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US stock markets finish at records, Apple & Amazon miss expectations

The two biggest US indices finished at records on Friday and for the month of October, with the Dow Jones and S&P 500 both gaining 0.2% and the Nasdaq adding 0.3% to finish the week.

Among the biggest contributors was an unexpected fall in the bond rate, the opposite of what has been occurring in Australia during the week.

Over the five days it was a similar story with earnings season powering the key indices higher, up 0.4%, 1.3% and 2.7% respectively with the Nasdaq benefitting from strong reports by Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT).

Across the month, the indices added 4%, 5% and 6%, respectively, the best October in 6 years.

Some 80% of companies have beaten analysts forecasts, a record rate, which means earnings are catching up to what many considered an overvalued market.

Amazon & Apple miss expectations

This came despite two of the largest companies in the world missing expectations on Friday, with Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) both falling around 2%.

In Amazon’s case, it was the growing threat of supply chain issues, despite the company controlling most of its network, and a weaker earnings result due to labour shortages and rising costs across its network. Guidance was also softer than expected.

In Apple’s case, the short-term semiconductor shortage appears to be biting, after the company delivered a rare revenue miss, reaching US$83 billion as lockdowns ended.

Owen Rask & Anirban Mahanti discuss both of these quarterly reports and more on the latest episode of The Australian Investors Podcast.

US stock market movers

Here’s how other popular US stocks performed on Friday to close out the week.

Back home on the ASX, the S&P/ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) is set to follow US markets higher this morning. For all the latest, check out my ASX 200 morning report.

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Information warning: The information on this website is published by The Rask Group Pty Ltd (ABN: 36 622 810 995) is limited to factual information or (at most) general financial advice only. That means, the information and advice does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. It is not specific to you, your needs, goals or objectives. Because of that, you should consider if the advice is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on the information. If you don’t know what your needs are, you should consult a trusted and licensed financial adviser who can provide you with personal financial product advice. In addition, you should obtain and read the product disclosure statement (PDS) before making a decision to acquire a financial product. Please read our Terms and Conditions and Financial Services Guide before using this website. The Rask Group Pty Ltd is a Corporate Authorised Representative (#1280930) of AFSL #383169.


At the time of publishing, the author of this article does not have a financial or commercial interest in any of the companies mentioned.

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Wattle Partners is a financial advice firm, servicing clients around Australia, specialising in retirement planning (pre and post retirement). 

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