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The Federal Trade Commission’s new rule requires ticket sellers to disclose total prices upfront, including fees, prohibiting them from concealing add-on charges until the last minute.
“More transparency is always a win for consumers,” says Andrew Mall, an associate professor of music at Northeastern University. However, “if there are any consumers who have been expecting fewer fees as a result, they will be disappointed.”

Fans watch Taylor Swift perform onstage during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at La Defense on May 10, 2024 in Paris, France. 
Kevin Mazur | TAS24 | Getty Images

The Federal Trade Commission’s new guidelines on price transparency — known as the junk fees rule —will change how ticket prices are presented, which is a rare victory for consumers, experts say.
According to the FTC, businesses selling live-event tickets or short-term lodging must prominently show the total cost upfront, including “all charges or fees the business knows about and can calculate,” before asking for payment. They must also “avoid vague phrases like ‘convenience fees,’ ‘service fees,’ or ‘processing fees'” and “conspicuously disclose the amount and purpose of those charges,” the FTC explained.

“More transparency is always a win for consumers,” said Andrew Mall, an associate professor of music at Northeastern University. However, “if there are any consumers who have been expecting fewer fees as a result, they will be disappointed,” he added.
More from Personal Finance:Many Americans are struggling with food price inflationStagflation is a looming economic riskHere’s what experts say about selling gold jewelry for cash
Consumers have grown increasingly frustrated with ticket sellers in recent years, especially as a number of blockbuster tours tested the limits of what concert goers were willing to pay.
“Concert ticket pricing is a very elastic economic model,” Mall said, “there is no limit.”
Post-pandemic, ticket prices soared, also known as “funflation.”

The prevalence of tacking on “junk fees” as well as implementing “dynamic pricing,” which is when ticket-selling platforms charge more per ticket depending on demand at any given time, caused costs to escalate even more, often unexpectedly. Neither of these strategies are prohibited under the FTC’s new rule.
“This is not about capping fees or saying what fees companies can or cannot charge,” said Teresa Murray, director of the consumer watchdog office for U.S. PIRG, a nonprofit consumer advocacy research group.
“It’s about transparency and it’s about making things fair, not just for consumers but also for other businesses,” she added.

The rule is narrower than what the FTC proposed in 2023. That rule would have broadly banned hidden charges as part of former President Joe Biden’s wide-ranging crackdown on junk fees that drive up costs without providing visible benefits.
Ticket sellers can continue to charge whatever they want for concerts, sporting events, music, theater and other live performances, Murray said. “They just have to give the total price upfront.”

Consumers will see some immediate changes

Ticketmaster on Monday launched “All In Prices” in the U.S., which now shows the full price of tickets, including all fees before taxes and shipping charges.
“Ticketmaster has long advocated for all-in pricing to become the nationwide standard so fans can easily compare prices across all ticketing sites, and we commend the FTC for making that a reality,” Ticketmaster COO Michael Wichser said in a statement. “Paired with the recent executive order targeting abuse in the secondary market, it marks a meaningful step forward for our industry and we’ll continue pushing for additional reforms that protect both artists and fans.”

Secondary-market seller SeatGeek also announced in a press release Monday it will now display the price of tickets with fees included upfront on its platform, in line with the FTC’s new guidelines.
“Fans deserve pricing that’s clear from the start,” Jack Groetzinger, SeatGeek’s co-founder and CEO, said in the release. “This is an important step forward.”
There may also be a knock-on effect to come, Murray said.
“In the secondary market, where there is a lot of competition, maybe those companies will shave off a few of those fees so they appear to be the lowest cost,” she said. “We wouldn’t be surprised if some fees went away.”
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Americans are feeling the pressure of higher grocery prices.
“It feels very visceral versus something that’s updated once a year like a car insurance,” said Stephen Kates, a financial analyst at Bankrate. 
As food prices are expected to rise this year, here are five ways to save on costs, according to experts.

