Market news & insights

USD was ultimately lower on Wednesday after a rollercoaster of a session. Broad risk-on sentiment early on saw the Dollar Index (DXY) plummet to hit a low of 102.77 until strong S&P Global Flash PMIs coupled with souring risk sentiment after a dismal US 5yr auction saw a sharp turn-around. DXY retaking the 103 handle at session end, with the 50% Fib resistance the level to watch on the upside.

CAD was under pressure with steep losses against all majors in the aftermath of the BoC rate decision. The Bank of Canada held rates at 5.0% as expected but the Bank's decision to omit language that it is prepared to raise rates further if needed was seen as a dovish and hammered the CAD lower, USDCAD moving higher to 1.3525 and looking set to re-test the resistance level at 1.3541. EUR saw decent gains against the USD.

Europe saw beats in Flash PMIs headline figures for EU, German and French Manufacturing which supported the single currency. Though EURUSD was unable to hold the key resistance and psychological level of 1.09 as USD strength returned later in the session. EUR traders also have the ECB rate decision to look forward to later in the session, the ECB is expected to hold, but as always it will be the messaging traders will be watching.

GBP also saw strength in the aftermath of strong UK PMIs, as manufacturing, Services, and Composite all topped expectations. GBPUSD rallied to test the trend line resistance before pulling back on USD strength, with 1.2772 being a key level to watch in today’s session.

USD saw gains on Thursday with the US Dollar index (DXY) pushing above 104 before again finding resistance at the 100-day SMA. A rise in UST yields after a better than expected jobless claims figures. In data ahead Dollar traders will be focussing on the US CPI revisions.

EUR was mostly flat vs the Dollar with EURUSD trading down to 1.0750 before rebounding. ECB speak saw Wunsch state he sees some indications, not strong ones, that wage growth is softening, while Holzmann suggested there is a chance the ECB will not cut rates this year. JPY was the G10 underperformer after commentary from BoJ officials that was perceived as dovish.

Deputy Governor Uchida hinting that the BoJ will not aggressively hike rates, even after ending NIRP. USDJPY jumped to a high of 149.46 with the move higher in rate differential also lending support to this pair. AUD and NZD sold off after softer than expected China inflation data.

AUDUSD dropping back below the key 0.65 level, NZDUSD testing support at 0.6075 before retracing modestly. This also saw AUDNZD drop for a 4 th straight session, down to 1.0650.

World’s second largest oil & gas company, Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM), announced results for the previous quarter before the market opened on Friday. Exxon Mobil stated that the revenue reached $84.344 billion for the quarter, which was below analyst estimate of $90.032 billion. Earnings per share was reported at $2.48 vs. $2.196 per share expected – beating Wall Street estimates for the first time since Q1 of 2023.

Company overview Founded: 1882 Headquarters: Texas, United States Number of employees: 62,300 (2022) Industry: Energy Key people: Darren Woods (chairman & CEO) CEO commentary ''Our consistent strategy and execution excellence across the business delivered industry-leading earnings and enabled us to return more cash to shareholders than our peers in 2023 1,'' Darren Woods, CEO of Exxon said in a press release to investors. ''These results demonstrate the fundamental improvements we’ve made to our business, reflecting our progress in high-grading our portfolio through investments in advantaged projects and select divestments, while, at the same time, driving a higher level of efficiency and effectiveness throughout the business. The foundation of our success comes from the resiliency, hard work and commitment of our people. As I reflect on our industry-leading results over the past year, I have a great sense of pride in what our people accomplished,'' Woods concluded.

Stock reaction There stock was up by just under 1% during the trading day on Friday, trading at around $103.38 a share. Stock performance 5 day: +0.29% 1 month: +0.65% 3 months: -4.16% Year-to-date: +3.32% 1 year: -7.70% Exxon Mobil stock price targets TD Cowen: $115 UBS Group: $132 Redburn Atlantic: $119 Mizuho: $117 JP Morgan Chase & Co.: $127 Royal Bank of Canada: $120 Sandford C. Bernstein: $140 Truist Financial: $131 Jefferies Financial Group: $145 Morgan Stanley: $134 Bank of America: $150 Wells Fargo & Company: $130 Redburn Partners: $105 HSBC: $116 Piper Sandler: $127 Exxon Mobil Corporation is the 20th largest company in the world with a market cap of $412.82 billion, according to CompaniesMarketCap.

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Big tech earnings continue this week with three more of the Magnificent seven in Amazon, Meta and Apple due to report Q4 earnings after the US close on Thursday. So far, we’ve had mixed results from the first three Mag 7 tech stocks, none of them impressed stockholders much, with Tesla, Microsoft and Alphabet all down post earnings to varying degrees, will this new batch turn things around? AMAZON Amazon’s cost-cutting efforts look like they begin to pay off with analysts predicting a significant jump in earnings as compared to a year ago.

Earnings are forecast at 80 cents per share for Q4 2023 versus 3 cents a year ago. Revenue is also expected to jump to $166 billion which is about $17 billion more than for the same period a year ago. Another good sign for the bulls is that Amazon has a good track record with earnings beating estimates every quarter of the last fiscal year.

META Meta comes into today’s earnings after a stellar 2023 where the stock price increased by 194% on the back of the company cutting costs and seeing an increase in users and engagement. Investors and analysts are expecting big things in the latest earnings with consensus calling for earnings of $4.93 per share up from $1.76 a year ago, with revenues of just over $39 billion. Two big parts of the business that will be of extra importance to investors and the reaction in stock price will be Meta’s AI efforts and their growth in China, which has become a growing source of revenue for the company.

