Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading: JetBlue — The airline soared more than 12% after reporting second-quarter earnings that beat analysts’ expectations . The New York City-based carrier posted adjusted earnings of 8 cents per share, excluding one-time items, compared to analysts’ estimated loss of 11 cents per share, according to LSEG. Revenue came in at $2.43 billion, also above the analyst estimate of $2.4 billion. Sprouts Farmers Market — Shares surged more than 13%, hitting a new 52-week high during the session, after the food retailer’s latest earnings of 94 cents per share on revenue of $1.89 billion topped analysts’ consensus estimates of 78 cents in earnings per share on $1.84 billion in revenue, according to LSEG. The Phoenix-based grocery chain also raised its full-year earnings guidance, forecasting revenue rising between 9% and 10%, compared to analysts’ 8.2% consensus growth estimate. Varonis Systems — The data security stock rallied more than 14% after posting better-than-expected second-quarter results. Varonis reported adjusted earnings of 5 cents per share, better than an expected loss of 2 cents per share, according to analysts polled by FactSet. Revenue also came in above expectations at $130.3 million compared to a $124.8 million consensus estimate. Varonis also issued stronger-than-expected guidance for the current quarter. F5 Inc. — Shares rallied about 13%, hitting a new 52-week high in the session, after the software company’s earnings and revenue topped estimates in its fiscal third quarter. F5 posted adjusted earnings of $3.36 per share, compared to an LSEG estimate of $2.97 per share. Revenue of $695 million was higher than the $686 million analysts has estimated. Symbotic — The stock declined more than 23.5%, hitting a new 52-week low in the session, after the automation company issued weak guidance for the fiscal fourth quarter. The company expects revenue in the range of $455 million to $475 million, below the consensus estimate of $516.9 million, according to FactSet. For the fiscal third quarter, Symbotic revenue of $491.9 million beat the consensus estimate of $464.6 million. Woodward — The aerospace and industrial stock slid more than 17% after revenue came in weaker than Wall Street had expected in its fiscal third quarter. Woodward reported $847.7 million in revenue, below the FactSet consensus estimate of $853.3 million. Amkor Technology — The semiconductor packaging stock tumbled nearly 19% after giving a disappointing third-quarter outlook. Amkor expects earnings per share of 42 cents to 56 cents, while analysts polled by FactSet had forecast 64 cents per share. Lattice Semiconductor — Shares pulled back more than 9% after second-quarter earnings and current-quarter revenue guidance came in below expectations. Lattice earned 23 cents per share, excluding items, on $124 million in revenue during the second quarter, while analysts polled by LSEG anticipated 24 cents and $130 million, respectively. Elsewhere, Bank of America downgraded Lattice to underperform from neutral, citing softer prospects for growth and minimal visibility. CrowdStrike — Shares sank more than 9% after CNBC reported that Delta Air Lines hired legal counsel to seek compensation for the CrowdStrike and Microsoft network outage that led to thousands of flight cancellations earlier this month. Microsoft shares were last down 1%. Merck — The stock slumped more than 9% after the New Jersey-based drugmaker’s full-year guidance came in weaker than expected. Merck expects full-year earnings of between $7.94 and $8.04 per share, below the FactSet consensus estimate of $8.16 per share. Howmet Aerospace — The aerospace manufacturer rallied more than 13% after second-quarter earnings and revenue beat Wall Street estimates. Howmet earned 67 cents per share on revenue of $1.88 billion, above estimates of 60 cents in earnings per share on revenue of $1.83 billion that analysts polled by FactSet had expected. Howmet also increased its quarterly dividend to 8 cents per share from 5 cents, payable Aug. 26. Corning — The glass and fiber optic cable maker plummeted nearly 7% after the company gave third-quarter guidance that either lagged or matched analysts’ expectations, according to FactSet. Second-quarter earnings came in slightly above expectations. Corning, which makes the Gorilla Glass used for iPhones, posted earnings of 47 cents per share on revenue of $3.6 billion. Analysts surveyed by LSEG expected 46 cents per share on $3.55 billion in revenue. PayPal — Shares spiked more than 8%. The payments company reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.19 per share, excluding items, above the 99 cents per share expected by analysts polled by LSEG. The company also raised its full-year earnings guidance. Procter & Gamble — The Ivory soap maker fell nearly 5% following the Cincinnati-based company’s weaker-than-expected revenue in the second quarter. P & G posted revenue of $20.53 billion, below the $20.74 billion expected by LSEG analysts. Earnings came in above expectations, however, with the company posting adjusted earnings of $1.40 per share compared to the $1.37 per