📈 S&P 500 HOLDS NARROW UPTREND AS Q1 EARNINGS SEASON KICKS OFF THIS WEEKThe $SPX is down 4.3% on the year but holding a narrow rising trend as Wall Street pivots attention from geopolitics to fundamentals, with corporate earnings now the primary driver of near-term direction.Analysts are projecting 13.2% earnings growth for Q1, which would mark the sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth. Historical patterns suggest the actual number could print closer to 19% once beats are factored in, which would ...

Investors that slashed their stock exposure as war flared in the Middle East may soon have a fresh reason for piling back into equities: the upcoming earnings season https://t.co/9aaZGoKG4I ...

Core Insights - Earnings season is a critical period for market participants as companies disclose their financial performance, revealing revenues, expenses, and profits [2][3] Company Performance - Palantir (PLTR) reported total sales of $1.4 billion, marking a 70% increase year-over-year, with U.S. sales reaching $1.1 billion, a 93% growth year-over-year and 28% sequentially [4] - Palantir also closed over $4.2 billion in total contract value (TCV), an increase of more than 130% compared to the same period last year, with a 34% growth in its overall customer base [5] - Roku (ROKU) achieved an adjusted EPS of $0.53, significantly improved from a loss of -$0.24 per share in the same period last year, with sales of $1.4 billion growing 16% year-over-year [7] - Roku reported total streaming hours of 145.6 billion for FY25, a 15% increase year-over-year, alongside a 15% improvement in gross profit and record free cash flow [8] Market Trends - Earnings season provides insights into broader economic trends; for instance, if many retail companies underperform, it may indicate a slowing consumer or economy, while strong earnings could suggest economic stability [9] - The volatility in share prices post-earnings reflects the market's reaction to companies that either exceed expectations or raise guidance, indicating healthy business performance [6][10]

Group 1: Nike's Current Situation - Nike stock is struggling, nearing a 52-week low, with earnings results expected soon [1][3] - The company is attempting to recover from a failed direct-to-consumer strategy that alienated wholesale partners, negatively impacting revenue [4][5] - Recent earnings reports showed a 32% year-over-year decline in adjusted profit to $0.53 per share, with revenue slightly increasing by 1% to $12.4 billion [5][6] Group 2: Regional Performance - North America revenue increased by 9% to $5.63 billion, while Greater China revenue fell by 17% to $1.42 billion [6] - Wholesale revenue rose by 8% to $7.5 billion, but direct-to-consumer revenue decreased by 8% to $4.6 billion [6] Group 3: Future Earnings Expectations - For the upcoming February-ended quarter, adjusted profit is projected to decline by 45% to $0.30 per share, with revenue expected to rise by 1% to $11.2 billion [7]

Market Overview - Pre-market futures show positive movement with the Dow up 313 points (+0.67%), S&P 500 up 59 points (+0.89%), Nasdaq up 265 points (+1.09%), and small-cap up 27 points (+1.11%) [1] Oil Prices - Crude oil futures are down, with WTI spot price at $95.82 per barrel, a decrease of nearly -3%, and Brent crude at $102.55 per barrel, down -0.57% [2] Economic Indicators - The Empire State Manufacturing Survey for March shows a negative headline of -0.2, contrary to analyst expectations of +3 or +4, attributed to falling shipments and tripled delivery times [3] Company Earnings - Dollar Tree (DLTR) reported Q4 earnings of $2.56 per share, beating expectations by 3 cents, with revenues of $5.49 billion, surpassing the expected $5.47 billion, leading to a 1.4% increase in shares [4] Upcoming Earnings Reports - Major companies reporting earnings this week include Oklo (OKLO) and lululemon (LULU) on Tuesday, Micron (MU) and Macy's (M) on Wednesday, and FedEx (FDX) and Alibaba (BABA) on Thursday [5] Inflation Reports - Producer Price Index (PPI) numbers for February will be released, with the last print showing a year-over-year PPI of +2.9% and +3.4% on core, indicating significant inflation trends [6] Federal Reserve Meeting - A Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, with a 100% probability that the Fed will maintain the current rate of 3.50-3.75% [7]

