From the most grizzled veterans to the baby-faced nubians, nobody was able to put any kind of story or spin on the dramatic turnaround stocks made Tuesday.
After IBM and Texas Instruments both reported revenue misses for the second quarter Monday after the close, Goldman Sachs continued the trend with an earnings report that had traders scrambling for the exits before the market had even opened. When stocks did begin trading, they fell off a cliff, with the Dow down by more than 145 points within the first 15 minutes.
Stabilizing in the red, all indices were trading lower, but gained strength throughout the morning and accelerated into the afternoon session. As 2:00 pm approached, stocks had staged a stunning reversal on nothing but momentum. By the close, all of the major indices sported solid gains, keeping hopes alive that this earnings season would offer some value and momentum for the second half of the year.
Even though IBM ended lower for the day (-3.24, 126.55, -2.50%), it had pared losses substantially, after it had opened with a loss of more than 5%. Goldman Sachs, on the other hand, possibly the true catalyst behind the entire market rally, ended the day higher (+3.23, 148.91, +2.22%) after initially trading down by more than 3 1/2 points from its previous close.
Dow 10,229.96, +75.53 (0.74%)
NASDAQ 2,222.49, +24.26 (1.10%)
S&P 500 1,083.48, +12.23 (1.14%)
NYSE Composite 6,820.04, +80.40 (1.19%)
Headline numbers were supported by strong internals, with advancing issues beating back decliners, 4846-1552. New highs remained atop new lows, 214-136, though once again the disturbing trend in the NASDAQ - more new lows than highs, 67-26 - appeared for the second straight day. Volume was light, but much better than Monday's dismal showing.
NASDAQ Volume 1,944,221,875
NYSE Volume 5,323,317,000
Crude oil closed out the August futures contract up 90 cents, at $77.44, the highest price in a month. Gold rallied for a gain of $9.80, to $1,191.50. Silver added 15 cents, to $17.68.
After the bell, Yahoo! and Apple reported, with Yahoo missing on revenue though beating consensus bottom line EPS by a penny at 15 cents per share. Apple beat on almost all metrics, including gross revenue and earnings per share, setting up a potentially powerful open for tech shares on Wednesday.
Showing posts with label IBM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IBM. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Mixed Messages
Stocks began the day and finished it in mixed fashion, as the Dow was the only major index to close above the break-even line. Especially hard-hit was the NASDAQ, which suffered from a very downbeat report from Baidu.com (BIDU), China's version of Google, when the company reported third quarter earnings, but guided investors of a revenue shortfall upcoming due to a change in advertising placements. The stock opened down 77 points, but recovered to close only 49 points in the red. Still, the stock took an 11% hit by the end of the trading session.
The Dow was helped along by three components: ExxonMobil (XOM), Chevron (CVX) and IBM (IBM), which accounted for almost all of the smallish upside. The two oil majors were helped by a positive 3rd quarter from British Petroleum (BP), while IBM announced a $5 billion increase to its stock buy-back program.
Dow 9,882.17, +14.21 (0.14%)
NASDAQ 2,116.09, -25.76 (1.20%)
S&P 500 1,063.41, -3.54 (0.33%)
NYSE Composite 6,932.04, -28.05 (0.40%)
The session was overall a weak one, as declining issues beat gainers by a wide margin, 4263-2205. What is of particular interest is the small margin of new highs over new lows (123-71), the worst performance for new highs since that particular metric rolled over back in May. The easy comparisons to last year's stock prices, especially off the monstrous 7-month+ rally, would normally presume a large number of new highs, which was evidenced during the summer and early fall, but the recent pullback has changed the outlook considerably.
Volume on the day was in line with the overall trend of the past two to three weeks.
NYSE Volume 6,203,113,500
NASDAQ Volume 2,405,401,500
Commodities, like stocks, were tied somewhat to the stronger dollar, as gold fell $7.40, to $1,035.40, silver dropped 56 cents, to $16.54, but oil bucked the general trend, gaining 87 cents, to $79.55, though the $80 mark continues to appear to be a led on price. Demand is simply not high enough to support a price over $80, much less in the $70s. Additionally, supply is robust, with nary a shortage anywhere in the world. Price of energy commodities will continue to be pressured by warmer-then-normal weather in the Northern Hemisphere, which is predicted through December.
