LiveWire

Twitter shares extended down 23% as Elon Musk tweeted the deal is temporarily on hold pending details supporting the calculation that indeed spam/fake accounts represent less than 5% of users. The change of the Tesla CEO comes at a time when stocks of tech companies are facing intense pressure. Could Elon look for more attractive buying opportunities or simply make a lower Twitter offer down the road? 

Tech is leading higher with the Nasdaq100 up 0.45% in pre-market on overall upbeat earnings results. It is helping market sentiment recover. Earnings from Chip maker ASML Holding NV were particularly positive, beating forecasts slightly, sending the stock up more than 6%. Netflix earnings were disappointing but investors see this more as an isolated event as the streaming space has become more competitive and is a victim of difficult year-on-year growth comparisons versus the pandemic days and as a result of the loss of subscribers in Russia. All eyes will be on Tesla, which will post earnings after the market close, as it is the biggest name in the Nasdaq100 to report this week. 

The European Union and the US agreed on a new data transfer pact, likely avoiding a doomsday scenario for tech giants such Meta Platforms (Facebook), Alphabet (Google), and other Big Tech dominating in the Nasdaq 100 benchmark, that rely on the transfers of data across the Atlantic. The agreement in principle, which alleviates concerns about the power of US firms over privacy, is helping revive the momentum in US Big Tech stocks, that has seen many of the beloved stocks correct since the start of the year. The Nasdaq100 and S&P500 are gaining more than 0.4% in pre-market trading. The Stoxx50 is also supported by positive momentum, up 0.9%.  

Salesforce reported strong top and bottom-line results in its fiscal Q4 earnings report as demand for its cloud-based software remains robust.  Revenue grew 26% in the quarter and management issued strong guidance, sending shares 3.5% higher in pre-market. Shares are still roughly 15% lower year-to-date. The bullish earnings from Salesforce suggest the shift to the cloud is accelerating to the next level. Software and cyber security basket names are showing pockets of strength in this market. 

Earnings for emerging tech companies have essentially been a minefield as investors digest tighter financial conditions, geopolitical risk, and high expectations with difficult year-over-year growth comparisons. Companies need to over-deliver. Etsy stock is gaining 16% this morning in US pre-market, as it reported earnings that topped estimates in sales and EPS. The 96.3 million active buyers were slightly higher than the 95.6 million projected. Sales growth slowed to 16% yoy during the quarter, much lower than the 100% growth of 2020. The stock is still roughly 39% lower year to date, as pandemic beneficiaries corrected across the board hit by a reality check of tighter financial conditions and a post-Covid world, triggering a difficult environment for growth investors.