Saturday Night Quarterback (Part 2) says, For the week ahead expect…

Saturday Night Quarterback (Part 2) says, For the week ahead expect…

Investors see a ton of third-quarter earnings reports this coming week with news from Microsoft, Amazon, Meta Platforms, and Alphabet quite capable of moving the entire market. We’ll also get more consumer company (Coca-Cola and Kimberly-Clark for example) reports to show whether last week’s higher revenue but lower volume pattern continues. And Wall Street is expecting negative new from oil companies ExxonMobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX) when they both report on Friday.

Exxon Mobil guides to huge drop in earnings; just one example of revenue and earnings problems across the sector

Exxon Mobil guides to huge drop in earnings; just one example of revenue and earnings problems across the sector

On Wednesday, July 5, Exxon Mobil (XOM) told investors that second quarter earnings could drop by 50% from earnings in the second quarter of 2022. On Thursday, July 6, shares of Exxon Mobil closed down 3.73%. Remember, we’re talking about Exxon Mobil here, one gigantic oil company. So while earnings could fall by half in the quarter, the company is still looking at quarterly earnings of $6.2 billion. Exxon’s news has implications across the energy sector.

Sunday’s surprise OPEC+ sends oil and oil stocks higher Monday (with slight retreat today)

Sunday’s surprise OPEC+ sends oil and oil stocks higher Monday (with slight retreat today)

Today the prices of oil and oil stocks have soared. At 11:20 a.m. New York time U.S. crude benchmark West Texas Intermediate was up 5.37% to $79.73 a barrel. International benchmark Brent crude was higher by 5.24% to $84.08 a barrel. Among oil stocks, Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) was up 3.53%; ExxonMobil (XOM ) was up 5.48%; Chevron (CVX) was up 3.73%; Equinor (EQNR) was up 5.91%; and ConocoPhillips (COP) was up 7.79% The U.S. Oil Fund (USO) was higher by 5.40%.

Part 2 Saturday Night Quarterback (on a Sunday) says, For the week ahead expect…

Part 2 Saturday Night Quarterback (on a Sunday) says, For the week ahead expect…

Earnings. Earnings. And more earnings. From the big bellwether technology stocks: Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta Platforms, and Alphabet. Wall Street has already slashed earnings forecast for these stocks so there’s a good chance these companies will report earnings that surpass expectations even if only by a few pennies. By and large, though, these reports will show either an absolute drop from the September quarter of 2021 or, at best, a slowing of revenue and earnings growth. Key to the market’s reaction will be what these companies say about expectations for the next quarter or two. Will they emphasize what are already clear slowdowns in PC and smartphone sales? Will they speak to the elephant in the room–the U.S/China trade war? Will they say that a strong dollar plus inflation is cutting into sales outside the United States and U.S. sales to domestic customers who are showing signs of “price fatigue”?

Oil falls on surprise build in U.S. inventories in spite of a shockingly small increase in production from OPEC+

Oil falls on surprise build in U.S. inventories in spite of a shockingly small increase in production from OPEC+

As of 2 p.m. New York time today, August 3, U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude was down 3.30% to $91.30 a barrel. International benchmark Brent fell 3.07% to $97.45 a barrel.

The drop was a result of Wednesday data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showing that U.S. crude and gasoline inventories unexpectedly rose last week. U.S. crude supplies were up 4.5 million barrels in the week ended July 29, while gasoline supplies rose 200,000 barrels. This comes at a time when gasoline inventories usually fall on high seasonal demand. This report was, for the day, more than enough to offset the announcement of a smaller than expected increase in oil production by OPEC+ of just 100,000 barrels a day for September.

This week is last stand for growth stock earnings hopes

This week is last stand for growth stock earnings hopes

Going into this earnings season, the hope was that strong, surprisingly strong perhaps, earnings from the big growth stocks would put a stop to the selling. Earnings would be strong enough to convince investors that the market wasn’t over-valued since at these growth rates stocks would be seen to be quick growing into current extended valuations That hasn’t exactly worked so far. But this week the earnings story from growth stocks hits its stride. If the companies reporting this week can’t make the case for growth stock earnings, there probably isn’t a growth stock story to be made in the light of Federal Reserve interest rate increases, supply chain disruptions, and fears of a recession.

Shareholders  vote their unhappiness with ExxonMobil’s strategy on climate change

Shareholders vote their unhappiness with ExxonMobil’s strategy on climate change

On Wednesday, May 26, ExxonMobil shareholders voted to install at least two new independent directors to the company’s board. (The contest for another two seats remained, as they say, too close to call.) The results are a resounding defeat for CEO Darren Woods and a strong vote of shareholders’ unhappiness with the way the company had been addressing climate change. And, let’s not forget, the company’s lagging financial performance. ExxonMobil shares have lost roughly $125 billion in market capitalization during CEO’s Woods four-and-a-half years at the helm.

Saudis surprise OPEC; oil soars by 5%

Saudis surprise OPEC; oil soars by 5%

Today, January 5, Saudi Arabia shocked OPEC+ with a voluntary 1-million-barrel-per-day output cut. The announcement came after OPEC and Russia agreed to allow a 75,000 barrels a day increase in total production from Russia and Kazakhstan in February and March. On the news U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate climbed 5.00% to $50 a barrel and international benchmark Brent gained 5.05% to $53.67 a barrel.