Quick overview
- Thursday’s earnings calendar includes major companies like Amazon, Eli Lilly, Mastercard, Intel, and Shell, with a focus on various sectors such as cloud spending and pharmaceutical demand.
- Investors will closely watch Amazon and Intel for insights into infrastructure and semiconductor cycles, while Mastercard’s results will shed light on consumer spending trends.
- Eli Lilly’s performance will indicate the demand for its weight-loss and diabetes treatments, and Shell’s results will assess energy-sector profitability amidst fluctuating commodity prices.
- The key market catalyst will be forward guidance, as even strong earnings may not boost stocks if management signals concerns about growth or margins.
Thursday’s earnings calendar features Amazon (AMZN), Eli Lilly (LLY), Mastercard (MA), Intel (INTC) and Shell (SHEL). Investors watching cloud spending, pharmaceutical demand, payment volumes, semiconductor recovery and energy profitability.
Amazon and Intel stand out for investors tracking infrastructure spending and the semiconductor cycle, while Mastercard offers insight into consumer spending and international payment activity. Eli Lilly’s results will help gauge pharmaceutical demand, and Shell will provide a fresh assessment of energy-sector profitability.
Earnings Calendar Highlights — Thursday
The key market catalyst will be forward guidance: even an earnings beat may fail to lift a stock if management signals slower growth, rising costs or weaker margins.
Amazon (AMZN) — After Market Close (AMC)
- – Expected EPS: $1.96
- – Focus: Investors will examine Amazon Web Services growth, retail profitability and capital expenditure on data centres and computing infrastructure.
- – Key questions: Can cloud revenue growth justify rising infrastructure costs, and will advertising and retail margins continue to support earnings?
- – Market outlook: Strong AWS performance could support the shares, but heavy investment requirements and concerns about returns from computing infrastructure may limit the reaction if results disappoint.
Eli Lilly (LLY) — Before Market Open (BMO)
- – Expected EPS: $6.61
- – Focus: Investors will assess demand for the company’s weight-loss and diabetes treatments, including sales growth, production capacity and the competitive landscape.
- – Key questions: Can Eli Lilly sustain strong demand while expanding supply, and will management provide encouraging guidance for the remainder of the year?
- – Market outlook: Strong sales and improved guidance could support the stock, while pricing pressure, supply constraints or weaker-than-expected growth could trigger profit-taking.
Mastercard (MA) — Before Market Open (BMO)
- – Expected EPS: $5.17
- – Focus: Mastercard’s results will provide insight into global consumer spending, cross-border transactions and the resilience of digital payments.
- – Key questions: Are international travel and cross-border payment volumes maintaining momentum? Investors will also monitor operating expenses, client incentives and commentary on competition and regulatory risks.
- – Market outlook: Strong transaction growth could support the shares, while slowing consumer activity or rising costs could weigh on margins.
Intel (INTC) — After Market Close (AMC)
- – Expected EPS: $0.40
- – Focus: Investors will look for evidence that Intel’s turnaround is progressing, particularly across its data-centre and AI-related products, PC processors and foundry operations.
- – Key questions: Can Intel improve margins and strengthen its competitive position against AMD and other chipmakers? Updates on manufacturing execution, capital spending and future demand will be important.
- – Market outlook: Better guidance or signs of improving profitability could support a recovery, but elevated expectations and continued foundry losses could leave the shares vulnerable to disappointment.
Shell (SHEL) — Before Market Open (BMO)
- – Expected EPS: $3.67
- – Focus: Shell’s results will be assessed against movements in oil and gas prices, refining margins, trading performance and shareholder distributions.
- – Key questions: Can integrated energy operations offset commodity-price volatility? Investors will also monitor cash flow, debt levels, dividends and share repurchases.
- – Market outlook: Strong cash generation and resilient energy prices could support the shares, while weaker margins or lower commodity prices could pressure earnings.
Forex Signals Update
Gold Capped by the 20 SMA
Gold prices experienced a volatile trading week, ultimately finishing significantly lower after an initially strong rally lost momentum. The precious metal climbed above $4,300 early in the week but later reversed sharply, ending nearly $100 below its recent highs as investors reassessed the outlook for interest rates and global risk sentiment.
The decline was largely driven by a stronger U.S. dollar, rising Treasury yields, and reduced demand for defensive assets following positive geopolitical developments in the Middle East. Despite the weakness, gold remains above the critical $4,000 support zone, which continues to define the longer-term bullish trend but it is under attack.
MAs Hold as Support for USD/JPY
Foreign exchange markets saw sharp swings. Early in the week, U.S. yield differentials and Japanese capital outflows pushed the dollar above ¥150, but disappointing U.S. jobs data triggered profit-taking, causing the USD/JPY to slide by four yen from its peak. However, the new BOJ governor the JPY has weakened and USD/JPY soared to 154 and we decided to close our buy signal for more than 80 pips as the pair found support at the 20 daily SMA (gray) and has rebounded more than 200 pips off that MA but reversed after the 25 bps rate cut from the FED. The price climbed to $164 but reversed after the BOJ meeting and fell 7 cents, breaking below the 100 daily SMA (red) as well, which has been acting as support before.
USD/JPY – Daily Chart
Cryptocurrency Update
Bitcoin Faces the 100 SMA as Resistance
Cryptocurrencies remained highly active over the summer. Bitcoin (BTC) climbed to fresh highs of $123,000 and $124,000 in July and August, supported by institutional inflows and technical strength. However, remarks from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ruling out U.S. increases to BTC reserves triggered a steep pullback, sending the coin down to $80K before finding support at the 100 weekly SMA (green) which might turn into resistance at 90K now, after the rebound.
BTC/USD – Daily Chart
Ethereum Returns Above $2,000
Ethereum (ETH) has been similarly strong, surging toward $4,800, its highest since 2021 and near its all-time peak of $4,860. Despite a dip last week, ETH found support at the 20-day SMA, with retail enthusiasm and renewed institutional participation driving fresh upside momentum. Last week we saw a dive below $2,000 but buyers returned and pushed the price above $2K again.
ETH/USD – Weekly Chart
Skerdian Meta
Lead Analyst
Skerdian Meta Lead Analyst.
Skerdian is a professional Forex trader and a market analyst. He has been actively engaged in market analysis for the past 11 years. Before becoming our head analyst, Skerdian served as a trader and market analyst in Saxo Bank’s local branch, Aksioner. Skerdian specialized in experimenting with developing models and hands-on trading. Skerdian has a masters degree in finance and investment.
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