Wall Street Brunch: Five Of The Mag 7 Ride Into Earnings Town

Earnings season accelerates with 180 S&P 500 companies reporting this week, including five of the “Magnificent 7” where Apple’s (AAPL) Thursday report is singled out as pivotal for investor views on AI strategy and leadership transition. Microsoft, Amazon and Alphabet also report amid scrutiny over AI monetization, capex discipline and near-term execution — debates likely to drive near-term tech sector moves. The Fed’s Wednesday FOMC meeting (Powell’s last as chair) adds policy risk; the DOJ’s decision to drop its probe of Powell and rising odds of his eventual exit (Kalshi: 84% before 2027) raise questions about future Fed direction and market sensitivity to rate-path signals. Other corporate events (Berkshire’s first meeting without Buffett, multiple high-profile earnings and ex-dividend dates) complete a busy calendar that could increase volatility as investors reassess tech valuations and policy outlook.