First quarter earnings reports are expected to show signs that other areas of the market could catch up to tech's growth later in 2024.
Markets are hard-pressed this week over a barrage of headlines and market trends: March CPI (Consumer Price Index) is due out, companies are to report first-quarter earnings, crude oil prices (CL=F, BZ=F) are swinging higher, and anticipation over what to expect from lagging Magnificent Seven member stocks. Charles Schwab Chief Global Investment Strategist and Managing Director Jeffrey Kleintop sits down with Yahoo Finance Live to discuss which headline event is affecting equity markets (^DJI, ^IXIC, ^GSPC) the most. "We've been so powered by those Mag Seven stocks and now showing signs of weakening... we're starting to see new life from other sectors. Analyst outlook for broadening earnings outlook isn't just hope, it's supported by the Global Manufacturing Purchasing Manager's Index, my favorite economic statistic," Kleintop explains. "That rose to 50.6 in March. that release marked the second month in a row above 50.7, the dividing line between growth and recession after spending 18 months below 50..." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Yahoo Finance Live. Editor's note: This article was written by Luke Carberry Mogan.
Amazon (AMZN) and Meta Platforms (META) were among the tech stock leaders who drove growth in the S&P 500 (^GSPC) throughout 2024's first quarter. The two Magnificent Seven members are Wells Fargo Senior Analyst Ken Gawrelski's top stock picks for the tech sector. Amazon is "making many fundamental improvements in logistics capabilities and efficiencies. So, we expect margins to continue to inflect higher in the retail business," Gawrelski tells Yahoo Finance. "The second business, which is AWS [Amazon Web Services], their cloud business, that was also an inflection in 2023, but that inflection was there after a steep decline of growth from 2022 to 2023." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Morning Brief. Editor's note: This article was written by Luke Carberry Mogan.