Dividing it all: the pandemic continues to drive Microsoft’s business, which – as my CNN business colleague, Clare Duffy reports – was driven by sales of computers and gaming systems, as well as cloud computing tools that help businesses facilitate remote work.
“These were stunning numbers that will be another advantage for the technology sector,” said Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives to customers. “The cloud growth party is just beginning.”
Apple is also expected to show strong demand for electronic devices, especially considering that it launched its new iPhone 12 last quarter. “Despite the later launch of iPhones, the demand for more sophisticated models remains robust,” Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan said in a research note this week.
Facebook, meanwhile, is about to get a boost from new purchases and video features, which must have generated significant revenue thanks to the large number of people glued to their phones and computers at home.
The company has been profitable for five consecutive quarters, the first in its 17-year history. But now that it is part of the S&P 500, there is new pressure to deliver. Guidance for deliveries in 2021 will be crucial.
But the strong results of the internet giants will only feed the pro-action narrative, taking the high-tech Nasdaq Composite to new heights. The conversation about a bubble should only increase.
“We don’t think we’re still in the final stage of a general stock market bubble,” said John Higgins, chief market economist at Capital Economics, in a note to customers on Tuesday. “However, we recognize that the Nasdaq Composite hike suggests that we may at least be in the initial stage of a bubble again, even if the hike in the index is partly justified by the increase in corporate profits in the pandemic technology sector.”
The ‘unnatural and insane’ GameStop rally continues
The most recent: GameStop shares exploded 93% on Tuesday, ending the day at $ 147.98. The gains are also being fueled by traders betting against GameStop, who are rushing to buy stocks to limit their exposure in what is known as “short squeeze”.
Remember: GameStop shares, which are expected to lose money over the next two years, closed 2020 at $ 18.84 per share. It is clear that demand has completely detached itself from expectations about future gains and inherent value.
Instead, online commentators are savoring what they see as David’s triumph against Goliath against hedge funds and short sellers, applauding the democratization of investment through free trading platforms like Robinhood.
But the dramatic increase in GameStop’s shares is generating growing concern in the investment community – even among those who were previously optimistic.
“If I put [GameStop] on your radar, and you did well, I’m genuinely happy for you. However, what is happening now – there must be legal and regulatory repercussions, “he tweeted on Tuesday.” This is unnatural, insane and dangerous. “
American companies are still struggling with the Capitol riots
CNN polled some 280 Fortune 500 companies that supported 147 Republican lawmakers who opposed President Joe Biden’s victory. About 150 responded, representing $ 14 million in donations to the politicians in question during the 2020 cycle.
Among the findings: many of the companies that chose to suspend campaign donations took a broad approach – freezing contributions across the board, rather than targeting Republican opponents.
While 120 of the companies said they decided to stop or end political donations in some way, 73 said they would suspend donations to all federal candidates. Only 31 companies had specific schedules for how long they would suspend political activity.
Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics, said how long the corporate uprising will last is an open question, especially as fundraising for the campaign generally declines in the months after an election.
“At the moment, it is very easy for them to sit down,” said Krumholz. “It is difficult to imagine that this would last until the primary and general elections of 2022.”
Next
Also today: The Federal Reserve announces its last political decision at 2:00 pm Eastern time, followed by a press conference led by President Jerome Powell. Any observations on when the Fed will look at reducing bond purchases or raising interest rates will be analyzed under the microscope.
Coming tomorrow: how was the US economy during the last three months of 2020? Investors will find out when the GDP figures are published.