Z-SYMBOLS

Apple event tomorrow expected to build on pandemic sales gains for iPad and (maybe) AirPod

Apple event tomorrow expected to build on pandemic sales gains for iPad and (maybe) AirPod

At its “Spring Loaded” event tomorrow, April 20, Apple (AAPL) is expected to announce changes to its 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models. Analysts expect that both models will include Apple’s new A14X chip and that the high-end iPad will come with a mini-LED display. In a research note Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote that a mini-LED display, “will be a game changer around color performance, dimming capabilities, and high contrast capabilities for the consumer.” Apple’s iPad segment faces a tough comparisons for the second half of the 2021 fiscal year, as work-from-home and at-home education drove double-digit iPad growth in the second half last year.

NextEra Energy acquires four wind farms for $733 million

NextEra Energy Partners (NEP), a subsidiary of utility NextEra Energy (NEE), will buy wind farms in California and New Hampshire from Brookfield Renewable Partners. The wind turbines have a combined capacity of 400 megawatts and have long-term contracts for their electricity. I added shares of NextEra Energy to my Dividend Portfolio on November 25, 2020. The stock is up 6.38% since then through the close on April 19.

Taiwan Semiconductor says the auto chip shortage will be done by the end of the third quarter

Taiwan Semiconductor says the auto chip shortage will be done by the end of the third quarter

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM), the globes biggest independent chip foundry, said last week that it expects the chip shortage that has left automakers scrambling for silicon and cutting back production will be over by the end of the third quarter. Whether that’s good news or not depends on how much weight you give to this company’s projections.

Microsoft buys Nuance to strengthen AI position

Microsoft buys Nuance to strengthen AI position

Microsoft (MSFT) will buy speech-recognition pioneer Nuance Communications (NUAN) for $19.6 billion in cash. The move will speed Microsoft’s ambitions in the healthcare digital record keeping market. Microsofts goal is to use voice recognition technology to develop products that feee doctors from note-taking and allows more effective search of those notes for meaningful treatment solutions. The offer at $56 a share was a premium of 23% to the close for Nuance’s shares on Friday, April 9. Microsoft forecasts that the acquisition will result in a loss than 1% hit to earnings in the fiscal year that begins on July 1 and will add to earnings in the following year.

Taiwan Semiconductor says the auto chip shortage will be done by the end of the third quarter

Nvidia jumps 5.62% today on upgrade to revenue forecast and news of its first microprocessor for servers

Nvidia (NVDA) announced its first microprocessor for the server market today, April 12. Right now Intel (INTC) owns around 90% of the market for server processors. And the company also reported that first-quarter revenue “is tracking” above its previous forecast. Revenue in the quarter ending in April is now expected to be higher than $5.3 the billion, which Nvidia projected on February 24. Nvidia shares were up 5.62% today on the news

Dip-O-Meter update for April 9–time to give “buy on the dip” a rest for a few weeks

Dip-O-Meter update for April 9–time to give “buy on the dip” a rest for a few weeks

Looking at the recent performance numbers on the 20 stocks I’m tracking in my Dip-O-Meter as of the close on Friday April 9, I have to conclude that for most of these stocks it’s time to take a pause on any “buy on the dip” opportunities. What I’m seeing in this sample is a general weakening of the upward bounce on rally days from these stocks–and without a strong bounce on a good day there’s not much reason to buy on the dip.

Saturday Night Quarterback says, For the week ahead expect…

Saturday Night Quarterback says, For the week ahead expect…

This week will bring positioning for what’s looking like a record quarter for earnings growth for the first quarter of 2021 that’s likely to keep the stock market trend pointing upward. The first earnings report for the quarter are due from the big banks on April 14 and 15.
On April 1 FactSet reported that the bottom-up analyst earnings projection for the stocks in the Standard & Poor’s 500 for the first quarter had climbed 6% as the quarter itself progressed. That’s the biggest increase in analyst projections since FactSet began tracking quarterly bottom-up earnings estimates in the second quarter of 2002. Normally, analyst estimates slip downwards as the quarter progresses with the average decrease of the last five years at 4.2%
What we’re looking at the the possibility of an almost unbelievable surge in earnings in the first quarter of 2021, the second quarter, and for the whole year–caused by year-to-year comparisons with the pandemic recession in these quarters of 2020.