DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Wall St Week Ahead Tech stock rebound faces doubters with earnings season ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Lewis Krauskopf | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 index (.NDX) has gained over 3% in 2023, double the rise for the S&P 500 (.SPX). The Nasdaq 100 fell 33% in 2022, while the S&P 500 lost 19.4%. Apple, the largest U.S. company by market value, and Google-parent Alphabet report the following week. Fourth-quarter earnings in the tech sector are expected to have declined 9.1% from a year ago, compared to a 2.8% decline for S&P 500 earnings overall, according to Refinitiv IBES. The S&P 500 tech sector still trades at a roughly 19% premium to the broader index, above its 7% average of the past 10 years, according to Refinitiv Datastream.

☆ Chinese companies set for biggest earnings growth in 5 years in 2023-Refinitiv data
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Gaurav Dogra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 19 (Reuters) - Chinese companies are expected to report their highest earnings growth in five years, Refinitiv data shows, as economic reopening after COVID lockdowns and accommodative monetary policy raise hopes for higher profits. According to Refinitiv IBES data, China's large and mid-cap companies' profits are seen rising 16.2% in 2023, the fastest growth since 2017. The Reuters analysis showed utilities, consumer staples and consumer discretionary sectors are expected to lead growth with their estimated profit growth of 34.5%, 33.5% and 27.8%, respectively. Meanwhile, the tech sector is expected to see earnings growth of 27% compared with 9.4% in 2022 while the property sector would witness 9.4% higher profits after a 4.9% drop last year. read more"We expect China to outperform Asia ex-Japan due to its faster-than-anticipated reopening, continuing domestic policy support, and potential for stronger earnings growth," said Mark Haefele, chief investment officer at UBS Global Wealth Management, in a note this month.

Jan 17 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) on Tuesday reported a bigger-than-expected 69% drop in fourth-quarter profit as it struggled with a slump in dealmaking and weakness in its wealth management business. Goldman is also curbing its consumer banking ambitions as Chief Executive Officer David Solomon refocuses the bank's resources to strengthen its core businesses such as investment banking and trading. Goldman's investment banking fees fell 48% in the latest quarter, while revenue from its asset and wealth management unit dropped 27% due to lower revenue from equity and debt investments. The bank reported a profit of $1.19 billion, or $3.32 per share, for the three months ended Dec. 31, missing the Street estimate of $5.48, according to Refinitiv IBES data. Fixed income, currency and commodities trading revenue was up 44%, while revenue from equities trading fell 5%.

☆ HDFC Bank, India's biggest private lender, says net profit jumps 18.5%
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Net profit for the quarter was 122.59 billion rupees ($1.51 billion), up from 103.42 billion rupees in the same quarter a year earlier. That was above analysts' forecast of 118.33 billion rupees, according to Refinitiv IBES data. Net interest income, the difference between interest earned and paid, rose 24.6% to 229.88 billion rupees from 184.44 billion rupees. HDFC's advances for its third fiscal quarter rose 19.5%, retail loans grew 21.4%, commercial and rural banking loans were up 30.2% and other wholesale loans rose 20.3%. Provisions and contingencies fell slightly to 28.06 billion rupees from 29.94 billion rupees last year.

The Indian IT services industry, which enjoyed a pandemic-led boom, is now contending with slower spending or at least delays in decision-making due to growing fears of a global recession. Earlier this week, both Tata Consultancy Services (TCS.NS) and HCLTech (HCLT.NS) said European clients were tightening spending. Bengaluru-based Wipro said its fourth-quarter IT services revenue, which accounts for about 98% of overall revenue, could range between a 0.6% sequential drop and a 1% sequential rise, in constant currency terms. Wipro's IT services revenue rose 0.6% sequentially, to $2.80 billion in constant currency terms, in the third quarter, and had jumped 3.1% sequentially in the fourth quarter last year. Still, the company's total order bookings rose 26% year-over-year to $4.3 billion in the quarter ended Dec. 31.

☆ BofA profit beats estimates as higher rates bolster interest income
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 13 (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) reported a bigger-than-expected fourth-quarter profit on Friday, helped by a surge in net interest income as the U.S. Federal Reserve raised rates through most of last year. Bank of America's net interest income (NII) — a metric that measures the difference between the interest earned on loans and paid out on deposits — surged 29% to $14.7 billion in the quarter. Its profit applicable to common shareholders rose 2% to $6.9 billion, or 85 cents per share. The bank added $403 million to its net reserve build. That compares with a net reserve release of $851 million a year ago.

