Big Tech had a brutal first quarter, with every Magnificent Seven stock sitting on year-to-date losses by the end of March. Then peace talk headlines started leaking out of the Middle East and the bid came right back.
Now the bill comes due.
Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta open their books Wednesday after the close, while Apple steps up Thursday. Together, those five names cover about a quarter of the entire S&P 500's market value.
That's why this stretch sets the tone for the next leg of the rally.
The Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF - ticker MAGS - has gained 13% in the last month, while the S&P 500 picked up 9% over the same stretch. Big Tech has clawed back most of its early-year losses, leaving earnings to do the heavy lifting from here.
The catch: the bar is high and positioning is crowded, as UBS Securities' Michael Romano put it in a Sunday client note. He said investors are wondering if the good news is already priced in.
Meta has already announced 8,000 layoffs and Microsoft started offering buyout packages. Both moves came after a year of pledging record AI capacity spending.
So this stretch of reports is the first real chance to check the math.
Are the AI commitments still solid? Are the returns starting to show up in the financials? Or is Big Tech tightening the belt because the spend is starting to wobble?
Bank of America's Savita Subramanian called tech right now a sector of "haves" versus "have-nots." Translation: this is no longer a one-trade industry, with some names set to keep ripping while others get punished.
The Federal Reserve also meets Wednesday, the same day four of the five Mag 7 names report. Traders are pricing 99.5% odds of no rate change, with the focus on Powell's tone.
This is also Powell's second-to-last meeting as Fed chair. The Justice Department closed its probe into Powell's role in Fed building renovation costs on Friday, clearing the runway for Trump's pick Kevin Warsh to take over in May.
PCE inflation - the Fed's preferred price gauge - lands Thursday morning. The March print will give investors another read on how the Middle East war is feeding into prices.
Morgan Stanley estimates the Magnificent Seven will grow net income 25% in 2026, against 11% for the rest of the S&P 500. That edge is supposed to keep stretching into 2027.
This week's prints decide whether that bet still holds.
Tesla already reported earlier in the season, leaving Nvidia as the only Mag 7 name still on the calendar. Energy supermajors Exxon and Chevron also report Friday, giving investors a read on the war's direct hit to oil profits.
After 8,000 layoffs and an $850 billion pullback, five companies have to prove the AI trade still works.
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