Quarterly Outlook
Macro Outlook: The US rate cut cycle has begun
Peter Garnry
Chief Investment Strategist
Last week provided more gains for global equities as stimulus measures from China, and strong a US GDP report added to market confidence. Many of the largest US companies reached new all time highs. Earnings announcements produced some significant price moves with investors willing to lean hard into any surprises. Netflix, IBM, ASML and LMVH all popped after strong numbers. While Tesla and Intel were punished severely for coming up short on 2024 forecast.
Earnings watch: Big earnings week with technology giants in focus
The performance of the US technology sector will be closely watched this week as the largest companies in the S&P 500 report their earnings. Investors will be looking for signs that the sector is still strong, despite the recent economic downturn. Companies like Microsoft (Tues), Alphabet (Tues), Amazon (Thurs), Apple (Thurs), and Meta (Thurs) are expected to report strong earnings growth, but the focus will be on their outlook for the future. In addition to the US tech giants, there are also some important earnings releases from European companies this week - Novo Nordisk (Wed) and ING Groep (Thurs). On top of earnings releases, there is also central bank policy decisions from the FOMC on Wednesday and the Bank of England on Thursday.