☆ UnitedHealth quarterly profit beats as medical costs stay low
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies UnitedHealth Group Inc FollowJan 13 (Reuters) - UnitedHealth Group Inc (UNH.N) on Friday reported a quarterly profit that beat Wall Street estimates, helped by lower medical costs and a boost from its Optum health services unit, which operates the company's pharmacy benefit management business. Health insurers' costs have been in flux during the pandemic, but have eased over the past year as COVID-related hospitalizations have fallen from their peak. Revenue from Optum rose 16.5% to $47.87 billion, aided by strong growth in its health service and pharmacy benefit management business. Optum includes the company's pharmacy benefit management business that helps negotiate the terms of coverage between health insurers, their clients and drug manufacturers. Reporting by Leroy Leo and Khushi Mandowara in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Take Five: Welcome to 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - A potential shift by the world's most dovish major central bank, inflation pressures abating, a turn in the economic outlook and oil markets suffering their biggest tumble in decades: Welcome to 2023! 1/ EARNINGS AND INFLATIONThe week ahead brings a critical read into two key themes for Wall Street in 2023: the health of corporate profits and inflation. With crude oil volatility soaring, 2023 might be anything but plain sailing for producers and consumers alike. Barclays expects the UK economy to keep contracting until the end of the third quarter of 2023. It takes time for declines in market prices to filter through into household bills, but signs are positive for cash-strapped consumers and businesses.

☆ Wall St Week Ahead Stock swoon resets valuations but recession risk, rates cloud outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Lewis Krauskopf | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The S&P 500 tumbled 19.4% in 2022, as the Federal Reserve's aggressive rate hikes designed to tamp down 40-year high inflation punished asset prices. The market's 2022 slide cut the ratio of price to forward earnings estimates to around 17 from about 21.7 a year ago, according to Refinitiv Datastream. S&P 500 forward price-to-earnings ratio over timeValuations may still be too high if a recession comes to pass, as many on Wall Street expect. Combined with an expectation of weakening earnings estimates, that would lower the S&P 500 to 3,200, UBS said, roughly 16% below current levels. The 2022 surge in interest rates also could undermine stock valuations by making relatively safe assets like U.S. Treasuries more attractive alternatives.

☆ Walgreens posts loss on $6.5 bln opioid litigation charge
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 5 (Reuters) - Drugstore chain Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (WBA.O) reported a net quarterly loss on Thursday as it took a $6.5 billion opioid litigation charge, sending its shares down nearly 2% in premarket trade. CVS took a pre-tax charge of $5.2 billion in its third quarter related to the settlement. It administered about 8 million vaccines in the first quarter down from 15.6 million in the same period a year earlier. In November, Walgreens said it was acquiring urgent care provider Summit Health through its VillageMD unit in a deal valued at $9 bln to expand its healthcare footprint. Excluding items, the company earned $1.16 per share in the first quarter, above Refinitiv IBES estimates of $1.14 a share.

☆ Conagra Brands raises 2023 forecast on price increases
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shares of the company, known for its brands Birds Eye and Chef Boyardee, rose about 4% in premarket trading. But people have accepted the higher prices with little push back, as they find eating out far more expensive than cooking at home. On Thursday, Conagra forecast a 7% and 8% rise in full-year 2023 organic sales, which excludes impact from foreign exchange, divested businesses and acquisitions, compared with the previous expectation of 4% to 5% growth. Conagra said its higher average selling prices boosted organic sales by 17%, offseting an 8.4% decline in sales volumes in the second quarter. Net sales rose to $3.31 billion, while analysts had expected $3.28 billion in sales.

☆ Inflation, recession and earnings among factors to drive U.S. stocks in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Lewis Krauskopf | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The S&P 500 (.SPX) is down nearly 20% year-to-date with only a few trading days left in 2022, on pace for its biggest calendar-year drop since 2008. S&P 500 timeline in 2022Inflation, and the Fed's degree of aggressiveness in trying to contain it, will likely remain a critical factor driving equity performance as 2023 gets under way. Recessions tend to hit stocks hard, with the S&P 500 falling an average of 29% during recessions since World War Two, according to Truist Advisory Services. Investors are also concerned that corporate earnings estimates may not have fully factored in a potential slowdown, leaving more downside for stocks. Consensus analyst estimates project S&P 500 earnings to rise 4.4% in 2023, according to Refinitiv IBES.