Investors, through their trading stratagems, are offering a very good insight into how earnings results are being played. With most of the big names already having reported, unless companies are beating both earnings and revenue projections, they are being bid up prior to the release of their reports and quickly sold off. This has all the earmarks that would accompany a market top, and the indices are generally 3% below the heights reached last week.
A 5-8% dip from here would be no surprise, especially with some severe headwinds approaching in terms of 3rd quarter GDP (Thursday), though first September Durable Goods orders before the bell tomorrow, which yesterday I incorrectly said would be reported today (hanks to Yahoo Finance).
The Dow was helped along by three components: ExxonMobil (XOM), Chevron (CVX) and IBM (IBM), which accounted for almost all of the smallish upside. The two oil majors were helped by a positive 3rd quarter from British Petroleum (BP), while IBM announced a $5 billion increase to its stock buy-back program.
Dow 9,882.17, +14.21 (0.14%)
NASDAQ 2,116.09, -25.76 (1.20%)
S&P 500 1,063.41, -3.54 (0.33%)
NYSE Composite 6,932.04, -28.05 (0.40%)
The session was overall a weak one, as declining issues beat gainers by a wide margin, 4263-2205. What is of particular interest is the small margin of new highs over new lows (123-71), the worst performance for new highs since that particular metric rolled over back in May. The easy comparisons to last year's stock prices, especially off the monstrous 7-month+ rally, would normally presume a large number of new highs, which was evidenced during the summer and early fall, but the recent pullback has changed the outlook considerably.
Volume on the day was in line with the overall trend of the past two to three weeks.
NYSE Volume 6,203,113,500
NASDAQ Volume 2,405,401,500
Commodities, like stocks, were tied somewhat to the stronger dollar, as gold fell $7.40, to $1,035.40, silver dropped 56 cents, to $16.54, but oil bucked the general trend, gaining 87 cents, to $79.55, though the $80 mark continues to appear to be a led on price. Demand is simply not high enough to support a price over $80, much less in the $70s. Additionally, supply is robust, with nary a shortage anywhere in the world. Price of energy commodities will continue to be pressured by warmer-then-normal weather in the Northern Hemisphere, which is predicted through December.
Investors, through their trading stratagems, are offering a very good insight into how earnings results are being played. With most of the big names already having reported, unless companies are beating both earnings and revenue projections, they are being bid up prior to the release of their reports and quickly sold off. This has all the earmarks that would accompany a market top, and the indices are generally 3% below the heights reached last week.
A 5-8% dip from here would be no surprise, especially with some severe headwinds approaching in terms of 3rd quarter GDP (Thursday), though first September Durable Goods orders before the bell tomorrow, which yesterday I incorrectly said would be reported today (hanks to Yahoo Finance).
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Late Day Action Boosts Stocks; Google Soars; IBM Sours
As is often the case during earnings season, much of the real action happened after the closing bell. That was when tech bellwethers Google (GOOG) and IBM (IBM) announced third quarter earnings results. But first, a recap of the day's trading, which was, by most accounts, choppy and surprising at the end.
Stocks spent most of the day in a narrow range just below the break even line. Around 2:30 pm, the major indices managed to pop into the green and stayed there into the close, marking new 2009 highs for the major indices. These moves were in spite of the chorus of boos surrounding Goldman Sach's 3rd quarter earnings announcement before the bell, which was better than expectations, but not good enough to keep the stock from sliding throughout the session. Most of the interest was focused not on Goldman's stellar 3rd quarter, but on the bonuses being paid to executives.
The company practically owns the deal-making space, now that Bear Stearns and Lehman Bros. have departed, and they made boatloads of money - $3.19 billion, beating the estimates handily - but because of a Meredith Whitney downgrade on Tuesday (based on valuation - Goldman shares have nearly quadrupled since last November) and general dislike for the firm many believe runs the government, the banking business and most of the known universe. Like them or hate them, making 300% on your money in a year isn't hard to take. Sure, they pay their executives handsomely, but they bring in huge money for their shareholders, so the only people griping are those not smart enough to have gotten on the bandwagon.
The stock lost a whole 3 points and change on the day. I'm sure owners of the stock are really crying in their champagne.
Also before the bell was the usual horrid unemployment claims number. Another 514,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits this week. These numbers cannot be taken seriously. First, unemployment benefits are so easy to come by these days that the people claiming them probably shouldn't even be counted as seriously unemployed. All you have to do is a poor job and somebody will certainly furlough you. Additionally, according to the figures, which have been over 500,000 for more than a year, there have been at least 25 million people collecting benefits in the past 12 months. That's an enormous figure, even in bad times. What matters more is how long these people stay out of work, not how many are stepping up to the collection plate.
