Bank earnings dominate morning trading sentiment and stock index futures are pointing to flat opening. Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs reported better than expected earnings. Wells Fargo said quarterly profit declined 21% on weaker than expected mortgage lending. Retail spending rose modest 0.5% in March and new weekly jobless claims last week were 185.000.

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Infosys reported revenues of $4.3 billion in the quarter ending in March 2022 and earnings rose 8% to $753 million from a year ago quarter. Earnings per share increased to 18 cents from 16 cents. For the year, the company said revenues rose 19.7% to $16.3 billion and digital revenues comprise 57% of total revenues. Return on equity was 29% and free cash flow rose 2.8% to $3 billion in fiscal 2022.

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Hooker Furnishing reported sales fell 13.4% to $134.8 million in the final quarter ending in February 2022. The furniture maker struggled with the Asian factories closure during the resurgent virus pandemic. In the quarter furniture maker lost $4 million compared to profit of $8.5 million a year ago representing 33 cents per share vs 72 respectively. For the year sales rose 10% to $594 million.

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Fastenal, the distributor of industrial and construction supplies said March quarter revenues rose 20% to $1.7 billion and earnings rose 28% to $269 million from a year ago. Earnings per share increased 28% to 47 cents from 37 cents. Revenues through electronic interface increased 55.6% and comprised 16% of total sales in the period. The wholesaler added a record 106 new onsite locations.

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Nasdaq Rises 2%, Airlines Fly Higher

Apr 13, 2022
Barry Adams
Benchmark indexes accelerated gains in the final hours of trading as investors remained focused on latest earnings announcements. Travel and airline stocks gained after Delta Air offered an optimistic view for the current quarter. American Airlines, Southwest, Carnival and Expedia led gainers. Tech stocks reversed three days of losses and 10-year bond yield edged down to 2.70%.

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Bed Bath & Beyond reported revenues declined 22% to $2.05 billion in the fiscal quarter ending in February. The retailer lost $159 million in the quarter compared to $9 million profit on supply chain disruptions and higher shipping costs. Comparable store sales fell 9% from a year ago and 12% from the previous quarter. Retailer guided improvement in sequential sales in the second-half.

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JPMorgan Chase revenues decreased 5% to $30.8 billion in the March quarter from a year ago and net income fell 42% to $8.2 billion. Earnings per share in the quarter declined to $2.63 from $4.50 in the quarter a year ago. Credit loss provision was $1.5 billion including $902 million of reserves for losses linked to higher inflation, Ukraine war, and Russian assets and bond exposure.

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Delta Air Lines revenues declined 11% to $9.4 billion in the quarter ending in March and net loss was $940 million compared to $730 million a year ago. In the quarter, the airline lost $1.48 a share compare to profit of $1.09. The airlines said it turned to profitability in March and guided higher revenues in June quarter approaching at least 93% of revenues two years ago.

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BlackRock said first quarter revenues increased 7% to $4.7 billion from a year ago and net income rose less than 2% to $1.43 billion. Earnings per share rose 20% to $9.35 from $7.77 a year ago on lower share count and effective tax rate offset by lower non-operating income. Total net asset flow fell to $85 billion from $172 billion in a year ago period. Quarterly dividend was hiked 18% to $4.88.

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Stocks are looking up ahead of regular session as earnings season kicks off and investors grapple with accelerating inflation. JP Morgan profit fell 42% after the bank said deal volume fell and raised its loan loss reserves linked to market dislocation stemming from Russian invasion of Ukraine. Delta Air reported smaller than expected quarterly loss but estimated profitable current quarter.

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Stocks turned lower and gave up early gains after the tech sector lost momentum and traders reviewed latest inflation data showing home price increase of only 5% setting the stage for elevated core inflation data in the months to follow. Oil prices jumped 5% above $100 a barrel after China relaxed lockdown measures. 10-year bond yield eased to 2.72% as investors await bank earnings on Thursday.

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Albertsons's fourth quarter sales increased 10% to $17.4 billion and net income to $455 million compared to a loss of $144 million a year ago. Earnings per share increased to 79 cents from a loss of 37 cents a year ago. Gross margin edged down to 28.7%. For fiscal 2022 the retailer estimated adjusted earnings between $2.70 and $2.85 a share and capex between $2.0 and $2.1 billion.

CarMax's fourth quarter total revenues rose 48% to $7.7 billion but net income fell 24% to $159 million and earnings per share dropped 23% to 98 cents. Total retail used vehicle unit sales declined 5.2% to 194,318 and comparable store used unit sales declined 6.5% from a year ago quarter. Average used car prices rose 40% to $29,312 and gross profit rose 7.4% to $2,195.

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CarMax fell 9% and extended YTD loss to 26% after the used-car retailer missed sales estimates. Average car price jumped 40%. PG&E rose after it agreed to a $55 million settlement for two fires in Northern California. Albertsons sank 7% despite beating earnings estimates. Chipotle rose but Chegg, HP Enterprise, Starbucks, and Cisco fell on negative broker comments.

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U.S. indexes gained after inflation rate in March rose 8.5% from a year ago and increased 1.2% in the month. Traders focused on core inflation rate slowing to 0.3% in the month but rose 6.5% in 12 months. Tech stocks led gainers with Microsoft, Qualcomm, Broadcom, and Nvidia gained more than 1%. Energy companies advanced following an uptick in crude oil prices. 10-year bond fell to 2.72%.

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