{"id":5057,"date":"2025-08-17T14:09:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T14:09:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/5057\/"},"modified":"2025-08-17T14:09:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T14:09:07","slug":"consumer-tech-news-august-11-august-15-consumer-sentiment-slips-stimulus-sparks-rallies-and-cisco-applied-materials-headline-earnings-advance-auto-parts-nyseaap-apple-nasdaqaapl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/5057\/","title":{"rendered":"Consumer Tech News (August 11\u2013August 15): Consumer Sentiment Slips, Stimulus Sparks Rallies, and Cisco &#038; Applied Materials Headline Earnings &#8211; Advance Auto Parts (NYSE:AAP), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"block core-block\">With earnings season nearing its end and the macroeconomy running hot, shifting sentiment, bold policy moves, and volatile commodity prices are setting the stage<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/markets\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"> for a mixed corporate performance.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\">U.S. consumer sentiment weakened in August, ending a two-month rebound as renewed inflation concerns <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/markets\/economic-data\/25\/08\/47157537\/michigan-consumer-sentiment-august-tariffs-inflation\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">weighed on household confidence.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\">The University of Michigan\u2019s Consumer Sentiment Index slipped to 58.6 from 61.7 in July, missing expectations for a rise to 62, marking the first decline in four months and the lowest reading since May.<\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\">Global market sentiment, however, found pockets of optimism. U.S.-listed Chinese stocks rallied after Beijing announced fresh stimulus measures aimed at boosting consumer loans and service-sector businesses, building on momentum from President Donald Trump&#8217;s extension of the U.S.-China<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/markets\/asia\/25\/08\/47093284\/cheaper-loans-tariff-relief-chinese-stocks-climbing-trump\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"> trade truce earlier this week.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\">Oil prices also climbed, with traders positioning ahead of Friday&#8217;s closely watched meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, although hopes for an immediate <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/markets\/commodities\/25\/08\/47135926\/trump-putin-meeting-ceasefire-ukraine-zelenskyy-oil-prices\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">ceasefire deal remained cautious.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\">These shifts in sentiment, policy moves, and commodity prices have created a mixed backdrop for corporate performance as the earnings season draws to a close.<\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>Earnings<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>Advance Auto Parts Inc.<\/strong> AAP reported second-quarter adjusted earnings per share of 69 cents, beating\u00a0analysts\u2019 consensus estimate of 57 cents. Quarterly sales of $2.01 billion <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/analyst-stock-ratings\/reiteration\/25\/08\/47131702\/advance-auto-parts-tumbles-on-weak-outlook-margin-concerns\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">outpaced the Street view of $1.978 billion.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>Cisco Systems, Inc.<\/strong> CSCO\u00a0reported fiscal fourth-quarter revenue of $14.67 billion, beating the\u00a0consensus estimate of $14.62 billion. The networking equipment maker reported fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of 99 cents per share, beating<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/markets\/earnings\/25\/08\/47107407\/cisco-q4-earnings-revenue-beat-eps-beat-strong-guidance-company-sees-massive-ai-infrastructure-opportunity-ahead\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"> analyst estimates of 97 cents per share.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>Applied Materials, Inc. <\/strong>AMAT reported third-quarter revenue of $7.3 billion, beating analyst\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/benzinga.com\/quote\/amat\/earnings\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">estimates<\/a> of $7.22 billion. The chip equipment manufacturer reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $2.48 per share, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/markets\/earnings\/25\/08\/47139064\/applied-materials-beats-q3-earnings-estimates-warns-of-bumpy-start-to-q4-outlook-disappoints\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">beating analyst estimates of $2.36 per share<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc.<\/strong> AMC reported second-quarter revenue of $1.4 billion, beating analyst\u00a0estimates\u00a0of $1.34 billion. The company reported breakeven adjusted earnings per share versus <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/markets\/earnings\/25\/08\/47034894\/amc-stock-climbs-after-q2-revenue-eps-top-estimates\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">estimates for a loss of 9 cents per share.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>Deere &amp; Company <\/strong>DE posted mixed third-quarter results and trimmed its\u00a0full-year profit forecast, highlighting persistent headwinds from declining sales, tariffs,<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/markets\/earnings\/25\/08\/47124985\/tariffs-take-a-bite-out-of-deere-profit-demand-challenges-hit-core-businesses\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"> and cautious customer demand<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>Tapestry, Inc.<\/strong> TPR posted fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.04 per share, ahead of\u00a0the $1.02 consensus, on revenue of $1.72 billion, up 8% <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/markets\/earnings\/25\/08\/47120856\/coach-parent-warns-of-tariff-pressure-despite-strong-performance\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">year-over-year and above expectations.