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INVESTORS TURNING THEIR FOCUS TO Q1 EARNINGS SEASON

Investors are starting to think about earnings for the first-quarter of 2025, with some key results and outlooks released from Nike NKE.N and other names late Thursday.

Estimates for earnings growth for S&P 500 .SPX companies for the first quarter of 2025 have been falling since the start of the year. Growth for the quarter is now seen at 7.7% year-over-year, which would be the lowest growth since 2023's third quarter and a big decline from 17.1% in the fourth quarter of 2024, based on Friday's LSEG data.

Nike shares fell on Friday after a warning of another quarter of sales decline, while shares of FedEx's FDX.N also tumbled after the parcel delivery firm cut its annual forecasts.

The first-quarter season is not expected to get fully underway until mid-April, however, but investors will likely be watching carefully for changes to outlooks.

(Caroline Valetkevitch)

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