CNBC Daily Open: Shiny Meta

This report is from today’s CNBC Daily Open, our new, international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Like what you see? You can subscribe here.

Treasury yields rebound
The S&P 500 fell 1.43% to close at 4,186.77 Wednesday, breaking below the key 4,200 technical support level for the first time since May as the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield rebounded nearly 11 basis points to about 4.95%. It traded above 5% earlier in the week, which rattled investors and hit tech shares. The Nasdaq Composite lost 2.43% to finish the session at 12,821.22 for its worst day since Feb. 21, when the index shed 2.5%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 105.45 points, or 0.32% to 33,035.93.

Rosy Meta
Meta shares rose more than 2% in extended trading after the Facebook parent reported better-than-expected results for the third quarter as revenue increased 23%, the fastest rate of growth since 2021. But in its third-quarter earnings report, Meta revealed its Reality Labs unit, which develops metaverse-related technologies, recorded a $3.74 billion operating loss.

IBM beats
IBM shares rose 1% in extended trading after the technology conglomerate announced third-quarter results that exceeded Wall Street estimates. Net income reached $1.70 billion, or $1.84 per share, compared with a net loss of $3.20 billion, or $3.54 per share, in the same quarter one year ago.

It’s a Barbie world
Mattel said Barbie sales jumped 16% in the third quarter, riding the wave of the blockbuster movie. The “Barbie” film, released in July, is largely responsible for the bump, Mattel said. It is the highest-grossing film this year, clearing more than $1.4 billion worldwide.

Boeing’s dimmer forecast
Shares of the passenger plane maker Boeing fell 2.5% after a mixed earnings report. The company reported a quarterly revenue beat but a wider-than-expected loss. The aircraft maker trimmed its 2023 guidance for 737 Max deliveries, which was widely expected.

New Morgan Stanley CEO
Morgan Stanley said Ted Pick will succeed James Gorman as CEO at the start of 2024. Pick, a Morgan Stanley veteran who rose through the ranks to be its co-president the last two years, led the bank’s institutional securities group, which includes investment banking and trading activities.

[PRO] How to play Alphabet
Shares of the Google parent dropped 9.5%, putting it on pace for the worst day in nearly a year, after the dominant search engine owner reported cloud revenue that missed analysts’ expectations. This is what Wall Street analysts are saying investors should think about.

On the other hand, advertising revenue increased about 9.5% at Google parent Alphabet and 5% at smaller rival Snap.

The divergence could get even starker. Meta said it expects revenue of $36.5 billion to $40 billion for the fourth quarter. At the midpoint of this range, growth in the quarter will be about 19% higher from a year earlier.

Meta has pointed to its hefty investments in artificial intelligence as a key technology that has helped it better target promotions on its online platforms. Consequently, the company is making the quickest progress following Apple’s iOS privacy changes in 2021, which made it hard for app developers to target users.

Mark Zuckerberg’s big bet on AI though, is still bleeding cash. Meta’s Reality Labs unit, which develops metaverse-related technologies, recorded a $3.74 billion operating loss.

Still, there is no escaping the uncertainty of the situation in the Middle East due to the Israel-Hamas war.

In an earnings call with analysts, Susan Li, Meta’s finance chief, cited that reason for surprisingly yawning gap between its low-end and high-end forecasts in the company’s fourth-quarter revenue guidance.

That same unpredictability has also contributed to whipsawing Treasury yields, which is curbing market gains from earnings beats.

— CNBC’s Jonathan Vanian contributed to this report.