AP: Stocks headed lower as Goldman, IBM revenues slip
Stocks headed for lower open after weaker revenues from Goldman, IBM disappoint
Stephen Bernard, AP Business Writer, On Tuesday July 20, 2010, 8:25 am
NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks are headed for a lower opening after revenues from Goldman Sachs and IBM came in lower than investors expected.
The miss from the leading investment bank early Tuesday was the latest weak of weakness on revenues in this second-quarter corporate earnings season. Late Monday, IBM reported better bottom-line results but its revenues were also weaker than expected.
Ahead of the opening bell, Dow Jones industrial average futures fell 90, or 0.9 percent, to 9,970. Standard & Poor's 500 index futures dropped 10.30, or 1 percent, to 1,053.50, while Nasdaq 100 index futures fell 16.50, or 0.9 percent, to 1,789.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks are set to pull back Tuesday as growing corporate profits don't seem to be enough to satisfy investors.
Technology companies IBM Corp. and Texas Instruments Inc. both reported a jump in earnings after the market closed Monday, but that did not relieve concerns investors have had about potential revenue growth.
Traders have not been focusing on bottom-line profits, but instead on revenue growth and forecasts for future improvement. That's because economic reports in recent months have shown the recovery is slowing, so there is concern about where future revenue growth will come from and how much it will eventually hurt profitability.
A report on the housing market due out later Tuesday is expected to show builders cut back on construction last month and applications for new construction also fell.
IBM's revenue came in short of analysts' forecasts because of a drop in the value of service contracts. It also said sluggish growth in Europe was affecting its revenue. Texas Instruments' revenue rose, but it disappointed as expectations grew for chipmakers following a blowout quarter from fellow Intel Corp.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Apple Inc. and Yahoo Inc. are among the companies reporting results Tuesday. Goldman's will be closely watched after big banks last week failed to impress investors. Again the concern is with potential revenue growth. For the financial sector, that takes on added importance because of uncertainty about how much banks will be restricted from trading by new financial regulation reform.
PepsiCo said Tuesday its profit was hurt by foreign currency translations. The maker of Pepsi and Doritos said soft drink sales volume remains weak in North America.
Ahead of the opening bell, Dow Jones industrial average futures fell 69, or 0.7 percent, to 9,991. Standard & Poor's 500 index futures dropped 7.40, or 0.7 percent, to 1,056.40, while Nasdaq 100 index futures fell 16.75, or 0.9 percent, to 1,788.75.
IBM shares fell $6.29, or 4.9 percent, to $123.50 in pre-opening trading. Texas Instruments dropped $1.51, or 5.9 percent, to $24.04. Goldman Sachs shares fell 80 cents to $144.88. Pepsi shares dipped 44 cents to $61.61.
Economists polled by Thomson Reuters forecast housing construction fell 2.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 580,000 in June. Home construction has tailed off since a homebuyer tax credit expired at the end of April.
Investors initially dumped stocks following a report Monday showing homebuilders are pessimistic about future expansion. However, housing reports have largely been weak and expectations remain low for the sector that helped push the economy into recession.
The report is also expected to show that applications for building permits, a sign of future activity, fell 0.7 percent in June to an annual rate of 570,000.
The Commerce Department report is due out at 8:30 a.m. EDT.
Bond prices rose as investors opted for the perceived safety of government bonds. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, fell to 2.95 percent from 2.96 percent late Monday.
Overseas, Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.4 percent, Germany's DAX index fell 1 percent, and France's CAC-40 fell 1.2 percent. Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 1.2 percent.
