The Trading Post | 04.07.25

Good morning,

ASML delivered a generational AI demand signal, the Fed is set to hold while Powell does the talking, Amazon keeps swinging the layoff axe to fund AI, gold just went vertical through $5,000, and Meta–Microsoft–Tesla report tonight with the S&P parked inches from 7,000.

Brandon Wendell is hosting a free class revealing how futures trading can give you more flexibility, require less capital, and help you trade on your own schedule—even with a full-time job. 

Let’s jump in.

Pre-Market Performance

As of 01.27.26 market close.

Market News

• ASML obliterates bookings estimates as AI capex accelerates – Q4 orders hit €13.2B vs €6.85B expected, driven by EUV demand, alongside a €12B buyback and efficiency cuts. Semi equipment names ripped in sympathy. 247Wallst

• Fed decision today, but Powell’s presser is the real trade – Rates expected unchanged; markets price mid-to-late 2026 cuts amid political noise and dollar weakness. CNBC

• Amazon cuts another 16,000 jobs to fund AI ambitions – Total layoffs since October hit 30,000 as capex ramps toward $125B. Reuters

• Gold blows through $5,000 as dollar slides – Gold at $5,110, silver ripping alongside it, banks hiking targets amid central-bank and ETF demand. DW

• Mag 7 earnings start tonight with Meta, Microsoft, Tesla – Options are pricing a meaningful move, especially in Meta. MarketWatch

A Message From Wealth Builders HQ

Trade Futures on Your Terms—Free Class with Brandon Wendell 

If you've ever felt stuck trading only during market hours, frustrated by account size limitations, or exhausted from being chained to your screen, this free training is for you. 

Brandon Wendell, CMT—a 20-year futures veteran and former hedge fund manager—is hosting The Emini Revolution, a complimentary class that reveals how futures trading can transform your approach to the markets. 

Inside this training, you'll discover: 

• The Flexibility of Futures Trading – Trade outside regular market hours, whether you're a night owl or juggling a 9-to-5 

• How to Grow a Smaller Account – Learn to leverage futures without tying up thousands in single positions 

• Professional Risk Management – Discover how prioritizing protection leads to consistent, scalable results 

Brandon doesn't just teach theory—he trades these markets daily and has trained thousands of students worldwide. As a Chartered Market Technician® (a credential held by less than 1% of traders), he brings institutional-level insight to everyday traders. 

This class is perfect if you: 

• Struggle to trade consistently due to time constraints 

• Feel limited by your account size 

• Want to learn spreads but they seem too complicated 

• Jump from strategy to strategy without clear results 

Register now for The Emini Revolution and discover why futures may be the most overlooked opportunity for today's traders—offering you flexibility, lower barriers to entry, and a safer path to consistent results. 

Spots are limited, so reserve your free seat today. 

Earnings We’re Watching

• AT&T Corp. (T) - Wednesday (BMO) 

• Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP) - Wednesday (BMO) 

• General Dynamics Corp. (GD) - Wednesday (BMO) 

• Progressive Corp. (PGR) - Wednesday (BMO) 

• Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) - Wednesday (BMO) 

• International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) - Wednesday (AMC) 

• Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) - Wednesday (AMC) 

• Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) - Wednesday (AMC) 

• ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW) - Wednesday (AMC) 

• Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) - Wednesday (AMC) 

Trade Ideas

Want to learn how we trade these? Learn the setup we call the “High Volatility Switchback” trade.

Get these ideas delivered to your inbox daily with Trade With Rob. It’s 100% free. Sign up here.

Daily Moment of Zen

Why It Matters:

This is Wall Street’s most efficient risk-management manual — and it fits today’s tape uncomfortably well.

Bulls get paid when they follow the trend and respect momentum. Bears get paid when they wait for confirmation, time the turn, and press weakness. Both sides win because both sides have discipline. Pigs, on the other hand, blow up because they confuse conviction with entitlement.

In markets like this — S&P sniffing 7,000, Mag 7 earnings on deck, gold going vertical, and Powell about to freestyle — the temptation to overstay, oversize, or “just squeeze one more point” is exactly how solid gains turn into dumb losses. The pig doesn’t get slaughtered for being wrong… it gets slaughtered for refusing to stop trading when it’s right.

The takeaway for traders:
Have a thesis, pick a side, take the money, and move on. If you find yourself arguing with price, doubling down out of emotion, or turning a trade into a belief system — congratulations, you’re no longer a bull or a bear. You’re bacon.

And the market is always hungry.