Technical analysis

Microsoft’s earnings history, capital expenditure, free cash flow, Azure growth, options-implied moves and valuation multiples provide historical context ahead of the company’s fiscal fourth-quarter results on 29 July; however, they do not predict future outcomes.

Amazon’s reported results have varied relative to analysts’ consensus estimates. From the first quarter of 2021 through the first quarter of 2026, reported EPS and revenue each exceeded the consensus mean estimate in 16 of 21 quarters.

Apple’s quarterly results have generally been better than analyst forecasts, with EPS missing estimates only once over the last 21 quarters.

Earnings announcements can be among the most closely watched events for individual stocks. Alongside the financial results themselves, investors often monitor historical earnings performance, valuation metrics and options pricing to provide context for prior reporting periods.

The S&P 500 fell by more than 1% on Wednesday, 17 December, breaking through technical support at 6,765, which also coincides with the 50-day simple moving average.

The S&P 500 fell by approximately 25 basis points on 16 December following a weaker-than-expected US jobs report.

The week of 15 December will be a significant test for global markets following a tough end to US trading on 12 December, when technology shares declined.

The S&P 500 finished on 10 December higher by approximately 70 basis points.

The S&P 500 closed the day down by just nine basis points.

A stop-loss order is a key tool for managing risk when trading CFDs. It lets you set a predefined loss level on a position, helping to limit potential downside in volatile markets.