Check out the companies making headlines before the bell: DuPont — Shares popped 5% on the back of better-than-expected results in the second quarter. The chemical maker earned 97 cents per share, excluding certain items, on revenue of $3.17 billion. Analysts expected a profit of 85 cents per share on revenue of $3.05 billion, according to LSEG. DuPont also raised its full-year earnings and revenue guidance. Intel — Shares rose more than 2% after a Bloomberg article reported that the semiconductor manufacturer is planning to announce thousands of job cuts as early as this week. Microsoft — Microsoft slipped 3% after the Xbox maker reported disappointing cloud computing results . The company posted stronger-than-expected earnings and revenue, but revenue for Azure and other cloud services grew 29%, falling short of a 31% estimate. Advanced Micro Devices — Shares popped nearly 9% after the chipmaker’s earnings and revenue beat analysts’ estimates postmarket Tuesday. AMD reported adjusted earnings of 69 cents per share versus 68 cents expected from analysts polled by LSEG. Revenue was $5.84 billion, topping the $5.72 billion consensus estimate. Shares of Nvidia and ASML Holding also jumped about 7% each on the back of AMD’s report. Arista Networks — The computer networking company advanced 5% after beating Wall Street expectations on both its top and bottom lines. Arista reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $2.10 per share on revenue of $1.69 billion, exceeding the $1.95 per share on $1.65 billion in revenue that analysts polled by LSEG were expecting. Pinterest — The social media stock slumped 11% after forward guidance trailed estimates. The company provided third-quarter revenue guidance of between $885 million to $900 million, below the $908.6 million consensus estimate analysts polled by FactSet were expecting. Second-quarter earnings and revenue topped expectations, however, according to LSEG. Starbucks — The coffee chain rose 4% after maintaining its full-year outlook. Net sales dropped in the fiscal third quarter, however, totaling $9.11 billion, below analysts’ estimate of $9.24 billion, according to those surveyed by LSEG. Starbucks reported adjusted earnings of 93 cents per share, matching the Street consensus. Skyworks Solutions — The semiconductor stock dipped 1% after fiscal third-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.21 per share failed to top expectations. Revenue of $906 million, however, exceeded the FactSet consensus of $900.4 million. Upstart — The lending platform advanced 6% following a double upgrade to outperform from underperform at Mizuho. Analyst Dan Dolev believes the stock could rally 19% from Tuesday’s close, citing an improving risk profile among borrowers and lower interest rates as forthcoming catalysts. Boeing — Shares rose 2% after the maker of the 737 Max announced a new CEO . Boeing said former Collins Aerospace CEO Kelly Ortberg will replace Dave Calhoun. In the second quarter, however, Boeing lost $2.90 per share , wider than the loss of $1.97 per share expected by the analyst consensus, according to LSEG. Live Nation Entertainment — The entertainment stock was little changed after posting second-quarter revenue that matched expectations. Earnings per share of $1.03 fell short of the $1.07 estimated by analysts polled by LSEG. AutoNation — The car dealership was little changed after reporting second-quarter revenue of $6.48 billion, lower than the $6.72 billion that analysts polled by LSEG expected, while its earnings were likely not comparable due to a recent cyber incident in its dealer management system. Humana — The health insurer dropped more than 7% as lackluster earnings guidance overshadowed better-than-expected second-quarter results. Humana reiterated its full-year bottom-line forecast of about $16 per share. Analysts polled by StreetAccount, however, had penciled in $16.34 per share. Second-quarter earnings of $6.96 per share, excluding items, and revenue of $29.38 billion topped analysts’ expectations. Kraft Heinz — Shares of the ketchup and mac and cheese maker gained less than 1% after reporting second-quarter earnings topped Street estimates. But revenue of $6.48 billion was below the $6.55 billion analysts had expected, according to FactSet. Marriott International — The hotel chain slipped 4% after posting second-quarter revenue of $6.44 billion, below the $6.47 billion expected by analysts polled by FactSet. Marriott’s adjusted earnings of $2.50 per share topped the $2.47 analysts had forecast. T-Mobile — Shares advanced 3.2% before the opening bell after the mobile network operator surpassed estimates on the top and bottom lines in the second quarter. T-Mobile notched earnings of $2.49 per share on revenue of $19.77 billion, while analysts polled by LSEG forecast $2.28 in earnings per share and $19.55 billion in revenue. The company also raised its full-year customer addition forecast. Match Group — The owner of the Tinder dating app surged 9% after posting $864 million in second-quarter revenue postmarket Tuesday, above analysts’ estimate of $856.5 million, according to FactSet. Match said it plans to abandon live-streaming services in its dating apps and sunset Hyperconnect’s Hakuna app. Vistra — Vistra shares popped 13% after the Texas-based power company received a 20-year license extension from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to operate its Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant. The extension allows Vistra to operate the plant through 2053. Constellation Energy — Shares rose nearly 12% after the mid-Atlantic grid operator PJM cleared 17.6 gigawatts of power capacity from Constellation in 2025 to 2026. Constellation operates the largest nuclear fleet in the U.S., and its stock is up 44% this year on rising power demand from artificial intelligence providers and data centers. Bunge — Shares slipped 6.5% after the food company’s net income plunged 88% to $70 million in the second quarter, compared to $622 million in the same period a year ago. CEO Greg Heckman said “current market conditions have improved in some regions, but we continue to have limited visibility into the latter part of the year.” — CNBC’s Brian Evans, Michelle Fox, Fred Imbert, Spencer Kimball, Tanaya Macheel, Jesse Pound and Samantha Subin 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.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
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.