What Happened?
Shares of life sciences tools company Agilent Technologies (NYSE: A) jumped 3.7% in the afternoon session after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell indicated that interest rates could be cut, lifting stocks across sectors. The positive sentiment swept through Wall Street, with major indices like the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all posting significant gains. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's comments eased investor concerns, raising hopes for a less restrictive monetary policy which can stimulate economic activity.
After the initial pop the shares cooled down to $121.69, up 3.9% from previous close.
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What Is The Market Telling Us
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 3 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 down 8.8% since the beginning of the year, and at $121.69 per share, it is trading 20.3% below 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 $1,247.
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