U.S. stock index futures climbed on Wednesday as easing worries about a banking crisis lifted risk sentiment, while investors awaited economic data to assess the Federal Reserve's monetary policy path.
Market Snapshot
At 8:20 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis were up 229 points, or 0.70%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 33.25 points, or 0.83%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 109.75 points, or 0.86%.
Pre-Market Movers
Lululemon – Lululemon shares surged more than 16% before the Wednesday open after posting a strong holiday quarter and sharing upbeat guidance for the current fiscal year. The athleisure wear company reported adjusted earnings of $4.40 a share on $2.77 billion in revenue and said same-store sales climbed by 27%.
Carnival Corp — Shares of the cruise line climbed 2.5% in premarket trading after Susquehanna upgraded Carnival to positive from neutral. The investment firm said in a note to clients that Carnival has "ample liquidity" and should be able to improve its unit margins this year.
Urban Outfitters, Burlington, Foot Locker, Ross Stores — Major apparel and home goods retailers were in the red on Wednesday morning after UBS downgraded the group to sell from neutral, saying it sees at least 23% downside to its price targets for each of the companies as a slowdown in consumer spending curbs the industry's earnings prospects. Shares of Urban Outfitters and Ross were down 2.3%, Burlington by 2.6% and Foot Locker was down 1.9% before the bell.
Bath & Body Works — Shares of the home care and fragrances retailer fell more than 2% after a UBS downgrade, saying it expects a recessionary environment to weigh on the stock this year and next. UBS calls many of the company's products as discretionary, pointing to candles as an example, and areas where consumers "will choose to spend less in a challenging macro environment."
Micron Technology — The semiconductor manufacturer added 2.6% after falling 1% Tuesday. Micron fiscal second quarter results missed analyst expectations on both the top and bottom lines, according to Refinitiv consensus estimates. Micron lost $1.91 per share, larger than the loss of 86 cents per share expected, while revenue came in at $3.69 billion vs a $3.71 billion consensus estimate. Micron plans a larger-than-originally anticipated headcount reduction and told Barron's bloated customer inventories are diminishing.
Paychex Inc. — Shares of the payroll services company were up nearly 3% premarket ahead of fiscal third-quarter earnings due after the close on Wednesday. Analysts expect revenue of $1.36 billion and earnings per share of $1.25, according to FactSet. The stock has dropped 5.9% so far this year.
UBS — Shares of the Swiss bank stock were 2.7% higher in early trading after UBS said former CEO Sergio Ermotti will replace current CEO Ralph Hamers effective next week. Ermotti was CEO for nine years until Oct. 2020 and Hamers will stay on to advise during the transition. UBS agreed on March 19 to buy Credit Suisse for 3 billion Swiss francs, or $3.2 billion.
Market News
Apple Launches Buy Now, Pay Later Service in US
Apple on Tuesday launched its buy now, pay later (BNPL) service in the United States, a move that is likely to disrupt the financial technology sector dominated by firms like Affirm Holdings and Swedish payments company Klarna.
The service, Apple Pay Later, will allow users to split purchases into four payments spread over six weeks with no interest or fees, the company said.
Users can apply for loans between US$50 (S$66) and US$1,000, which can be used for online and in-app purchases made on iPhone and iPad with merchants that accept Apple Pay, according to the company.
AMC Entertainment Shares Jump on Report Amazon Exploring a Deal
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has dispatched his investment advisers and top entertainment chiefs to explore acquisition plans for AMC, The Intersect reported, citing sources familiar with the discussions.
Amazon last year closed its $8.5 billion deal for MGM, adding the company behind "Rocky" and James Bond in a bid to beef up its Prime Video streaming service amid intensifying competition.
Micron Stock Jumps As Sales Forecast Spurs Hope That Worst of Chip Slump Is Over
Micron Technology, the largest US maker of memory chips, gave a better forecast for the current quarter than some analysts had feared, sparking hope that the worst of a brutal industry slump may be over.
Sales will be as much as US$3.9 billion (S$5.2 billion) in the fiscal third quarter, the company said in a statement on Tuesday. That compares with an average of analysts’ estimates of US$3.75 billion. The company also announced an increase in job cuts.
Lululemon Athletica Stock Surged on Strong Holiday Quarter and Forecast
Lululemon reported adjusted earnings of $4.40 a share for its fourth quarter, topping analysts’ expectations for $4.26 a share. Sales jumped 30% to $2.8 billion, over estimates for $2.7 billion.
Gross margins performed worse than expected, declining 3 percentage points to 55.1%, worse than the company’s guidance for a decline ranging between 0.9 and 1.1 percentage points. Lululemon had previously warned investors that margins were under pressure thanks to overburdened inventories. In the fourth quarter, inventories were up 50% compared with the same period in 2021. While still elevated, it marks an improvement from the third quarter, when inventories increased by 85%.
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