Daily Markets: Mixed Tech Earnings, January Jobs Report
From Nasdaq, Inc.:
Asia-Pacific equity markets closed mixed today with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng and China’s Shanghai Composite falling, while Japan’s Nikkei, Taiwan’s TAIEX, India’s SENSEX, Australia’s ASX All Ordinaries, and South Korea’s KOSPI all finished higher. European markets are trading higher while U.S. equity futures are pointing to a higher open despite Apple shares trading off. The market is waiting for the January Employment Report to be released at 8:30 AM ET to determine future market trends. Oil prices are inching higher this morning following OPEC’s decision to keep its oil output policy unchanged. The group will decide in March whether or not to extend 1Q 2024’s voluntary oil production cuts. In the U.S., the final January reading for the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index will be published at 10 AM ET. Markets retraced some of Wednesday’s selloff following Fed Chair Powell’s comments earlier this week that quashed a March rate cut. Shares of Meta Platforms are poised to open over 17% higher after the company’s earnings call, while Clorox Company and Amazon are catching a healthy bid as well. Apple topped consensus expectations for its December quarter, and Amazon also topped consensus expectations for its December quarter. Meta Platforms reported quarterly earnings of $5.33 per share, beating analysts estimates by $0.51. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said countries around the world, including India, France, and Canada, are aiming to build and run what it described as “sovereign AI capabilities” that will drive up demand for AI chips and related products. Hologic received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its new digital cytology system, making it the first FDA-cleared digital cytology platform. Shares of Skechers USA are under pressure this morning following a mixed quarter earnings report and guidance for the current quarter and full year 2024 that fell short of Wall Street expectations. There are no companies expected to report quarterly results after equities stop trading today.
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