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U.S. stocks post mixed weekly results amid geopolitical concerns

NEW YORK
2018-08-13 08:59

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U.S. stocks post mixed weekly results as investors kept an eye on geopolitical tensions and major U.S. economic data.

For the week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average erased 0.6 percent, the S&P 500 decreased 0.3 percent, and the Nasdaq gained 0.4 percent.

On the economic front, the U.S. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers increased 0.2 percent in July on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.1 percent in June, the Labor Department said on Friday. Over the last 12 months, the all items index rose 2.9 percent before seasonal adjustment.

But excluding the volatile food and energy components, the so-called core CPI rose 2.4 percent from a year earlier, the biggest jump since September 2008, according to the department.

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, suggesting that a strong economy was helping the labor market.

In the week ending Aug. 4, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 213,000, a decrease of 6,000 from the previous week's revised level, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 218,000 to 219,000.

The four-week moving average was 214,250, a decrease of 500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 214,500 to 214,750, said the department.

On the earnings front, Thomson Reuters said Friday second quarter earnings are expected to increase 24.4 percent from the same period last year. Excluding the energy sector, the earnings growth estimate declines to 21.3 percent.

Of the 454 companies in the S&P 500 that have reported earnings Aug. 10, 78.9 percent have reported earnings above analyst expectations. This is above the long-term average of 64 percent and above the average over the past four quarters of 75 percent.

Second quarter revenue is expected to increase 9.3 percent from year-on-year. Excluding the energy sector, the revenue growth estimate declines to 8.2 percent.

Some 71.3 percent of companies have reported second-quarter revenue above analyst expectations. This is above the long-term average of 60 percent and below the average over the past four quarters of 72 percent.

Booking Holdings and Norwegian Cruise Line both reported better-than-expected earnings on Thursday.

CVS Health topped Wall Street's second-quarter earnings and revenue estimates. The company reported Wednesday quarterly adjusted earnings of 1.69 dollars per share and revenue of 46.7 billion dollars.

Shares of Disney declined after the entertainment giant reported quarterly results that missed analysts' expectations. Excluding certain items affecting comparability, its earnings per share for the quarter reached 1.87 dollars, and its revenue stood at 15.23 billion dollars, both lower than forecast.
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