D3sign | Moment | Getty Images

Signs of strain: Grocery debt, food pantry visits

Higher food costs have influenced how many consumers pay for groceries, and how well they are able to keep up with other bills.
“You can’t avoid needing to buy food, needing to buy groceries,” said Kimberly Palmer, a personal finance expert at NerdWallet.

From February 2022 to August 2024, as food prices swelled, credit card delinquencies increased 39.8%, according to a recent report by the Urban Institute. In 2023, the research firm found that about a quarter of adults paid for groceries on a credit card and took on debt as a result.

More Americans are using buy now, pay later loans to buy groceries. About 25% of respondents said they have used buy now, pay later loans to buy groceries this year, up from 14% in 2024, LendingTree found. More are also falling behind on those bills: 41% of respondents made a late payment on a BNPL loan in the past year, higher from 34% the year prior, the report found.
Some consumers are in more dire straits. In the past year, about 19% of polled Americans said they had to get food from a food bank or a pantry, according to a new Pew Research Center report.

‘Use all available resources’ to save on food

When it comes to saving on groceries, you want to do as much preparation as possible, experts say.
“Try to use all available resources,” like comparing prices or going to wholesale or discount locations, Bankrate’s Kates said.
Here are five ways to save on grocery costs:

1. Plan your meals

A good first step is to plan out your meals in advance, said Thomas Gremillion, director of food policy at the Consumer Federation of America.
Once you have an idea of the kinds of meals you’re going to prepare, write out a list of the things you’ll need before stepping into the grocery store. 
People tend to spend less money when they go to the grocery store with a list, Gremillion said.
Look over supermarket sales circulars as you plan. Often, they feature discounted prices on certain brands or cuts of meat, said NerdWallet’s Palmer. “Maintaining that flexibility can help,” she said.

2. Stack discounts and coupons

Joining your local store’s loyalty program can help you get additional discounts on top of any weekly sales or deals, Palmer said. While you may have to trade personal information like your phone number or an email, you typically get lower prices in exchange, she said.
On top of sales, look for manufacturer’s coupons, Kates said.

3. Consider store brands

About 56% are buying generic or store-brand products, Credit Karma’s report found.
Doing so can help save on costs. Store brands can cost about 5% to 72% less per serving than name-brand products, according to a 2022 blind test conducted by Consumer Reports. About three quarters of the 70 store-brand products used in the test tasted just as good as the name brand, researchers found.

4. Reconsider where you shop

Compare store prices on their websites and apps, and try to time specific purchases when they’re on sale, Kates said.
In Credit Karma’s report, 22% of consumers said they are prioritizing shopping at retailers that offer promotions. Another 35% are shopping at discount stores like Dollar Tree or Dollar General.
And it’s no secret that shopping in bulk in a wholesale club can also provide savings. Wholesale clubs like BJ’s Wholesale Club, Costco or Sam’s Club offer different membership tiers with fees ranging from $50 to $55 for the most basic plans to $110 to $130 for premium versions.

5. Tap government, local aid

The Credit Karma report found that 17% of respondents applied or considered applying for food stamps while 16% are relying on food banks. Those can be valuable resources for families in need.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP benefits, is a federal government program that provides food benefits for qualifying low-income families, said Courtney Alev, the consumer financial advocate at Credit Karma. Contact your local SNAP office for more information; you may need to meet certain requirements in order to qualify.
Local food banks and pantries are available to anyone struggling to afford groceries, and typically more accessible compared to benefits like SNAP, experts say.
However, you might be required to provide information, depending on the food bank’s specific criteria or policies, experts say. For instance, some might require a proof of residence and income, Alev said.
You can look up your nearest food bank on websites like feedingamerica.org or 211.org. More

While the economy is still in a “strong position,” the risks that unemployment and inflation will rise have gone up, the Federal Reserve said last week.
Those factors, along with slower economic growth, may prompt stagflation, experts warn.
Here’s what consumers can do to prepare for those risks.

