consumer sentiment posts
FeedPosted Apr 1st 2011 3:25PM by Connie Madon (RSS feed)
Filed under: Analyst Reports, Apple Inc (AAPL), Market Matters
Two questions on investors' minds are: Should I buy Apple (AAPL), and where is the stock headed? Leading banks and financial advisory firms hire analysts, whose job it is to figure out the strengths and weaknesses of a given company -- and from that data make a recommendation and a projected stock price.
At Morgan Stanley that analyst is Katy Huberty. In a Fortune article she describes two possible scenarios for Apple. One is her best case. The other is her bearish take.
Continue reading The Case for Apple to Reach $540
Posted Jan 23rd 2011 12:30PM by Trey Thoelcke (RSS feed)
Filed under: Earnings Reports, Microsoft (MSFT), McDonald's (MCD), Caterpillar (CAT), American Express (AXP), Chevron Corp (CVX), Economic Data, United Technologies (UTX), Federal Reserve, General Dynamics Corp (GD)
With earnings season in full swing, the FOMC meeting on interest rates, the GDP estimate, and housing numbers due out, the coming week is shaping up to be a busy one. So here's a peek at what's on the economic calendar.
Monday
Quarterly reports from American Express (AXP) and McDonald's (MCD) will highlight Monday. Amgen (AMGN), CSX (CSX), Halliburton (HAL) and Texas Instruments (TXN) are also expected to report strong earnings results.
Continue reading Week in Preview: GDP, FOMC Meeting, Housing Data and Lots of Earnings
Posted Dec 5th 2010 12:30PM by Trey Thoelcke (RSS feed)
Filed under: Earnings Reports, Forecasts, AutoZone Inc (AZO), Smithfield Foods (SFD), Economic Data
After a week full of mixed economic data taking its toll on the markets, things will settle down somewhat this coming week.
- Monday: Fed releases October data on consumer credit outstanding.
- Tuesday: TIPP Economic Optimism Index is due.
- Wednesday: Labor Dept. offers initial jobless claims numbers for last week, EIA's crude oil inventory last week, October wholesale trade numbers from the Census Bureau.
- Friday: Trade balance data for October, Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its Import Price Index for November, preliminary Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index is due, and the Treasury Dept. releases the federal budget balance in November.
Continue reading Week in Preview: A Bit of a Breather (AZO, DG, SFD)
Posted Nov 21st 2010 12:30PM by Trey Thoelcke (RSS feed)
Filed under: Earnings Reports, Forecasts, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Campbell Soup (CPB), Tyson Foods'A' (TSN), Economic Data, Deere and Co (DE), Federal Reserve
Among the quarterly results scheduled for this holiday-shortened week, investors may be thankful for the earnings results from Tyson Foods (TSN). The Arkansas-based poultry and meat producer reported on its sustainability efforts and also was named McDonalds' (MCD) supplier of the year during its fiscal fourth quarter. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters forecast earnings for that period to have doubled from a year ago to 56 cents per share.
Tyson is also expected to post revenue of $7.8 billion for the three months that ended in September, which is 7.4% more than in the same period of fiscal 2009. And the consensus estimate for the full year calls for earnings of $2.08 per share (+87.0%) and revenue of $28.7 billion (+7.3%). Tyson's earnings have been better than expected in recent quarters, beating consensus estimates by as much as 24 cents per share.
Continue reading Week in Preview: Tyson Foods, Analog Devices, Deere Serve Up Earnings
Posted Oct 10th 2010 12:30PM by Trey Thoelcke (RSS feed)
Filed under: Earnings Reports, Forecasts, Google (GOOG), General Electric (GE), Intel (INTC), JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Economic Data
The earnings season kicked off last week with better-than-expected results from Alcoa (AA) and Yum! Brands (YUM), while Marriott (MAR) and Pepsico (PEP) met consensus EPS estimates. This week, bellwether companies Intel (INTC), General Electric (GE), Google (GOOG) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM) are scheduled to report their third-quarter results, and analysts polled by Thomson Reuters are looking for earnings growth from all of them.
Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel announced the acquisition of McAfee and joint ventures with General Electric and Nokia (NOK) during its third quarter. Analysts forecast earnings for that period to come to 50 cents per share, which is up 34.0% from the same period of last year. The number one semiconductor maker's revenue for the three months ended in September is expected to total $11.0 billion, or 17.1% more than a year earlier. Looking ahead to the full year, the forecast thus far is for earnings of $1.94 per share (+44.8%) and $43.3 billion in revenue (+23.4%). The per-share earnings topped analysts' expectations in the past four quarters, by as much as a dime per share.
