Academy
Academy

Market news & insights

Stay ahead of the markets with expert insights, news, and technical analysis to guide your trading decisions.

Forex
FX Analysis – Dollar dumps, Gold surges on Fed pivot

Wednesdays FOMC meeting was always going to be about whether we’d see a hawkish pushback against market expectations of a dovish Fed in 2024, or a validation of those expectations, from the market reaction to the meeting, traders decided the latter is the conclusion. Rates were kept on hold at 5.35%-5.5% as expected but the updated dot plot and the language of the accompanying statement and Powell presser confirmed what most market participants were predicting, US rates have peaked, and multiple rate cuts are coming next year. This saw the USD dump along with yields with the US Dollar Index (DXY) blowing through its 200-day SMA (where it had been finding support) closing at session lows of 102.77.

The next minor support to the downside being the November swing low of 102.46. The Yen was a particular beneficiary of the dump in US yields which saw the rate differential between the US and JP 10 Year tighten significantly. USDJPY dropping to a 142 handle as it played catch up to the yields and now testing a key support level around its 200-day SMA and December lows.

Gold surged over 30 USD an ounce as a falling Dollar and yields emboldened the bulls. XAUUSD retaking the psychological 2000 USD an ounce level after finding strong support at the October Lows – December high 50% Fib level. A retest of the major resistance at 2070 could be on the cards, and is a key level to watch for gold traders.

Central bank action continues today with both the SNB and BoE scheduled to release their latest rate decisions.

Lachlan Meakin
January 14, 2024
Shares and Indices
Costco posts solid results

American wholesale chain, Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ: COST), announced financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 after the closing bell in the US on Thursday. Company overview Founded: September 15, 1983 Headquarters: Issaquah, Washington, United States Number of employees: 316,000 (2023) Industry: Retail Key people: Hamilton E. James (Chairman), W.

Craig Jelinek (President and CEO) The results Costco reported total revenue of $57.799 billion for the quarter, which narrowly beat Wall Street analyst estimate of $57.785 billion. Revenue was up by 6% from the same period a year prior. Earnings per share (EPS) reported at $3.58 per share (up by 16.61% year-over-year), above $3.411 per share expected.

The company announced a cash dividend of $15 per share to all shareholders of the stock as of close of business on 28/12/2023. Stock reaction Shares of Costco were down by 1.75% on Thursday at $630.78 a share. The stock was down by around 1% in the after-hours as Wall Street digested the latest results from the company.

Stock performance 1 month: +9.48% 3 months: +12.16% Year-to-date: +38.76% 1 year: +36.54% Costco stock price targets Oppenheimer: $675 Evercore ISI: $650 Stifel: $615 Truist Financial: $619 Telsey Advisory Group: $625 JP Morgan: $605 Wells Fargo: $525 Loop Capital: $630 Deutsche Bank: $652 Morgan Stanley: $585 Bank of America: $610 Costco Wholesale Corporation is the 29th largest company in the world with a market cap of $281.37 billion. You can trade Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ: COST) and many other stocks from the NYSE, NASDAQ, HKEX, ASX, LSE and DE with GO Markets as a Share CFD. GO Markets now offers pre-market and after-market trading on popular US Share CFDs.

Trade the pre-market session: 4:00am to 9:30am, normal session, and after-market session: 4:00pm to 8:00pm, Eastern Standard Time. 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: Costco Wholesale Corporation, TradingView, MarketWatch, MarketBeat, CompaniesMarketCap

Klavs Valters
January 14, 2024
Shares and Indices
Broadcom fourth quarter and full-year results are here

US technology giant and one of the largest semiconductor companies in the world, Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO), announced fourth quarter and fiscal year 2023 results after the market close in the US on Thursday. Company overview Founded: 1961 Headquarters: San Jose, California, United States Number of employees: 20,000 (2023) Industry: Semiconductor, computer software Key people: Henry Samueli (Chairman), Hock Tan (President and CEO) The results Broadcom reported revenue of $9.295 billion (up by 4% year-over-year) vs. $9.277 billion estimate. Earnings per share (EPS) also topped analyst estimates for the quarter at $11.06 per share vs. $10.96 per share expected.

