Market Snapshot: Dow slides nearly 300 points as investors wade into earnings deluge

What’s driving the market?

While most companies were beating estimates for first quarter earnings in the first week of the quarterly reporting season, stocks were taking a breather after ending at records last week.

“Stocks are dropping again today with no clear catalysts. Markets are a little stretched at this point, so we may see stocks take a small step back here and there. That’s normal, and we’d expect any dip to be bought quickly,” said Callie Cox, senior investment strategist for Ally Invest.

Earnings reports, which are off to a strong start for the quarter, will remain under scrutiny as investors gauge the strength of the economic recovery from COVID-19 pandemic, analysts said. Guidance from companies on the outlook for the year ahead may be even more important in determining market direction.

“Corporate outlooks may indicate whether the rally from last year’s low could continue,” said Charalambos Pissouros, senior market analyst at JFD Group, in a note.

Read: Why it may still be early days for the stock-market reflation trade

“In our view, with most major central banks suggesting that any spikes in inflation this year are likely to prove to be temporary, and staying committed to keeping their monetary policies extra loose, we believe that even if the earnings disappoint somewhat, there is a decent chance for equities to rebound again and continue trending north,” he said.

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However, a pickup in new COVID-19 cases globally is putting a damper on sentiment, analysts said. The World Health Organization warned that global coronavirus infections were edging toward their highest level in the pandemic. The global daily new case tally almost hit a record of more than 750,000 on Sunday and Monday, according to the Washington Post, as India and Brazil remain hot spots.  The U.S. has averaged 67,175 new cases a day in the past week, up 4% from the average two weeks ago, but about 50% of U.S. adults have now received one shot of vaccine.

See: Why the rise in COVID-19 cases is keeping Morgan Stanley bullish on risky assets

“Concerns are rising that the spread of covid outside of the U.S. could hinder the global economic recovery and drag on guidance from U.S. companies as they report — particularly multinationals,” said Fiona Cincotta, senior financial markets analyst at City Index, in a note.

Which companies are in focus?

• Apple Inc. AAPL, -1.05% was expected Tuesday to provide an annual update to high-end iPads, along with other new products, and introduce a paid subscription option within its podcast app when it holds an event in New York. Apple shares fell 1.7%.
• Shares of International Business Machines Corp. IBM, +4.12% were up 4.5% after the tech giant topped Wall Street estimates with a surprise rise in revenue, snapping a four-quarter streak of sales declines.
• United Airlines Holdings Inc. UAL, -8.73% lost more than $1.3 billion in the first three months of 2021, but executives said that an adjusted cash flow metric flipped to positive and promised that new international routes to countries that allow vaccinated travelers will help the airline recover from the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Shares fell more than 9%.
• Johnson & Johnson JNJ, +2.74% on Tuesday reported first-quarter profit and sales that topped expectations, citing strength in its pharmaceutical business and continued recovery in medical devices. Shares rose 2.6%.
• Shares of Abbott Laboratories ABT, -4.29% were down 4.2%, despite the company delivering results that beat earnings expectations during a quarter in which sales of its COVID-19 tests made up 20% of total revenue.
• Shares of Procter & Gamble Co. PG, +1.19% were up 1.3% after the maker of consumer staples reported fiscal third-quarter earnings that beat estimates and said it would be raising prices on certain product categories.
• Shares of Kansas City Southern KSU, +16.09% soared 15%, after The Wall Street Journal reported that Canadian National Railway Co. CNI, -6.36%   CNR, -5.97% was planning to make a buyout bid for the railroad operator of roughly $30 billion, which would top Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.’s CP, -1.81% CP, -1.47% previously agreed on buyout bid. 
• Shares of Philip Morris International Inc. PM rose 2.7% after the cigarette seller reported first-quarter profit and revenue that beat expectations, as growth in heated tobacco units shipments helped offset declines in cigarette shipments. 

See: Tobacco stocks get ashed after report that Biden administration could require nicotine cutbacks

What are other markets doing?

• The yield on the 10-year Treasury note BX:TMUBMUSD10Y fell 3 basis points to 1.57%, after a recent short-covering rally saw yields retreat from 14-month highs. Yields and bond prices move in opposite directions.
• The ICE U.S. Dollar Index DXY, +0.08%, a measure of the currency against a basket of six major rivals, was up 0.1%.
• Oil futures edged higher, with the U.S. benchmark CLM21, -1.69% up 1.6% at $62.39 a barrel.
• Gold futures GC00, +0.40% erased early weakness to nudge higher, rising 0.5% to $1,780 an ounce.
• In Europe, the Stoxx 600 SXXP, -1.90% and London’s FTSE 100 UKX, -2.00% both finishe down around 2%.
• In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index HSI, +0.10% rose 0.1%, while the Shanghai Composite SHCOMP, -0.13% fell 0.1% and Japan’s Nikkei 225 NIK, -1.97% dropped 2%.