Investors are reeling from historic volatility in recent sessions. The Volatility Index (INDEXCBOE: VIX) soared to 60 early this week—its highest level since March 2020—as uncertainty regarding President Trump’s tariff turned to turmoil.
All areas of the global market endured selling pressure, even perceived safe havens like Treasuries at times. The S&P 500 Index (INDEXSP: .INX) cratered to bear-market territory Monday morning, down 20% from its all-time high, while megacap tech stocks felt some of the steepest losses.
The POTUS came to the rescue Wednesday afternoon, though, announcing a 90-day delay in reciprocal tariffs, paving the way for possible trade-policy dealmaking.
Earnings on Tap Amid the Macro Madness
Shareholders aren’t the only group still on edge. Corporate executives remain unsure how to react—come out against quickly-changing policies or keep with their wait-and-see tack.
With earnings season beginning today, JP Morgan (JPM), Wells Fargo (WFC), Morgan Stanley (MS), and BlackRock (BLK) serving up Q1 results, it’s possible we’ll hear corporate color on the Liberation Day decisions along with ones made this week. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink offered a dose of optimism in a sea of fear, saying there could be a ‘buying opportunity’ amid the plunge; he caveated that there might be another 20% downside, however.1
Can the Economy Hang in There?
What is unique about this set of quarterly results is that nothing seems to matter besides tariffs. We take issue with that—corporate balance sheets are in good shape, workers have been collecting solid inflation-adjusted wages, and the employment situation, as we heard last Friday morning, is decent. We even got a decent CPI report yesterday. That’s maybe the best we can hope for as macro turmoil unfolds and the trade war ebbs and flows.
A Full Conference Slate
Investors will also glean information from the Q2 conference season. Already underway, there are many significant gatherings still on tap. Executives, analysts, and shareholders can perhaps escape the non-stop tariff headlines by mixing, mingling, and meeting to discuss industry-specific trends. It’s also possible that new strategies to safeguard income statements and balance sheets from protectionist trade policies can offer hope to worried stakeholders.
Shedding Light on Many Unknowns
Volatility isn’t just a stock-market phenomenon. Interest rates have swung wildly, energy prices have plunged, there’s been upheaval in the metals markets, and often-calm currency pairs continue to react violently to each social media post by the president and TV spot from members of his administration. The result is tremendous unease about how to plan, including long-term capex activities, hiring initiatives, and financial decisions, like buybacks and dividend announcements. A small glimmer of confidence was voiced by Broadcom (AVGO) earlier this week when it authorized a $10 billion stock repurchase plan (of course, authorizations and executions are two different things).2
So, don’t downplay the importance of conferences in the next few months. What happens in Q2 may determine whether the US enters a recession in 2025, so paying close attention to industry gatherings will be key as we navigate treacherous macro waters. Here are each sector’s major investor conferences:
Information Technology & Communication Services
April 9: Google Cloud Next 2025
April 28: Piper Sandler Cybersecurity CEO Summit
May 9: Needham 20th Annual Technology, Media & Consumer Conference
May 13: JP Morgan 53rd Annual TMT Global Technology Media and Communications Conference
May 19: Microsoft Build 2025
May 21: JP Morgan European Technology, Media and Telecoms TMT Conference
May 27: Bitcoin 2025
May 28: TD Cowen and Company 53rd Annual Technology Media and Telecom Conference
June 3: Bank of America Global Technology Conference
June 3: Baird 24th Annual Global Consumer Technology & Services Conference
Health Care
May 7: Citizens JMP Life Sciences Conference
May 13: Bank of America Securities Global Healthcare Conference