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>Birkenstock Holding plc<\/strong> BIRK reported third-quarter adjusted earnings per share of 70 cents, beating\u00a0the analyst consensus estimate of 67 cents. Quarterly sales of $720.12 million missed the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/markets\/earnings\/25\/08\/47126007\/birkenstock-ceo-says-well-positioned-to-navigate-tariffs-reaffirms-outlook\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Street view of $739.49 million.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>Technology:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\">The White House has developed a scorecard evaluating 553 companies and trade associations on their support for the &#8220;One Big Beautiful Bill&#8221; and other Trump policies. Distributed among senior staff, the ratings will serve as a reference when <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/markets\/equities\/25\/08\/47154066\/white-house-reportedly-launches-a-scorecard-rating-500-companies-on-trump-loyalty-whos-listed-and-how-ratings-are-determined\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">reviewing corporate requests.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>Alphabet Inc.\u2019s<\/strong> GOOG GOOGL Google has introduced new licensing requirements for cryptocurrency wallet applications on its Play Store, a move critics argue could block many non-custodial wallets <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/crypto\/cryptocurrency\/25\/08\/47107111\/google-plays-new-licensing-rules-threaten-non-custodial-crypto-wallets-in-us-eu\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">from\u00a0reaching users in key markets.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Trending Investment Opportunities<\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>Apple Inc. <\/strong>AAPL will introduce a\u00a0redesigned Blood Oxygen feature\u00a0for some Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 users through an iPhone and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/markets\/tech\/25\/08\/47131264\/apple-to-reintroduce-blood-oxygen-feature-on-select-watches-following-customs-ruling\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Apple Watch software update later on Thursday.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>Meta Platforms, Inc. <\/strong>META faces congressional scrutiny after media reports exposed internal policies allowing artificial intelligence chatbots to engage children in &#8220;romantic or sensual&#8221; conversations and generate racist content, raising investor concerns about regulatory compliance <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/markets\/tech\/25\/08\/47148294\/meta-faces-congressional-fire-over-leaked-ai-rulebook-that-allowed-chatbots-to-flirt-with-kids\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">and brand reputation risks.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>Opendoor Technologies Inc<\/strong> OPEN CEO<strong> Carrie Wheeler<\/strong> abruptly stepped down on Friday morning. Opendoor CTPO<strong> Shrisha Radhakrishna<\/strong> will assume the\u00a0role of president\u00a0and interim CEO, effective immediately. A formal search for a permanent <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/trading-ideas\/movers\/25\/08\/47158523\/opendoor-ceo-steps-down-retail-investors-celebrate-power-to-the-people\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">successor is currently underway.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>Oracle Corporation <\/strong>ORCL \u00a0unveiled a modern Electronic Health Record (EHR) system for ambulatory providers in the U.S., aiming to simplify clinical workflows and enhance patient care with<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/news\/health-care\/25\/08\/47098429\/oracle-brings-ai-intelligence-to-electronic-health-records\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">\u00a0artificial intelligence-driven tools.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>Oracle<\/strong>\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/topic\/oracle\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">stock dropped on<\/a>\u00a0Wednesday amid reports indicating the company has begun cutting jobs in its cloud unit as it works to rein in costs amid heavy<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/markets\/tech\/25\/08\/47100451\/oracle-cloud-layoffs-mirror-big-techs-cost-controls-as-ai-bills-climb\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"> AI infrastructure spending.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>Alibaba Group Holding\u2019s<\/strong> BABA\u00a0international commerce arm\u00a0launched the Accio Agent on Thursday to help merchants source products and supplies, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/markets\/tech\/25\/08\/47149401\/alibaba-launches-ai-powered-agent-to-automate-merchant-operations\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">aiming to transform online business operations.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>Robinhood Markets, Inc.\u2019s<\/strong> HOOD\u00a0CEO<strong>\u00a0Vlad Tenev\u00a0<\/strong>has established an exclusive founders club comprising the company&#8217;s 150 best-performing employees across all levels, designed to serve as a strategic rebuild <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/markets\/equities\/25\/08\/47148601\/robinhood-ceo-vlad-tenev-builds-apocalypse-squad-150-top-performers-picked-to-rebuild-company-if-disaster-strikes\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">team in catastrophic scenarios<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>Artificial Intelligence:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>OpenAI<\/strong>\u00a0CEO S<strong>am Altman<\/strong>\u00a0detailed his vision for an artificial intelligence companion device during a recent podcast appearance, describing plans for &#8220;ambiently aware&#8221; hardware that could fundamentally change how users interact with technology<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/markets\/tech\/25\/08\/47149733\/openai-ceo-sam-altman-reveals-sci-fi-ai-companion-vision-with-ex-apple-design-chief-jony-ive-to-replace-smartphones\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"> beyond traditional smartphones<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\">The Chinese AI start-up\u00a0<strong>DeepSeek<\/strong>\u00a0has reportedly postponed the launch of its new model after technical issues with\u00a0<strong>Huawei Technologies&#8217;<\/strong>\u00a0chips forced a reliance on U.S.