Markets had an eventful start to the week, with just enough optimism ahead of Big Tech earnings reports to help the Nasdaq close higher for the first time in five sessions. Deal making was also at play on Monday as Chevron bet big on buying Hess to compete with larger rival Exxon Mobil. Stocks have been feeling the pressure from multiyear highs in Treasury yields and worries about how that stands to affect the American economy. Some analysts think the benchmark 10-year yield could still have further room to run. The rapid rise in yields “should accelerate an already weakening economic picture that is masked by higher rates,” said Canaccord Genuity chief market strategist Tony Dwyer. Microsoft, which is slated to report earnings after the close Tuesday, is seen by UBS as a potential hedge against a recession next year. Unlike more focused software companies, Microsoft “has full geographic coverage across all industry verticals,” UBS analyst Karl Keirstead said, and that makes Microsoft less susceptible to downturns in any one sector or region. Alphabet is also set to report quarterly results Tuesday afternoon. Wall Street analysts also made fresh calls on what is quickly becoming one of this year’s hottest segments in pharmaceuticals – weight loss drugs. Most analysts predict the sales of weight loss drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro could easily exceed $100 billion. Citi most recently raised its sales estimates for such drugs to $71 billion by 2035, up from its prior estimate of $55 billion. Still, that’s conservative compared to Guggenheim’s expectations of $150 billion to $200 billion in sales. Europe’s most valuable publicly listed company, Novo Nordisk makes Wegovy, which is also sold under the brand name Ozempic. U.S. drugmaker Eli Lilly makes Mounjaro. Investors were also closely watching the crypto industry as bitcoin touched its highest level in over a year on Tuesday, on hopes of a bitcoin exchange-traded fund. A bitcoin ETF would give investors a way to gain exposure to bitcoin’s price movements without owning the volatile cryptocurrency directly.
CNBC Daily Open: Oil deals ahead of Big Tech earnings
