Investment Management Week in Review – February 15, 2013
February 19, 2013
For the week ending February 15, 2013, our investment research team provides investment news and updates on domestic and international markets:
Domestic equity markets ended the week essentially unchanged. As earnings season begins to wind down, investors are left to focus on more fundamental economic data–both domestic and international–to inform their decisions. In addition, investors are likely shifting more of their attention to the next U.S. political cliffhanger: the sequester.
Through Friday, 395 S&P 500 companies had reported earnings with 71%, beating estimates by an average of 5.2%. Of those 395 companies, 55% beat revenue forecasts by an average of 2.3%.
Outside of the usual economic data, the past week was rather busy with at least three large deals being announced. On Tuesday, Comcast announced that it is acquiring the portion of NBC that it doesn’t currently own from GE for $16.7B. On Wednesday, Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway and another private equity firm announced they are buying Heinz for $23B. Also on Wednesday, U.S. Air and American Airlines formally announced their merger plans.
