By Peter Bergman (MoneyAmped.com)
Tuesday marks another milestone in the ongoing quarterly corporate earnings season as Bank of America and Morgan Stanley, two of the nation’s leading banks, step forward to share their latest financial results. In other regions, China’s economic expansion surpassed predictions, while there were indications of stabilization in wage growth in the United Kingdom.
Leading Financial Institutions Are Still Providing Updates
On Tuesday, the spotlight will remain on the U.S. banking sector, which is set to release its earnings reports, adding to the ongoing first-quarter earnings season.
JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo had a lackluster start to the season on Friday. However, Goldman Sachs managed to reverse the trend with impressive results. Its strong performance was driven by a rebound in underwriting, deals, and bond trading during the first quarter, resulting in its highest earnings per share since late 2021.
As the first-quarter reporting season kicks off, BofA Global Research reveals that 30 S&P 500 companies have already shared their results, surpassing earnings expectations by 6%.
Nevertheless, strategists at Evercore ISI note that earnings projections are expected to decline as companies provide conservative forecasts.
“According to a research note by Evercore on Sunday, corporate outlooks are expected to be more cautious, and EPS will be revised downward.”
Evercore stated that they have strategically positioned themselves, giving “outperform” ratings to the consumer staples, healthcare, and communication services sectors in light of their expectations for increased market volatility.
The Chinese Economy Experiences Robust Growth in the First Quarter
The Chinese economy experienced stronger-than-anticipated growth in the first quarter of 2024 as ongoing government stimulus measures enhanced business activity.
The National Bureau of Statistics released data on Tuesday, revealing a 5.3% year-on-year increase in gross domestic product during the first quarter of the year. The reading exceeded the anticipated 4.8% growth and showed improvement compared to the 5.2% figure observed in the previous quarter.
The GDP grew 1.6% in the current quarter, which is a positive improvement compared to the 1% rise observed in the previous month.
The Chinese government has announced a range of economic policies aimed at reaching its goal of achieving a 5% GDP growth rate by 2024. A recovery from the financial impact of COVID-19 in 2022 may have influenced last year’s growth rate of 5.2%.
The latest data on the purchasing managers index for the first quarter of 2024 revealed a positive trend in business activity, particularly in the manufacturing industry.
On Tuesday, additional data was published that presented a less favorable outlook. The second-largest global economy has faced challenges in achieving a robust and lasting recovery from the effects of COVID-19, primarily due to a prolonged decline in the property sector.
Industrial production grew 4.5% in March compared to the same period last year, slightly lower than the anticipated increase of 5.4%. This growth rate also represents a slowdown from the 7% growth observed in the first two months of the year.
In March, retail sales experienced a year-on-year growth of 3.1%, which fell short of the anticipated 5.1% and marked a significant slowdown from the 5.5% observed in the previous two months.
The Chinese authorities will need to keep boosting the economy in order to achieve the anticipated year-end growth rate.
Wage Growth in the UK Experiences a Decline
During its recent meeting, the Bank of England kept its interest rates unchanged at the highest level since 2008. Governor Andrew Bailey expressed optimism about Britain’s economy’s progress, suggesting that the central bank may soon consider reducing interest rates.
Bailey expressed optimism about the decreasing inflation and emphasized the importance of ensuring that price pressures are completely managed before taking further action.
The bank has been mainly focused on the possibility of inflation caused by rising wages, and the most recent data, which was made public on Tuesday, may have alleviated some of these concerns.
Wage growth in the UK experienced a further slowdown in the three months leading up to February, marking its most modest increase since the three months ending in September 2022.
Wages, excluding bonuses, experienced a 6.0% growth compared to the previous year, slightly lower than the 6.1% increase observed in the November-to-January timeframe, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The increase in overall compensation, which encompasses more unpredictable bonus earnings, remained steady at 5.6%.
Market participants anticipate that the Bank of England will likely commence reducing interest rates either in August or September.
Ambiguous Future in the Middle East
Oil prices stabilized on Tuesday as traders analyzed the latest Chinese economic figures and the unpredictable situation in the Middle East.
At 04:00 ET, the U.S. crude futures remained steady at $85.39 a barrel, while the Brent contract showed no change at $90.10 per barrel.
The data indicating a higher-than-anticipated growth of the Chinese economy in the first quarter has provided a boost to the crude market. This is due to the recovery of the world’s largest oil importer, which has been the primary positive factor influencing predictions.
Last week, oil prices experienced a significant increase, reaching their highest levels since October. However, on Monday, prices dropped following Iran’s attack on Israel, which turned out to be less destructive than expected. This has alleviated concerns about a rapidly escalating conflict that could impact the oil supply from this region, which is abundant in oil.