D3sign | Moment | Getty Images

The U.S. economy is still in a “strong position” despite “heightened uncertainty,” according to the Federal Reserve’s latest assessment.
Yet there’s a looming economic risk the U.S. hasn’t meaningfully faced for decades — stagflation.

“The risks of higher unemployment and higher inflation appear to have risen,” Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said on May 7.
Those two factors — along with slower economic growth — are the definition of stagflation.

Stagflation is not here yet. The unemployment rate is low and inflation has come down, though it is still higher than the Fed’s 2% target, Powell noted last week. Signs that the economy is in a “solid position” prompted the central bank to leave the short-term federal funds interest rate unchanged.

What’s fueling stagflation fears

Swiftly shifting tariff policies are the main threat prompting experts to sound stagflation warnings. Uncertainty related to tariffs is also a strong factor contributing to stagflation risks, according to Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.
“Uncertainty, in and of itself, is a drag on economic growth,” McBride said.

Businesses may react by not hiring, not expanding production, not making investments and otherwise waiting for the forecast to change, he said.
“Even if a lot of [the tariffs] never actually come to fruition, this period of uncertainty itself is a headwind to the economy,” McBride said.
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Stagflation was last a major issue for the U.S. economy in the 1970s as the country contended with the economic fallout of the Vietnam War, the loss of manufacturing jobs and spikes in oil prices.
While different factors are present today, stagflation is a “more pronounced risk than at any time over the past 40 years,” Greg Daco, chief economist at EY Parthenon and vice president at the National Association for Business Economics, recently told CNBC.com.
Meanwhile, consumer confidence sank to its lowest reading in five years as tariffs impacted individuals’ outlook and employment confidence, according to the Conference Board’s April survey. Nevertheless, total retail sales were up in April, both month over month and year over year, as consumers moved up purchases in anticipation of tariffs prompting higher prices, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor.

How consumers can prepare for stagflation

Stagflation’s effects would be felt across the U.S. economy. However, there are several ways individuals can minimize their personal exposure ahead of those risks, experts say.
1. Pay down high interest debts
Eliminating credit card or other high-interest debts like home equity loans can help create more room in your budget, particularly as interest rates stay put for now.
“If stagflation comes to pass, you’re going to need that breathing room, because inflation will be high, and prices for all your expenses will be moving higher,” McBride said.
2. Boost emergency savings
Most respondents — 65% — to the May CNBC Fed Survey said they expect the Fed will lower interest rates if stagflation risks come to pass.
With interest rates holding steady, cash savers still have a unique opportunity to access higher returns.
Top-yielding online savings accounts are still offering interest rates that are above the rate of inflation, according to McBride. That may not always be the case if interest rates come down and the rate of inflation picks up.
Having cash set aside can help prevent the accumulation of high-cost debt or the need to prematurely raid retirement accounts in the face of income disruptions, rising expenses or other unexpected costs, McBride said.

3. Think twice before stocking up on goods
Pending tariffs could mean rising prices on a variety of goods from leather goods to apparel to cars. That may tempt consumers to want to rush to buy the products they anticipate they will need, in order to save money.
But buyer beware: So-called “panic buying” can mean you shell out more money than you otherwise would by purchasing more than you need. More

For many millennials and Gen Zers, financial security remains out of reach — even as their net worths grow on paper.
“We’re living in two separate economies,” said Freddie Smith, an economics content creator who talks about the different financial realities between generations. “The middle class, unfortunately, is dead for millennials and Gen Zers. Or, best-case scenario, the goalpost has just moved and it’s still obtainable, but you have to make over six figures to have that middle-class life.”