☆ Analysis: U.S. stock investors face recession fears as they bid good riddance to 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Lewis Krauskopf | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"The issue is how much has the market already discounted a recession, and that’s where it gets a little bit thornier." Concerns that the Fed will maintain its hawkish stance helped drive the S&P 500 down 1.45% on Thursday. The S&P 500 marked a 2022 closing low of 3,577.03 in October, just over 6% below its current level. Yet earnings fall by an average annual rate of 24% during recessions, according to Clissold, leaving plenty of downside for profits if a slowdown hits. Bear markets on average have bottomed four months before the end of a recession, according to Clissold, of Ned Davis.

Some top equity strategists predict no profit growth or even a decline in earnings. For the U.S. benchmark S&P 500, analysts project full-year 2023 profit growth of 4.7% following estimated growth of 5.7% for all of 2022, based on Refinitiv data. Jonathan Golub, chief U.S. equity strategist at Credit Suisse Securities in New York, recently lowered his profit forecast and expects a decline in year-over-year S&P 500 earnings in 2023. "Our analysis shows that both earnings and margins typically contract when global GDP (gross domestic product) growth ran below trend". Earnings breakdown by regionEarnings growth by global sectorBlackRock in its 2023 global outlook said earnings expectations are not yet pricing in a recession.

Dec 20 (Reuters) - FedEx Corp (FDX.N) will slash an additional $1 billion in costs as recession threatens and the COVID-19 pandemic demand bubble deflates, the delivery company said on Tuesday. Shares rose 3.7% to $170.48 in extended trading after Memphis, Tennessee-based FedEx also reported a bigger fiscal second-quarter profit than Wall street expected. The global delivery company angered investors and analysts in September when it yanked its forecast, triggering the biggest one-day stock drop in company history. FedEx warned in November that U.S. volume in the year-end quarter was below company projections as the pandemic-driven e-commerce bubble deflated. On Tuesday, FedEx said second-quarter adjusted profit fell to $815 million, or $3.18 per share, from $1.3 billion, or $4.83 per share, a year earlier.

☆ Lennar forecasts slowdown in orders for new homes, shares fall
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 14 (Reuters) - Homebuilder Lennar Corp (LEN.N) on Wednesday forecast a slowdown in new orders for the first quarter as high mortgage rates make properties unaffordable for some buyers. Lennar expects new orders in the current quarter to be between 12,000 and 13,500 homes, compared with new orders for 13,200 homes in the fourth quarter. However, the U.S. Federal Reserve's aggressive monetary policy tightening to curb decades-high inflation has made borrowing more difficult for customers as mortgage rates have more than doubled since the beginning of the year. Sales of previously owned homes fell for an eighth straight month in September, while homebuilding dropped, signaling that higher mortgage rates are choking the housing market. Net income attributable to Lennar rose to $1.32 billion, or $4.55 per share, in the fourth quarter, from $1.19 billion, or $3.91 per share, a year earlier.

☆ Recession drumbeat gets louder as more U.S. CEOs strike mellow note for 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Medha Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A Reuters poll of economists published on Thursday showed that U.S. economic growth was expected to slow to 0.3% in 2023 following a 1.9% rise this year. Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk said in October a recession would last until the spring of 2024. For 2023, analysts expect profit growth at S&P 500 companies to slow to 4.9%, after rising 5.8% in 2022, according to Refinitiv IBES data. While forecasts for the size and timing of recession vary, expectations for an economic recovery largely hinge on the Fed's stance on rates. S&P 500 performance YTDReporting by Medha Singh and Johann Cherian in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Costco misses quarterly revenue estimates on softening demand
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 8 (Reuters) - Costco Wholesale Corp (COST.O) reported quarterly revenue on Thursday that missed analysts' estimates, with consumers cutting back spending on discretionary items such as jewelry and electronics against the backdrop of decades-high inflation. Retailers Target Corp (TGT.N) and Dollar Tree Inc (DLTR.O) also said in November that surging inflation and changes in consumer spending were driving down demand for discretionary goods such as toys and electronics. Costco's total revenue for the first quarter was $54.44 billion, compared with estimates of $54.64 billion, according to Refinitiv IBES data. However, net income attributable to the membership-only retail chain rose to $1.36 billion, or $3.07 per share, in the quarter ended Nov. 20, from $1.32 billion, or $2.98 per share, a year earlier. Reporting by Granth Vanaik in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak DasguptaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ GameStop's third quarter disappoints on lack of hit titles, inflation pinch
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GameStop launched a digital wallet earlier this year to enable transactions in a marketplace it is building for gamers and others to buy, sell and trade non-fungible tokens, or NFTs. However, with crypto winter setting in and the value of cryptocurrencies plummeting, GameStop's digital wallet ambitions face a bleak future. GameStop posted revenue of $1.19 billion in the third quarter, missing estimates of $1.36 billion, according to Refinitiv IBES data. On an adjusted basis, the company lost 31 cents per share, compared with analysts' estimates of a loss of 28 cents per share. GameStop's expenses as a percentage of revenue was 32.7% in the quarter, down from 34.1% in the second quarter, as the company has tried to cut costs by reducing its workforce and shutting down stores.

