The First Slice for Wednesday, January 24, 2024

In the world of finance and Wall Street, things are heating up as U.S. stocks closed with mixed results. It seems like all eyes are on the corporate earnings reports for the fourth quarter, and it’s causing quite a stir. The Dow, soaring to new heights, took a step back recently. This sudden retreat might be due to some less-than-stellar earnings reports that have started to roll in.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average went down 96.36 points or 0.3%.
The S&P 500 rose 14.17 points or 0.3%.
The Nasdaq Composite rose 65.66 points or 0.4%.

Louis Navellier, the chair and founder of Navellier & Associates, noted that while the earnings season is just starting, it hasn’t exceeded expectations so far. One factor influencing this pullback is the 2024 profit warning from 3M, which caused a selloff in their stock. Even though Johnson & Johnson posted stronger-than-expected earnings, their shares didn’t escape the downward trend either.

According to experts like Alex Coffey, a senior trading strategist at TD Ameritrade, it’s not unusual for markets to take a breather after hitting all-time highs. The focus is now shifting toward upcoming macroeconomic data, including durable goods orders, GDP growth, and jobless benefit claims. Investors are keeping a close watch on these numbers as they could impact decisions related to interest rate cuts.

As we progress, the upcoming earnings reports will play a crucial role in shaping the market’s direction. Investors are particularly optimistic about the prospects of an artificial intelligence boom for technology companies, and these earnings reports will be key in determining whether that optimism is justified……..[read more]