The number of people still collecting benefits fell below 6 million, and that number has been trending lower for months, a positive sign for the economy.
Citigroup also reported before the bell and the results were mixed. The company which received the most assistance from the feds, and is partially owned by you ,me, and our neighbors across America, hasn't done a very good job of managing our money, which came as no surprise and had little influence on the general market.
Dow 10,062.94, +47.08 (0.47%)
NASDAQ 2,173.29, +1.06 (0.05%)
S&P 500 1,096.56, +4.54 (0.42%)
NYSE Composite 7,204.05. +21.67 (0.30%)
Declining issues finished slightly ahead of advancers, 3338-3081. There were 727 new highs to just 73 new lows. Volume was in the range it's been since Tuesday. There is still a ton of money on the sidelines, missing out on the rally. This stagnant money will be great for savvy traders, because when it finally does come in, it will send a strong selling signal at a supposed market top. Smart guys and gals will be able to maximize profits upon exiting. Look for an unusually high volume number to send the signal that it's time to unload.
NYSE Volume 6,184,697,500
NASDAQ Volume 2,199,385,750
Commodities were led by oil, which gained $2.40, to $77.58. The price of oil, and its derivative, gas, is approaching a level at which it can damage the economic recovery. more money being spent on fuel means less to spend on all the other things Americans enjoy. Though there's unanimity in the chorus of oil traders that the price will go higher, I'd still not engage in that trade as it can only go so far before crimping its own demand. Many would agree that it's already too high, but, since all hatred is currently focused on bankers, the oil moguls are getting a free ride. Buy some Chevron or ExxonMobil stock if you don't like the higher prices for gas. The gains will even out, and if prices do fall, your stock will only be worth a little less. It's a zero sum trade if you play it properly.
The precious metals were hit by profit taking. Gold sold off to $1,050.60, a key inflection point, down by $14.10. Silver dipped 49 cents, to $17.42.
As for Google, the company posted its largest profit and revenue ever. That about covers the state of the internet. Technology companies are extremely healthy, with squeaky clean balance sheets. Like Google, most of the larger ones have no, or very small amounts of, debt.
IBM also beat forecasts, but revenue slipped. Big Blue is still recovering from the last year in which many of its major clients suffered or went out of business. They're doing just fine, however, having hit new 52-week highs in just the past week.
Google also posted a string of new 52-week highs in recent days. The search giant is branching out into other areas, a sign that they feel supremely confident about the economy going forward.
You should too.
Stocks spent most of the day in a narrow range just below the break even line. Around 2:30 pm, the major indices managed to pop into the green and stayed there into the close, marking new 2009 highs for the major indices. These moves were in spite of the chorus of boos surrounding Goldman Sach's 3rd quarter earnings announcement before the bell, which was better than expectations, but not good enough to keep the stock from sliding throughout the session. Most of the interest was focused not on Goldman's stellar 3rd quarter, but on the bonuses being paid to executives.
The company practically owns the deal-making space, now that Bear Stearns and Lehman Bros. have departed, and they made boatloads of money - $3.19 billion, beating the estimates handily - but because of a Meredith Whitney downgrade on Tuesday (based on valuation - Goldman shares have nearly quadrupled since last November) and general dislike for the firm many believe runs the government, the banking business and most of the known universe. Like them or hate them, making 300% on your money in a year isn't hard to take. Sure, they pay their executives handsomely, but they bring in huge money for their shareholders, so the only people griping are those not smart enough to have gotten on the bandwagon.
The stock lost a whole 3 points and change on the day. I'm sure owners of the stock are really crying in their champagne.
Also before the bell was the usual horrid unemployment claims number. Another 514,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits this week. These numbers cannot be taken seriously. First, unemployment benefits are so easy to come by these days that the people claiming them probably shouldn't even be counted as seriously unemployed. All you have to do is a poor job and somebody will certainly furlough you. Additionally, according to the figures, which have been over 500,000 for more than a year, there have been at least 25 million people collecting benefits in the past 12 months. That's an enormous figure, even in bad times. What matters more is how long these people stay out of work, not how many are stepping up to the collection plate.
The number of people still collecting benefits fell below 6 million, and that number has been trending lower for months, a positive sign for the economy.
