Landon Capital

Microsoft’s Billion-Dollar Wooing of Amazon: Will Bezos Swipe Right on MS 365?

In a tech tango worth over a billion bucks, Microsoft is reportedly making eyes at Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN), trying to lure them into a cloud productivity romance with its coveted 365 suite. According to the sleuths at Insider, who’ve been peeking at internal documents and whispering with well-placed insiders, Amazon is all set to commit to this tech fling for more than five years. They’re ready to swipe right on over a million Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) 365 licenses, a match made in the digital heavens.

Microsoft shareholders were celebrating, with the company’s stock gaining almost 1% in extended trading after this tantalizing report dropped. However, like a coy lover, both Microsoft and Amazon kept their lips sealed when questioned. But here’s the plot twist: Amazon is supposedly ditching their local, on-prem version of Microsoft Office in favor of this shiny new digital dalliance, set to kick off in early November.

Dow ends higher on tech gains as earnings season heats up

The Dow eked out a gain Tuesday, but upside momentum was stifled by a jump in Treasury yields following stronger retail sales data that underscored ongoing strength in the economy, stoking fresh fears about another Federal Reserve rate hike before year end.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.04% or 13 points, the Nasdaq fell 0.3%, and the S&P 500 fell 0.01%.

Treasury yields surge as retail sales top estimates

Treasury yields continued their surge higher, with the yield on the 2-year treasury rising to a 17-year high after better-than-expected retail sales pointed to ongoing economic strength, suggested the Fed still has more work to do.

Retail sales rose 0.7% last month, markedly beating economists’ forecast for a 0.3% rise. The retail sales control group – which has a larger impact on U.S. GDP –  rose 0.6% well above expectations for a 0.1% rise.

While a November rate hike remained low at 10%, the odds of a December hike jumped to 42% from 26% the prior week, according to Investing.com’s Fed Rate Monitor Tool.

Bank of America impresses on earnings stage, but Goldman falters

Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC) reported quarterly results that topped Wall Street, sending its share more than 2% higher.

Goldman Sachs’ Q3 earnings, however, missed estimates amid losses from its real investment and Greensky fintech business.

The bank suffered a $358 million write down on its real estate investment as the sector has come under pressure from a sharp surge in interest rates.

Johnson and Johnson, Lockheed Martin deliver earnings beat

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) upgraded its annual guidance on performance after reporting quarterly results that beat on the top and bottom lines, but the pharmaceutical company’s stock closed about 1% lower.

The company now sees annual sales in a range of $83.6 to $84 billion from a prior estimate of $83.2 billion to $84 billion, with adjusted EPS forecast between $10.07 and $10.13 from $10.00 to $10.10

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) closed flat as the defense company’s third-quarter results topped analyst estimates, though concerns about the impact of delivery delays for its F-35 jets weighed.

Nvidia leads chips lower as U.S. looks to tightened restrictions on chip exports to China

NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) fell more than 4% to lead the broader chip sector lower following a Bloomberg report that the U.S. is restricting the sale of semicondutors that the chipmaker designed for the Chinese market.

The tighter restrictions would now include Nvidia’s A800 and H800 chips, the lower performance GPUs, that Nvidia devised after the initial U.S. exports last October.

The expanded curbs come as the U.S. aims to curb loopholes that allowed Chinese firms to evade export controls introduce last year by routing chip shipments through other nations.

Nvidia said, however, that it doesn’t expect a “near -term meaningful impact” from the expanded exports curbs on its financial results.

Source: Investing.com

Nvidia Faces Export Headwinds Amidst Biden’s High-Tech Tightrope

In the ever-evolving dance of high-tech diplomacy, Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) finds itself at a crossroads, as the Biden administration tightens its grip on the export of cutting-edge technology. The chip-making behemoth is contemplating a high-stakes game of musical chairs, possibly relocating certain business operations away from countries now tangled in the web of U.S. export restrictions.

But this isn’t just a minor hiccup in Nvidia’s rhythm; it’s a crescendo that threatens to disrupt product development timelines, cast shadows on support for loyal customers, and tangle the global supply chain in a web of complexity. With these expanded restrictions coming into effect in just a month, the United States is casting a wider net, ensnaring a broader spectrum of advanced chips and the tools to create them, while expanding its guest list to include Iran and Russia. Notably, this update also sees China’s Moore Threads and Biren blacklisted, emphasizing that these curbs aren’t just a domestic affair – they’re a global symphony with repercussions that resonate far beyond America’s shores.

United Airlines Swoops in with Q3 Victory, But Q4 Might Need an Air Pocket

United Airlines soared past analysts’ expectations in their third-quarter performance, reporting adjusted EPS of $3.65 and $14.48 billion in revenue. However, their Q4 outlook seems to have hit a bit of turbulence, with higher fuel costs and the suspension of Tel Aviv flights weighing down on forecasts.

With Q4 EPS predictions of $1.80 (or $1.50 if those Tel Aviv flights stay grounded through year-end), it seems United might need to navigate some financial headwinds. Investors reacted accordingly, with the company’s shares taking a 4% nosedive in after-hours trading. It’s a reminder that even in the friendly skies of the stock market, you occasionally encounter a bit of turbulence.

Investing is like the sizzling hot sauce of financial endeavors – a dash of risk, a sprinkle Investing is like a tantalizing game of financial chess, where you strategically position your money to earn while you sip your morning coffee. It’s the art of making your dollars work as tirelessly as a caffeine-fueled office worker on a Monday morning, but without the grumbling or the need for an extra shot of espresso. So, whether you’re aiming for a diversified portfolio that’s as balanced as a tightrope walker or embracing the adrenaline rush of stock market rollercoasters, remember: in the world of investing, you’re not just buying stocks; you’re investing in your future and writing your own financial adventure novel, one clever move at a time.