Core Insights - Foreign markets are outperforming U.S. equities in 2026, with the MSCI World ex-US index gaining approximately 8% compared to a stagnant S&P 500 performance [2] - The dollar's weakness is a significant concern, with UBS predicting the euro to rise to $1.22 by the end of Q1, and historical data indicating that a 10% drop in the dollar's trade-weighted index leads to a 4% underperformance in U.S. equities [3] - UBS has downgraded American equities to "benchmark" status in a fully invested global equity portfolio, citing fading factors that previously supported U.S. stock outperformance [4] Market Dynamics - Corporate buybacks, a key driver of U.S. stock strength, are losing their effectiveness, with the buyback yield now comparable to global peers, which diminishes support for earnings per share growth [5] - The combined shareholder yield from dividends and buybacks in the U.S. is about half that of Europe, indicating a shift in capital flows [5] - The sector-adjusted price-to-earnings ratio for U.S. stocks is 35% above international peers, significantly higher than the average premium of 4% since 2010, with 60% of sectors trading at higher multiples than their global counterparts [6] Policy Environment - Policy volatility under the Trump administration presents additional challenges, including changes in tariff policies and scrutiny of corporate practices such as drug pricing and buybacks [7] - Despite these challenges, the U.S. economy and equities may benefit during the early phases of a potential market bubble, with expectations for artificial intelligence adoption to drive earnings growth across key industries [8] Market Projections - UBS strategist Sean Simonds has set a year-end target of 7,500 for the S&P 500, which is lower than the average forecast of 7,629 among top strategists [9]

Core Insights - Autodesk (ADSK) reported strong fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 results with non-GAAP earnings of $2.85 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 8.37% and reflecting a 25% year-over-year increase [1] - The company achieved revenues of $1.95 billion, surpassing consensus expectations by 2.48% and growing 19% year over year, both in reported and constant currency terms [1] Performance Highlights - The robust performance was driven by exceptional growth in the Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operations (AECO) sector, particularly in construction and emerging markets, with investments in data centers and infrastructure offsetting weaknesses in commercial real estate [2] - Autodesk experienced stronger-than-expected Enterprise Business Agreements and product subscription billings, with management expressing confidence in the long-term business trajectory supported by cloud and AI strategies [3] Revenue Breakdown - Autodesk restructured its revenue reporting, now categorizing revenues by product type: Design (82.2% of total revenues) increased 19% to $1.61 billion, Make (11.1% of total revenues) grew 24% to $218 million, and Other (6.6% of total revenues) rose 21% to $130 million [4] - Regionally, revenues from the Americas (43.3% of revenues) increased 16% to $847 million, EMEA (39.7% of revenues) climbed 25% to $777 million, and Asia-Pacific (17% of revenues) grew 16% to $333 million [5] Product Line Performance - Autodesk's primary product families include AECO (49.8% of revenues) which increased 22% to $975 million, AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT (24.4% of revenues) which rose 17% to $478 million, Manufacturing (MFG) (19.5% of revenues) which grew 20% to $381 million, and Media and Entertainment (M&E) (4.6% of revenues) which increased 7% to $90 million [6] Operating Results - Non-GAAP operating margin expanded to 38%, improving approximately 100 basis points year over year, while GAAP operating margin remained flat at 22% due to a $100 million restructuring charge [7] Financial Position - As of January 31, 2025, Autodesk had cash and cash equivalents of $2.59 billion, up from $1.98 billion as of October 31, 2025 [8] - Deferred revenues increased 14% to $4.69 billion year over year, with unbilled deferred revenues rising 28% to $3.61 billion [10] Guidance - For fiscal 2027, Autodesk projects revenues between $8.1 billion and $8.17 billion, indicating 12-13% growth, with non-GAAP earnings per share expected to be between $12.29 and $12.56, implying 18-20% growth [11] - The company anticipates a non-GAAP operating margin of approximately 38.5-39% and free cash flow in the range of $2.7 billion to $2.8 billion, representing 12-16% growth over fiscal 2026 [12]

The standoff between Anthropic and the Department of Defense escalated on Thursday when the artificial intelligence startup's CEO, Dario Amodei, said the company would cut ties with the government rather than lift restrictions on its AI model's usage. "We cannot in good conscience accede to their request," Amodei wrote in response to the Defense Department's demands to use the AI model for "all lawful purposes." The government has given Anthropic until 5:01 p.m. on Friday to answer its request to use mode ...

