Disney, Expedia, Cisco and Tripadvisor: Four US stocks bucking the global selloff trend (for now)
With global shares plummeting and a sheen of sweat starting to form on bankers' brows, you'd think the end was nigh.
But it's not all doom and gloom. Check out these US stocks bucking the trend – and proving it isn't the end for the markets (yet).
1. Tripadvisor – up 12.2 per cent
Why's it winning? It turns out posting badly-written reviews of b&bs is big business. In results posted today, the company reported a seven per cent rise in sales in the three months to the end of December, while earnings per share rose to 45 cents, against forecasts of 25 cents. According to chief executive Steve Kaufer, the site reached 320m people in 2015 – so you can see why investors might want a piece of that pie.
2. Cisco Systems – up 9.4 per cent
Why's it winning? Last night the computer networking giant posted results showing it had smashed analyst expectations in the three months to the end of January, with earnings per share of $0.57, against forecasts of $0.54. But that's unlikely to be all of what's getting investors hot under the collar: the company also said it will increase its share buyback programme by $15bn (£10bn), pushing it up to a total of $112bn. Nice.
3. Expedia – up 6.5 per cent
Why's it winning? Do investors admire the travel site's plucky spirit? Last night its results showed terrorist attacks in Paris in November last year had put a $10m to $15m dent in adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation. But it also said gross bookings had increased 21 per cent in 2015, to $60.8bn, while revenues rose 16 per cent to $6.7bn.
4. Walt Disney – up one per cent
Why's it winning? Alright, so one per cent isn't exactly a triumph – but it's good going, considering the Dow Jones is down more than two per cent. Yesterday the company posted earnings of $2.9bn for the first quarter of 2016 – its highest quarterly earnings ever. It said it was boosted by record box office takings from the latest installations of Star Wars. To be fair, winning against the markets today does suggest that the force is with it…