Citigroup also reported before the bell and the results were mixed. The company which received the most assistance from the feds, and is partially owned by you ,me, and our neighbors across America, hasn't done a very good job of managing our money, which came as no surprise and had little influence on the general market.
Dow 10,062.94, +47.08 (0.47%)
NASDAQ 2,173.29, +1.06 (0.05%)
S&P 500 1,096.56, +4.54 (0.42%)
NYSE Composite 7,204.05. +21.67 (0.30%)
Declining issues finished slightly ahead of advancers, 3338-3081. There were 727 new highs to just 73 new lows. Volume was in the range it's been since Tuesday. There is still a ton of money on the sidelines, missing out on the rally. This stagnant money will be great for savvy traders, because when it finally does come in, it will send a strong selling signal at a supposed market top. Smart guys and gals will be able to maximize profits upon exiting. Look for an unusually high volume number to send the signal that it's time to unload.
NYSE Volume 6,184,697,500
NASDAQ Volume 2,199,385,750
Commodities were led by oil, which gained $2.40, to $77.58. The price of oil, and its derivative, gas, is approaching a level at which it can damage the economic recovery. more money being spent on fuel means less to spend on all the other things Americans enjoy. Though there's unanimity in the chorus of oil traders that the price will go higher, I'd still not engage in that trade as it can only go so far before crimping its own demand. Many would agree that it's already too high, but, since all hatred is currently focused on bankers, the oil moguls are getting a free ride. Buy some Chevron or ExxonMobil stock if you don't like the higher prices for gas. The gains will even out, and if prices do fall, your stock will only be worth a little less. It's a zero sum trade if you play it properly.
The precious metals were hit by profit taking. Gold sold off to $1,050.60, a key inflection point, down by $14.10. Silver dipped 49 cents, to $17.42.
As for Google, the company posted its largest profit and revenue ever. That about covers the state of the internet. Technology companies are extremely healthy, with squeaky clean balance sheets. Like Google, most of the larger ones have no, or very small amounts of, debt.
IBM also beat forecasts, but revenue slipped. Big Blue is still recovering from the last year in which many of its major clients suffered or went out of business. They're doing just fine, however, having hit new 52-week highs in just the past week.
Google also posted a string of new 52-week highs in recent days. The search giant is branching out into other areas, a sign that they feel supremely confident about the economy going forward.
You should too.
Label:
CitiGroup,
gold,
Goldman Sachs,
Google,
IBM
Friday, July 17, 2009
Split Friday, Positive Week for Stocks
Earnings results were just good enough - from Bank of America and Citigroup's weakness, to IBM and Google's strength - to push stocks modestly into positive territory for the day on two exchanges and marginally in the red on two others. The general ambivalence displayed by the day's trading is indicative of another topping out, or, at least a weekend resting point, as the Dow has rung up gains for 5 straight sessions, the NASDAQ, 6. It's a winning streak worthy of note and one that put an end to 4 consecutive losing weeks.
Over the past five sessions the Dow has tacked on an impressive 597 points, the NASDAQ perked up 130; the S&P gained 61 and the NYSE Composite added 411. For all the talk about there being no recovery in sight, the first wave of corporate earnings provided enough positive vibe to send the markets off on a nice upward run.
The question still remains as to whether the gains are sustainable, though given the early returns, the companies being traded seem to have adjusted to a new set of economic circumstances. While earnings are still down from what they were a year ago, so are stock prices. Investors are weighing the current results against an uncertain future, but remain positive, though skeptical. At least there seems to be little worry about a complete melt-down a la last fall.
Dow 8,743.94, +32.12 (0.37%)
NASDAQ 1,886.61, +1.58 (0.08%)
S&P 500 940.38, -0.36 (0.04%)
NYSE Composite 6,038.11, -4.94 (0.08%)
On the day, declining issues narrowly beat advancers, 3376-2936, but new highs bested new lows, 103-71. Volume remained down, though not down to levels of previous sessions, but close. The low level of trading velocity continues to be a topic overlooked by the mainstream financial press. Sluggish trading is a clear sign that investors ate still skittish and widely risk-averse. The vast majority of trades are of the short-term variety, more akin to gambling than traditional investing.
NYSE Volume 1,290,375,000
NASDAQ Volume 1,890,890,000
Commodity traders were also encouraged, sending crude futures higher again, up $1.48, to $63.50. Gold brought an additional $2.10 per ounce, at $937.50. Silver tacked on 17 cents, to close at $13.40.
