QUALCOMM Incorporated ( QCOM ) is crashing after hours on Wednesday following quarterly earnings results that have apparently left investors wanting. It certainly doesn't help that tech stocks are experiencing a bit of aTo follow me click the "Follow" button! (Easy right?) Hi there, thanks for coming to my profile page! My name is Kumquat Research (but you can call me Jeremy) and I've been writing for Seeking Alpha on and off for going on ten years now, beginning with my inaugural published piece during my ...

UnitedHealth Group Inc (NYSE:UNH) stock is eyeing its worst single-day percentage loss since April, last seen down 19.8% to trade at $281.96. The company posted mixed fourth-quarter earnings results, with profits of $2.11 beating estimates by one cent, while revenue of $113.2 billion came in below expectations. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposal to raise Medicare Advantage rates by 0.09% -- far below expectations of a 4-6% increase -- is weighing on the shares, as well as UnitedHealth's s ...

Market Sentiment - The CNN Money Fear and Greed index showed improvement in overall market sentiment, remaining in the "Greed" zone with a current reading of 61.5, up from 61 [1][5] - U.S. stocks settled higher, with the Dow Jones index gaining close to 300 points during the session, closing at 49,442.44 [1][3] Company Performance - Goldman Sachs Group Inc. gained more than 4% after reporting better-than-expected fourth-quarter profit [2] - Morgan Stanley shares surged almost 6% following upbeat quarterly results [2] - Chip stocks were among the top gainers, particularly after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. reported another record quarter [1] Economic Indicators - U.S. import prices increased by 0.1% year-over-year in November, while export prices rose by 3.3% year-over-year [2] - U.S. initial jobless claims declined by 9,000 to 198,000 in the week ending January 10, compared to market estimates of 215,000 [2] Sector Performance - Most sectors on the S&P 500 closed positively, with utilities, industrials, and real estate stocks recording the biggest gains, while energy and health care stocks closed lower [3] Upcoming Earnings - Investors are awaiting earnings results from M&T Bank Corp., State Street Corp., and PNC Financial Services Group today [4]

Economic Impact - The ongoing US government shutdown is delaying key economic reports, including unemployment claims and payroll reports, which could lead to an increase in jobless claims and an unemployment rate rise to 4.7% [1] - Boston Fed President Susan Collins indicated that with inflation risks contained but employment risks heightened, it is prudent to normalize policy further to support the labor market [2] Market Sentiment - The escalation of trade tensions between the US and China, along with the government shutdown, has led to increased demand for precious metals, with gold reaching an all-time high [4] - Dovish comments from the Fed have bolstered expectations for a potential interest rate cut at the upcoming FOMC meeting [5][9] Stock Market Performance - Stock indexes are rising, supported by better-than-expected quarterly earnings results, particularly in the technology sector, with notable gains from chipmakers and financial institutions [6][16] - The S&P 500 Index is up by 0.73%, while the Dow Jones and Nasdaq indexes have also shown positive movement [7] Earnings Season Insights - The Q3 earnings season is underway, with 71% of S&P 500 companies that have reported so far beating forecasts, although overall profit growth is expected to be the smallest in two years at 7.2% year-over-year [8] - Companies like Morgan Stanley and Bank of America reported solid Q3 earnings, contributing to positive market sentiment [16][17] Interest Rates and Bond Markets - The 10-year T-note yield has fallen to a 4-week low of 4.0%, influenced by dovish Fed comments and falling inflation expectations [10][11] - European government bond yields are also declining, with the 10-year German bund yield dropping to a 3.25-month low of 2.57% [13]