2025-05-02
CNBC Daily Open: Signs of weakness in Apple and Amazon's earnings
China said it is assessing overtures by U.S. authorities over negotiations for a trade deal. Apple reported second-fiscal-quarter earnings Thursday that beat expectations. Amazon reported better-than-expected results for the first quarter. Standard Chartered reported first-quarter earnings that exceeded analyst estimates. U.S. stocks advanced Thursday, boosted by jumps in Meta Platforms and Microsoft. Rallies in Microsoft and Meta have reignited enthusiasm over artificial intelligence.For the quarter that ended in March, Apple and Amazon reported top- and bottom-line numbers that beat analysts’ expectations, joining their fellow “Magnificent Seven” counterparts Alphabet, Microsoft and Meta Platforms on the podium. (Tesla’s long-promised full self-driving is still in the process of helping the electric vehicle company cross the line.)That said, the financial results of both Apple and Amazon had some weaknesses under the hood. Apple’s Services division, which comprises offerings such as advertising, iCloud and Apple TV+, fell short of estimates. That matters because it’s the second-highest revenue generator for Apple, trailing only its iPhone division. As for Amazon, its cloud division — the largest cloud provider in the world — failed to meet revenue expectations for the third time in a row, suggesting growth is slowing.CEOs of both companies also flagged the challenge in predicting how tariffs will affect not just the current quarter, but also the year ahead. Despite the excitement shown by investors over Microsoft and Meta — as seen in rallies in those companies’ shares Thursday — potholes still exist for Big Tech’s road ahead.Note: CNBC Daily Open will be away on May 5, Monday, for the holiday in Singapore. The newsletter will return May 6, Tuesday.What you need to know todayChina assessing U.S. offer to negotiateSenior U.S. officials have reached out recently “through relevant parties multiple times,” hoping to start negotiations with China on tariffs, a spokesperson for Beijing’s commerce ministry said in a statement Friday. Chinese authorities said they are evaluating the overtures, but reiterated their request for the U.S. to remove all unilateral tariffs. Analysts also cautioned that reaching a comprehensive deal will be complex and time-consuming.Apple’s Services earnings missed expectationsApple reported second-fiscal-quarter earnings Thursday that beat Wall Street expectations. However, the company’s closely watched Services division fell short of estimates, and CEO Tim Cook said it’s “very difficult” to predict the impact of tariffs beyond June. Separately, Apple said it would appeal after a court found that the company willfully violated a 2021 injunction that came out of the Epic Games trial.Cloud growth at Amazon slowsAmazon reported better-than-expected results for the first quarter. But revenue at Amazon Web Services grew at a slower pace than expected, a third straight revenue miss. The company issued light guidance, noting that “tariffs and trade policies” and “recessionary fears” could cause its forecast to change. Still, CEO Andy Jassy said he’s “optimistic” the company could emerge from the uncertainty stronger.Standard Chartered exceeds estimatesStandard Chartered reported Friday first-quarter earnings that beat profit expectations, thanks to strong growth in its wealth management, global markets. and global banking businesses. The bank’s profit before taxation for the three months ended March was $2.1 billion, up from $1.91 billion in the same period a year ago. Investors cheered the results, sending Hong Kong-listed Standard Chartered shares 2.75% higher.Big Tech stocks boost U.S. indexesU.S. stocks advanced Thursday, boosted by jumps in Meta Platforms and Microsoft shares after the companies reported rosy earnings. The S&P 500 gained 0.63%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.21% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.52%. Asia-Pacific markets rose Friday. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index added roughly 1.7% on news that China is evaluating the prospect of talks with the U.S.[PRO] Is Big Tech back? A pair of strong earnings reports from Microsoft and Meta appears to have reignited excitement around the artificial intelligence trade and may be, at least temporarily, pushing tariff worries from investors’ minds. However, some market watchers think Microsoft’s breakout rally is unique.And finally...Sedat Suna | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesThe Roche Holding AG headquarters on April 11, 2025, in Basel, Switzerland.Inside the deal: Roche and Zealand Pharma’s $5.3 billion obesity drug gambitThe ballooning obesity drug market may have a new contender after Roche struck a $5.3 billion deal to develop Danish biotech Zealand Pharma’s “next generation” weight loss candidate.The deal, announced in March and set to close in the second quarter, marks the Swiss pharmaceutical company’s latest bid to compete with weight loss heavyweights Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly. Roche has been building portfolio of obesity treatment drugs in recent years.Zealand Pharma’s petrelintide amylin analog could set the prospective drug apart. Amylin analogs, a nascent form of weight loss treatment, mimic a hormone co-secreted with insulin in the pancreas to increase satiety. This differs from currently prevalent GLP-1 obesity drugs such as Zepbound and Wegovy, which mimic incretin hormones produced in the gut to suppress appetite.
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