Rachel Schneider, CEO of emergency payment fintech company Canary and co-author of “The Financial Diaries,” describes a large portion of Americans as living “at break even.”
“Over the course of the year, they might make enough money to pay for basic living expenses and cover their bills, but if one major thing happens then they can get behind,” Schneider told CNBC.
Meanwhile, costs keep rising. Housing, health care, and insurance have all become more expensive. Additionally, unlike decades ago, Americans now bear more responsibility for funding their own retirement.
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Despite older Americans’ criticism of younger generations for lifestyle inflation, many experts argue the problem is structural, not behavioral.

“It’s a lot harder for young people today to save up for markers of the American Dream than it was for previous generations,” said Joanne Hsu, director of the University of Michigan’s Surveys of Consumers and a research associate professor.
“People often feel a lot of shame and distress when their financial lives are not going smoothly,” Schneider said. “And yet, a lot of what they’re experiencing is not the result of anything that they have done or could have done differently.”
As traditional markers of success slip further away, young American adults are adapting. More are living with their parents longer, sharing child care across households, and looking for new ways to build community.
Watch the video above to learn more about why “making it” feels impossible for so many young Americans. More

Student loan borrowers have a lot of questions about how wage garnishment works, as the Trump administration resumed involuntary collections.
Those include concerns about how much money the government can take, whether they can challenge collection efforts and how garnishments work for those who are self-employed.
Here’s what we know so far.

U.S. President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter during a news conference in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on January 21, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Andrew Harnik | Getty Images

Shortly after the Trump administration resumed collection efforts on defaulted federal student loans, the Education Department offered more detail to borrowers about the timeline for garnishments and other involuntary collections.
Dozens of borrowers reached out to CNBC with questions and concerns about the change in policy.

We spoke with experts to get answers. Here’s what we know so far.

Why are borrowers now at risk of wage garnishment?

Since the Covid pandemic began in March 2020, collection activity on federal student loans had mostly been paused. The Biden administration focused on extending relief measures to struggling borrowers in the wake of the public health crisis and helping them to get current.
The Trump administration’s move to resume collection efforts and garnish wages of those behind on their student loans is a sharp turn away from that strategy. Officials have said that taxpayers shouldn’t be on the hook when people don’t repay their education debt.
“Borrowers should pay back the debts they take on,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon in a video posted on X on April 22.
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Consumer advocates argue that federal student loan borrowers have faced a chaotic lending system, with constantly changing rules, unfair costs and bad information.
“People who default on loans typically truly cannot afford to pay them,” said James Kvaal, who served as U.S. undersecretary of education for former President Joe Biden, in a previous interview with CNBC.

How much of my wages can the government take?

The U.S. Department of Education can garnish up to 15% of your disposable, or after-tax, pay, said higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz.
By law, you must be left with at least 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage ($7.25) a week, which is $217.50, Kantrowitz said.

When could the wage garnishments start?

The Treasury Department will send notices to 5.3 million defaulted borrowers about the collection activity of their wages “later this summer,” the Education Department wrote in a recent press release.
As soon as June, the Trump administration says it will begin seizing portions of defaulted student loan borrowers’ federal benefits when applicable, including their Social Security retirement checks. (Social Security recipients can typically see up to 15% of their monthly benefit reduced to pay back their defaulted student debt, but beneficiaries need to be left with at least $750 a month.)

What if I’m self-employed, or a gig worker?

It is more difficult for the federal government to garnish the wages of someone who receives 1099 income, Kantrowitz said.
“If there is no employer, wage garnishment can’t happen,” he said.

Can I challenge the wage garnishment?  

Yes.
Borrowers in default will receive a 30-day notice before their wages are garnished, a spokesperson for the Education Department told CNBC.
During that period, you should have the option to have a hearing before an administrative law judge, Kantrowitz said. The Education Department notice is supposed to include information on how you request that, he said.

Your wages may be protected if you’ve recently been unemployed, or if you’ve recently filed for bankruptcy, Kantrowitz said.
Borrowers can also challenge the wage garnishment if it will result in financial hardship, he added.

What should I tell my employer?

