US Stock Futures Rise Slightly Before Powell's Speech at Jackson Hole
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Aug 22 2025
0mins
Should l Buy WDAY?
Source: Reuters
Market Reactions to Powell's Speech: Futures tied to major U.S. stock indexes rose ahead of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's speech at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium, which is expected to clarify the future interest-rate path.
Rate Cut Expectations: Traders currently estimate a 71.3% chance of a 25-basis-point rate cut in September, a decrease from 85.4% a week prior, influenced by recent economic data and comments from Fed officials.
Stock Market Performance: All three main U.S. stock indexes are facing weekly losses, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq experiencing their worst performance of the month due to a selloff in technology stocks.
Individual Stock Movements: Nvidia shares fell 1.1% amid reports of halted chip production for China, while Alphabet gained 1.2% following a significant cloud computing deal with Meta Platforms; Workday's shares dropped 4.4% after an uninspiring earnings outlook.
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Analyst Views on WDAY
Wall Street analysts forecast WDAY stock price to rise
31 Analyst Rating
22 Buy
9 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 113.060
Low
235.00
Averages
275.19
High
325.00
Current: 113.060
Low
235.00
Averages
275.19
High
325.00
About WDAY
Workday, Inc. is a provider of an artificial intelligence (AI) platform to help organizations manage their people, money, and agents. The Company provides over 11,000 organizations with cloud solutions powered by AI to help solve business challenges, including supporting and empowering their workforce, managing their finances and spending in an ever-changing environment, and planning for the unexpected. It offers Financial Management, Spend Management, Human Capital Management (HCM), Planning, and Analytics applications. The Company sells its solutions worldwide primarily through direct sales. It also offers professional services, both directly and through its Workday Services Partners, to help customers deploy its solutions. It offers businesses flexible solutions to help them adapt to their industry-specific needs and respond to change. It serves various industries, including professional and business services, financial services, healthcare, education, government, and others.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Oil Price Volatility: Crude oil prices surged over 3% on Thursday due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which not only heightened inflation expectations but also could influence Fed monetary policy, leading to increased speculation about future rate hikes.
- Divergent Tech Stock Performance: Marvell Technology surged over 4% following an upgrade from Barclays, while software stocks like Palantir and ServiceNow fell over 7% due to concerns over AI disruption, reflecting differing market views on the tech sector's outlook and potentially affecting investor allocation strategies.
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- Geopolitical Tensions: Iran's plan to charge shipping companies cryptocurrency tolls for passage through the Strait could provoke strong international backlash, increasing the risk of regional conflict.
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See More
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- Expectations for AI Features: DeBaun insists that Salesforce's AI capabilities should be included in the base offering rather than charged separately, indicating dissatisfaction with pricing strategies that could impact Salesforce's competitive position in the market.
- Market Reaction and Stock Volatility: Salesforce's stock has dropped over 35% in the past year, currently trading around $170, reflecting investor concerns about AI tools potentially disrupting traditional enterprise software, leading to a broader sell-off in software stocks.
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See More
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- Diverging Investor Sentiment: While some investors believe the software sector has bottomed and are seeking potential winners, many remain on the sidelines, waiting for signs of stabilization in market sentiment, highlighting concerns over future uncertainties.
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See More
US Stocks Rebound, Nasdaq Hits Four-Week High
- Market Rebound: On Thursday, the S&P 500 rose by 0.62%, reaching a one-month high, reflecting investor optimism regarding the US-Iran ceasefire, despite initial losses due to concerns, indicating cautious optimism about future developments.
- Weak Economic Data: Initial US jobless claims rose to 219,000, exceeding expectations of 210,000, indicating a weakening labor market, while personal income unexpectedly fell by 0.1%, which could impact consumer spending and overall economic growth, increasing market focus on Fed policy.
- Oil Price Volatility: Crude oil prices surged over 3% on Thursday due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which not only heightened inflation expectations but also could influence Fed monetary policy, leading to increased speculation about future rate hikes.
- Divergent Tech Stock Performance: Marvell Technology surged over 4% following an upgrade from Barclays, while software stocks like Palantir and ServiceNow fell over 7% due to concerns over AI disruption, reflecting differing market views on the tech sector's outlook and potentially affecting investor allocation strategies.
