-- S&P 500 companies' quarterly earnings and revenue growth accelerated compared with figures from a week ago, Oppenheimer Asset Management said Monday.
Some 63% of companies in the benchmark equity index have reported results in the latest cycle, with earnings up 28% from a year earlier and revenue growing 11%. Last week's report by the brokerage showed profit and revenue growth at about 25% and 10%, based on financials reported by 28% of the index constituents.
Ahead of the reporting season, FactSet put expected earnings growth at 12.6% from a year earlier, according to Oppenheimer.
Of the companies that have reported results so far, 81% have exceeded analyst estimates, Oppenheimer Asset Management Chief Investment Strategist John Stoltzfus said.
Among sectors, communication services and consumer discretionary outperformed in terms of earnings, with profits up by more than 50% each year over year. Technology led the chart for revenue growth, with a 22% increase, followed by communication services' 16% jump.
This will be another busy week for corporate earnings, with Palantir Technologies (PLTR), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Disney (DIS), Uber Technologies (UBER) and McDonald's (MCD) due to post their financials.
On Friday, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite reached new all-time closing highs.
President Donald Trump has launched "Project Freedom" to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Two US-flagged vessels passed through the strait, the US Central Command said Monday, after denying claims from Iran that a US ship had been hit.
"Notwithstanding the recent powerful rallies in stocks, challenges remain to finding resolution for the conflict and in our view persist as a potential negative overhang to market performance with news flow from the Middle East, the price of oil, and supply chain disruptions adding to inflation risks near term," Stoltzfus said. "That said, stock prices in the US continue to reflect in our view an appreciation for the fundamentals that matter most for revenue and profit growth."
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