New book by Larry Connors Click here Improve your trading - See how
Stocks ended their sixth straight week with gains, but a number of financial companies, including Bank of America (BAC | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) and U.S. Bancorp (USB | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) still have yet to report results. Aside from banks, technology companies will also dominate earnings next week as investors hear from IBM (IBM | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating), Microsoft Corp. (MSFT | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating), and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating).
Goldman Sachs (GS | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) and Wells Fargo (WFC | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) have eased some investors’ concerns after posting earnings improvements in the first-quarter, however, some of the optimism was reigned in last week after UBS AG (UBS | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) said it expects to report a first-quarter loss of nearly $1.75 billion and will cut 8,700 jobs worldwide by the end of next year. Citigroup (C | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) also reported better-than-expected first-quarter results Friday, though the company continues to take charges to reserve for consumer defaults.
On Monday, IBM reports its first-quarter results in after-hours trading, and analysts polled by Reuters expect a profit of $1.66, up 1.2% from a year ago, on revenue of $22.6 billion. The stock is down 16% over the past 12 months.
Investors trading into earnings should know that IBM favors a long-term reversal pattern in its session-to-session performance, crossing narrower next-day percentage closing levels following after-hours earnings events in 11 of the last 19. However, the near-term is mixed, with the stock widening once, narrowing once, and reversing twice its after-hours move in the following regular session. On January 20, the stock rose 4% in after-hours trading when IBM guided for higher 2009 earnings. The stock widened its move in the following trading session, ending up 11.5%.
Yahoo! (YHOO | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) is due with its first-quarter results after the close on Tuesday and is expected to report earnings of $0.08 per share, down 27% from a year ago, on revenue of $1.2 billion. Yahoo shares are down 50% over the past 12 months and are trading slightly above their 50-day moving average.
Investors trading into earnings should know that in the near-term, Yahoo is trending toward widening its after-hours move, doing so in two of the last four quarter. On January 27, the stocks rose 4.2% in after-hours trading after earnings beat the Street. The stock widened its move in the following regular session, ending up 7.9%.
Cassie Slane is Senior Editor at www.MidnightTrader.com.
For more trading strategies, go to TradingMarkets.com/reports.
About TradingMarkets | Contact | Advertise | Careers | Link to Us | Site Map | Help | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Return Policy | Testimonials | Feedback
The Connors Group, Inc. ("Company") is not an investment advisory service, nor a registered investment advisor or broker-dealer and does not purport to tell or suggest which securities or currencies customers should buy or sell for themselves. The analysts and employees or affiliates of Company may hold positions in the stocks, currencies or industries discussed here. You understand and acknowledge that there is a very high degree of risk involved in trading securities and/or currencies. The Company, the authors, the publisher, and all affiliates of Company assume no responsibility or liability for your trading and investment results. Factual statements on the Company's website, or in its publications, are made as of the date stated and are subject to change without notice.
It should not be assumed that the methods, techniques, or indicators presented in these products will be profitable or that they will not result in losses. Past results of any individual trader or trading system published by Company are not indicative of future returns by that trader or system, and are not indicative of future returns which be realized by you. In addition, the indicators, strategies, columns, articles and all other features of Company's products (collectively, the "Information") are provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice. Examples presented on Company's website are for educational purposes only. Such set-ups are not solicitations of any order to buy or sell. Accordingly, you should not rely solely on the Information in making any investment. Rather, you should use the Information only as a starting point for doing additional independent research in order to allow you to form your own opinion regarding investments. You should always check with your licensed financial advisor and tax advisor to determine the suitability of any investment.
HYPOTHETICAL OR SIMULATED PERFORMANCE RESULTS HAVE CERTAIN INHERENT LIMITATIONS. UNLIKE AN ACTUAL PERFORMANCE RECORD, SIMULATED RESULTS DO NOT REPRESENT ACTUAL TRADING AND MAY NOT BE IMPACTED BY BROKERAGE AND OTHER SLIPPAGE FEES. ALSO, SINCE THE TRADES HAVE NOT ACTUALLY BEEN EXECUTED, THE RESULTS MAY HAVE UNDER- OR OVER-COMPENSATED FOR THE IMPACT, IF ANY, OF CERTAIN MARKET FACTORS, SUCH AS LACK OF LIQUIDITY. SIMULATED TRADING PROGRAMS IN GENERAL ARE ALSO SUBJECT TO THE FACT THAT THEY ARE DESIGNED WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT. NO REPRESENTATION IS BEING MADE THAT ANY ACCOUNT WILL OR IS LIKELY TO ACHIEVE PROFITS OR LOSSES SIMILAR TO THOSE SHOWN.
The Connors Group, Inc.
10 Exchange Place, Suite 1800
Jersey City, NJ 07302
© Copyright 2009 The Connors Group, Inc.
