Dell Earnings Lift Pre-Market Mood

Elena
22 Nov, 2006
New York City

U.S. stock futures moved to the upside Wednesday, boosted by better-than-expected Q3 results reported by Dell Inc. Trading is likely to be subdued ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. The Labor Department reported that in the week ending November 18, initial claims advanced to 321,000, an increase of 12,000 from the previous week''s revised figure of 309,000.

[R]9:00AM U.S. stock futures advanced, boosted by Dell earnings.[/R]
U.S. stock futures moved to the upside Wednesday, boosted by better-than-expected Q3 results reported by Dell Inc. Trading is likely to be subdued ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. In economic news, the Labor Department reported in early release that in the week ending November 18, initial claims advanced to 321,000, an increase of 12,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 309,000. A final reading of consumer sentiment for November and weekly energy inventory data are also due out today.

Of companies in focus, Dell Inc. ((DELL)) shares jumped 8.5% in pre-open trading after it said its quarterly profit rose nearly 12%, coming in above analyst expectations. However, revenue disappointed. Following the news, Dell was upgraded to outperform by Bear Stearns. Comcast Corp. ((CMCSA)) said it had bought Walt Disney Co.'s 39.5% ownership stake in E Networks for $1.23 billion, and the two companies landed long-term distribution agreements for 10 ABC-owned television stations and other Disney networks. Brocade ((BRCD)) rose 4.9% in pre-market opening as the network equipment provider topped forecasts with quarterly profit and sales. J Crew Group ((JCG)) is expected to be actively traded as it raised its 2006 earnings outlook. Dow Jones futures were recently up 23 points, S&P 500 futures rose 2.7 points and Nasdaq futures increased 2.8 points.

[R]Initial jobless claims rose by 12,000.[/R]
Wednesday morning, the Department of Labor released its report on initial jobless claims in the week ended November 18, showing that jobless claims increased by much more than economists had been expecting. The report showed that jobless claims rose to 321,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 309,000. Economists had expected jobless claims to increase to 310,000 compared to the 308,000 originally reported for the previous week. The Labor Department also said that the less volatile four-week moving average rose to 317,000 from the previous week's revised average of 314,000. The report also showed that continuing claims in the week ended November 11 rose to 2.454 million from the preceding week's revised level of 2.440 million.


[R]8:15AM Dell reported Q3 earnings above estimates. The stock jumped 9%.[/R]
Dell Inc. ((DELL)) reported late Tuesday 12% profit increase in Q3 quarter profit, beating analyst expectations. The computer giant said that net income rose to $677 million, or 30 cents a share, up from $606 million, or 25 cents in the year-ago quarter, exceeding estimates of 24 cents a share. Gross margins as a percentage of revenue climbed to 17% from 16.2% a year ago. Revenue rose 3.5% to $14.38 billion, up from $13.91 billion but slightly lower than the $14.44 billion expected by analysts. Dell didn''t give a forecast for its Q4 results.

The computer giant called the results preliminary and subject to change due to an ongoing probe by federal securities regulators into its accounting practices. Dell delayed its financial results almost a week because it said it had had to deal with an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Bear Stearns analyst upgraded Dell to outperform from peer perform, citing evidence of a turnaround and the company''s improved focus on profitability vs. growth. Dell shares jumped 9% to $27.05 in pre-open trading.


[R]7:30AM Asian stocks surged Wednesday, led by Japanese financials.[/R]
Asian markets finished higher on Wednesday. Tokyo''s 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average gained 180.09 points, or 1.1%, to 15,914.23. shares of Internet and telecom conglomerate Softbank jumped 8.4%, its first gain in six trading sessions. Shares of Mitsubishi UFJ , the largest bank in Japan by assets, rose 2.2% while lender Mizuho Financial Group advanced 2%. Department store group Mitsukoshi Ltd rose 3.4% while Fast Retailing operator of the Uniqlo retail chain, gained 1.5%.

The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong rose 1.3% to end at 19,250.79. Hong Kong property developer Cheung Kong Holdings rose 2.9%. the China Enterprises Index, surged 3.4% to end 8,610.04, led by gains in property and banking shares. Mainland lender China Construction Bank rose 5.1% while China''s largest lending by assets Industrial & Commercial Bank of China.

Australia S&P/ASX 200 rose 1.6%, led higher by gains in BHP Billiton. The largest mining group in the world rose 2.9%, pacing gains in copper and petroleum prices. Elsewhere in Asia, Singapore Straits Times Index added 0.8%, Malaysia KLSE Composite rose 0.9%, and New Zealand NZX-50 Index closed 0.1% lower. Kospi in South Korea added 1.2% and Indonesia JSX Composite gained 1.1%. Shares listed in Shanghai wiped off earlier losses to trade higher in the afternoon, lifting the Shanghai Composite 0.2%.