Saturday Night Quarterback (on a Sunday) says, For the week ahead expect…

Saturday Night Quarterback (on a Sunday) says, For the week ahead expect…

The week will bring Big Tech earnings reports and more earnings reports. All capped on Friday with the October jobs report, the last one before the November 7 meeting of the Federal Reserve on interest rates. (Which means that the Fed will be in its blackout period before the meeting–so no Fed speeches.) And, just for good measure, third quarter GDP figures are due Wednesday, October 30, and PCE inflation numbers are scheduled for Thursday, October 31.

Is a guidance cut from Texas Instruments another sign of a top?

Is a guidance cut from Texas Instruments another sign of a top?

One indicator that I’m carefully monitoring is the guidance in third quarter earnings conference calls about the fourth quarter. I’m checking to see if the cuts to guidance and that Wall Street disappointment might set in a quarter early. If that looks like the case then I’d think about selling now instead of in January 2025.

Climb in yield on 2-year Treasury says bond market is rethinking rate-cut trajectory

Climb in yield on 2-year Treasury says bond market is rethinking rate-cut trajectory

Two-year Treasury yields have climbed 34 basis points since the Federal Reserve reduced interest rates on September 18 for the first time since 2020. Rising yields “reflect the reduced probability of recession risks,” Steven Zeng, an interest rate strategist at Deutsche Bank told Bloomberg. “Data has come in pretty strong. The Fed may slow the pace of rate cuts.” We’ve read this story before

Saturday Night Quarterback (on a Sunday) says, For the week ahead expect…

Saturday Night Quarterback (on a Sunday) says, For the week ahead expect…

Amazon’s (AMZN) earnings report on Thursday, October 24, will start the Big Tech Earnings Parade off with a bang. Wall Street analysts are expecting the company to report earnings of $1.14 a share for the third quarter. That would be up from 85 cents a share in the third quarter of 2023. That would be a 34% jump in year over year earnings. Which would certainly be a great lead in to earnings from Alphabet (GOOG), Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT) and Meta Platforms (META) the following week.

Tesla has more self-driving problems

Tesla has more self-driving problems

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a new investigation into Tesla’s (TSLA) self-driving (FSD) technology over reports of four crashes where FSD software was engaged in an “area of reduced roadway visibility conditions.” Reduced roadway visibility includes conditions like sun glare, fog, or airborne dust.

China tries same old medicine again to address sluggish growth

China tries same old medicine again to address sluggish growth

Minutes after the release of government data that showed the economy grew at just a 4.6% year over year rate in the third quarter (the official target is 5% growth), the People’s Bank of China announced new measures to support the country’s financial markets. People’s Bank Governor Pan Gongsheng flagged the real estate and stock markets as key challenges in the economy that require targeted policy support. the 4.6% growth rate is the slowest pace in six quarters.

Is a guidance cut from Texas Instruments another sign of a top?

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing beats on earnings and raises forecast

Shares of global chipmaking powerhouse rose 9.79% today to hit a record high after the chipmaker topped quarterly estimates and raised its target for 2024 revenue growth. The company—-the main chip manufacturer for Nvidia (NVDA) and Apple (AAPL)–expects sales to climb roughly 30% in U.S. dollar terms this year, up from previous projections for an increase in the mid-20% range. Taiwan’s largest company had raised its outlook for 2024 revenue just a few months ago in July.

Retail sales stronger than expected in September

Retail sales stronger than expected in September

U.S. retail sales strengthened in September by more than forecast. The U.S. economy continues to show solid growth. And the economic strength continues to say that there’s less need for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates by a larger-than-usual 50 basis points at its November 7 meeting. The value of retail purchases, unadjusted for inflation, increased 0.4% in the month after a 0.1% gain in August, the Commerce Department reported today. Excluding autos and gasoline sales, retail sales climbed 0.7%.