Move about artificial intelligence. There is a new hot topic about business income in 2025: rates. The word “rates” is more than 350 profit calls from S&P 500 -Listed companies that reported the results of the first quarter, according to a CNBC analysis of call transcripts, compiled by Alphasense. The term “AI”, on the other hand, is mentioned on fewer than 200 calls in the same period. Rates of rates have risen in recent weeks because President Donald Trump's plan for steep taxes announced last month has put both C-suits and Wall Street on Hoge Alert. That is over time with calls with analysts and investors that business management used to be used to discuss AI, what a fashion word has been since the introduction of Chatgpt at the end of 2022. Import tax have fueled the fear in part because of the fear that they can raise prices, push the spending, the spending and the economy can float in a recession and the economy can drive and the economy float. More than 60% of the CEOs in a survey in April said they expect a kind of economic delay in the coming six months, and almost three -quarters said that the rates would harm their business. “We do not -chartered territory within the trading rates start to have a greater impact from the second quarter,” said Christopher Clulow, head of investor relationships at Cummins, during the call of the Indiana engine manufacturer with analysts earlier this week. “The width and changing nature of the rates have introduced a great deal of uncertainty.” The rising 'uncertainty' Cummins was one of the many companies that said the rates were the opportunity to make accurate predictions for future performance. Many companies said that they simply left financial prospects unchanged in view of the developing nature of the taxes. Others have adjusted figures to indicate how the current plans can influence things. That was due to the suspension of much of Trump's mutual rates for three months, until the beginning of July, after the president had unveiled his original rate policy on 2 April. For medical equipment Maker Solventum, a spin-off of 3M in Ealry 2024, the overhang of rates led to maintaining the management of the full year. That was despite the stronger company of the company that managers said they would have led them to their prospects in other circumstances. “To be clear, rates will be a headwind for us this year,” said Solventum CEO Bryan Hanson on Thursday during the company's profit call. “Without them we would increase our EPS guidance that are proportional to the underlying momentum that we see in the company.” Part of the hesitation expressed by business centers to understand how the rates will influence the view of the consumer on the economy. The Consumer Sentiment Index of the University of Michigan in April fell to one of the lowest levels ever registered since it started in the early 1950s. Rates “have created considerable uncertainty for small companies, while the concern about escalating prices for imported goods induced consumer confidence,” said Jamie Iannone, CEO of Ebay during the profit call of the online resale platform at the end of last month. Some managers criticized Trump's policy while talking to analysts. “We support the goals of the US government to increase domestic investments,” said Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks last week. “However, we do not believe that rates are the right mechanism.” – Nick Wells from CNBC contributed to this report.
