What Happened?

A number of stocks jumped in the afternoon session after comments from a key Federal Reserve official bolstered hopes for an interest rate cut. New York Federal Reserve President John Williams stated he sees “room for a further adjustment” in the near term, sparking a significant market rally. Following his remarks, the probability of the central bank cutting rates at its December meeting jumped from 39% to over 73%, according to the CME FedWatch tool. This positive sentiment provided relief to markets amid concerns over high valuations, particularly in AI-related stocks.

The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks.

Among others, the following stocks were impacted:

• Research Tools & Consumables company Mettler-Toledo (NYSE: MTD) jumped 3.6%. Is now the time to buy Mettler-Toledo? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free for active Edge members.
• Research Tools & Consumables company Agilent (NYSE: A) jumped 4.1%. Is now the time to buy Agilent? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free for active Edge members.
• Research Tools & Consumables company Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT) jumped 4.1%. Is now the time to buy Waters Corporation? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free for active Edge members.
• Branded Pharmaceuticals company Merck (NYSE: MRK) jumped 3.6%. Is now the time to buy Merck? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free for active Edge members.
• Immuno-Oncology company Regeneron (NASDAQ: REGN) jumped 3.4%. Is now the time to buy Regeneron? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Zooming In On Agilent (A)

Agilent’s shares are not very volatile and have only had 9 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful, although it might not be something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.

The biggest move we wrote about over the last year was 6 months ago when the stock gained 7.8% on the news that the major indices popped (Nasdaq +3.4%, S&P 500 +2.5%) in response to the positive outcome of U.S.-China trade negotiations, as both sides agreed to pause some tariffs for 90 days, signaling a potential turning point in ongoing tensions. 

This rollback cuts U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods to 30% and Chinese tariffs on U.S. imports to 10%, giving companies breathing room to reset inventories and supply chains. However, President Trump clarified that tariffs could go "substantially higher" if a full deal with China wasn't reached during the 90-day pause, but not all the way back to the previous levels. Still, the agreement has cooled fears of a prolonged trade war, helping stabilize expectations for global growth and trade flows and fueling renewed optimism. The optimism appeared concentrated in key trade-sensitive sectors, particularly technology, retail, and industrials, as lower tariffs reduce cost pressures and restore cross-border demand.

Agilent is up 13.2% since the beginning of the year, and at $151.06 per share, it is trading close to its 52-week high of $152.60 from January 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Agilent’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,346.

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