Earnings Expectations

• De verwachte winstgroei van de S&P 500 voor het eerste kwartaal is sinds begin april verdubbeld naar 28%, aangestuurd door opwaartse herzieningen in verschillende sectoren. • Mega-cap tech-aandelen, ook wel de 'Magnificent Seven' genoemd, zijn verantwoordelijk voor 55% van de kwartaalgroei en 37% van de jaarlijkse groei, en vormen een derde van de marktkapitalisatie van de index. • Dit momentum zorgde ervoor dat de S&P 500 in april een stijging van 10% boekte, de beste maand sinds november 2020, mede door inkomsten uit AI.

• ExxonMobil and Chevron both surpassed profit expectations in their latest quarterly reports. • Shares of the energy majors remained muted despite the beats, pressured by Iran's submission of a new agreement proposal to the US for resuming Persian Gulf oil exports. • The developments contributed to a broader pullback in oil prices, supporting gains in US equities.

• An undisclosed major corporation reported a significant top and bottom line beat, demonstrating stronger-than-expected financial performance in its latest earnings announcement. • The company reaffirmed its full-year earnings forecast and reiterated long-term growth targets of 9% annual growth through 2027, followed by growth from 2027 through 2030. • The earnings beat and maintained guidance suggest management confidence in sustained profitability and operational execution.

• Nike's stock tumbled 13.1% after the company reported better-than-expected quarterly profits but issued weak financial forecasts. • Investors reacted negatively to cautious guidance amid softening consumer demand and competitive pressures in apparel. • The drop underscores broader concerns in consumer discretionary stocks, impacting sector sentiment on Wall Street.

• Nvidia posted first-quarter revenue of $28.3 billion, representing a 106% year-over-year increase and surpassing Wall Street consensus forecasts by 8%, driven primarily by sustained demand for AI data center GPUs. • The chipmaker's gross margin expanded to 72.1%, the highest level in five quarters, as production efficiency gains and favorable product mix offset supply chain costs. • Guidance for Q2 revenue of $32-34 billion exceeded analyst estimates, reinforcing investor confidence in the artificial intelligence infrastructure boom and supporting semiconductor sector valuations amid broader market volatility.