Net revenue reached $35.819 bill for the full fiscal 2023, up by 8% from the year prior. EPS reached $32.94 per share, an increase of 24.31% year-over-year. CEO commentary "Broadcom's fiscal year 2023 revenue grew 8% year-over-year to a record $35.8 billion, driven by investments in accelerators and network connectivity for AI by hyperscalers," President and CEO of Broadcom, Hock Tan, highlighted the reasons for the successful year for the company. "The acquisition of VMware is transformational.

In fiscal year 2024 we expect semiconductor to sustain its mid to high single digit revenue growth rate, with the contribution of VMware driving consolidated revenue to $50 billion, and adjusted EBITDA to $30 billion," Tan concluded. Stock reaction Shares of Broadcom ended the day up by 2.06% on Thursday at $922.26 a share before the latest results were announced. The stock dipped by around 1% in the after-hours trading.

Stock performance 1 month: +0.32% 3 months: +6.69% Year-to-date: +63.53% 1 year: +72.16% Broadcom stock price targets Rosenblatt Securities: $1000 Oppenheimer: $1100 Susquehanna: $1100 KeyCorp: $1200 Evercore ISI: $1050 Truist Financial: $995 Benchmark: $950 TD Cowen: $900 Wells Fargo: $900 Mizuho: $960 Deutsche Bank: $950 Broadcom Inc. is the 20th largest company in the world with a market cap of $378.07 billion. You can trade Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO) and many other stocks from the NYSE, NASDAQ, HKEX, ASX, LSE and DE with GO Markets as a Share CFD. GO Markets now offers pre-market and after-market trading on popular US Share CFDs.

Trade the pre-market session: 4:00am to 9:30am, normal session, and after-market session: 4:00pm to 8:00pm, Eastern Standard Time. 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: Broadcom Inc., TradingView, MarketWatch, MarketBeat, Benzinga, CompaniesMarketCap

Klavs Valters
January 14, 2024
Shares and Indices
AutoZone latest financial results announced

The largest US retailer of aftermarket automotive parts, AutoZone (NYSE: AZO), released its latest earnings report for its fiscal first quarter that ended on November 18, 2023, before the US market opened on Tuesday. Company overview Founded: July 4, 1979 Headquarters: Memphis, Tennessee, United States Number of employees: 119,000 (2023) Industry: Retail Key people: William C. Rhodes III (Chairman, President, & CEO), Jamere Jackson (CFO) The results AutoZone reported revenue of $4.19 billion for the quarter, slightly beating $4.188 billion estimate.

Earnings per share reached $32.55 per share vs. $31.573 per share expected. The company opened 25 new stores during the quarter in United States, Mexico and Brazil. One store was closed in the United States.

AutoZone has 7,165 stores as of November 18, 2023. CEO commentary "I want to thank all AutoZoners across the company for their efforts during our first fiscal quarter. The commitment to superior service resulted in our ability to deliver strong financial results.

Our domestic sales results were solid despite tough comparisons from a year ago, while our international business continues to deliver exceptionally strong sales growth. We remain committed to driving sales and earnings growth throughout fiscal 2024, while returning cash to our shareholders," William C. Rhodes, CEO of the company said in a letter to investors.

Stock reaction Shares of AutoZone were little changed at the end of Tuesday’s session, ending the day up by 0.26% at $2,671.12 a share. Stock performance 1 month: +0.78% 3 months: +4.50% Year-to-date: +8.31% 1 year: +8.72% AutoZone stock price targets Wedbush: $2750 Truist Financial: $2933 TD Cowen: $2975 Oppenheimer: $2600 Argus: $2920 DA Davidson: $2500 Evercore ISI: $2750 Morgan Stanley: $2750 Barclays: $2742 JP Morgan: $2975 AutoZone Inc. is the 362nd largest company in the world with a market cap of $47.10 billion. You can trade AutoZone Inc. (NYSE: AZO) and many other stocks from the NYSE, NASDAQ, HKEX, ASX, LSE and DE with GO Markets as a Share CFD.

GO Markets now offers pre-market and after-market trading on popular US Share CFDs. Trade the pre-market session: 4:00am to 9:30am, normal session, and after-market session: 4:00pm to 8:00pm, Eastern Standard Time. 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: AutoZone Inc., TradingView, MarketWatch, MarketBeat, Benzinga, CompaniesMarketCap

Klavs Valters
January 14, 2024
Shares and Indices
Adobe beats estimates and reaches $5 billion quarterly revenue for the first time

US software giant, Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE), reported Q4 and fiscal year 2023 financial results after the market close in the US on Wednesday. Company overview Founded: December 1982 Headquarters: San Jose, California, United States Number of employees: 26,000 (2022) Industry: Software Key people: Shantanu Narayen (Chairman & CEO) The results Revenue reported $5.048 billion for Q4 and reached $5 billion mark for the first time (up by 12% year-over-year) vs. $5.014 billion estimate. Earnings per share (EPS) reported at $4.27 per share vs. $4.134 per share expected.

