Walmart's Missed Guidance Drags U.S. Stocks Down

Walmart's earnings guidance, released on Thursday, fell short of market expectations, sparking concerns about stagnant consumer spending and dragging down U.S. stocks. The retail giant's stock price plummeted by 6.53%, leading to a 1.01% drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, marking the largest single-day decline in nearly five weeks. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also fell by 0.43% and 0.47%, respectively, with large-cap tech stocks generally under pressure.

The crypto market, which has been in a continuous slump since February, began to show signs of recovery. After Bitcoin fell below its previous low to $93,000 on Tuesday, prices have been steadily rebounding. As of now, Bitcoin is trading at $98,146, up 1.2% in the past 24 hours. The altcoin market has also shown signs of improvement, with newly listed coins experiencing significant price increases, leading to a noticeable improvement in market sentiment.

In the commodity market, the U.S. dollar index fell by 0.7% due to the impact of the tariff plan and economic data. Declining U.S. fuel inventories and a weakening dollar have supported oil prices, which have risen for three consecutive days. Safe-haven demand drove spot gold to briefly touch a historic new high of $2,954, before narrowing its gain to 0.22%.

U.S. stocks retreated on Thursday from record highs after several days of gains, with weak retail earnings reports and U.S. jobless claims data exacerbating market concerns about declining consumer confidence and the economic impact of tariff policies. Traders generally maintained a cautious attitude. In response to market volatility, financial trading platform 4E launched a USDT stablecoin financial product with an 8% annualized yield, providing investors with a potential hedging option. Investors are reminded to be aware of market volatility risks and to allocate assets rationally.