share that analysts polled by LSEG were expecting. Zebra Technologies — The stock rose nearly 4% after second-quarter earnings beat analysts’ estimates. The tracker and computer printing technology manufacturer posted profit of $3.18 per share, excluding items, on revenue of $1.22 billion. According to StreetAccount, analysts were expecting $2.80 per share on $1.18 billion in revenue for the period. Zebra also raised its full-year guidance. Stanley Black & Decker — The toolmaker popped around 10% after second-quarter earnings of $1.09 per share, excluding items, topped Wall Street estimates of 84 cents per share, according to analysts surveyed by FactSet. Revenue for the period matched estimates. The Connecticut-based company also updated its full-year earnings guidance to between $3.70 and $4.50 per share, raising the lower-end forecast from a previous range of $3.50 to $4.50 per share. — CNBC’s Alex Harring, Samantha Subin, Lisa Kailai Han and Hakyung Kim contributed reporting.
After last month’s excitement over stimulus plans, Chinese stocks now face mounting challenges as earnings have yet to pick up and heightened U.S. trade tensions loom. “Stock picking remains important with [the] headwind of tariffs, a weaker currency and persistent deflation,” Morgan Stanley chief China equity strategist Laura Wang and a team said in a report Thursday. For investment options, she referred to the firm’s survey of China stocks the investment bank’s analysts already cover. The firm screened for stocks that could outperform depending on which of three scenarios unfolded. Only the bear case accounted for significant U.S. tariffs and restrictions. The base and bull cases assumed the status quo in U.S.-China relations. The bear case also expects 1 trillion yuan, or $140 billion, in fiscal stimulus a year and MSCI China earnings per share growth of 3% this year and 5% next year. Morgan Stanley’s basket of bear case stocks only includes overweight-rated names with a dividend yield above 4% this year. They also have free cash flow yield above 4% from 2023 to 2025 and market capitalization above $2 billion, among other factors. The companies must not be on Morgan Stanley’s lists of stocks at a disadvantage from Republican policy and supply chain diversification. The only consumer name that made the list was Tingyi , a Hong Kong-listed company that owns instant noodles brand Master Kong. The company is also PepsiCo ‘s exclusive manufacturer and seller in China. Tingyi’s net profit in beverages rose nearly 26% in the first half of 2024 compared to a year ago, while that of instant noodles rose 5.4%. Morgan Stanley expects Tingyi’s earnings per share to grow 12% this year and 11% in 2025. Other Chinese companies that made Morgan Stanley’s bear case basket included two state-owned energy stocks: drilling company China Oilfield Services and Cosco Shipping Energy Transportation , which specializes in shipping oil and natural gas. Both stocks are listed in Hong Kong, as is the only industrials name on the bear case list, Sinotruk . The truck manufacturer is also state owned. Morgan Stanley expects China Oilfield Services can grow earnings per share by 41% this year and 33% next year, while Cosco Shipping Energy Transportation can see its earnings rise 33% this year, before slowing to 16% growth next year. Sinotruk earnings can grow 18% this year and 17% next year, according to Morgan Stanley estimates. MSCI China constituents are on track for their 13th straight quarter of earnings misses, despite recent improvements in economic data, Morgan Stanley’s Wang said. “We expect further earnings downward revisions amid lingering deflationary pressure and geopolitical uncertainties until more policy clarity emerges.” Asia equity fund managers have modestly increased their exposure to China since September’s stimulus announcements, Morningstar strategist Claire Liang said in a phone interview Friday. “But many managers have said whether this rally can continue will depend on whether the policies can see real results,” Liang said in Mandarin, which was translated by CNBC. Beyond stabilizing the economy, she said the managers are looking for whether corporate earnings can recover. China’s October data release on Friday underscored a slow economic recovery despite the latest barrage of stimulus announcements. Industrial production missed forecasts. Fixed asset investment grew more slowly than forecast as the drop in real estate investment steepened, albeit with new home sales narrowing their decline. Only retail sales beat expectations with 4.8% growth . For China’s export-heavy economy, the risk of U.S. tariffs has only risen over the past two weeks as the Republican Party has taken control of the U.S. Congress and President-elect Donald Trump has filled his cabinet with China hawks. Morgan Stanley’s U.S. policy team expects Trump to impose tariffs soon after he takes office, and potentially hit Europe and Mexico along with China imports. While China is better positioned than six years ago to stave off the effects of targeted tariffs, the analysts said global duties on U.S. imports would hit China as much as targeted tariffs did in 2018.
