Friday's Market Minute: Takeaways From Another Volatile Earnings Season

For many, Nike’s NKE quarterly report means the unofficial end to earnings season. While bank earnings are now only a few weeks away, marking the start to the third-quarter reports, the second quarter was one worth noting. Since the pandemic sent the broader market into disarray roughly a year and a half ago, each quarter’s reports have brought on their own set of hills and valleys.

The average earnings growth for the period was over 93%, which is the highest on record since 4Q of 2009. On a quarter-over-quarter basis, earnings grew over 6% on average from 1Q21 to 2Q21 and were well above year-ago levels (although facing relatively easy comps to last year’s economic backdrop). Revenue also grew substantially, posting the largest improvement compared to the last nine quarters.

Plus, not only was there a record amount of companies beating earnings estimates, but these companies also beat expectations by a much higher margin compared to historical levels. Over 87% of companies beat in 2Q, which tied for the highest percentage beat rate in history. The earnings beat was also 87% in 1Q21, 79% in 4Q20, 84% in 3Q20, and 82% in 2Q20 – showing the real strength of the last five quarters. For historical context, the average beat rate since 1994 stands at roughly 66%.

Within the heavily traded and scrutinized FAANG stocks, Amazon AMZN was the only company that reported revenue that disappointed the Street. It was also the e-commerce giant’s first miss since 3Q of 2018, and the stock saw a good amount of selling following the miss (-7.5%). Nike also saw some pressure after reporting a bottom-line beat, but a miss on the top line. The athletic apparel retailer highlighted one major theme that has been mentioned consistently throughout the quarter: supply chain disruptions. Nike’s management said its fiscal 1Q sales would have been higher than reported, if not for supply-chain issues.

While it is unclear how to gauge when this headwind will be resolved, as several parts of the world continue in a reduced capacity or lockdown, this is a pressure that is extended into the upcoming quarter.

For many, Nike’s quarterly report means the unofficial end to earnings season. While bank earnings are now only a few weeks away, marking the start to the third quarter reports, the second quarter was one worth noting. Since the pandemic sent the broader market into disarray roughly a year and a half ago, each quarter’s reports have brought on their own set of hills and valleys. The average earnings growth for the period was over 93%, which is the highest on record since 4Q of 2009. On a quarter-over-quarter basis, earnings grew over 6% on average from 1Q21 to 2Q21 and were well-above year ago levels (although facing relatively easy comps to last year’s economic backdrop). Revenue also grew substantially, posting the largest improvement compared to the last nine quarters.

Plus, not only was there a record amount of companies beating earnings estimates, these companies also beat expectations by a much higher margin compared to historical levels. Over 87% of companies beat in 2Q, which tied for the highest percentage beat rate in history. Earnings beat was also 87% in 1Q21, 79% in 4Q20, 84% in 3Q20, and 82% in 2Q20 – showing the real strength of the last five quarters. For historical context, the average beat rate since 1994 stands at roughly 66%.

Within the heavily traded and scrutinized FAAMG stocks, Amazon was the only company who reported revenue that disappointed the Street. It was also the e-commerce giant’s first miss since 3Q of 2018, and the stock saw a good amount of selling following the miss (-7.5%). Nike also saw some pressure after reporting a bottom-line beat, but a miss on top line. The athletic apparel retailer highlighted one major theme that has been mentioned consistently throughout the quarter: supply chain disruptions. Nike’s management said its fiscal 1Q sales would have been higher than reported, if not for supply-chain issues.

While it is unclear how to gauge when this headwind will be resolved, as several parts of the world continue in a reduced capacity or lockdown, this is a pressure that is extended into the upcoming quarter.

For many, Nike’s quarterly report means the unofficial end to earnings season. While bank earnings are now only a few weeks away, marking the start to the third quarter reports, the second quarter was one worth noting. Since the pandemic sent the broader market into disarray roughly a year and a half ago, each quarter’s reports have brought on their own set of hills and valleys. The average earnings growth for the period was over 93%, which is the highest on record since 4Q of 2009. On a quarter-over-quarter basis, earnings grew over 6% on average from 1Q21 to 2Q21 and were well-above year ago levels (although facing relatively easy comps to last year’s economic backdrop). Revenue also grew substantially, posting the largest improvement compared to the last nine quarters.

Plus, not only was there a record amount of companies beating earnings estimates, these companies also beat expectations by a much higher margin compared to historical levels. Over 87% of companies beat in 2Q, which tied for the highest percentage beat rate in history. Earnings beat was also 87% in 1Q21, 79% in 4Q20, 84% in 3Q20, and 82% in 2Q20 – showing the real strength of the last five quarters. For historical context, the average beat rate since 1994 stands at roughly 66%.

Within the heavily traded and scrutinized FAAMG stocks, Amazon was the only company who reported revenue that disappointed the Street. It was also the e-commerce giant’s first miss since 3Q of 2018, and the stock saw a good amount of selling following the miss (-7.5%). Nike also saw some pressure after reporting a bottom-line beat, but a miss on top line. The athletic apparel retailer highlighted one major theme that has been mentioned consistently throughout the quarter: supply chain disruptions. Nike’s management said its fiscal 1Q sales would have been higher than reported, if not for supply-chain issues.

While it is unclear how to gauge when this headwind will be resolved, as several parts of the world continue in a reduced capacity or lockdown, this is a pressure that is extended into the upcoming quarter.

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