The futures market is trading well in the red today, following some mixed earnings reports across several big names. Shares of Alphabet Inc. (GOOG), the owner of search provider Google, declined severely despite beating expectations as its cloud business fell short during the recent quarter. Additionally, shares of electronic payments processor Visa Inc. (V) declined following the release of its earnings. On the other hand, a few names are trading well, including airplane producer Boeing (BA), which rallied despite missing analyst expectations on both the top and bottom lines and trimming production estimates. Tech giant Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) shares were also in the green following strong cloud growth for its Azure offering. Overall, this combination of earnings reports has largely disappointed traders and has caused them to sell some of their positions, suggesting a weaker start to the trading day.
The stock market started strongly yesterday, buoyed by solid earnings reports from several companies. These included a 9% increase in the share price of Verizon Communications (VZ) after the telecom company beat expectations and raised its earnings guidance. Moreover, soda maker The Coca-Cola Co. (KO) and industrial giant 3M Company (MMM) also reported decent quarterly results. Increasing earnings sentiment helped the market move higher in the early portion of the day. Then, the markets slid back to around breakeven levels on profit-taking, before ascending again to their prior highs near the end of the day. All told, the S&P 500 rose 31 points (up 0.73%), the NASDAQ increased 122 points (up 0.93%), and the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished higher by 205 points (up 0.62%).
Additionally, market breadth was quite positive, as advancers outpaced decliners by a 2.3-to-1.0 ratio. In terms of segments, 10 of the market’s 11 sectors were higher on the day, with utilities stocks among the strongest performers. On the other hand, energy issues were in the red, hurt by a decline in the related commodity.
In commodity news, oil prices fell yesterday on some profit-taking, following several days of upward moves related to heightened geopolitical risks. Elsewhere, U.S. Treasury bond yields were mixed, with short-term rates rising and long-term rates falling. Still, the yield curve remains inverted, though long-term rates have generally been increasing at a faster clip than those with shorter durations over the past month. The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index or VIX, also known as the fear index, fell yesterday as traders demanded a lower level of options protection. Still, it is at a level that is much higher than a month ago.
Several key economic reports will be released in the days ahead. These include third-quarter GDP, durable goods orders, and advanced retail and wholesale inventories on Thursday. On Friday, September’s core- and non-core Personal Consumption Expenditures will be released, which should give further insight into how the consumer is faring. Elsewhere, several hundred companies will report in the days ahead across a wide range of industries. Notable companies on the list include: Facebook parent company Meta Platforms (META) and International Business Machines (IBM) will release results after the bell today; on Thursday, Honeywell International (HON), Intel Corp. (INTC), and Merck & Co. (MRK) will report; and Chevron Corp. (CVX) will announce financials on Friday. - John E. Seibert III
At the time of this article’s writing, the author held positions in one or more of the companies mentioned.
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