Fiscal year 2023 revenue reached a new record of $19.41 billion – a new record and an increase of 10% year-over-year. EPS reported at $16.07 per share, up by 17% from the year prior. Adobe expects revenue to reach between $5.10 to $5.15 billion in first quarter of fiscal year 2024, which would fall below analyst estimate of $5.16 billion.

CEO commentary ''Adobe drove record revenue of $19.41 billion in FY23 and 17 percent year-over-year EPS growth, with strong momentum across Creative Cloud, Document Cloud and Experience Cloud. Adobe’s strategy, category leadership, ground-breaking innovation, exceptional talent and global customer base position us well for 2024 and beyond,'' Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe said in a letter to investors. Stock reaction The stock was down by 1.48% at the end of Tuesday, trading at $624.26 a share.

Share price fell by around 6% in the after-hours trading after the release of the latest results as future guidance fell short of estimates. Stock performance 1 month: +6.44% 3 months: +14.47% Year-to-date: +88.29% 1 year: +86.41% Adobe stock price targets Citigroup: $675 BMO Capital Markets: $690 KGI Securities: $730 Piper Sandler: $650 DA Davidson: $640 Oppenheimer: $660 HSBC: $519 Barclays: $640 Bank of America: $660 Adobe Inc. is the 28th largest company in the world with a market cap of $288.50 billion. You can trade Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) and many other stocks from the NYSE, NASDAQ, HKEX, ASX, LSE and DE with GO Markets as a Share CFD.

GO Markets now offers pre-market and after-market trading on popular US Share CFDs. Trade the pre-market session: 4:00am to 9:30am, normal session, and after-market session: 4:00pm to 8:00pm, Eastern Standard Time. 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: Adobe Inc., TradingView, MarketWatch, MarketBeat, CompaniesMarketCap

Klavs Valters
January 14, 2024
Forex
FX Analysis – USD surges, USDJPY tests BoJ resolve at 150, AUD weak ahead of RBA

USD continued to run higher in Monday’s session with US yields surging to highs not seen since 2007. Beats in both US manufacturing and employment data along with some hawkish Fed Speak supporting yields. Monday’s risk tone started off upbeat after the US Congress came to an agreement over the weekend to narrowly avoided a government shutdown, however this soured during the session seeing most equities finish in the red and supporting the USD with haven flows.

DXY surged through the psychological 107.00 level its highest print since November 2022 and having its biggest up day since February. EUR fell victim to USD strength despite a similar move higher in Euro Zone bond yields. EURUSD pushing below the key 1.05 support level from highs of 1.0591 earlier in the session.

EU Manufacturing and employment data were both in line with expectations, failing to offer the Euro any extra support. Some hawkish ECB talk from member de Guindos where he dismissed talks of rate cuts also not enough to lift the single currency. Technically EURUSD has no clear support from here until the next big figure at 1.04 though it has entered oversold territory on the daily RSI which may lend some temporary support.

USDJPY rose to highs of 149.90 on the surge in US treasury yields just short of the psychological 150 level where traders seem to be wary of pushing through, cautious of a BoJ intervention. Yen weakness came despite jawboning from the Japanese Finance minister and beats in manufacturing data. Yield differentials still the driving force in USDJPY as carry traders pile in, though with some caution at these levels.

AUS and NZD were sharply lower against the USD with risk sentiment souring as the session progressed, base metals also saw pressure, seeing the AUD underperform. NZD also saw notable underperformance but was not as soft as AUD, AUDNZD falling below the key 1.07 level. A big couple of days ahead for the two Antipodeans with the RBA meeting today and RBNZ tomorrow.

Today’s RBA meeting will be the first under Governor Bullock's stewardship with markets expecting the RBA to keep rates unchanged traders will be more interested in the accompanying statement where they will be eyeing any deviations that supports another hike by year-end. Todays Calendar:

Lachlan Meakin
January 12, 2024