It's a big week for tech earnings. Apple, Amazon and Alphabet report on Thursday after the bell. Angelo Zino, Senior Equity Analyst at CFRA and John Petrides, Managing Director & Portfolio Manager at Point View Wealth Management join The Long and The Short to discuss.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple will cut production of the iPhone X after weak demand. Zino says its safe to say that it could impact next quarter's earnings report. Apple's production cuts are usually 30%-50%, but it seems a bit extreme this year. He's warning investors to brace for a top-line miss on its next earnings report. However, Apple won't lower its prices anytime soon. Zino says it will always lean towards selling at a higher price because of the quality it produces.
Plus, the Dow Jones slid triple digits on Tuesday. Petrides says some pullback is healthy, especially when the market is having one of the best starts of the year to date. One of the reasons we're seeing this drop is that Apple is 4% of the S&P 500. When it isn't performing at its highest it will have a trickle-down impact on the rest of the index.
A Senate bill unveiled on Wednesday looks to tackleonline safety for children by regulating Big Tech and social media platforms to deter users from content that can harm their mental health. Irene Ly, a policy counsel for the age-based ratings and review organization Common Sense Media, joined Cheddar News to break down the potential of the Kids Online Safety Act. "We can't be imposing such a big burden on parents to be doing it all on theirselves," Ly said. "I think you also have to keep in mind that parents often didn't grow up with social media, so they don't understand what it's like to be addicted to social media or really understand how they work."
While many still remain skeptical about the metaverse, big tech firms and even one big bank are ready to expand their virtual worlds. Facebook parent company has pivoted so hard it will now call its employees 'Metamates,' and even JPMorgan Chase has created its own digital lounge on one virtual platform. While the sector remains young, there seems to be significant investment opportunity, especially with companies like Nvidia. Adam Johnson, a portfolio strategist at Adviser Investments, joins Closing Bell to discuss which companies could win in this space, consumer appetite, and more.
Marc Blinder, Co-Founder and CEO of Aikon, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he discusses how his company is helping businesses use blockchain applications without needing to learn the intricacies of the new technology.
Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) have introduced a new bill to afford greater protection to minors on social media. The genesis of the Kids Online Safety Act came from a Facebook whistleblower case exposing the harm apps can have on the mental health of young girls.
Ride share competitors Uber and Lyft both posted their fourth quarter earnings days apart from each other. Both companies have been trying to get back on their feet after taking some pandemic-related hits, but the Omicron variant had other ideas as the year came to a close, with each company taking a hit in ridership in December. Lance Ippolito, head trader at The Future of Wealth explains how Uber and Lyft measured up this earnings period and why Uber may still have an edge over the competition.