-made\u00a0<strong>NVIDIA Corporation\u2019s<\/strong> NVDA <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/markets\/tech\/25\/08\/47148339\/deepseeks-latest-ai-model-delayed-after-huawei-chips-fail-amid-chinas-push-to-reduce-reliance-on-us-companies-like-nvidia-report\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">processors<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>Automobiles:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>Tesla, Inc.<\/strong> TSLA sales surged in Norway during the first half of the year despite a slump across other markets in Europe amid\u00a0<strong>Elon Musk<\/strong>\u2018s dip in popularity due to his close ties <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/markets\/tech\/25\/08\/47115413\/tesla-sales-surge-24-in-norway-defying-european-decline-elon-musks-dip-in-popularity\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">with\u00a0the Trump administration.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>BYD Co., Ltd.\u2019s<\/strong> BYDDY local franchise partner in the country said the company is observing a shift in customer behavior, Nikkei Asia reported\u00a0<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/asia.nikkei.com\/business\/automobiles\/electric-vehicles\/byd-sets-india-sales-record-on-back-of-dealership-expansion?tblci=GiAIRlI0k8093O7NDun8A3VPr6xAR70_aoZJ6XnLiAtCAyCN1Vcoz7Dpifi1v-7FATDviEo\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">on<\/a>\u00a0Thursday. \u201cNow, most of them consider buying a BYD as their primary vehicle,\u201d a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/markets\/tech\/25\/08\/47116812\/tesla-rival-byd-sets-new-sales-record-in-india-amid-elon-musk-led-ev-giants-push-into-the-region\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">BYD representative said in the report.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>WeRide Inc. <\/strong>WRD\u00a0stock gained on Friday after it announced that <strong>Grab Holdings Limited<\/strong> GRAB\u00a0will take a\u00a0strategic equity stake\u00a0as part of a deeper partnership to speed up the deployment and commercialization of Level 4 Robotaxis and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/m-a\/25\/08\/47150409\/weride-lands-grab-investment-to-speed-robotaxi-rollout-in-southeast-asia\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">shuttles across Southeast Asia.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>NIO Inc. <\/strong>NIO\u00a0saw its stock gain in premarket trading Friday as its premium compact electric vehicle (EV) brand Firefly reportedly began delivering its <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/markets\/tech\/25\/08\/47151038\/teslas-chinese-rival-nio-sparks-global-push-as-firefly-evs-hit-european-roads\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">first units to\u00a0customers in Europe.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>XPeng Inc.<\/strong> XPEV and <strong>Volkswagen AG<\/strong> VLKAF announced on that they have\u00a0deepened their partnership\u00a0by expanding their E\/E Architecture collaboration beyond electric vehicles to internal combustion engine (ICE) and plug-in hybrid <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/markets\/tech\/25\/08\/47149732\/volkswagen-expands-xpeng-partnership-to-speed-software-upgrades-across-all-car-types\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">(PHEV) platforms in China.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong>Read Next:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"block core-block\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.benzinga.com\/trading-ideas\/movers\/25\/08\/47156160\/evolv-technologies-precigen-hesai-group-and-other-big-stocks-moving-higher-on-friday\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Evolv Technologies, Precigen, Hesai Group And Other Big Stocks Moving Higher On Friday<br \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With earnings season nearing its end and the macroeconomy running hot, shifting sentiment, bold policy moves, and volatile&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5058,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[174],"tags":[79,5325,5330,5327,5328,5326,5329,5324,179,18,19,17,5323,5331,5332,5333,5334,5335,5336,5337,5338,5339,5340,5341,5342,5343,5344,5345,5346,5347,5348,5349,5350,5351,5352,5353,5354,5355,5356,5357],"class_list":{"0":"post-5057","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-category-equities","10":"tag-category-general","11":"tag-category-markets","12":"tag-category-movers","13":"tag-category-news","14":"tag-category-tech","15":"tag-cms-wordpress","16":"tag-economy","17":"tag-eire","18":"tag-ie","19":"tag-ireland","20":"tag-pageisbzpro-bz","21":"tag-symbol-aap","22":"tag-symbol-aapl","23":"tag-symbol-amat","24":"tag-symbol-amc","25":"tag-symbol-baba","26":"tag-symbol-birk","27":"tag-symbol-byddy","28":"tag-symbol-csco","29":"tag-symbol-de","30":"tag-symbol-goog","31":"tag-symbol-googl","32":"tag-symbol-grab","33":"tag-symbol-hood","34":"tag-symbol-meta","35":"tag-symbol-nio","36":"tag-symbol-nvda","37":"tag-symbol-open","38":"tag-symbol-orcl","39":"tag-symbol-tpr","40":"tag-symbol-tsla","41":"tag-symbol-vlkaf","42":"tag-symbol-wrd","43":"tag-symbol-xpev","44":"tag-tag-consumer-tech","45":"tag-tag-stories-that-matter","46":"tag-tag-tech","47":"tag-tag-why-its-moving"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5057\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}