Most employers will already be familiar with the wage garnishment process, Kantrowitz said, “since this occurs for a variety of reasons, such as child support, alimony and unpaid taxes — not just student loans.”
Your boss is not allowed to terminate you because of the wage garnishment, Kantrowitz said.

How do I get out of default?

You can contact the government’s Default Resolution Group and pursue a number of different avenues to get current on your loans, including enrolling in an income-driven repayment plan or signing up for loan rehabilitation. 

Some borrowers may also be eligible for deferments or a forbearance, which are different ways to pause your payments, said Carolina Rodriguez, director of the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program in New York, in an earlier interview with CNBC.
“We’re advising clients to request a retroactive forbearance to cover missed payments, and a temporary forbearance until they can get enrolled in an income-driven repayment plan,” she said. More

Several investors were unable to access their Fidelity accounts during some of Monday’s market rally.
More than 3,000 user complaints were reported around 10 a.m., according to Downdetector, a website that tracks outages.

A Fidelity Investments branch.
Nicholas Pfosi | The Boston Globe | Getty Images

Some Fidelity Investments customers experienced login issues Monday morning as the market rallied.
More than 3,000 user complaints were reported around 10 a.m., according to Downdetector, a website that tracks outages. About 79% of the reports were login issues, 12% were website-related issues and 9% were online brokerage related, per the site.

The Fidelity login issues occurred as major stock indices spiked on the news that China and the U.S. had agreed to temporary tariff cuts. The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 1,136 points, or 2.7%, by mid-afternoon. The S&P 500 is up nearly 3% and the Nasdaq Composite gained 4%.
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Fidelity told CNBC the firm was aware of the issues, and during the early afternoon announced the issue was resolved. Fidelity did not specify the cause of the technical issues.

Limited ability to trade in a big market day

The brokerage’s login issue may have been a greater problem for day traders, institutional investors and options investors, or investors who want to buy at a certain price before the market jumps, said certified financial planner Lazetta Rainey Braxton, the founder and managing principal of The Real Wealth Coterie.

Not having access to their brokerage accounts during big market swings can hurt their strategies because they are actively managing their portfolios, said Braxton, a member of CNBC’s Financial Advisor Council.

But for long-haul investors, a login glitch that lasts a few hours might not make a huge difference, she said.
“Most investors are not chasing the market,” Braxton added.

‘Remain calm’

Technical issues at brokerages have happened in the past. In August, customers of Charles Schwab and Fidelity Investments were unable to trade in the middle of a steep market sell-off of global equities.
If a blip like this happens again, “it is important for investors to remain calm,” said Carolyn McClanahan, a certified financial planner and the founder of Life Planning Partners in Jacksonville, Florida. She is also a member of CNBC’s Financial Advisor Council.

While it can be a grievance at the moment, such technical difficulties are temporary — “these outages usually don’t last long,” said CFP Cathy Curtis, the founder and CEO of Curtis Financial Planning in Oakland, California.
And besides, “tech outages will not affect the value of investments,” said Curtis, who is also a member of CNBC’s Financial Advisor Council. 

Don’t miss these insights from CNBC PRO More

Currently, there’s a $10,000 limit on the federal deduction on state and local taxes, known as SALT, which will expire Dec. 31, 2025, without action from Congress.
House Republicans wants to raise that to $30,000 for those making $400,000 or less, according to preliminary text released Monday afternoon.
However, the committee will debate the legislation on Tuesday afternoon and it could still change significantly.

Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) speaks during a House Committee on Ways and Means in the Longworth House Office Building on April 30, 2024 in Washington, D.C.
Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images News | Getty Images

House Republicans are calling for a higher limit on the deduction for state and local taxes, known as SALT, as part of President Donald Trump’s tax and spending package.
The House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees tax, released the full text of its portion of the bill on Monday afternoon. The SALT provision would raise the cap to $30,000 for those with a modified adjusted gross income of $400,000 or less.

