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eBay Shines, Tech Stocks Dip as Inflation Worries Linger
2 Aug
Summary
- eBay posts strong Q2 results, shares jump
- Inflation accelerates in June, offsetting Big Tech earnings
- Align Tech, Baxter, International Paper miss earnings estimates

On August 2nd, 2025, the news landscape was marked by a mix of corporate performance and economic concerns. eBay, the online auction platform, posted stronger-than-expected second-quarter results, boosting its share price. However, the broader U.S. equity indexes moved lower as the latest Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) data showed inflation accelerating in June, offsetting strong earnings from Big Tech companies.
Several economists attributed the higher-than-expected PCE reading, the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge, to ongoing tariff pressures. This comes ahead of the August 1st deadline for trade deals to avoid "reciprocal" tariffs, and the release of the July jobs report, which could have significant implications for the Fed's policy decisions in the coming months.
Amid the market volatility, some individual companies also made headlines. Align Technology, the maker of clear teeth aligners, saw its shares plummet 36.6% after reporting second-quarter results that missed analysts' sales and profit estimates. The company announced plans to streamline its operations, including workforce cuts, for which it expects to take a one-time charge.
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Similarly, Baxter International, a provider of healthcare products, tumbled 22.4% following its quarterly earnings release. Although revenue was in line with estimates, adjusted earnings per share fell short of forecasts, and the company's sales guidance for the current quarter also disappointed. Baxter cited ongoing fallout from Hurricane Helene, the devastating storm in September 2024 that damaged its plant in North Carolina, along with soft demand affecting its key intravenous fluids business.
International Paper, the packaging and materials producer, also missed the mark with its quarterly adjusted profit, and its shares dropped 12.9%. Soft demand in Europe and outage costs related to planned maintenance weighed on the company's performance, despite achieving better-than-expected year-over-year sales growth.