Rover's Weekly Market Brief - 04/18/2025

Stock Rover Feature – Comparing Screener Runs

There is a feature in Stock Rover we would like to highlight that allows you to compare screener runs. The feature makes it easy for you to see how the tickers passing a screener are changing over time. You can read more about comparing screener runs in our blog post.
 

Economy

The NY Fed’s Empire State Manufacturing Survey for April 2025 reported a continued decline in business activity within New York State. Despite a 12-point increase from the previous month, the general business conditions index remained below zero at -8.1, signaling an ongoing contraction. Key indices for new orders (-8.8) and shipments (-2.9) also reflected this downward trend. Additionally, input and selling prices reached their highest points in over two years, suggesting inflationary pressures. The future general business conditions index fell to -7.4, marking a significant drop in business sentiment and highlighting growing pessimism among firms about the economic outlook; the index has fallen a cumulative forty-four points over the past three months. Firms anticipate further declines in new orders and shipments, coupled with rising input and selling prices, while capital spending plans remain unchanged. Survey results highlight ongoing challenges in manufacturing and growing worries about the economy.

The Commerce Department reported advance U.S. retail and food services sales increased (+1.4%) to $734.9B in March following a 0.2% increase in February. This marks a 4.6% increase in retail sales year over year, with total sales for the first quarter of 2025 showing a 4.1% increase compared to the same period last year. The sales increases were widespread, driven by a 5.7% jump in motor vehicles and gains in building materials (+3.3%) and sporting & hobby (+2.4%). However, gas station sales saw a 2.5% decrease. Restaurants, the sole services category, saw a 1.8% increase in March and a 4.8% increase year over year. Excluding motor vehicles & parts, retail sales were up 0.5%. Retail sales excluding spending on motor vehicles and gasoline increased 0.8% from an upwardly revised 0.5% in February.

The Labor Department reported initial jobless claims decreased 9,000 to a seasonally adjusted 215,000 for the week ending April 12th. The four-week average dropped to 220,750, down 2,500 from the previous week. On an unadjusted basis, initial claims rose to 219,710, marking a 1.47% increase compared to the prior week. Twenty-three states and U.S. territories reported declines in unemployment claims, while 30 saw increases. For the week ending April 5th, the insured unemployment rate held steady at a seasonally adjusted 1.2%. Total jobless claims reached 1.885M, which is 41,000 higher than the previous week’s downwardly revised figure. For the week ending March 29th, 2.015M people received unemployment benefits through state or federal programs, reflecting a decline of 75,341 from the week before. During the same period in 2024, there were 1.953M weekly claims.

Upcoming Economic Reports:

Wednesday April 23 – New Home Sales (MoM) (March)

Thursday April 24 – Durable Goods Orders (MoM) (March)

Earnings Calendar:

 

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
WR Berkley (WRB)	GE Aerospace (GE)	IBM (IBM)	Alphabet (GOOGL)	AbbVie (ABBV)
Medpace Hldgs (MEDP)	Tesla (TSLA)	AT&T (T)	Proctor & Gamble (PG)	AutoNation (AN)