However, the SALT deduction limit has been a sticking point in tax bill negotiations and the provision could still change significantly. The committee is scheduled to debate and vote on the legislation on Tuesday afternoon.    
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Enacted via the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or TCJA, of 2017, there’s a $10,000 limit on the federal deduction on state and local taxes, known as SALT, which will sunset after 2025 without action from Congress.
Currently, if you itemize tax breaks, you can’t deduct more than $10,000 in levies paid to state and local governments, including income and property taxes.
Raising the SALT cap has been a priority for certain lawmakers from high-tax states like California, New Jersey and New York. With a slim House Republican majority, those voices could impact negotiations.

While Trump enacted the $10,000 SALT cap in 2017, he reversed his position on the campaign trail last year, vowing to “get SALT back” if elected again. He has renewed calls for reform since being sworn into office.
Lawmakers have floated several updates, including a complete repeal, which seems unlikely with a tight budget and several competing priorities, experts say.
“It all has to come together in the context of the broader package,” but a higher SALT deduction limit could be possible, Garrett Watson, director of policy analysis at the Tax Foundation, told CNBC earlier this month.
Here’s who could be impacted.

How to claim the SALT deduction

When filing taxes, you choose the greater of the standard deduction or your itemized deductions, including SALT capped at $10,000, medical expenses above 7.5% of your adjusted gross income, charitable gifts and others.
Starting in 2018, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act doubled the standard deduction, and it adjusts for inflation yearly. For 2025, the standard deduction is $15,000 for single filers and $30,000 for married couples filing jointly.
Because of the high threshold, the vast majority of filers — roughly 90%, according to the latest IRS data — use the standard deduction and don’t benefit from itemized tax breaks.
Typically, itemized deductions increase with income, and higher earners tend to owe more in state income and property taxes, according to Watson.

Who benefits from a higher SALT limit

Generally, higher earners would benefit most from raising the SALT deduction limit, experts say.
For example, an earlier proposal, which would remove the “marriage penalty” in federal income taxes, involves increasing the cap on the SALT deduction for married couples filing jointly from $10,000 to $20,000.
That would offer almost all the tax break to households making more than $200,000 per year, according to a January analysis from the Tax Policy Center.
“If you raise the cap, the people who benefit the most are going to be upper-middle income,” said Howard Gleckman, senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.

Of course, upper-middle income looks different depending on where you live, he said.
Forty of the top 50 U.S. congressional districts impacted by the SALT limit are in California, Illinois, New Jersey or New York, a Bipartisan Policy Center analysis from before 2022 redistricting found.
If lawmakers repealed the cap completely, households making $430,000 or more would see nearly three-quarters of the benefit, according to a separate Tax Policy Center analysis from September. More

A logo of Meta is displayed during the Viva Technology startups and innovation fair at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris on May 22, 2024.
Julien De Rosa | Afp | Getty Images

The U.S. Federal Reserve recently announced its plan to keep interest rates steady, cautioning, “uncertainty about the economic outlook has increased further.” It noted that the risk of higher unemployment and elevated inflation have risen. Indeed, tariff wars have shaken global markets and knocked investor sentiment.
Nonetheless, investors looking for attractive picks amid the ongoing volatility can track the recommendations of top Wall Street analysts, who have the expertise to select stocks with the potential to thrive despite short-term challenges.

With that in mind, here are three stocks favored by the Street’s top pros, according to TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance.
Meta Platforms
We start this week with Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms (META), which surpassed analysts’ estimates for the first quarter of 2025, reflecting resilience in a tough macroeconomic backdrop. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Meta is well-positioned to navigate any ongoing challenges.
In reaction to the strong Q1 print, JPMorgan analyst Doug Anmuth reiterated a buy rating on META stock and boosted the 12-month price target to $675 from $610, saying that Meta remains his firm’s top pick. Noting the company’s Q1 beat and Q2 outlook, Anmuth said he believed the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) ad enhancements, such as Andromeda and GEM, are having a significant impact on its ability to make money from the technology.
On the rise in Meta Platforms’ full-year capital expenditure guidance, the analyst said that he is OK with the increase, given that the company is delivering good results and tracking well on its AI roadmap. He added that Meta has a track record of generating returns on increased spending.  
Anmuth said that AI is fueling huge early gains in Meta’s advertising and engagement, with the analyst expecting notable progress soon in business messaging/agents and Meta AI.

