DHUnplugged #688: Big BIG Week

HUGE Earnings - Most impactful week of quarter. China continues to try to save markets Push Back? Powell Meets Markets Wednesday. PCE - FED FAV - The Latest. Announcing a new Closest to The Pin. PLUS we are now on Spotify and Amazon Music/Podcasts! Click HERE for Show Notes and Links DHUnplugged is now streaming live - with listener chat. Click on link on the right sidebar. Love the Show? Then how about a Donation? Follow John C. Dvorak on Twitter Follow Andrew Horowitz on Twitter Warm Up -  Jury Duty? - Big Week for ECO - Jobs Report Friday - Penmanship - making a comeback? - Is this a Capitulation Moment - China? -- War Brewing - Dragging US into Mid-East Conflict? Market Update - HUGE Earnings - Most impactful week of quarter - China continues to try to save markets - Push Back? Powell Meets Markets Wednesday - PCE - FED FAV - The Latest PODCAST DEAL - Sirius XM Holdings Inc. has acquired certain exclusive rights to SmartLess, the hit podcast hosted by actors Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes, as part of a larger deal between the satellite radio company and SmartLess Media. - The three-year accord is worth more than $100 million, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified. SUPER- Bowl - Tickets to attend the Super Bowl in Las Vegas — a rematch between the 2020 contenders — are the most expensive ever for the event, going for an average $9,815 each so far, according to reseller TickPick. - The price is 70% more than last year’s game, which was held in Arizona. The previous record of $7,046 was set in 2021 in Tampa, Florida, when the game was played at sharply reduced capacity Rate Hike Probabilities - First move for markets from Oct '23 was the HOPE and LOVE of Fed Rate Cuts to come - As soon as March - (The we got the AI 'rager' that helped support Bull markets) - - NOW, Rate CUT hopes fading - markets ignoring facts --- Rate Cut Chart Odds - Fading Rate Cut Odds Reporting this week: - Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft --- Huge components for NAZ100 and S&P500 Microsoft - Microsoft was expected to report a 15.8% jump in quarterly revenue, its best growth in nearly two years, as rising adoption of its products infused with generative AI fuels demand for its cloud services. -- ACTUAL: ---- Microsoft's Q2 revenue was $62.02 billion, a 16% increase, surpassing the estimate of $61.14 billion. ----- Earnings per share (EPS) were reported at $2.93, beating the consensus by $0.16. -- Stock even A/H Google/Alphabet - GOOGL company achieved a YoY revenue increase of 13.5%, reaching $86.31 billion, surpassing expectations. - Google Advertising reported $65.52 billion in revenue, showing an 11.0% YoY growth but falling short of expecations. -- Stock Down 4% AH More Earnings - TSLA - Horrible! - Earnings per share: 71 cents, adjusted vs. 74 cents expected. - Revenue: $25.17 billion vs. $25.6 billion expected. - Operating margin for the quarter came in at 8.2%, down from the year-ago quarter's figure of 16% - Tesla said in its investor presentation that vehicle volume growth in 2024 "may be notably lower" than last year's growth rate as the company works toward launching its "next-generation vehicle" in Texas. - Stock down 14% on the news ---- Stock market cap still down 40% since purchase of Twitter in 2022 AMD - - Met expectations but guided DOWN - So much for the big rise based on NOTHING! - Stocks DOWN 10% Tech Layoffs - Silicon Valley’s tech companies are slashing headcount at a rapid pace. - Since the start of January, some 23,670 workers have been laid off from 85 tech companies, according to the website Layoffs.fyi. - Some are laying off staff in parts of the business to invest more heavily in developing AI products. China - The China Securities Regulatory Commission has said that investors will no longer be able to lend out shares for trading purpo...