10 things you need to know before the opening bell
Deutsche Bank had an awful 2015. The German investment bank lost €6.8 billion ($7.4 billion) for 2015, making for its first losing year since 2008. For the fourth quarter, Deutsche Bank posted a €1.15 billion pre-tax loss, compared to a net profit of €323 million a year earlier. Following the results, the bank's advisory board announced management wouldn't be receiving a bonus for the year. "We are focused on 2016 and continue to work hard to clear up our legacy issues," Co-CEO John Cryan said. "Restructuring work and investment in our platform will continue throughout the year."
Facebook earnings crushed estimates. The social media giant earned an adjusted $0.79 per share, crushing the $0.68 that was expected by the Bloomberg consensus. Revenue surged 52% versus last year to $5.84 billion, easily beating the $5.37 billion that was anticipated. Monthly active users jumped 21% to 1.59 billion and daily active users climbed 17% to 1.04 billion. Shares of Facebook are up 11% in pre-market trade.
Samsung's earnings plunged. Samsung Electronics says net profit tumbled 40% for the October to December period to 3.2 trillion won ($2.7 billion). On the plus side, sales ticked up 1% to 53.3 trillion won. According to AP, the results showed weakness in Samsung's semiconductor business, which joined the mobile division's slowdown.
UK GDP was in-line. The UK grew at a 0.5% quarter-over-quarter clip during the fourth quarter, matching estimates. However, the third quarter's 0.5% QoQ print was revised down to 0.4%. Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, says the third quarter revision might mean the beginning of a "pronounced slowdown." The British pound is stronger by 0.4% at 1.4295.
Provinces across China are lowering their growth targets. It's no secret that China's economy is slowing down. Now, provinces across the country are announcing lower growth targets. State-run People's Daily reports, 15 provinces have lowered their target while six were left unchanged, and three in northeast were raised. People's Daily also noted provinces will aim for higher quality growth rather than just the rate. Most economists forecast China to grow between 6.5% and 7% this year.
The People's Bank of China is providing liquidity ahead of the Lunar New Year. On Wednesday, the PBOC announced it was injecting 340 billion yuan ($52 billion) into the system to provide liquidity during the upcoming Lunar New Year. The announcement follows a similar one on Tuesday, when the PBOC announced it would pour 440 billion yuan ($67 billion) into the economy. According to Bloomberg, Tuesday's injection was the largest in three years. Typically, Chinese companies pay out bonuses and exchange gifts over the week-long holiday.
Japan's economy minister resigned. Akira Amari has resigned from his post as Japan's economy minister following a political funding scandal. According to Reuters, Amari received payments from a construction company executive, but he says they weren't a bribe. Amari insists he told his aides to record them as a political donation. "Anything that hampers this [Japan's return from deflation] must be eliminated, and I'm no exception. I, therefore, would like to resign as minister to take responsibility," Amari said.
Stock markets around the globe are mostly lower. China's Shanghai Composite (-2.9%) led the way lower in Asia while Hong Kong's Hang Seng (+0.8%) outperformed. In Europe, Germany's DAX (-1.8%) is the worst performer. S&P 500 futures are up 2.00 points at 1876.75.
Earnings reporting is heavy. Auto Nation, Baker Hughes, Bristol-Myers, Celgene, Ford Motor, Harley-Davidson, Jetblue Airways, Northrop Grumman, Pulte Group, Time Warner Cable and Under Armour highlight the names reporting ahead of the opening bell. Microsoft, Visa and Western Digital are among the names reporting after markets close.
US economic data picks up. Initial and continuing claims and durable orders will be announced at 8:30 a.m. ET before pending home sales crosses the wires at 10 a.m. ET. Natural gas inventories will be reported at 10:30 a.m. ET. Treasury will hold a $29 billion 7-year note auction at 1 p.m. ET. The US 10-year yield is unchanged at 2.00%.