U.S. stock index futures fell on Tuesday as fears that interest rates will remain higher for longer gripped traders returning from a long weekend, while disappointing results from Walmart and Home Depot added to the gloomy mood.
Market Snapshot
At 7:36 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis were down 286 points, or 0.84%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 30.5 points, or 0.75%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 119 points, or 0.96%.
Pre-Market Movers
Walmart (WMT) - The world’s largest retailer Walmart forecast full-year earnings below estimates on Tuesday, saying it was cautious about the economic outlook for 2023 and that consumers were likely to continue shopping for lower-priced items that could pressure its margins. Shares of Walmart were down 3.2% in premarket trading.
Home Depot (HD) - Home-improvement giant Home Depot (HD) reported fourth-quarter earningsof $3.30 a share, beating analysts’ estimates by 2 cents. Sales rose 0.3% in the quarter to $35.8 billion but missed forecasts. Home Depot said it expects fiscal 2023 sales flat compared with fiscal 2022. The stock fell 4.1% in premarket trading.
Chinese E-Commerce ADRs (BABA, JD, PDD) - Chinese E-Commerce ADRs slipped amid signs China’s reopening will intensify competition for consumer dollars and erode margins among big tech businesses. Alibaba fell 3.3%; JD.com fell 8.3% and Pinduoduo fell 6.1%.
Meta Platforms (META) - Meta Platforms will be rolling out a monthly Twitter-like subscription tier for Facebook and Instagram that will assign blue badges to individuals who pay to verify their accounts. The service, calledMeta Verified, will cost $11.99 a month for internet users and $14.99 on Apple’s iOS. Subscribers, who submit a government ID to be verified, get prioritization in other people’s comments, exclusive stickers for Instagram stories, and recommendations in Reels. Meta shares were rising 1.6% in premarket trading.
Amazon (AMZN) - Amazon was down 1.5% in premarket trading. The company’s use ofrestricted stock unitsfor a large part of employee compensation is leaving pay for 2023 between 15% and 50% lower than the forecasts given to workers, The Wall Street Journal reported. Amazon shares have declined 36% over the past 12 months.
Sigma Lithium (SGML) - U.S.-listed shares of Sigma Lithium Corp rose 25.5% in premarket trading on Tuesday after Bloomberg News reported that Tesla Inc was weighing a takeover of the Canada-based battery metals miner.
Credit Suisse (CS) - Credit Suisse shares dropped 5.3% in premarket trading as it was said that Swiss financial watchdog was reviewing Credit Suisse chairman's comments.
Faraday Future (FFIE) - EV maker Faraday Future shares jumped 7.3% in premarket trading as it was targeting a start of production (SOP) date for its flagship FF 91 Futurist of March 30, 2023.
AutoNation (AN) - AutoNation fell 2.1% after the stock was downgraded to Underweight from Neutral at J.P. Morgan. The stock rose more than 11% on Friday after the car seller reportedfourth-quarter earningsthat beat analysts’ expectations.
Market News
Putin Delivers a Nuclear Warning to the West Over Ukraine
President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday delivered a nuclear warning to the West over Ukraine, suspending a bilateral nuclear arms control treaty, announcing new strategic systems had been put on combat duty and warning that Moscow could resume nuclear tests.
Morgan Stanley Says S&P 500 Could Drop 26% in Months
Expensive US equities are flashing a warning sign that could see the S&P 500 sliding as much as 26% in the first half of this year, according to Morgan Stanley strategists.
While recent data suggest the economy might be able to dodge a recession, they’ve also taken the possibility of a Federal Reserve pivot off the table, according to a team led by Michael Wilson. That doesn’t bode well for stocks as the sharp rally this year has left them the most expensive since 2007 by the measure of equity risk premium, which has entered a level known as the “death zone,” the strategist said.
Credit Suisse Chairman's Comments Draw Scrutiny From Financial Watchdog -Sources
The Swiss financial regulator is reviewing remarks made by Credit Suisse Group Chairman Axel Lehmann about outflows from the lender having stabilised in early December, two people with knowledge of the matter have told Reuters.