Economic Indicators - Initial Jobless Claims rose to 241K, exceeding the expected 225K and the revised previous week's 223K, marking the highest level since February [3] - Continuing Claims surpassed 1.9 million, reaching 1.916 million, the highest since November 2021, indicating potential labor market weakness [4] Q1 Earnings Reports - Eli Lilly (LLY) reported earnings of $3.34 per share, missing expectations by 5%, but revenues of $12.73 billion exceeded projections and last year's $8.77 billion, driven by strong sales of the weight-loss drug Mounjaro [5] - McDonald's (MCD) posted earnings of $2.67 per share, slightly above consensus, but revenues of $5.96 billion missed expectations, with same-store sales at their lowest in five years [6] - CVS Health (CVS) beat earnings expectations with $2.25 per share, a 31.6% surprise, and revenues of $94.59 billion, up 1.76% from estimates, contributing to a 48% year-to-date gain [7] - Wayfair (W) reported a surprise profit of $0.10 per share, compared to an expected loss of $0.18, with revenues of $2.73 billion slightly above estimates, leading to a 6% increase in shares [8] Market Expectations - Anticipation for S&P Manufacturing PMI and ISM Manufacturing data, with S&P expected to slightly decrease to 50.6, while ISM is projected to drop to 47.8, indicating potential contraction [9] - Construction Spending for March is expected to decline to +0.2% from +0.7% in February, reflecting potential shifts in trade policy [10] Upcoming Earnings - Amazon (AMZN) and Apple (AAPL) are set to report Q1 earnings after the market closes, along with other companies like Mastercard (MA), Amgen (AMGN), and Twilio (TWLO) [11]

Economic & Earnings CommentaryNew economic data is out this morning, some of it reflecting conditions prior to our current tariff realities. We also see Q1 earnings results continue to ramp up, but we won’t have the spigots open completely til next week. Pre-markets are down somewhat, following a +3/4-percent gain on the Dow and the S&P 500, +2/3-percent gain for the Nasdaq.Import Prices Swing to Negative in MarchHeadline Import Prices for last month have arrived, marking the first monthly negative since Se ...

Group 1: Q1 Earnings Overview - The Q1 reporting cycle is not fully underway, with major banks set to report on April 11, but early results from companies with fiscal quarters ending in February show mixed outcomes [1][2] - As of March 21, 14 S&P 500 members have reported February-quarter results, with another five expected to report soon, leading to nearly two dozen results by the time major banks report [2] - Current expectations for Q1 earnings indicate a year-over-year increase of +5.9% on +3.8% higher revenues, following a previous period of +13.8% earnings growth [8][18] Group 2: Company-Specific Performance - Nike's quarterly results initially led to a stock price increase, but investors later realized ongoing recovery challenges, resulting in a loss of gains [3][4] - FedEx reported disappointing results, missing both top and bottom-line expectations, and provided a lower guidance for the third consecutive quarter, indicating ongoing company-specific issues [4] - Lululemon's stock performance has been closely tied to consumer spending trends, with its shares down -15.6% year-to-date, compared to a -4.2% decline for the S&P 500 [12] Group 3: Market Sentiment and Economic Outlook - The market has shown a lack of enthusiasm for early Q1 results, with the percentage of companies beating EPS estimates at the lowest level in the past 20 quarters [13][17] - There has been a significant number of negative revisions to Q1 earnings estimates across various sectors, with the most notable declines in Conglomerates, Autos, and Consumer Discretionary [21][22] - Despite near-term risks, the overall corporate earnings picture has been improving, with expectations for continued growth momentum through 2027 [27][29]