The coming two weeks will be chock full of earnings hits and misses, though the general indications are that most companies have avoided all-out bust scenarios and may be looking to avoid returning to near-term bottoms from March. The US and world economies have stumbled badly, but they're still functioning, albeit at a decreased capacity.
Over the past five sessions the Dow has tacked on an impressive 597 points, the NASDAQ perked up 130; the S&P gained 61 and the NYSE Composite added 411. For all the talk about there being no recovery in sight, the first wave of corporate earnings provided enough positive vibe to send the markets off on a nice upward run.
The question still remains as to whether the gains are sustainable, though given the early returns, the companies being traded seem to have adjusted to a new set of economic circumstances. While earnings are still down from what they were a year ago, so are stock prices. Investors are weighing the current results against an uncertain future, but remain positive, though skeptical. At least there seems to be little worry about a complete melt-down a la last fall.
Dow 8,743.94, +32.12 (0.37%)
NASDAQ 1,886.61, +1.58 (0.08%)
S&P 500 940.38, -0.36 (0.04%)
NYSE Composite 6,038.11, -4.94 (0.08%)
On the day, declining issues narrowly beat advancers, 3376-2936, but new highs bested new lows, 103-71. Volume remained down, though not down to levels of previous sessions, but close. The low level of trading velocity continues to be a topic overlooked by the mainstream financial press. Sluggish trading is a clear sign that investors ate still skittish and widely risk-averse. The vast majority of trades are of the short-term variety, more akin to gambling than traditional investing.
NYSE Volume 1,290,375,000
NASDAQ Volume 1,890,890,000
Commodity traders were also encouraged, sending crude futures higher again, up $1.48, to $63.50. Gold brought an additional $2.10 per ounce, at $937.50. Silver tacked on 17 cents, to close at $13.40.
The coming two weeks will be chock full of earnings hits and misses, though the general indications are that most companies have avoided all-out bust scenarios and may be looking to avoid returning to near-term bottoms from March. The US and world economies have stumbled badly, but they're still functioning, albeit at a decreased capacity.
Label:
Bank of America,
CitiGroup,
GOOG,
Google,
IBM
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
More Reality Checks
US equity markets suffered through a second straight losing session on Tuesday, amid skyrocketing oil prices and mixed earnings reports.
Dow 13,912.94 -71.86; NASDAQ 2,763.91 -16.14; S&P 500 1,538.53 -10.18; NYSE Composite 10,125.40 -90.89
It was another dose of reality for the largely-overpriced markets. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and Secretary of the Treasury Hank Paulson both jawboned about the continuing housing and credit crises. Bernanke chided bankers from expecting a "bailout" from the Fed on Monday night, while Paulson encouraged the same bankers to figure out ways to save strapped homeowners from falling into foreclosure.
In effect, they both told the banking segment that they were on their own, as it should be. The actual condition is that Fed and Treasury have both been supplying assistance to the banks. These men aren't stupid. They know a banking failure could be catastrophic, however, reading into their words, one wonders what they really know, and whether they actually believe the situation to be much worse than it appears.
Obviously, the bankers know the fix they're in, but they're not telling either. The best they can come up with is a joint fund to repurchase their own lousy paper, which they are unable to unload at this time. I don't know the technical term for their off-the-books repurchasing of faulty investment paper, but it certainly smells a lot like Enron. It's entirely possible that a very big name or two in the financial business could find itself in deep, deep water as early as the first quarter of '08.
As the markets churned in negative territory all day long, declining issues outdistanced advancers by better than a 2-1 margin and the new highs-lows finally rolled over, with 221 new lows appearing against 168 new highs. That particular indicator has been trending lower over the past week and finally is giving a clear signal that more losing sessions are ahead for stocks.
In other words, in a series of shouting headlines I'd like to see, SELL! EVERYTHING! NOW!
Commodity prices continued to dog stocks. Oil was up to another record high, up $1.48 to $87.61. Experts are now calling for 20-30% higher heating bills throughout the winter. God bless Al Gore for giving us GLOBAL WARMING!
Oddly enough, gold lost 20 cents while silver declined by the same amount, closing at $13.36. BUY PRECIOUS METALS
Stocks are offering a mixed picture.