Continue reading Week in Preview: Earnings Expectations for Intel, GE, Google and JPMorgan
Posted Aug 8th 2010 12:30PM by Trey Thoelcke (RSS feed)
Filed under: Earnings Reports, Forecasts, Penney (J.C.) (JCP), Economic Data, Nordstrom, Inc (JWN), Federal Reserve
Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) meets again on Tuesday. Though the August meeting of the FOMC is generally uneventful, this time there is speculation about whether the FOMC will resort again to some quantitative easing -- a way of pumping additional money into the financial system.
Fed chairman Ben Bernanke has already hinted at such a move, given that economic growth has clearly slowed. Last week's disappointing employment numbers are the latest confirmation of that. The question is whether the Fed's decision to take action will happen at this week's meeting, perhaps aggravating deflation fears, or it may wait until the September meeting, at which point it risks impacting the upcoming mid-term elections.
Continue reading The Week in Preview: FOMC Meeting, Consumer Sentiment, Retail Earnings
Posted Jun 25th 2010 2:50PM by Mark Fightmaster (RSS feed)
Filed under: Economic Data

The University of Michigan consumer sentiment numbers
rolled in this morning, showing both good news and bad news. Let's first deal with the good news.
The index increased to 76.0 in late June, which is up from 73.6 in May and 75.5 in mid-June. The latest reading is the highest since January 2008, which is a month after the recession started. What's more, the reading came in better than the estimated 75.5. This is the good news ---- it signals that consumers believe that the economic situation is getting better as they jump into the consuming fray.
Continue reading Consumer Sentiment Increases, but Not All the News Is Good
Posted Dec 24th 2009 12:00PM by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed)
Filed under: Economic Data
Even with the pressure of the holiday season, consumers are feeling better this month. Consumer sentiment improved from November, thanks to growth in personal incomes and the possibility of a light at the end of the job market tunnel. The latest Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers report puts the December consumer sentiment index at 72.5, its highest level since September. In November, the index reached only 67.4 -- up substantially from 60.1 a year ago.
Nonetheless, the latest result didn't meet analysts' median expectation of 73.5 and came in under the preliminary figure of 73.4.
Continue reading Consumer Sentiment Is Up, but Not Enough
Posted Nov 13th 2009 5:20PM by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed)
Filed under: China, Economic Data
There's always good news, if you're willing to look hard for it. So, even though consumer sentiment dropped as unemployment rose, you can find the seeds of economic recovery in some of the U.S. import and export data reported recently.
Consumer sentiment fell early this month, largely because of the grim outlook for the job market. Consumers don't see a recovery coming anytime soon, with economists saying that unemployment has yet to peak despite having hit 10.2% already. Hopes edged higher in September when imports were seen to be on the rise, but sentiment starts and ends with jobs.
Continue reading Consumer sentiment down, but glimmer of hope in trade data
Posted Aug 9th 2009 12:30PM by Trey Thoelcke (RSS feed)
Filed under: Earnings Reports, Forecasts, Wal-Mart (WMT), Penney (J.C.) (JCP), Blockbuster Inc 'A' (BBI), Kohl's Corp (KSS), Economic Data
Last week offered mixed messages about whether an economic recovery is indeed underway. The unemployment figures were not as bad as feared, but July sales numbers were nothing to write home about, despite the wild popularity of the so-called cash-for-clunkers program.
The question is, where has consumer confidence (and consumer spending) been? Retail is a good place to look, and as it turns out, this week several shopping mall and strip mall favorites will be reporting earnings for the most recent quarter.
Continue reading The week in preview: Eye on retail -- Walmart, Macy's, Blockbuster ...
Posted Jul 5th 2009 12:30PM by Trey Thoelcke (RSS feed)
Filed under: Earnings Reports, Forecasts, Alcoa Inc (AA), Chevron Corp (CVX), Family Dollar Stores (FDO), Economic Data
The second half of the calendar year has begun, and earnings return to the spotlight this week. As usual, Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) is among the first of the S&P 500 to report quarterly results. For the second quarter in which Alcoa agreed to sell its wire harness and electrical distribution business and its fastening systems business expanded into Morocco, analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect the New York-based aluminum producer to report swinging to a net loss of $0.34 per share from a profit of $0.66 per share in the year-ago period. Second quarter revenue is expected to have fallen 48.3% to $3.9 billion. The full-year forecast is currently for a loss of $1.04 per share and revenue of $16.7 billion (-38.0%). Alcoa has missed expectations in the past three quarters, by as much as 17 cents per share. The long-term EPS growth forecast is 10.0%, which is better than the sector average. Alcoa slashed its dividend earlier this year, and the First Call consensus recommendation remains to hold AA. However, TheStreet.com recommends it as an against-the-grain pick. At $9.86, shares are down 12.4% since the beginning of the year, and recently have been bumping up against the 200-day moving average.
Continue reading The week in preview: Focus returns to earnings: Alcoa, Chevron, Family Dollar
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