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Today we are watching…
1. Facebook (#fb)
Major Western elections are right around the corner, and Facebook investors are struggling with traumatic memories. Last time out, Facebook shares lost almost half their value the platform played host to election interference from other countries. Mark Zuckerberg’s second chance is here, and there’s no room for error. With Libra hanging in the balance and new services launching that are intimate with your data, the company can’t afford to erode any more trust. Zuckerberg claims to have cleared the runway of all Russian and Iranian collusion for the next election, so that’s good. Facebook stock is back on form, but market players will pay special attention to what marketers say if history ends up repeating itself.
2. Lockheed Martin (#lockhd)
The world’s riots, of today and tomorrow, are keeping defense stocks like Lockheed Martin in business. This one’s not the biggest fish in the aerospace pond, but it’s up 44% this year as geopolitical uncertainty lifts defense spending. Fighter jet demand is powering on, and new technology is paying dividends in every-day operations. The company has a near-perfect track record (94%) of beating earnings expectations as well, but never say never! Today, Lockheed Martin will try to scale $5.03 profit per share estimates on $14.8 billion in revenue.