Before the open: Delta Air Lines (DAL) reported better than expected third quarter earnings of $0.56 per share, compared with the consensus estimate of $0.41.
Wells Fargo missed by $0.02, misses on earnings of $0.68 per share, $0.02 worse than the Reuters Estimates consensus of $0.70. Shares of the bank's stock were hammered down to 34.55, -1.40 by the close.
Johnson and Johnson earned 88 cents per share, compared with 94 cents per share during the same period a year ago. Analysts sought .90 cents per share. The stock fell 58 cents to 65.07.
After the market closed on Wednesday, IBM beat estimates by a penny. Apparently, this was not good enough for investors, as the stock was being punished - down nearly 2% - in after-hours trading.
Holders of Yahoo (YHOO) were treated to the first quarterly results with co-founder Jerry Wang as CEO and they were pleasantly surprised when the company announced earnings of 11 cents per share, beating the street estimate by 3 cents. The stock price was down 1.17 prior to the announcement. Shares traded nearly 10% higher in after-hours activity, up 2.59 to 29.28.
Intel (INTC) reported a 43% rise in profits after the close and investors sent it soaring after hours, up more than 5%.
BUY TECHS!
Actually, I've been recommending techs over financials and just about everything else for most of 2007. This market, as a whole, however, is headed lower.
CIT Group (CIT), Coca-Cola (KO) and United Technologies (UT) report before the market open on Wednesday, and their reports should influence early trading.
NYSE Volume 3,181,638,250
NASDAQ Volume 2,093,682,500
Dow 13,912.94 -71.86; NASDAQ 2,763.91 -16.14; S&P 500 1,538.53 -10.18; NYSE Composite 10,125.40 -90.89
It was another dose of reality for the largely-overpriced markets. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and Secretary of the Treasury Hank Paulson both jawboned about the continuing housing and credit crises. Bernanke chided bankers from expecting a "bailout" from the Fed on Monday night, while Paulson encouraged the same bankers to figure out ways to save strapped homeowners from falling into foreclosure.
In effect, they both told the banking segment that they were on their own, as it should be. The actual condition is that Fed and Treasury have both been supplying assistance to the banks. These men aren't stupid. They know a banking failure could be catastrophic, however, reading into their words, one wonders what they really know, and whether they actually believe the situation to be much worse than it appears.
Obviously, the bankers know the fix they're in, but they're not telling either. The best they can come up with is a joint fund to repurchase their own lousy paper, which they are unable to unload at this time. I don't know the technical term for their off-the-books repurchasing of faulty investment paper, but it certainly smells a lot like Enron. It's entirely possible that a very big name or two in the financial business could find itself in deep, deep water as early as the first quarter of '08.
As the markets churned in negative territory all day long, declining issues outdistanced advancers by better than a 2-1 margin and the new highs-lows finally rolled over, with 221 new lows appearing against 168 new highs. That particular indicator has been trending lower over the past week and finally is giving a clear signal that more losing sessions are ahead for stocks.
In other words, in a series of shouting headlines I'd like to see, SELL! EVERYTHING! NOW!
Commodity prices continued to dog stocks. Oil was up to another record high, up $1.48 to $87.61. Experts are now calling for 20-30% higher heating bills throughout the winter. God bless Al Gore for giving us GLOBAL WARMING!
Oddly enough, gold lost 20 cents while silver declined by the same amount, closing at $13.36. BUY PRECIOUS METALS
Stocks are offering a mixed picture.
Before the open: Delta Air Lines (DAL) reported better than expected third quarter earnings of $0.56 per share, compared with the consensus estimate of $0.41.
Wells Fargo missed by $0.02, misses on earnings of $0.68 per share, $0.02 worse than the Reuters Estimates consensus of $0.70. Shares of the bank's stock were hammered down to 34.55, -1.40 by the close.
Johnson and Johnson earned 88 cents per share, compared with 94 cents per share during the same period a year ago. Analysts sought .90 cents per share. The stock fell 58 cents to 65.07.
After the market closed on Wednesday, IBM beat estimates by a penny. Apparently, this was not good enough for investors, as the stock was being punished - down nearly 2% - in after-hours trading.
Holders of Yahoo (YHOO) were treated to the first quarterly results with co-founder Jerry Wang as CEO and they were pleasantly surprised when the company announced earnings of 11 cents per share, beating the street estimate by 3 cents. The stock price was down 1.17 prior to the announcement. Shares traded nearly 10% higher in after-hours activity, up 2.59 to 29.28.