Funding and Valuation - OpenAI raised $110 billion in a record-breaking funding round, with a pre-money valuation of $730 billion [1] Corporate Developments - OpenAI CEO Sam Altman indicated the company is working on a deal to help resolve the conflict between rival Anthropic and the Department of Defense [2] - Anthropic's CEO Dario Amodei announced the company would sever ties with the government rather than comply with its demands regarding AI model usage [3] Industry Impact - Block co-founder Jack Dorsey announced a layoff of 40% of the company's staff, totaling 4,000 employees, citing changes in operations due to AI tools [4] - Nvidia's fourth quarter earnings and an upcoming product launch from Apple are significant points of interest for tech investors [5]

The A report showing that inflation at the U.S. wholesale level was at 2.9% last month, much higher than the 1.6% that economists expected, upset the market. The number was so much worse than expected that it could help persuade the Federal Reserve to hold off longer on its cuts to interest rates.Lower rates would give the economy and prices for investments a boost, but they risk worsening inflation at the same time.The discouraging data layered more worries atop a Wall Street where investors returned to k ...

Photronics (NasdaqGS:PLAB) Q1 2026 Earnings call February 27, 2026 08:30 AM ET Company ParticipantsEric Rivera - President and CFOFrank Lee - Head of Asia OperationsGeorge Macricostas - Chairman and CEOTed Moreau - VP of Investor RelationsTristan Gerra - Managing Director of Semiconductors Equity ResearchConference Call ParticipantsGowshihan Sriharan - Equity Research AnalystOperatorWelcome to the Photronics first quarter and fiscal year 2026 earnings conference call. At this time, all participants are in a ...

Fulgent Genetics (NasdaqGM:FLGT) Q4 2025 Earnings call February 27, 2026 08:30 AM ET Company ParticipantsAndrew Cooper - Director and Equity ResearchBrandon Perthuis - Chief Commercial OfficerDavid Westenberg - Managing Director and Equity ResearchLauren Sloane - Head of Investor RelationsLu Li - Healthcare Equity Research and DirectorMing Hsieh - Chairman and CEOPaul Kim - CFOOperatorGreetings, welcome to Fulgent Genetics Fourth Quarter 2025 Conference Call and Webcast. At this time, all participants are i ...

TTEC (NasdaqGS:TTEC) Q4 2025 Earnings call February 27, 2026 08:30 AM ET Company ParticipantsBob Belknap - Group VP, Corporate FinanceJonathan Lee - Managing Director, Equity ResearchKenneth R. Wagers III - CFOKenneth Tuchman - Chairman and CEOVincent A. Colicchio - Managing DirectorConference Call ParticipantsGeorge Sutton - Senior Research AnalystMaggie Nolan - Research Analyst, Technology, Media, and CommunicationsOperatorWelcome to TTEC's fourth quarter and full year 2025 earnings conference call. I wou ...

Via Transportation (NYSE:VIA) Q4 2025 Earnings call February 27, 2026 08:30 AM ET Company ParticipantsAdam Hotchkiss - Vice President of Emerging Software Equity ResearchBrian Peterson - Managing Director, Application SoftwareClara Fain - CFODaniel Ramot - Co-founder and CEOGabby McCaig - Chief Corporate Communications Officer and Head of Investor RelationsJonathan Ho - PartnerNone - Company RepresentativeConference Call ParticipantsAlex Zukin - Managing Director and Senior AnalystBrad Zelnick - Managing Di ...

Via Transportation (NYSE:VIA) Q4 2025 Earnings call February 27, 2026 08:30 AM ET Company ParticipantsAdam Hotchkiss - Vice President of Emerging Software Equity ResearchBrian Peterson - Managing Director, Application SoftwareClara Fain - CFODaniel Ramot - Co-founder and CEOGabby McCaig - Chief Corporate Communications Officer and Head of Investor RelationsJonathan Ho - PartnerNone - Company RepresentativeConference Call ParticipantsAlex Zukin - Managing Director and Senior AnalystBrad Zelnick - Managing Di ...