Companies keep saying two words that prove they're worried about the future
www.weny.com

... Telling investors what's coming is a normal part of doing business. But with tariff chaos sown throughout the economy, many major companies are "suspending guidance" entirely.

Corporate America is wading through uncertain waters, stuck in an uncomfortable wait-and-see mode until it becomes clear whether Trump's broad reciprocal tariffs " which he suspended for 90 days beginning April " will actually happen.

That uncertainty translates into many companies suspending guidance, meaning they have temporarily delayed or paused the release of their earnings forecast. That's not a great sign for the general state of the world " back in the Covid-19 lockdowns, many companies suspended their guidance because they didn't want to release inaccurate information as the crisis unfolded.

Suspending guidance poses challenges for analysts, who heavily rely on the forecasts companies issue. And the guidance is a good bellwether for how companies expect the economy to fare.

The same holds true for Trump's tit-for-tat trade war, which leaves companies unsure whether they'll have to overhaul their entire business models with its constantly changing headlines.

Other companies have slashed or updated their guidance, the first hint of Trump's trade war's effects on the economy's outlook. ...

Automaker Stellantis, the parent company of brands like Jeep and Dodge, suspended its forecast for profitable growth this year, saying on Wednesday that it's too difficult to define the impacts of "evolving" tariff policies. That announcement followed comments from General Motors, which said on Tuesday that it's no longer standing behind its guidance for higher profits in 2025 because it did not take into account potential tariff impacts. And even German stalwart Mercedes-Benz said it would be suspending its guidance.

In tech, shares of the social media platform Snap plunged up to 14% Tuesday when it announced it was withholding guidance in the second quarter. The company blamed uncertainty in the macroeconomic environment potentially impacting advertising demand. ...