US Stock Rally Faces Test from Earnings and Fed Meeting
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 6 hours ago
0mins
Should l Buy MSFT?
Source: Newsfilter
- Strong Earnings Season: As of Thursday, 82% of S&P 500 companies have reported earnings exceeding analysts' expectations, with overall earnings projected to rise 15.6% year-over-year, providing a bullish outlook for investors, especially with five major tech companies set to report soon.
- Tech Stocks Stand Out: Among the 'Magnificent Seven', Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta will report on Wednesday, with investors focusing on their substantial capital spending plans for AI infrastructure, which could directly influence their stock prices and potentially drive the market higher.
- Fed Meeting Impact: The Federal Reserve is expected to keep interest rates steady at its meeting on Wednesday, with investors looking for insights on policymakers' views regarding the war's economic impact, which could affect future rate policies, although expectations for rate cuts have significantly diminished.
- Ongoing Geopolitical Risks: The ongoing Middle East conflict poses risks for market volatility, as investors remain cautious about the impact of war on energy prices, with confidence in economic recovery still fragile, potentially leading to future economic pain and market fluctuations.
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Analyst Views on MSFT
Wall Street analysts forecast MSFT stock price to rise
34 Analyst Rating
32 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 415.750
Low
500.00
Averages
631.36
High
678.00
Current: 415.750
Low
500.00
Averages
631.36
High
678.00
About MSFT
Microsoft Corporation is a technology company. The Company develops and supports software, services, devices, and solutions. The Company’s segments include Productivity and Business Processes, Intelligent Cloud, and More Personal Computing. The Productivity and Business Processes segment consists of products and services in its portfolio of productivity, communication, and information services. This segment primarily comprises: Office Commercial, Office Consumer, LinkedIn, and Dynamics business solutions. The Intelligent Cloud segment consists of server products and cloud services, including Azure and other cloud services, SQL Server, Windows Server, Visual Studio, System Center, and related Client Access Licenses (CALs), and Nuance and GitHub; and Enterprise Services, including enterprise support services, industry solutions and Nuance professional services. The More Personal Computing segment primarily comprises Windows, Devices, Gaming, and search and news advertising.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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