will revert to more normalized spending, we have prudently lowered our growth outlook," CEO Bill Newlands said. Beer, which is Constellation's major revenue driver, saw a mere 3.2% rise in depletion growth, or the rate at which products are sold, in the third quarter, compared with an 8.2% growth last year. Last week, Constellation stock dipped after the U.S. Surgeon General said alcoholic drinks should carry a warning about cancer risks on their label, signaling a shift toward tobacco-style regulation for liquor and casting further gloom on the industry. NVIDIA Announces Blueprint for AI Retail Shopping Assistants New Workflow Provides Developers Generative AI and 3D Visualization Technologies to Elevate Shopping Experiences Online and In Stores NVIDIA Blueprint for AI Retail Shopping Assistants AI agents with advanced capabilities are designed to enhance shopping experiences. NEW YORK, Jan. 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NRF—NVIDIA today announced the NVIDIA AI Blueprint for retail shopping assistants, a generative AI reference workflow designed to transform shopping experiences online and in stores. The b Market Chatter: Microsoft-backed OpenAI Urged to Auction Off Major Stake Microsoft-backed (MSFT) OpenAI is facing a call by Tesla (TSLA) Chief Executive Elon Musk to auction Why IonQ Stock Soared 237% in 2024 (and Then Crashed This Year) Don't sweat the near-halving so far this year. Walgreens Boots Alliance Stock Jumps On Better Than Expected Q1 Earnings, Sticks To Annual Profit Forecast On Friday, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (NASDAQ: WBA) reported first-quarter sales of $39.46 billion, up 7.5% year over year (+6.9% on constant currency), beating the consensus of $37.28 billion, reflecting sales growth across all segments. Adjusted operating income was $593 million compared to adjusted operating income of $687 million in the year-ago quarter, reflecting lower U.S. retail sales and lapping prior year sale-leaseback gains, partly offset by cost savings initiatives and growth in t Walgreens tops Wall Street's expectations as drugstore chain continues turnaround plan Walgreens booked a better-than-expected fiscal first quarter, but the drugstore chain lost $265 million as it closed U.S. stores and continued work to revive its business. Walgreens said Friday that higher costs from that plan were the main factor behind its quarterly loss. The chain has already shed about a thousand U.S. stores since it grew to nearly 9,500 after buying some Rite Aid locations in 2018. Jobs report shock has big implications for Fed rate bets, Treasury yields The economy ended 2024 with a solid labor market and a better-than-expected reading for headline unemployment. Delta stock soars as its CEO predicts 2025 will be its 'best financial year' ever Delta Air Lines (DAL) on Friday revealed a first-quarter outlook above analysts’ expectations as the carrier expects strong demand for travel to give it the best year in its history. Tesla Stock Has Tumbled From Its December Highs. What the Charts Say Happens Next. Tesla stock has had a difficult couple of weeks after its epic run, making it a good time to check in with some technical stock market analysts to help figure out what comes next. Coming into Friday trading, shares of the electric vehicle maker were up about 57% since the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election, up about 65% since the Oct. 10 Robotaxi event, and up about 64% over the past 12 months. “Tesla is in pullback mode following its big breakout,” wrote Fairlead Strategies founder and market technician Katie Stockton. TSMC Stock Rises. What Its Rising Sales Say About Demand for AI Chips. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing said its revenue for 2024 rose 34% amid a boom in demand for artificial-intelligence chips. Exchange-Traded Funds, Equity Futures Lower Pre-Bell Friday Ahead of Crucial Employment Data The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was down 0.2% and the actively tr