Hargreaves Lansdown's Derren Nathan: An earnings season different from all others

Companies have missed opportunity to lower expectations bar

clock • 3 min read

Investor relations professionals do not tend to mix the ingredients that drive business strategy or performance, yet they play an essential supporting role setting expectations and building investor confidence.

Theoretically, it is a simple equation. Under-promise - not by too much - and consistently meet or beat guidance. But US president Donald Trump's ‘shock and awe' approach to resetting tariff rates between the States and its trading partners has muddied the waters. Add in the ongoing technological revolution that is AI and the guidance tightrope coming into first quarter earnings season looked more precarious than ever. Overall, reported earnings from S&P 500 companies did not throw up anything too terrifying. Musk concedes tariff's negative impact on Tesla as carmaker misses Q1 ...

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