Technical analysis

Investors tend to have differing opinions about what a company’s results are likely to be heading into an earnings announcement.

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.

Inflation rates surged as oil prices rose. After two months of elevated CPI reports, the May reading was expected to show a further increase in the annual inflation rate, arriving one week before the June FOMC meeting.

The most important number in the monthly US non-farm payroll report may not be the headline payroll figure, but the revisions that follow months later.

What gets called 'inflation' in the headlines is really the change in a price index — and how that index is built shapes the number.

Options positioning and implied volatility are data points that analysts observe ahead of earnings events.

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