Last week saw a stream of red-hot earnings results filter through from a handful of U.S. technology giants, with the likes of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Meta (NASDAQ: Meta), and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), boasting a surprise beat on their top and bottom-line quarterly results. From what we’ve seen, the latest earnings reports from these technology conglomerates indicate that their quarterly performances fared relatively better than most analysts had anticipated. However, despite these positive outcomes, industry experts remain apprehensive.
According to recent data analysed by Wells Fargo, “all but two of the 21 large-cap information technology companies in the S&P 500” disclosed results that exceeded analyst expectations. However, industry experts have cautioned market participants to step back and avoid getting overly hopeful about the better-than-expected earnings results, emphasising that earnings estimates were “already beaten down.” While beating earnings estimates is a plus for market sentiment, industry specialists have warned market participants that the surprise beat has come off the base of suppressed expectations amidst forecasts for an economic slowdown. Additionally, with many large-cap U.S. tech companies slashing job numbers amidst the post-pandemic era, market analysts have raised the point that this cost management strategy would have aided a beat on earnings results.
Despite caution over better-than-expected tech earnings, market participants would have been relieved to see the S&P 500 index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) post an impressive rally on Thursday, the 27th of April. The S&P 500 rallied 1.96% on Thursday, while the DJIA surged 1.57%, marking each index’s best daily performance since January. Moreover, the tech-heavy NASDAQ 100 index boasted an impressive rally on Thursday, surging 2.76% as red-hot earnings results filtered through from the U.S. tech sector.
Sources: Bloomberg, CNBC, Money, Wall Street Journal, Trading View
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