See More
Software Stocks Pressured by Anthropic's New AI Functionality
- Stock Declines: Shares of Salesforce, Snowflake, and Workday hit multi-year lows on Thursday, with Salesforce dropping nearly 3% to $170.85, marking its lowest point since March 2023, and a cumulative 9% decline over four days, indicating market concerns over AI competition.
- AI Functionality Impact: The new features launched by Anthropic on its Cowork platform are perceived as a challenge to existing software products, exacerbating valuation pressures in the software sector, particularly negatively affecting demand for Salesforce and Snowflake, with Snowflake's stock plummeting 13% to $132.24, its lowest since August 2024.
- Buyback Plans and Investor Confidence: Despite the stock price declines, Salesforce announced an accelerated buyback plan of up to $25 billion, and board members each purchased $500,000 in shares last month, reflecting confidence in the company's future.
- Analyst Rating Changes: Citi sharply lowered its price target for Workday from $247 to $148, while Rothschild reduced it from $270 to $210, highlighting concerns over the company's decelerating sales trends and uncertainty regarding future strategy following the CEO change.
See More
Closure of Strait of Hormuz Triggers Global Energy Crisis
- Market Reaction: Oil prices surged above $100 per barrel due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, reflecting market concerns over tight energy supplies that could lead to a global economic slowdown.
- Transport Restrictions: The CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. confirmed that the Strait of Hormuz is not open to shipping, with traffic being restricted, which will further exacerbate international oil price volatility and impact the global energy supply chain.
- Geopolitical Tensions: Iran's plan to charge shipping companies cryptocurrency tolls for passage through the Strait could provoke strong international backlash, increasing the risk of regional conflict.
- Emergency Measures Escalate: Japan is reportedly considering releasing about 20 days' worth of oil reserves as early as May to address the global supply crisis, demonstrating the urgency and strategic responses of governments facing energy shortages.
See More
Form 144: Workday (WDAY.US) 10% Stakeholder Plans to Sell 12.81 Million Shares of Common Stock
Stock Sale Announcement: David A. Duffield Trust intends to sell 107.5K shares of its common stock in Workday (WDAY.US) on April 9, with a market value of approximately $12.81 million.
Reduction in Holdings: The trust has reduced its holdings in Workday by 967.5K shares since March 2, 2026, with a total value of around $130.45 million.
See More
Salesforce's Transformation and Challenges in the Age of AI
- Cost-Saving Strategy: Morgan DeBaun, CEO of Blavity, anticipates a shift from Salesforce's CRM platform to a more cost-efficient AI solution by early 2027, potentially saving 50% to 60%, highlighting the emphasis on cost-effectiveness in the AI era.
- Expectations for AI Features: DeBaun insists that Salesforce's AI capabilities should be included in the base offering rather than charged separately, indicating dissatisfaction with pricing strategies that could impact Salesforce's competitive position in the market.
- Market Reaction and Stock Volatility: Salesforce's stock has dropped over 35% in the past year, currently trading around $170, reflecting investor concerns about AI tools potentially disrupting traditional enterprise software, leading to a broader sell-off in software stocks.
- Future Outlook and Investment Confidence: Despite challenges, analysts remain bullish on Salesforce, with Citizens maintaining a buy rating and a $315 price target, demonstrating confidence in the company's ability to adapt to the evolving AI landscape.
See More
Software Sector Faces Intensifying AI Challenges
- Market Pressure Intensifies: This week, the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) fell over 4%, reflecting growing concerns in the software sector, particularly after Anthropic revealed its revenue run rate exceeding $30 billion, up from $9 billion at the end of 2025, indicating risks of AI disrupting traditional software service models.
- Poor Stock Performance: Both Workday and Intuit dropped more than 15% this week, suggesting a pessimistic outlook for these companies amid fears of AI replacing traditional software, severely undermining investor confidence in SaaS models.
- Diverging Investor Sentiment: While some investors believe the software sector has bottomed and are seeking potential winners, many remain on the sidelines, waiting for signs of stabilization in market sentiment, highlighting concerns over future uncertainties.
- Hardware Benefits Clearly: In stark contrast to the software sector, the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) surged over 9% this week, indicating that the hardware sector may emerge as a bigger beneficiary in the AI evolution, further intensifying competitive pressures on software companies.
See More
