Tech stocks just finished a five-week rally — the longest stretch since market peak in November 2021

The Nasdaq simply wrapped up its fifth straight week of beneficial properties, leaping 3.3% during the last 5 days. It’s the longest weekly successful streak for the tech-laden index since a stretch that resulted in November 2021. Coming off its worst 12 months since 2008, the Nasdaq is up 15% to start out 2023.

The final time tech shares loved a rally this lengthy, buyers had been gearing up for electrical carmaker Rivian’s blockbuster IPO, the U.S. economic system was closing out its strongest 12 months for development since 1984, and the Nasdaq was buying and selling at a file.

This time round, there’s far much less champagne popping. Cost cuts have changed development on Wall Street’s guidelines, and tech executives are being celebrated for effectivity over innovation. The IPO market is lifeless. Layoffs are ample.

Earnings reviews had been the story of the week, with outcomes touchdown from most of the world’s most respected tech firms. But the numbers, for probably the most half, weren’t good.

Apple missed estimates for the primary time since 2016, Facebook father or mother Meta recorded a 3rd straight quarter of declining income, Google‘s core promoting enterprise shrank, and Amazon closed out its weakest 12 months for development in its 25-year historical past as a public firm.

While buyers had blended reactions to the person reviews, all 4 shares closed the week with strong beneficial properties, as did Microsoft, which reported earnings the prior week and issued lackluster steerage in projecting income development this quarter of solely about 3%.

Meta was the highest performer among the many group this week, with the inventory hovering 23%, its third-best week ever. In its earnings report Wednesday, income got here in barely above estimates, even with gross sales down 12 months over 12 months, and the first-quarter forecast was roughly consistent with expectations.

The key to the rally was CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s pronouncement within the earnings assertion that 2023 can be the “Year of Efficiency” and his promise that “we’re focused on becoming a stronger and more nimble organization.”

“That was really the game-changer,” Stephanie Link, chief funding strategist at Hightower Advisors, mentioned in an interview Friday with CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

“The quarter itself was OK, but it was the cost-cutting that they finally got religion on, and that’s why I think Meta really took off,” she mentioned.

Zuckerberg acknowledged that the instances are altering. From the 12 months of its IPO in 2012 by means of 2021, the corporate grew between 22% and 58% a 12 months. But in 2022 income fell 1%, and analysts anticipate development of solely 5% in 2023, in accordance with Refinitiv.

On the earnings name, Zuckerberg mentioned he would not anticipate declines to proceed, “but I also don’t think it’s going to go back to the way it was before.” Meta introduced in November the elimination of 11,000 jobs, or 13% of its workforce.

Link mentioned the rationale Meta’s inventory bought such an enormous bounce after earnings was as a result of “expectations were so low and the valuation was so compelling.” The inventory misplaced nearly two-thirds of its worth final 12 months, excess of its mega-cap friends.

Apple, which slid 27% final 12 months, gained 6.2% this week regardless of reporting its steepest drop in income in seven years. CEO Tim Cook mentioned outcomes had been harm by a robust greenback, manufacturing points in China affecting the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, and the general macroeconomic atmosphere. 

“Apple is navigating what is, of course, a very difficult environment quite well overall,” Dan Flax, an analyst at Neuberger Berman, informed “Squawk Box” on Friday. “As we move through the coming months and quarters, we’ll see a return to growth and the market will begin to discount that. We continue to like the name even in the face of these macro challenges.”

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, who succeeded Jeff Bezos in mid-2021, took the weird step of becoming a member of the earnings name with analysts Thursday after his firm issued a weaker-than-expected forecast for the primary quarter. In January, Amazon started layoffs, that are anticipated to end result within the lack of greater than 18,000 jobs.

“Given this last quarter was the end of my first full year in this role and given some of the unusual parts in the economy and our business, I thought this might be a good one to join,” Jassy mentioned on the decision.

Managing bills has develop into an enormous theme for Amazon, which expanded quickly through the pandemic and subsequently admitted that it employed too many individuals throughout that interval.

“We’re working really hard to streamline our costs,” Jassy mentioned.

Alphabet can also be in downsizing mode. The firm introduced final month that it is slashing 12,000 jobs. Its income miss for the fourth quarter included disappointing gross sales at YouTube from a pullback in advert spending and weak point within the cloud division as companies tighten their belts.

Ruth Porat, Alphabet’s finance chief, informed CNBC’s Deirdre Bosa that the corporate is meaningfully slowing the tempo of hiring in an effort to ship long-term worthwhile development.

Alphabet shares ended the week up 5.4% even after giving up a few of their beneficial properties throughout Friday’s sell-off. The inventory is now up 19% for the 12 months.

Should the Nasdaq proceed its upward development and notch a sixth week of beneficial properties, it could match the longest rally since a stretch that resulted in January 2020, simply earlier than the Covid pandemic hit the U.S.

Investors will now flip to earnings reviews from smaller firms. Some of the names they’re going to hear from subsequent week embody Pinterest, Robinhood, Affirm and Cloudflare.

Another space in tech that flourished this week was the semiconductor house. Similar to the buyer tech firms, there wasn’t a lot by means of development to excite Wall Street.

AMD on Tuesday beat on gross sales and revenue however guided analysts to a ten% year-over-year decline in income for the present quarter. Intel, AMD’s major competitor, reported a disastrous quarter final week and projected a 40% decline in gross sales within the March quarter.

Still, AMD jumped 14% for the week and Intel rose nearly 8%. Texas Instruments and Nvidia additionally notched good beneficial properties.

The semiconductor business is coping with a glut of additional components at PC and server makers and falling costs for parts akin to reminiscence and central processors. But after a depressing 12 months in 2022, the shares are rebounding on indicators that an easing of Federal Reserve price will increase and lightening inflation numbers will give the businesses a lift later this 12 months.

WATCH: Watch CNBC’s full interview with Truist’s Youssef Squali