Opto

Geopolitical conflict and rising inflation are weighing heavily on US equities, but emerging markets such as Brazil and Chile have benefitted from the exclusion of Russia from key indexes.

Tesla’s share price has been on a rollercoaster. Hit by CEO Elon Musk’s offer to buy Twitter, rising inflation and increased material costs, it’s been sustained by a good Q4, increased production at its gigafactories and a potential move into robotaxis.

Meta plans to charge a massive fee on digital sales in its metaverse in today’s top stories. Profitability of S&P 500 companies is expanding.

A cinema group buying a metals mining company? It doesn’t seem to make sense, but things don’t always have to in the world of meme stocks. The key question analysts are now puzzling over is whether these investors will be sticking around for the company’s growth strategy to materialise, or if they’re just being drawn in by eyebrow raising headlines.

The Starbucks share price plunged after the company announced plans to suspend its share buyback programme. With investor sentiment damaged, securing future growth and keeping employees on the company’s side could be crucial. Analysts are already downgrading the stock.

The Aviva share price [AV.L] rebounded strongly after a mid-March selloff that saw the insurer fall to a close of 374.5p a share on 7 March.

Asos has set itself the ambitious target of doubling its profit margins — when it announces its interim trading update on Tuesday, investors will want to know just how that’s possible in a world of disrupted supply chains and rapidly fluctuating consumer demand.

Diageo’s share price has proved remarkably resilient in the face of market volatility stemming from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Shares in the spirits group have been propped up by a growing appetite for western brands in eastern Europe and a strong presence in the US.

Semiconductor company Alphawave’s $210m move for OpenFive will increase its customer base and its ‘system-on-chip’ designs. After a disappointing IPO and poor stock results, will the deal put it back on track?

Cannabis stocks tracked by the Cannabis ETF have surged in the past three weeks after a difficult start to the year. Last week’s news that the MORE Act had passed through the US House of Representatives could provide further momentum for the industry.

The ending of tariffs on UK steel and aluminium entering the US has been a tailwind for the mining industry, with the share prices of Rio Tinto, BHP and Glencore all seeing a substantial rise. Other, more unstable, factors are also driving up the prices of mining stocks, which could have a knock-on effect on the market.

The flame had almost gone out on Centrica’s [CNA] share price as the shares fell inexorably lower year in, year out from 2014. But could it be that, finally, the owner of British Gas can see the light at the end of a long, dark tunnel?

The Lululemon share price has struggled amid rising inflation and revised earnings expectations, but its fourth-quarter update will reveal whether sales have held up over this difficult period — and any new products, such as its launch into footwear, that could help grow revenues moving forward.

Bank of America expects the Russian invasion of Ukraine to accelerate and transform seven investment themes across Europe, including a substantial increase in defence spending and a sector-wide energy transition to renewables and independence.

Hybrid working in the pandemic has boosted PC demand and caused hardware sales to rocket — so should investors put their money in leaders HP or Dell?

Tencent’s stock price is still reeling from China’s regulatory crackdown and has been hit again with an alleged fine for breaking anti-money laundering regulations. With the SEC also increasing efforts to delist Chinese stocks from US markets, the company could find a much-needed tailwind in its upcoming earnings, which are forecast to see a positive jump in revenues.

As lockdown restrictions come to an end, betting company Entain could benefit from punters returning to high street bookies. However, both Entain and rival DraftKings could capitalise on the continued opening of the US sports betting market.

The Rolls-Royce share price is still recovering from the pandemic, but the latest news on its mini nuclear reactor could boost the stock.

EasyJet shares climbed in the first few weeks of the year amid hopes that travel can begin to return to pre-pandemic levels, but the industry has been hurt by Russia’s war in Ukraine and the threat of a hike in fares to offset rising oil prices.

The Fidelity MSCI Energy Index ETF share price continues to climb as oil prices rise amid inflation, supply issues and conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Yet, fossil fuel stocks may be vulnerable in the longer term as countries look to move away from oil and gas.

The quest to anticipate emerging technology trends continues to build pace alongside the sector’s exponential growth. Here, Opto looks at the companies furthering three innovations that could disrupt throughout the next decade.