Elon Musk at the tenth Breakthrough Prize ceremony held at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on April 13, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
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On Saturday, Elon Musk shared who he is endorsing for Treasury secretary on X, a cabinet position President-elect Donald Trump has yet to announce his preference to fill.
Musk wrote that Howard Lutnick, Trump-Vance transition co-chair and CEO and chairman of Cantor Fitzgerald, BGC Group and Newmark Group chairman, will “actually enact change.”
Lutnick and Key Square Group founder and CEO Scott Bessent are reportedly top picks to run the Treasury Department.
Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, also included his thoughts on Bessent in his post on X.
“My view fwiw is that Bessent is a business-as-usual choice,” he wrote.
“Business-as-usual is driving America bankrupt so we need change one way or another,” he added.
Musk also stated it would be “interesting to hear more people weigh in on this for @realDonaldTrump to consider feedback.”
Howard Lutnick, chairman and chief executive officer of Cantor Fitzgerald LP, left, and Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., during a campaign event with former US President Donald Trump, not pictured, at Madison Square Garden in New York, US, on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024.
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In a statement to Politico, Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt made it clear that the president-elect has not made any decisions regarding the position of Treasury secretary.
“President-elect Trump is making decisions on who will serve in his second administration,” Leavitt said in a statement. “Those decisions will be announced when they are made.”
Both Lutnick and Bessent have close ties to Trump. Lutnick and Trump have known each other for decades, and the CEO has even hosted a fundraiser for the president-elect.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that Lutnick has already been helping Trump review candidates for cabinet positions in his administration.
On the other hand, Bessent was a key economic advisor to the president-elect during his 2024 campaign. Bessent also received an endorsement from Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, according to Semafor.
“He’s from South Carolina, I know him well, he’s highly qualified,” Graham said.
Money manager John Davi is positioning for challenges tied to President-elect Donald Trump’s tariff agenda.
Davi said he worries the new administration’s policies could be “very inflationary,” so he thinks it is important to choose investments carefully.
“Small-cap industrials make more sense than large-cap industrials,” the Astoria Portfolio Advisors CEO told CNBC’s “ETF Edge” this week.
Davi, who is also the firm’s chief investment officer, expects the red sweep will help push a pro-growth, pro-domestic policy agenda forward that will benefit small caps.
It appears Wall Street agrees so far. Since the presidential election, the Russell 2000 index, which tracks small-cap stocks, is up around 4% as of Friday’s close.
Davi, whose firm has $1.9 billion in assets under management, also likes staying domestic despite the tariff risks.
“We’re overweight the U.S. I think that’s the right playbook in the next few years until the midterms,” added Davi. “We have two years of where he [Trump] can control a lot of the narrative.”
But Davi plans to stay away from fixed income due to challenges tied to the growing budget deficit.
“Be careful if you own bonds for sure,” said Davi.