When Alphabet posts earnings, investors will be looking for strong updates on Gemini, Google Cloud revenue, and its AI investment plans. Google Cloud revenue, for example, is projected to be $18.4 billion, representing 50% year-over-year growth. For the first quarter, Alphabet is expected to report earnings per share of $2.62 on revenue of $107 billion. Alphabet saw EPS of $2.81 and revenue of $90.23 billion in the same period last year.
Helping, Goldman Sachs just reiterated a buy rating on Alphabet with a price target of $400. As noted by The Street, “The firm’s core message is that the market may still be underestimating the importance of Google Cloud to Alphabet’s overall financial profile.”
“Goldman Sachs describes this as a ‘dual under-appreciated narrative’: Alphabet has both the compute scale to build the best AI infrastructure and the user distribution at scale to monetize it at the platform and application layers,” they added.
Gold has come under pressure weighed down by a stronger U.S. dollar, rising bond yields, and reduced expectations for aggressive interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve. However, there are still plenty of reasons for investors to remain bullish. For one, central banks are still adding gold to their reserves. Two, longer-term, Deutsche Bank says gold could reach $8,000 over the next five years, as central banks increasingly prioritize gold over the U.S. dollar.
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With all eyes on key earnings from Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT | MSFT Price Prediction) and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) out after the closing bell, news from the Federal Reserve, and a new threat against Iran, most of the major indices are flat.
At the moment, the S&P 500 is down about 0.05%, or by about four points. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) is up about five cents. The Dow is down 0.04%, or by 16 points. The Nasdaq is up by 0.21%, or by 55 points. Gold is down about $45 at $4,547.
Analysts remain bullish heading into the report. Goldman Sachs now has a buy rating on the tech giant with a $600 price target. According to the firm, Microsoft’s growth story remains intact, and the risk is already priced in. The firm also says Microsoft is the best compounder across AI products because it earns across AI compute, platforms, and applications.
At the center of Microsoft’s growth story is its cloud platform, Microsoft Azure. As more businesses shift their operations to the cloud, Azure has become one of the leading platforms powering that transition. Investors will be paying close attention to Azure for evidence that heavier AI spending is resulting in stronger revenue growth.
Fueling a good deal of recent upside is a combination of strong AI-driven growth in its cloud business and a strong shareholder letter from CEO Andy Jassy. Concerning the company’s AI business, the CEO noted, “I’ve followed the public debate on whether this technology is over-hyped, whether we’re in ‘a bubble,’ and if the margins and ROIC will be appealing. My strong conviction, at least for Amazon, is that the answers are no, no, and yes,” as quoted in a shareholder letter.
He added, “Three years after AWS launched commercially, it had a $58 million revenue run rate. Three years into this AI wave, AWS’s AI revenue run rate is over $15 billion in Q1 2026 (nearly 260 times larger than AWS at that same point)—and ascending rapidly.”
Oil is up $3.35 a barrel at $103.29 after President Trump said he would increase pressure on Iran’s economy and oil exports by preventing shipping to and from its ports, as noted by The Wall Street Journal. He also threatened Iran in a social media post, saying Iran “better get smart soon,” accusing Iran’s leadership of failing to get its act together.
“Iran can’t get their act together. They don’t know how to sign a non-nuclear deal. They better get smart soon!” Trump posted on the social media platform Truth Social.
Investors will be paying close attention to the Federal Reserve this afternoon.
More than likely, they’ll keep interest rates as is. In fact, as noted by Roger Ferguson, an economist and former vice chair at the Fed, as quoted by CNBC, “On the dual mandate, they’d say we’re roughly at a stable labor market. On the inflation side of the mandate, [there’s] a lot more work to be done with a sticky 3% [inflation rate], and I hope they argue, ‘we’re going to sit tight for a little while to see how this all plays out.’”
It may also be Jerome Powell’s final meeting as Federal Reserve chair.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Ian Cooper is a veteran market analyst and investment strategist with more than 20 years of experience covering stocks, commodities, and macro trends. Since 1999, he has helped investors identify market opportunities using a blend of technical analysis, fundamental research, and market sentiment.
He is the creator of the ADD News Flow Strategy, which focuses on trading market reactions to major news events and investor psychology. Cooper was also among the analysts who warned about the 2008 financial crisis and major financial institution collapses ahead of the broader market.
Before joining 247 Wall St., Cooper wrote extensively for InvestorPlace and other financial publications, covering market trends, trading strategies, and investment opportunities.
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