U.S. stocks are drifting higher Tuesday after more companies said they made bigger profits at the end of last year than analysts expected. The S&P 500 was up 0.5% in midday trading, as many markets around the world took only tentative steps following Donald Trump’s return to the White House on Monday.

Analysts at Morgan Stanley say Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) is in a "pole position" to capitalize on growing demand for generative artificial intelligence (AI)-powered applications like AI agents. Other analysts seem to agree.

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) and Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) have recently been two of the hottest stocks on Wall Street because both companies play a key role in the artificial intelligence economy.

Wall Street Breakfast, Seeking Alpha's flagship daily business news summary, is a one-page summary that gives you a rapid overview of the day's key financial news. It is designed for easy readability on the site or by email (including mobile devices),

Another engine of value creation for Wall Street that has been slow in recent years is the IPO market — which is also set to pick up.

Salesforce introduced Agentforce, its own agentic AI tool, in September. The technology could superpower the company's next stage of growth. Now, one Wall Street analyst seems to be taking notice.

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U.S. stock indexes rallied to close out their best week in two months. The S&P 500 rose 1% Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 1.5%.

The stock market had a bull run this week, with the S&P 500 making gains in four of the days and jumping 3.4% over the five-day trading period, its best numbers since the 2024 presidential election. Market players reacted positive to favorable inflation data for December,