“We continue to believe that Meta is well positioned for a tougher macro environment given its scaled advertiser base, highly performant platform and vertical agnostic inventory,” Anmuth said.
Anmuth ranks No. 49 among more than 9,500 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been profitable 62% of the time, delivering an average return of 20.1%. See Meta Platforms Options Activity on TipRanks.
Amazon
Anmuth is also bullish on e-commerce and cloud computing giant Amazon (AMZN). Following the company’s Q1 results, the analyst reaffirmed a buy rating on AMZN and raised the price target to $225 from $220. Amazon reported better-than-expected Q1 2025 results but issued soft guidance for the second quarter, citing tariff woes.
The analyst noted that the company’s Q1 revenue and operating income exceeded the higher end of prior guidance, while the second-quarter outlook reflected lower-than-feared macro and tariff-related impacts.
Though Microsoft’s Azure outperformed Amazon Web Services (AWS) in the March quarter and AWS is currently capacity-constrained, the analyst continues to believe that growth can move higher in the second half of the year as more supply comes online. He added that Amazon is not witnessing any visible change in demand.
Anmuth noted that the sequential deceleration in AWS revenue growth to 17% in Q1 2025 from 19% in the fourth quarter was offset by solid profitability. Notably, AWS’ operating margin touched an all-time high of 39.5% in the first quarter.  
The analyst said that while Amazon did not discuss all its mitigation efforts related to suppliers and geographic sourcing of products, it has taken measures to pull forward inventory because of the tariff wars.
“Importantly, AMZN remains focused on broad selection, low pricing and fast delivery, and believes it typically emerges from uncertain macro periods with greater relative market share gains,” said Anmuth. See Amazon Insider Trading Activity on TipRanks.
Roku
Finally, let’s look at Roku (ROKU), a maker of streaming devices and other products, and a distributor of streaming services. While Roku delivered a modest revenue beat and reported a narrower-than-anticipated loss per share for the first quarter, shares declined as the company trimmed its full-year revenue outlook and issued lower-than-expected Q2 revenue guidance.
Wedbush Securities analyst Alicia Reese highlighted that while Roku lowered its 2025 revenue outlook, it maintained Platform revenue and adjusted EBITDA guidance, crediting enhanced profit from its initiatives and anticipated revenue from acquiring Frndly TV. Roku last week agreed to buy Frndly TV, an affordable subscription streaming service that offers live TV, on-demand video, and cloud-based DVR (Digital Video Recorder), for $185 million in cash in a deal espected to close in the second quarter.
Despite the impact of macroeconomic challenges, Reese believes that Roku is well-positioned within the relatively safe connected TV industry owing to increasing diversification of platform revenue. The analyst also highlighted that a more diversified business model is helping Roku deliver consistent results.
Reese thinks that investors will appreciate Roku for its balanced approach as it grows internationally, improves its platform and enhances The Roku Channel’s ad capabilities, while focusing on expense discipline to drive free cash flow.
“We expect Roku to benefit from its DSP (demand-side platform) partnerships, high-quality inventory, improved targeting sports-adjacent ads, and various price points across its platform to meet advertisers’ needs,” said Reese, reiterating a buy rating on ROKU stock with a price target of $100.  
Reese ranks No. 830 among more than 9,500 analysts tracked by TipRanks. Her ratings have been profitable 61% of the time, delivering an average return of 14.5%. See Roku Ownership Structure on TipRanks. More