All articles tagged with #first quarter
On August 31, 2025, the moon is in the First Quarter phase with 53% illumination, offering views of notable lunar features. The lunar cycle lasts about 29.5 days, with the next full moon occurring on September 7. The article explains the eight main moon phases and how they are caused by the moon's orbit and relative positions of the Sun, Earth, and Moon.
Australia's economy grew 1.3% year-on-year in Q1 2025, below expectations, with growth stalling due to reduced public spending, weakened consumer demand, and trade tensions, prompting the Reserve Bank to consider further rate cuts.
On June 2, the first quarter moon will be visible in the night sky, offering a detailed view of lunar craters and seas, ideal for amateur astronomers using binoculars or telescopes, with notable features like the Aristotles and Eudoxus craters and the Sea of Tranquility.
The US economy contracted by 0.2% in Q1 2025, marking its first decline since 2022, primarily due to increased imports driven by tariff fears and a slowdown in consumer spending, amid ongoing trade tensions and policy uncertainties.
The GDP growth for the first quarter was revised downwards, indicating a slower economic expansion than initially reported. However, inflation readings have eased, providing some relief to economic concerns.
Big banks like JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, and Bank of America are expected to report lower first-quarter profits compared to the same period last year, due to slower loan demand and mounting troubles for some borrowers. However, investors seem more interested in how these banks will perform for the rest of 2024, especially in light of changing expectations of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. The stocks of these big banks have been climbing this year, outperforming major indexes, and investors are looking for predictions of more profits for the rest of the year. Meanwhile, regional banks are expected to struggle more if the Fed keeps rates higher for longer, facing challenges such as higher deposit costs and exposure to commercial real estate loans.
Samsung Electronics expects a 931% increase in first-quarter operating profit, driven by a rebound in memory chip prices. The company anticipates a 11.4% rise in revenue, exceeding market estimates. Analysts attribute the strong earnings to memory price hikes and robust sales of the S24, with expectations for a strong AI-driven memory upturn cycle in 2024-25. The rebound follows a period of weak demand and excess inventories post-Covid, signaling a bottoming out of memory chip demand weakness.
The first quarter of 2022 saw a significant increase in blockbuster M&A deals, more than doubling compared to the same period last year, as companies pursued acquisitions to expand their businesses and gain competitive advantages. This surge in M&A activity reflects the ongoing trend of consolidation and strategic partnerships in various industries, signaling a robust and dynamic market for mergers and acquisitions.
Target's first-quarter earnings exceeded expectations, but the company warned of a sales slowdown for the current quarter.
Retailers are set to release their first-quarter earnings results this week, with analysts expecting a better-than-feared earnings season. However, shoppers are pulling back, and retailers are bracing for a slowdown in sales. Investors will be closely watching for any signs of weakness in the retail sector.
Individual investors bought a net $77.7 billion in equities and ETFs on U.S. exchanges in the first quarter of 2023, indicating their continued interest in stocks. However, they appear to have learned some lessons in risk-taking as the sum trails only the first quarters of 2021 and 2022, when they bought about $80 billion.
Companies in the S&P 500 have exceeded analysts' earnings estimates by 9% during the first quarter reporting season, with sales surpassing forecasts by just over 2% and operating-profit margins higher than expected. However, experts warn that this trend may not continue throughout the rest of the season.
Despite inflation, war, and bank runs, luxury brands such as Hermès and LVMH reported significant sales growth in the first quarter of 2023, with Hermès' revenue growing 23% and LVMH's sales growing 17%. This is much higher than analysts had forecasted.
First-quarter earnings-per-share estimates are off 6.6%, worse than the historical average of 4.2%, according to Credit Suisse's chief U.S. equity strategist. Energy led the decline with a 10.8% drop in earnings revisions. Despite the gloomy outlook, there is a silver lining for investors to be found.
The stock market remained stable with below-average daily trading volume and declining volatility as investors await the first-quarter earnings reports from major banks. The S&P 500 index closed up 0.8%, the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.3%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1.2%. The market is expected to continue to rally if bank earnings remain solid.