Stocks rose following strong Q1 earnings reports from Meta and Microsoft. Meta's shares increased by 5.2% after reporting earnings per share (EPS) of $6.43 on $42.3 billion in revenue, exceeding expectations of $5.25 EPS on $36.4 billion. CEO Mark Zuckerberg reassured investors about the company's resilience against macroeconomic uncertainties and announced increased capital spending focused on AI investments. Microsoft also outperformed estimates, reporting an EPS of $3.46 with revenue of $70 billion, surpassing expected EPS of $3.22 on $68.4 billion in revenue. The company voiced confidence in continuing its AI investments with capital expenditures of $16.7 billion for the first quarter. Both companies' strong performances have had a positive impact on investor sentiment, though concerns about economic conditions remain. Upcoming earnings reports from Amazon and Apple are anticipated next, with Nvidia scheduled for May 28.

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