This week featured its share of downbeat business news, from a software giant's untimely price hike to Apple showing its sour side. But it wasn't all bad: One retail giant looks to be making a highly brainy media gamble.
Shares of Apple tumbled Thursday after it posted disappointing quarterly results, hitting lows last seen in January 2012. Yes, Apple's still selling a ton of iPhones and iPads, but it's just not making as much on them as it used to.
Strong earnings from tech giants nudged the stock market to a five-year high Wednesday. Investors drew encouragement from a vote by the House of Representatives to let the government keep paying all of its bills for another four months.
Time Warner Cable has won a contract to carry Los Angeles Dodgers games for at least the next two decades starting in 2014, snatching the games away from Fox Sports after this year's baseball season ends, according to a person familiar with the matter.
This week, the country's most valuable tech companies will be reporting their financials, and so will the world's top burger flipper, and the king of video streaming. Let's go over some of the items that will help shape the days ahead on Wall Street.
Apple can no longer be counted on to beat Wall Street's profit targets. The world's most valuable tech company posted mixed quarterly results after Thursday's market close. Though net sales soared 27%, this marked the third miss in the five quarters that CEO Tim Cook has been at the helm.
This week, we'll be seeing how some of the most famous stocks in America are doing: Apple, Facebook, Netflix and Starbucks will report earnings, and there are sure to be a few surprises.
There's always plenty to chew on in an Apple earnings report, but here are the seven numbers that investors should keep in mind as they assess the tech rock star's blowout quarter.
There's never a dull moment on Wall Street, especially now that 2012 is rolling into its first earnings season. Let's go over some of the items that will help shape this week, among them: railroad stocks, Apple, Netflix, the maker of infant formula Enfamil, Starbucks and McDonald's.
No one likes being late to a party, especially one where the first ones there get the best party favors. The Apple party started long ago, and it's stock has crushed that of its rivals over the past decade -- but does that mean it's too late to join the festivities?
Apple has had a great few weeks of sales with the iPhone 4S, but somehow, it's latest quarterly report sent the stock down nearly 6%. The new CEO blamed the rumor mill for cutting into last quarters iPhone sales, but the real issue may have been more a matter of timing.
It's been awfully quiet on the earnings front in recent weeks, and there's a reason: This is the time of year when accountants are nailing down the financials for the fiscal quarters that ended in September. Later this week, the conference calls will begin trickling in, and then it will be a deluge of quarterly reports until early November.
Apple shares are trading near their all-time high of $422.86, but most analysts expect them to go much higher. Forty-six analysts tracked by Thomson/First Call have a median price target of $500 -- an approximately 20% rise -- and the most optimistic among them forecasts the stock will hit $666 -- about 60% higher than it trades now.
There's no such thing as a summertime lull when earnings season is upon us. Even if you don't feel like alerting the "sell in May and go away" camp of investors, there are plenty of headlines to be written about. Here are five things that will shape the way the market acts in the week ahead.
Apple announced its quarterly earnings Tuesday, and -- big surprise -- they were stellar. But one numbers not discussed much was the more than $76 billion Apple holds on its balance sheet. That figure is only going to grow, and the company still has given no sign of having figured out what to do with the money.
Despite no new iPhone, Apple continues to post record-shattering numbers.
Earnings season has officially kicked into high gear: 39 companies have reported so far, with the S&P reporting an earnings per share surprise of 6.8%. The best results include increases in financials, consumer discretionary, and materials. Here are some highlights.
AT&T is now offering a $9 iPhone. Granted, that's for a refurbished iPhone 3 G3S-8G. But those have most features people want in an iPhone, and the upcoming iPhone 5 doesn't offer the one thing that could differentiate it from its predecessors: 4G compatibility.
There's no such thing as a summertime lull when earnings season is upon us. Next week will bring plenty of headlines -- among them box office receipts for the last Harry Potter film and quarterly results from Apple, Cintas, and Microsoft.
Apple buys many components for its devices from Chinese suppliers. Now, it's getting more aggressive about selling those devices in the world's largest cell phone market, inking a deal to sell iPhones through No. 1 wireless operator China Mobile, which could substantially boost Apple's earnings.
Apple, the hottest stock on the planet -- LinkedIn's IPO notwithstanding -- is an overhyped tech stock, right? Actually, by relative valuation measures, data suggest it%u2019s cheap. How undervalued is the stock? Read on ...
Apple's shares are trading at about $347, just shy of their all-time high of $364.90, which they hit in February. It's second quarter earnings were record-breaking. So why are some analysts beginning to worry about Apple's stock?
Apple's earnings per share nearly doubled last quarter, and its performance the previous quarter was almost just as good. But Apple's shares are only up 11% in the last six months, trailing the Nasdaq. Here's why the stock could be set to take off.
Apple is gearing up to report its quarterly results after the markets close Wednesday, and both investors and consumers are wondering if it'll take a hit from Japan's massive earthquake and tsunami, which have already rocked the earnings results of some other tech titans.
The re-weighting of the Nasdaq-100, which is expected to be announced today, could harm Apple's share price. But that may be the least of the tech giant's problems right now.
The company has already proved that it can thrive while the CEO is away. But what's still not clear is whether Apple can remain far more than a tech company once he truly retires. Whose vision can possibly keep Apple the cultural phenomenon that Jobs has made it?
Shares rose in Asia Wednesday. In Shanghai the Composite Index climbed 1.8% to 2,758 and in Hong Kong the Hang Seng rose 1.1% to 24,420. Japan's Nikkei 225 Index was up 0.4%, ending the day at 10,557.
Just a day after Apple announced that CEO Steve Jobs was off on his third medical leave since 2004, the stock's already on the rebound. The company smashed its first-quarter earnings expectations, thanks to soaring Asia-Pacific sales.
Twice before, the iconic CEO had to leave the company in others' hands, and if that history is any guide, Apple investors may see the stock price do well once again in his absence -- providing they can handle the pain of the drop long enough to enjoy the recovery.
