U.S. stocks were mixed on Wednesday following strong quarterly results from Microsoft (MSFT) and Alphabet (GOOGL) that kicked off a big tech earnings bonanza this week.
The S&P 500 (^GSPC) ticked down 0.3% as of 2:21 PM ET while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) dipped 0.6. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) was up 0.6%, paring earlier gains.
Government bonds were up. The yield on the 10-year note ticked up to 3.44%, while rate-sensitive two-year note yield rose slightly to 3.98%.
Tech giants Microsoft and Alphabet both reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the most recent quarter after the close on Tuesday.
Microsoft rallied more than 7% after the software giant reported fiscal third-quarter earnings that surpassed estimates on Tuesday, indicating growing strength in its AI and cloud businesses. Microsoft earned $2.45 a share, on revenue of $52.9 billion, compared to a profit of $2.22 a share, on $49.4 billion for the same period a year ago.
Microsoft's potential acquisition of Activision Blizzard (ATVI), however, suffered a setback Wednesday morning, as UK regulators blocked the deal over competition fears. Activision stock was down about 12%.
Alphabet’s first-quarter earnings showed a 2% rise in search revenues, far below the corresponding quarters from the last two years. Meanwhile, installations of the Bing app have quadrupled after it was augmented by AI. Shares were up slightly.
Meta (META) earnings are up next after the bell on Wednesday, while Amazon (AMZN) reports Thursday.
Tech stocks have fueled the equities rally so far this year, but some analysts expect the sector could come under selling pressure as it loses steam. Investors remain concerned that expectations for earnings growth will be weaker, prompting some market strategists to anticipate a pullback that has so far not yet materialized.
On the banking front, PacWest Bancorp (PACW) reported earnings after Tuesday's close that topped EPS estimates, sending the stock up.
That action in the banking sector followed First Republic Bank’s (FRC) stock plunge of nearly 50% after the regional lender reported on Monday a larger-than-expected drop in deposits. The bank is considering asset sales, Bloomberg reported, following Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse and the turmoil in the sector.
First Republic extended its rout, dropping more than 20% Wednesday following a CNBC report that said advisors shored up potential buyers of new stock as part of its rescue plan.
First Republic’s drastic move to the downside on Tuesday dragged down the KBW Regional Banking Index, which fell to its lowest level since November 2020.
Meanwhile, the consumer remains in good shape despite a slowdown in inflation. Visa (V) reported earnings that beat top- and bottom-line expectations for its latest quarter on Tuesday that showed continued post-pandemic rebound in international travel.
Elsewhere, mortgage applications to purchase a home climbed for the second time over the past three weeks, signaling stabilization in the housing market, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association weekly survey. Other data out on Wednesday showed that US manufactured good orders got a bounce in March from new contracts for passenger planes, but business investment dropped again for the month.
Separately, Boeing (BA) missed Wall Street estimates once again for its first quarter. Boeing earned $1.27 a share on a revenue of $17.9 billion, compared to a profit of $2.75 on $14 billion in sales for the same period a year ago. Still, the stock rose 2%.
Dani Romero is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @daniromerotv
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April 27, 2023 at 01:25AM
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Stocks mixed after strong results from Microsoft, Google: Stock market news today - Yahoo Finance
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