Nasdaq notches five-week streak: Longest since November 2021

The Nasdaq simply wrapped up its fifth straight week of positive aspects, leaping 3.3% during the last 5 days. It is the longest weekly profitable streak for the tech-laden index since a stretch that resulted in November 2021. Coming off its worst yr since 2008, the Nasdaq is up 15% to start out 2023.

The final time tech shares loved a rally this lengthy, traders have been gearing up for electrical carmaker Rivian’s blockbuster IPO, the U.S. financial system was closing out its strongest yr for development since 1984, and the Nasdaq was buying and selling at a document.

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This time round, there’s far much less champagne popping. Price cuts have changed development on Wall Avenue’s guidelines, and tech executives are being celebrated for effectivity over innovation. The IPO market is useless. Layoffs are plentiful.

Earnings stories have been the story of the week, with outcomes touchdown from most of the world’s most dear tech firms. However the numbers, for probably the most half, weren’t good.

Apple missed estimates for the primary time since 2016, Fb father or mother Meta recorded a 3rd straight quarter of declining income, Google‘s core promoting enterprise shrank, and Amazon closed out its weakest yr for development in its 25-year historical past as a public firm.

Whereas traders had blended reactions to the person stories, all 4 shares closed the week with strong positive aspects, as did Microsoft, which reported earnings the prior week and issued lackluster steering in projecting income development this quarter of solely about 3%.

Meta was the highest performer among the many group this week, with the inventory hovering 23%, its third-best week ever. In its earnings report Wednesday, income got here in barely above estimates, even with gross sales down yr over yr, and the first-quarter forecast was roughly in step with expectations.

The important thing to the rally was CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s pronouncement within the earnings assertion that 2023 can be the “12 months of Effectivity” and his promise that “we’re centered on changing into a stronger and extra nimble group.”

“That was actually the game-changer,” Stephanie Hyperlink, chief funding strategist at Hightower Advisors, mentioned in an interview Friday with CNBC’s “Squawk Field.”

“The quarter itself was OK, but it surely was the cost-cutting that they lastly bought faith on, and that is why I believe Meta actually took off,” she mentioned.

Zuckerberg acknowledged that the instances are altering. From the yr of its IPO in 2012 by 2021, the corporate grew between 22% and 58% a yr. However in 2022 income fell 1%, and analysts count on development of solely 5% in 2023, in accordance with Refinitiv.

On the earnings name, Zuckerberg mentioned he would not count on declines to proceed, “however I additionally do not assume it is going to return to the best way it was earlier than.” Meta introduced in November the elimination of 11,000 jobs, or 13% of its workforce.

Hyperlink mentioned the explanation Meta’s inventory bought such a giant bounce after earnings was as a result of “expectations have been so low and the valuation was so compelling.” The inventory misplaced virtually two-thirds of its worth final yr, way over its mega-cap friends.

Apple, which slid 27% final yr, gained 6.2% this week regardless of reporting its steepest drop in income in seven years. CEO Tim Prepare dinner mentioned outcomes have been damage by a robust greenback, manufacturing points in China affecting the iPhone 14 Professional and iPhone 14 Professional Max, and the general macroeconomic surroundings. 

“Apple is navigating what’s, in fact, a really tough surroundings fairly properly total,” Dan Flax, an analyst at Neuberger Berman, advised “Squawk Field” on Friday. “As we transfer by the approaching months and quarters, we’ll see a return to development and the market will start to low cost that. We proceed to love the title even within the face of those macro challenges.”

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, who succeeded Jeff Bezos in mid-2021, took the bizarre step of becoming a member of the earnings name with analysts Thursday after his firm issued a weaker-than-expected forecast for the primary quarter. In January, Amazon started layoffs, that are anticipated to outcome within the lack of greater than 18,000 jobs.

“Given this final quarter was the top of my first full yr on this function and given among the uncommon components within the financial system and our enterprise, I believed this may be a very good one to affix,” Jassy mentioned on the decision.

Managing bills has turn into a giant theme for Amazon, which expanded quickly throughout the pandemic and subsequently admitted that it employed too many individuals throughout that interval.

“We’re working actually onerous to streamline our prices,” Jassy mentioned.

Alphabet can also be in downsizing mode. The corporate introduced final month that it is slashing 12,000 jobs. Its income miss for the fourth quarter included disappointing gross sales at YouTube from a pullback in advert spending and weak point within the cloud division as companies tighten their belts.

Ruth Porat, Alphabet’s finance chief, advised CNBC’s Deirdre Bosa that the corporate is meaningfully slowing the tempo of hiring in an effort to ship long-term worthwhile development.

Alphabet shares ended the week up 5.4% even after giving up a few of their positive aspects throughout Friday’s sell-off. The inventory is now up 19% for the yr.

Ought to the Nasdaq proceed its upward pattern and notch a sixth week of positive aspects, it might match the longest rally since a stretch that resulted in January 2020, simply earlier than the Covid pandemic hit the U.S.

Buyers will now flip to earnings stories from smaller firms. Among the names they will hear from subsequent week embrace Pinterest, Robinhood, Affirm and Cloudflare.

One other space in tech that flourished this week was the semiconductor area. Just like the buyer tech firms, there wasn’t a lot by the use of development to excite Wall Avenue.

AMD on Tuesday beat on gross sales and revenue however guided analysts to a ten% year-over-year decline in income for the present quarter. Intel, AMD’s main competitor, reported a disastrous quarter final week and projected a 40% decline in gross sales within the March quarter.

Nonetheless, AMD jumped 14% for the week and Intel rose virtually 8%. Texas Devices and Nvidia additionally notched good positive aspects.

The semiconductor business is coping with a glut of additional components at PC and server makers and falling costs for elements equivalent to reminiscence and central processors. However after a depressing yr in 2022, the shares are rebounding on indicators that an easing of Federal Reserve charge will increase and lightening inflation numbers will give the businesses a lift later this yr.

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