APPLE Apple along with Tesla has been one of the Magnificent 7 laggards with the stock price down around 4% YTD. A lukewarm response from investors to their flagship Vision Pro and waning demand for iPhones from China weighing on the stock price. Despite this AAPL is expected to report notably stronger earnings than a year ago, with a consensus of $2.10 per share for Q4 2023, an increase from $1.88 a year ago.

Revenue is projected at $118 billion, a $1 billion increase from Q4 2022. Investors will be focusing on the performance of Apple Services, plans for the Vision Pro and how sales are performing in China. If Apple can allay investors’ fears and provide guidance showing that the Chinese market is solid especially, some of the concerns that have seen the stock down so far this year could be eased.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) posted Q4 2023 earnings results before the opening bell on Wall Street on Tuesday. The largest pharmaceutical company in the world reported revenue of $9.353 billion (up by 28% year-over-year) vs. $8.946 billion. Earnings per share (EPS) also topped estimates at $2.49 vs. $2.296 per share.

EPS grew by 19% vs. Q4 2022. Eli Lilly expects to achieve revenue of between $40.4 billion and $41.6 billion in 2024.

EPS expected to reach $12.20 to $12.70 per share. Company overview Founded: 1876 Headquarters: Indianapolis, Indiana, United States Number of employees: 39,000 (2022) Industry: Pharmaceutical Key people: David A. Ricks (Chair, President, & CEO), Anat Ashkenazi (CFO) CEO commentary "2023 was a year of tremendous achievement for Lilly, which delivered life-changing medicines to more patients than ever before resulting in strong revenue growth," David A.

Ricks, company CEO, said in a press release. "We advanced our pipeline of new medicines for serious diseases and created new partnerships and innovative ways of collaborating to add to that pipeline. Lilly invested in the quality, reliability and resilience of our supply chain with new advanced manufacturing plants and lines in the U.S. and in Europe. Entering 2024, we remain focused on the opportunity in front of us, to help solve some of the most challenging healthcare problems in the world and make life better for millions of patients," Ricks added.

Stock reaction The stock initialy rose by around 5% from $705 to $742 at the market open on Tuesday, reaching a new all-time high. Shares were flat at the end of trading, falling back down to $705.03 level. Stock performance 5 day: +9.31% 1 month: +12.72% 3 months: +17.52% Year-to-date: +20.95% 1 year: +107.56% Eli Lilly stock price targets Cantor Fitzgerald: $630 Wells Fargo & Company: $700 Barclays: $680 Morgan Stanley: $822 Truist Financial: $650 Deutsche Bank: $535 Citigroup: $675 UBS Group: $710 Bank of America: $700 Argus: $620 Credit Suisse Group: $580 BMO Capital Markets: $633 The Goldman Sachs Group: $470 Royal Bank of Canada: $580 Eli Lilly and Company is the 9th largest company in the world with a market cap of $669.28 billion, according to CompaniesMarketCap.

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US manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT), reported the latest financial results on Monday. CAT achieved revenue of $17.07 billion for the three months ending 31/12/23 (an increase of 3% year-over-year), which beat analyst estimate of $17.057 billion. Earnings per share (EPS) was reported at $5.23 (an increase of 35.84% year-over-year) vs. $4.765 per share expected.

The revenue for last year reached $61.1 billion, up by $59.4 billion the year prior. EPS also rose by 53.25% year-over-year to $21.21 per share. Company overview Founded: 1925 Headquarters: Irving, Texas, United States Number of employees: 109,100 (2022) Industry: Heavy equipment, Engines, Financial services Key people: Jim Umpleby (chairman & CEO) CEO commentary Jim Umpleby, CEO of Caterpillar commented on the latest results in a press release to investors: "I'm very proud of our global team's strong performance as they achieved the best year in our 98-year history, including record full-year sales and revenues, record adjusted profit per share and record ME&T free cash flow." "We remain committed to serving our customers, executing our strategy and investing for long-term profitable growth," Umpleby added.

Stock reaction Shares of Caterpillar rose by around 5% at the open, reaching a new all-time high. The stock ended the day up by 2% at $321.40 a share. Stock performance 5 day: +5.99% 1 month: +9.97% 3 months: +34.88% Year-to-date: +8.70% 1 year: +27.83% Caterpillar stock price targets Morgan Stanley: $270 Standford C.

Bernstein: $245 Stifel Nicolaus: $293 HSBC: $250 Tigress Financial: $295 The Goldman Sachs Group: $274 JP Morgan Chase & Co.: $320 Bank of America: $297 Barclays: $250 Credit Suisse Group: $334 Wells Fargo & Company: $285 TD Cowen: $320 Robert W. Baird: $234 Citigroup: $270 Caterpillar Inc. is the 73rd largest company in the world with a market cap of $163.61 billion, according to CompaniesMarketCap. You can trade Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) and many other stocks from the NYSE, NASDAQ, HKEX and ASX with GO Markets as a Share CFD on the MetaTrader 5 platform.

To find out more, go to ''Trading'' then select ''Share CFDs''. GO Markets offers pre-market and after-market trading on popular US Share CFDs. Why trade during extended hours?

Volatility never sleeps. Trade over earnings releases as they happen outside of main trading hours Reduce your risk and hedge your existing positions ahead of a new trading day Extended trading hours on popular US stocks means extended opportunities Sources: Caterpillar Inc., TradingView, MarketWatch, MarketBeat, CompaniesMarketCap