Market Overview - Pre-market futures show positive movement with the Dow up 313 points (+0.67%), S&P 500 up 59 points (+0.89%), Nasdaq up 265 points (+1.09%), and small-cap up 27 points (+1.11%) [1] - Optimism in the market is attributed to a decline in crude oil futures, with WTI spot price at $95.82 per barrel (down nearly -3%) and Brent crude at $102.55 per barrel (down -0.57%) [2] Economic Indicators - The Empire State Manufacturing Survey reported a negative headline of -0.2 for March, contrary to analyst expectations of +3 or +4, marking the third negative print in the past nine months [3] - Producer Price Index (PPI) data for February will be released, with the last print showing a year-over-year PPI of +2.9% and +3.4% on core [6] Company Earnings - Dollar Tree (DLTR) reported Q4 earnings of $2.56 per share, beating expectations by 3 cents, with revenues of $5.49 billion surpassing the expected $5.47 billion, leading to a 1.4% increase in shares [4] - Upcoming earnings reports include Oklo (OKLO) and lululemon (LULU) on Tuesday, Micron (MU) and Macy's (M) on Wednesday, and FedEx (FDX) and Alibaba (BABA) on Thursday [5] Federal Reserve - A Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, with a 100% probability that the Fed will maintain the current interest rate of 3.50-3.75% established in December [7][8]

Large-cap consumer discretionary companies posted their weakest earnings season in almost six years, as high fixed costs, softer demand and still-elevated prices weighed on results https://t.co/3I1YeLOb1j ...

Core Insights - The overall corporate profitability is strong and improving, particularly in the Tech sector, which is expected to drive earnings growth in 2026 Q1 [4][6][9] Earnings Growth Expectations - Total S&P 500 earnings for 2026 Q1 are projected to increase by +11.3% year-over-year, with revenues expected to rise by +8.4% [4][7] - The Tech sector is anticipated to show significant earnings growth of +23.7%, contributing substantially to the overall S&P 500 earnings growth [4][6][7] - Excluding the Tech sector, the earnings growth for the rest of the S&P 500 would only be +5% [4][7] Sector Performance - Ten Zacks sectors are expected to experience positive earnings growth in 2026 Q1, including Finance (+19%), Basic Materials (+14.6%), Autos (+12.9%), and Business Services (+7.3%) [4] - The Tech sector has been a critical growth driver since Q3 2023 and is expected to maintain this role in 2026 Q1 [6][7] Revisions Trend - The revisions trend for the Tech sector remains positive, contributing to the overall positive revisions trend for the S&P 500 [9][16] - The Tech sector is one of four sectors with increased earnings estimates since October 2025, alongside Finance, Industrial Products, and Business Services [9]

Group 1 - The chip maker experienced a post-earnings drop, indicating that despite better-than-expected results, market indexes remained largely unaffected [1] - The earnings season has shown that positive financial results have not significantly lifted overall market performance [1] Group 2 - The performance of the chip maker reflects broader industry trends where strong earnings do not guarantee stock price increases [1] - This situation highlights a potential disconnect between corporate earnings and market valuations within the technology sector [1]

Group 1: Market Overview - The ASX is experiencing an upswing, influenced by Wall Street's continued advance, with ASX 200 futures indicating a potential +0.9% increase [1][3] - European markets reached record highs, with the FTSE up by +1.2% [2] Group 2: Company Earnings - Qantas (ASX:QAN) reported a profit increase of $71 million, totaling $1.46 billion, and announced a $150 million share buyback along with a dividend of 19.8 cents [4] - Sigma Healthcare (ASX:SIG) saw a 23% rise in half-year net profits, reaching $379 million, and will pay a 2-cent dividend [5] - Super Retail (ASX:SUL) experienced a rise in sales but reported a 20% drop in profits due to discounting in the auto and sports sectors [4] Group 3: Other Company News - BlueScope Steel (ASX:BSL) rejected a fifth bid from SGH Limited and Steel Dynamics, valuing the offer at $14.2 billion as too low compared to its fundamental value [5] - Corporate Travel (ASX:CTD) plans to resume trading in Q2 following a forensic accounting review expected to conclude in March [5] Group 4: Commodity Prices - Iron Ore prices increased by +2.1%, now selling at $98.80 per tonne [6] - Brent Crude oil gained +0.3%, priced at $70.98 per barrel [6] - Gold is currently selling at $5,191 per ounce, while US natural gas futures rose by +3% to $2.88 per gigajoule [7]