Breakfast | Tesla's earnings report far below expectations, but surged 5% in after-hours trading! Trump says "no intention to fire Powell" to soothe the market

Market Overview

Hopes for peace between Russia and Ukraine, along with optimistic expectations for U.S. tariff trade negotiations, drove a rebound in U.S. stocks on Tuesday, with Chinese concept stocks surging, Alibaba rising over 5%.

Trump claimed he had no intention of firing Powell, further easing market tensions, leading to a significant after-hours rise in U.S. stocks, with the S&P 500 up 1.7% and the Nasdaq 100 up 1.8% after hours.

The seven major tech companies all closed higher: Tesla rose 4.6%, initially falling after the earnings report but then rising 5%; Amazon rose 3.5%, Apple rose 3.41%, Meta Platforms rose 3.22%, Google A rose 2.57%, Microsoft rose 2.14%, and Nvidia rose 2.04%.

Among chip stocks, TSMC ADR rose 2.39%, and AMD rose 0.82%.

Tesla's Q1 Profit Plummets 40%, Far Below Expectations, Blames Uncertain Trade Policies

Tesla's first-quarter report showed operating revenue of $19.34 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 9%, while analysts had expected $21.37 billion; the adjusted earnings per share (EPS) under non-GAAP was $0.17, down 40% year-on-year, compared to analysts' expectations of $0.43; operating profit was $399 million, down 66% year-on-year, while analysts had expected $1.13 billion.

In summary, Tesla's revenue decreased by 9% in the first quarter, with EPS falling over 60% below analysts' expectations, and automotive revenue down 20%; however, the energy storage business remained strong, with deployment capacity growing by 154%, and Powerwall installations hitting a record high for four consecutive quarters. Tesla pointed out that the impact of tariff situations on the energy business exceeded that on automotive.

Tesla still plans to start production of low-cost vehicles and other new models in the first half of the year, no longer expecting automotive delivery volumes to return to growth this year, stating that the second-quarter report will update this year's guidance, with trade policies and political sentiment changes potentially severely impacting product demand in the short term. The stock price initially fell over 1% after hours but then turned to rise, increasing by 5% after Musk's comments.

What Was Said in Tesla's Conference Call?

1. The adjusted EPS and revenue for the first quarter were below expectations, with automotive delivery volumes declining, including a 24% drop in deliveries of models including the CyberTruck. The growth outlook for 2025 will be reassessed in the second quarter, with new vehicles expected to begin production in the first half of the year.

2. Political sentiment is viewed as a risk, with destructive behavior and hostility being part of the reasons for the decline in first-quarter sales.

3. Trump's trade policies featured prominently in investors' performance reports.

4. Musk stated that in the future, most people will not buy cars, and he will largely withdraw from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under President Trump in May—focusing more on corporate governance.

5. Powerwall deployment exceeded 1 gigawatt-hour for the first time.

Trump: No Plans to Fire Powell, Now is an Excellent Time for Rate Cuts, U.S. Stocks Surge After Hours

When asked if he confirmed that he was not seeking to remove Powell from his position, Trump responded in the Oval Office: "Absolutely not, never." However, he reiterated his criticism of Powell, stating that now is an excellent time for rate cuts and expressing hope to see Powell more actively lowering rates. Analysts believe this statement aims to ease market tensions and marks a significant shift in Trump's attitude

Putin hints at possible talks with Ukraine for the first time since the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Trump announces a "peace plan" for Russia-Ukraine in the next three days

According to CCTV News and Global Times, on the 22nd, Putin expressed his willingness to have direct talks with Ukrainian President Zelensky, marking the first hint since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began. Putin suggested a ceasefire along the contact line and had proposed this to U.S. envoy Visekov in early April. Previously, on the 21st, Trump stated that he would announce a peace plan for Russia-Ukraine in the next three days.

Antitrust measures are coming, U.S. Department of Justice urges court to "force Google to sell Chrome browser"

The U.S. Department of Justice demands that Google pay a heavy price for its monopolistic behavior, including three core measures: the court should force the sale of the Chrome browser, terminate agreements that give its search engine default status on smartphones and other devices, and require data access for competitors. Additionally, Google's loss in another antitrust case could lead to the breakup of its $31 billion advertising business.

Meanwhile, OpenAI stated that if Google is required to divest Chrome, OpenAI is willing to acquire it. OpenAI executives said that if Chrome could be more deeply integrated with OpenAI, it would bring a better product experience, "showing users what an 'AI-first' experience looks like."

A safe haven in the trade storm—Coca-Cola

JP Morgan believes that despite facing tariffs and macroeconomic headwinds, Coca-Cola is expected to achieve organic sales growth (OSG) by 2025, thanks to its strong defensive capabilities, diversified geographic layout, limited tariff impact, and ability to respond to a dynamic operating environment.

Pop Mart's Q1 revenue surged 1.7 times year-on-year, revenue in the Americas skyrocketed 9 times year-on-year

Pop Mart's total revenue in the first quarter of 2025 increased significantly by 165%-170% year-on-year, with the Chinese market growing by 95%-100% and overseas markets experiencing an astonishing growth rate of 475%-480%. The explosive growth in the European and American markets: revenue in the Americas surged by 895%-900% year-on-year, while the European market grew by 600%-605%