Intel (INTC) reported a 43% rise in profits after the close and investors sent it soaring after hours, up more than 5%.
BUY TECHS!
Actually, I've been recommending techs over financials and just about everything else for most of 2007. This market, as a whole, however, is headed lower.
CIT Group (CIT), Coca-Cola (KO) and United Technologies (UT) report before the market open on Wednesday, and their reports should influence early trading.
NYSE Volume 3,181,638,250
NASDAQ Volume 2,093,682,500
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Late Surge Takes Struggling Dow Past 14,000; Google Misses
While the Dow spent all of the day in positive territory, it only broke through 14,000 briefly at various points during the session, and actually looked like it was not going to make it as of around 2:30 when the index hung about 40 points below the psychological barrier.
Dow 14,000.41 +82.19; NASDAQ 2,720.04 +20.55; S&P 500 1,553.08 +6.91; NYSE Composite 10,194.01 +45.73
A late-day surge sent the Dow over the top, setting another in a series of all-time closing highs. The NASDAQ and S&P followed suit as a spate of earnings eased investor fears, though there still were more than a fair share of misses on Wall Street. Technology stocks carried the day, with IBM leading the way.
Among companies reporting second quarter results, were:
IBM, which announced earnings after Wednesday's close, rose another 4.78 to 115.86 after it reported a profit increase of 12% on unexpected gross income. The stock's stellar performance was responsible for much of Thursday's gain, though that may well be offset by Google's missing the mark. Google reported after the close on Thursday, so Friday may be a rocky session, with options expiration also occurring.
Advancing issues led decliners by a 19-12 margin. New highs moved back ahead of new lows, 464-220, a sharp reversal from yesterday.
Oil closed at its highest level of the year, $75.92, up another 87 cents on the day. Gold and silver traded higher with gold at $678.10, a $4.40 gain. Silver was up 9 cents to $13.38.
On tap for tomorrow (with analyst expectations):
Dow 14,000.41 +82.19; NASDAQ 2,720.04 +20.55; S&P 500 1,553.08 +6.91; NYSE Composite 10,194.01 +45.73
A late-day surge sent the Dow over the top, setting another in a series of all-time closing highs. The NASDAQ and S&P followed suit as a spate of earnings eased investor fears, though there still were more than a fair share of misses on Wall Street. Technology stocks carried the day, with IBM leading the way.
Among companies reporting second quarter results, were:
- Bank of America (BAC): Net income rose to $5.76 billion, or $1.28 per share, from $5.48 billion, or $1.19 per share, a year ago, though the company set aside 1.81 billion to credit losses. Analysts were seeking $1.20. The stock traded marginally lower.
- Capital One Financial (COF): Net income totaled $750.4 million, or $1.89 per share, in the April-June period, up from $552.6 million, or $1.78 per share, in the year-ago quarter. Analysts were looking for $1.68 per share on revenue of $4.07 billion. The company reported revenue of $3.57 billion. Shares were off 87 cents prior to the after the bell announcement, but improved in after-hours trade.
- Google (GOOG): The Mountain View-based company earned $925.1 million, or $2.93 per share, during the three months ended in June. That compared with net income of $721.1 million, or $2.33 per share, at the same time last year. Analysts were looking for $3.59 per share. Shares were off more than 30 points (6%) in after-hours trading
- Honeywell (HON): Quarterly earnings rose to $611 million, or 78 cents per share, for the three months ended June 30 from $521 million, or 63 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Analysts expected 0.75 per share.
IBM, which announced earnings after Wednesday's close, rose another 4.78 to 115.86 after it reported a profit increase of 12% on unexpected gross income. The stock's stellar performance was responsible for much of Thursday's gain, though that may well be offset by Google's missing the mark. Google reported after the close on Thursday, so Friday may be a rocky session, with options expiration also occurring.
Advancing issues led decliners by a 19-12 margin. New highs moved back ahead of new lows, 464-220, a sharp reversal from yesterday.
Oil closed at its highest level of the year, $75.92, up another 87 cents on the day. Gold and silver traded higher with gold at $678.10, a $4.40 gain. Silver was up 9 cents to $13.38.
On tap for tomorrow (with analyst expectations):
- Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) 1.49
- Citigroup Inc. (C) 1.13
- Schlumberger (SLB) 0.95
- Wachovia Corporation (WB) 1.22
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