To The Moon

U.S. stocks closed higher on Thursday, with tech-related momentum stocks leading the charge, as fresh economic data rekindled hopes that inflation remains in a cooling trend.Market SnapshotThe Dow Jon

Investors have a simple request for tech titans this earnings season: Nothing less than perfection.The "Magnificent Seven" group of tech companies has been the stock market's biggest engine for growth and profits over the past year. But after five of the companies turned in strong quarterly results last week, investors are being picky about which ones they reward.Facebook parent Meta Platforms posted its best sales growth in more than two years, initiated its first dividend and boosted its share-buyback authorization by $50 billion. Investors responded by sending shares up 20% to a record on Friday. Amazon.com said robust holiday spending helped its profit soar, sending shares 7.9% higher.Other stocks didn't fare as well -- despite results that cleared the bar. Google parent Alphabet, Microsoft and Apple reported higher profits and sales than Wall Street had forecast. Their shares nevertheless fell after key business segments failed to perform as well as analysts expected. Alphabet dro