May 20: RBC Capital Markets Global Healthcare Conference
May 20: H.C. Wainwright 3rd Annual BioConnect Investor Conference
June 3: Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference
June 3: Carnegie Healthcare Day
June 9: Goldman Sachs 46th Annual Global Healthcare Conference
June 12: Danske Bank Healthcare Seminar
Consumer Discretionary & Consumer Staples
April 15: Bank of America Securities Automotive Summit
May 19: BNP Paribas 2nd Annual Global Electric Vehicle & Mobility Conference
May 20: HSBC Consumer Conference
May 20: Morgan Stanley Luxury Goods Conference
May 22: HSBC 18th Luxury Goods Conference
May 22: Jefferies Automotive Aftermarket Conference
June 2: JP Morgan Automotive Conference
June 2: Deutsche Bank 22nd Annual dbAccess Global Consumer Conference
June 11: Deutsche Bank Global Auto Industry Conference
Financials & Real Estate
May 13: Wells Fargo Financial Services Investor Conference
May 19: Barclays Leveraged Finance Conference
May 20: Truist Securities Financial Services Conference
May 20: Berenberg US Conference
May 27: Deutsche Bank 15th Annual Global Financial Services Conference
May 29: Morgan Stanley Virtual Conference
June 10: RBC Capital Markets Financial Technology Conference
June 10: Morgan Stanley 16th Annual US Financials, Payments & CRE Conference
Industrials
May 5: Oppenheimer 20th Annual Industrial Growth Conference
May 7: Truist Securities Industrials and Services Conference
May 13: Bank of America 32nd Annual Transportation, Airlines and Industrials Conference
May 14: Piper Sandler Infrastructure Finance Summit
May 20: Jefferies Infrastructure & Transport Summit
June 4: Citi Global Freight Field Trip
June 10: Wells Fargo Industrials Conference
Energy & Utilities
April 16: Jefferies Power x Coin Conference
May 15: Deutsche Bank Virtual Global Solar & Clean Tech Conference (virtual)
May 28: Bank of America Power, Utilities and Alternative Energy Conference
June 3: RBC Capital Markets Global Energy, Power and Infrastructure Conference
June 4: Bank of America Energy and Power Credit Conference
June 24: J.P. Morgan Energy, Power, Renewables & Mining Conference
Materials
May 13: Bank of America Global Metals, Mining and Steel Conference
May 15: BMO Capital Markets 20th Annual Farm to Market Conference
May 15: BMO Chemical Conference
May 20: Canaccord Genuity Global Metals & Mining Conference
May 28: Raymond James Silver Conference
June 4: Deutsche Bank dbAccess 16th Annual Global Materials & Building Products Conference
June 12: RBC Capital Markets Global Mining and Materials Conference
Regional
May 7: J.P. Morgan MENA Global Opportunities Conference
May 7: Morgan Stanley China BEST Conference Spring Series
May 14: Bank of America Securities China Conference
May 14: UBS Best of Europe Conference (virtual)
May 14: Macquarie Asia Conference
May 27: Deutsche Bank AG dbAccess European Champions Conference
May 27: UBS Asian Investment Conference
May 30: Morgan Stanley ASEAN Conference
June 10: Goldman Sachs 29th Annual European Financials Conference
June 10: JP Morgan European Industrials Conference
Investor Specific & Multi-Sector
May 20: Sidoti May Micro Cap Virtual Conference (virtual)
May 21: T. Rowe Price 2nd Annual SMID Cap CEO Summit
May 28: Bernstein 41st Annual Strategic Decisions Conference (SDC)
May 28: Bank of America Securities Emerging Markets Debt & Equity Conference
June 3: Stifel 8th Annual Cross Sector Insight Conference
June 4: William Blair 45th Annual Growth Stock Conference
June 11: Sidoti June Small-Cap Conference
June 25: Morningstar Investment Conference
Sources:
1 BlackRock’s Fink says stocks could extend fall by 20% amid US recession worries, Reuters, Tatiana Bautzer, Ross Kerber, April 7, 2025, https://www.reuters.com
2 Broadcom Inc. Announces $10 Billion Share Repurchase Authorization, Broadcom, April 7, 2025, https://investors.broadcom.com
Twitter: @ChristineLShort
The author may hold positions in mentioned securities. Any opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author, and do not in any way represent the views or opinions of any other person or entity.