"It's the recession fear that a lot of investors have ... the concern is that profits begin to drop more meaningfully in the recession." As of Dec. 2, analysts expected S&P 500 companies to report a drop of 0.6% in fourth-quarter earnings after posting a 4.4% rise in the third quarter, according to Refinitiv IBES data. ET, Dow e-minis were down 31 points, or 0.09%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 2 points, or 0.05%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 4.75 points, or 0.04%. Meanwhile, a Tuesday runoff election in Georgia between Democratic U.S. Among individual stocks, GameStop Corp (GME.N) rose 1.6% in premarket trading following a media report on layoffs.

☆ Futures subdued after sharp Wall St selloff on Fed worries
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Concerns about steeper increase in borrowing costs have boosted dollar, while weighing on equities and bond markets this year, with the S&P 500 down 16.1% and the widely followed part of the Treasury yield curve deeply inverted - a harbinger of recession. As of Dec. 2, analysts expect S&P 500 companies to report a drop of 0.6% in fourth-quarter earnings after posting a 4.4% rise in the third quarter, according to Refinitiv IBES data. ET, Dow e-minis were down 37 points, or 0.11%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 3.5 points, or 0.09%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 2.25 points, or 0.02%. Among individual stocks, General Electric (GE.N) rose 1.5% in premarket trading after Oppenheimer upgraded the industrial conglomerate's stock to "outperform". Reporting by Devik Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] The Wall Street entrance to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is seen in New York City, U.S., November 15, 2022. The lender's chief executive said the bank's research predicted three quarters of mild negative growth next year. JPMorgan Chase and Co's (JPM.N) top boss Jamie Dimon also warned of a mild to more pronounced recession ahead. As of Dec. 2, analysts expected S&P 500 companies to report a drop of 0.6% in fourth-quarter earnings after posting a 4.4% rise in the third quarter, according to Refinitiv IBES data. The S&P index recorded three new 52-week highs and six new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 15 new highs and 109 new lows.

☆ Dollar General cuts annual profit view as costs surge
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Freight, labor and other supply chain-related costs have jumped for U.S. retailers, while excess inventory levels have also forced them to offer deep discounts to spur demand. While margins have been pressured across the retail industry, Tennessee-based Dollar General said it was also seeing inefficiencies within its own supply chain. Unexpected delays in acquiring additional warehouse space to store inventory resulted in higher-than-expected distribution and transportation costs, according to the company. Dollar General, which in July named insider Jeff Owen its new chief executive, saw its gross margin fall by 27 basis points to 30.5% in the third quarter. Dollar General now expects fiscal 2022 earnings per share to increase about 7% to 8%, compared with its prior outlook of a rise of about 12% to 14%.

☆ Top Canada banks post fall in profits as deals drought offsets rate boost
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) -Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and National Bank of Canada, two of the biggest banks in the country, posted a drop in profits as their market-focused businesses took a hit from the central bank’s hawkish monetary tightening campaign. FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: A Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) logo is seen on Bay Street in the heart of the financial district in Toronto, January 22, 2015. To cushion the hit from markets, banks have turned to their lending business that got a boost from the central bank’s rate hikes. While National Bank posted an adjusted profit of C$2.08, below analysts’ expectation of C$2.24. RBC reported a modest drop in profit to C$3.88 billion, while National Bank’s earnings dropped 4% to C$738 million.

☆ Top Canada banks RBC, National Bank's profits dip as bad debt provisions mount
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Profit from personal and commercial banking for RBC and National Bank in the quarter grew 5% and 13%, respectively. RBC earmarked C$381 million in provisions for credit losses (PCL), compared with a C$227 million release last year. National Bank reported C$87 million versus a C$41 million release a year ago. Shares of RBC, which agreed to buy HSBC's (HSBA.L) Canadian business on Tuesday, were down 1.4%, while National Bank fell nearly 4%. National Bank, on the other hand, posted an adjusted profit of C$2.08 per share, below analysts' expectation of C$2.24.

Search resuls for: "Refinitiv IBES"

25 mentions found