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Earnings season
Start taking advantage of price movements caused by earnings seasons. Go long or short on a huge range of stocks with us, including 70 key stocks that you can trade out of hours.
Start trading today. Call 0800 195 3100 or email newaccounts.uk@ig.com. We’re here 24 hours a day, from 8am Saturday to 10pm Friday.
Contact us: 0800 195 3100
Start trading today. Call 0800 195 3100 or email newaccounts.uk@ig.com. We’re here 24 hours a day, from 8am Saturday to 10pm Friday.
Contact us: 0800 195 3100
What to watch this earnings season
The earnings season that started in January 2021 comes about a year after the Covid-19 pandemic started, and will give companies an opportunity to state how it has impacted them. It’ll be important to look at both companies that are expected to have been positively affected by the lockdown measures, and those that have suffered.
- Stay-at-home stocks
- Remote working stocks
- Coronavirus vaccine stocks
- Travel stocks
- Bank stocks
- 5G stocks
Investors rallied around these shares in the expectation that they would gain in value as consumers sought out ways to cope with life in lockdown. As a result, many entertainment companies, home delivery firms and exercise equipment makers saw an uptick in sales and their share prices.
As the economy reopens, these stocks could become less popular. It will be interesting to see what effect their time in the spotlight has had on their bottom lines this earnings season.
US stocks to watch: Netflix, Disney, Peloton and Amazon
UK stocks to watch: Games Workshop, Saga, Ocado and Sainsbury’s
Prices above are subject to our website terms and conditions. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.
Prices above are subject to our website terms and conditions. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.
A number of pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and life sciences companies are now producing Covid-19 vaccines, as well as diagnosis tests to help combat the virus.A number of pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and life sciences companies are now producing Covid-19 vaccines, as well as diagnosis tests to help combat the virus.
US stocks to watch: Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax
UK stocks to watch: GlaxoSmithKline, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca and Synairgen
Prices above are subject to our website terms and conditions. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.
Travel companies were among the first to be impacted by lockdown measures – causing falling demand for flights, hotels and entertainment venues such as casinos. The reduction in demand for holidays could result in enormous losses and difficulties paying off any fixed costs in 2021.
That said, as lockdown measures ease, there is the potential for these stocks to see gains again. But until travel between countries is back up and running, demand will be limited.
US stocks to watch: Boeing, American Airlines Group, Penn National Gaming and Eldorado Resorts
Prices above are subject to our website terms and conditions. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.
Low interest rates could impact bank stocks significantly this earnings season, as well as the decline in demand for services such as asset management and foreign exchange.
Many analysts are anticipating that unemployment and loan losses could affect banks’ profits.
US stocks to watch: Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs
Prices above are subject to our website terms and conditions. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.
Many smartphone stocks took a beating in the coronavirus slowdown, but proponents of the 5G wireless market believe it could boost earnings again. The introduction of this tech has also been slowed by the pandemic, but some major providers have started introducing coverage.
It’s worth keeping an eye on the whole 5G supply chain, from chip makers to providers.
US stocks to watch: Analog Devices, Verizon and Sprint
Prices above are subject to our website terms and conditions. Prices are indicative only. All shares prices are delayed by at least 15 mins.
What is an earnings season?
An earnings season is a period in which most public companies release their earnings reports.
Quarterly reports are mandatory in the US but not in the UK. However, a large majority of UK companies choose to partake in earnings seasons due to the increasingly multinational nature of many sectors.
- When is earnings season
- Why are earnings seasons important
- Ways to trade earnings seasons
- What is an earnings report and call
- How to trade earnings reports
Earnings season usually starts a couple of weeks after the final month of a financial quarter – December, March, June and September. Earnings seasons therefore fall in January, April, July and October.
Although it is not uncommon for companies to report outside of earnings seasons, large companies’ releases tend to fall within earnings seasons.
For more specific details, you can look at our earnings calendar to find out the exact date of a company’s earnings announcement.
Earnings announcements are released outside of market hours so that the reports reach as many people as possible and don’t interrupt the trading day. While this usually means you can’t take a position immediately, with us you can trade over 70 US stocks out of hours.
Earnings seasons give insights into the outlook of a company, and can help you to determine whether to take a position on the stock.
This is why earnings releases are usually accompanied by volatility in a company’s share price, because market sentiment is adjusting to the reports. Even more volatility is expected once chief executive officers (CEOs) have provided more information in earnings calls.
Market analysts will form estimates of whether a company’s earnings will rise or fall, which can change as it gets closer to the official announcement. If the actual numbers are above analysts’ expectations, the market could rise. But if the figures are below expectations, it is likely that the market will fall.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, the market can move in the complete opposite direction – rising when the expectations aren’t met, and falling when the earnings exceed expectations.
It is also important to look at a company’s historical figures for predicted and actual earnings and how the market responded to the reports. This could help you form an educated guess as to how volatility might play out.
For example, when analysts’ expectations of Apple’s earnings per share are in line with expectations, there tends to be little volatility. However, in Q4 2019, when earnings significantly beat estimates, the APPL share price had increased by 1% in after-hours trading and within four days it had risen in price by 4%.
Trade via spread bets and CFDs
Take advantage of both rising and falling markets with these derivative products. Spread bets and CFDs are also leveraged, so you can open a position for less – just remember, leverage does comes with increased risk.
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Plus, deal US shares commission-free, and UK shares for as little as £3, when you trade three or more times per month.1
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An earnings report is a document given to shareholders and analysts that details items such as net income, earnings per share (EPS) and net sales.
An earnings call is a conference between the management of a company, analysts, investors and the media to discuss the outcome of an earnings report. It is a chance for questions to be asked about the main details of the reports.
Depending on when a company holds its earnings call, you can use the information to inform their decisions. However, not all companies hold earnings calls, and some will not fall within the earnings period.
- Choose which companies to focus on
It’s impossible to cover every company, so just stick to a few of your favourites. - Do your research and look at analysis
Find out when each company is due to report its earnings, see what analysts expectations are and how the share price normally responds. - Create a trading strategy and stick to it
Choose your goals, methodology for entering and exiting trades, and how you will manage your risk. - Open a trading account and take your first position
You can monitor your trade easily on our platform, or set price alerts to let you know when your targets are met. - Learn from each earnings season
Once you decide to close your trade, it’s important to review your results and perform post-analysis to prepare you for the next earnings season.
Why trade earnings season with us?
Take a position on all session US shares
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Fast execution on a huge range of markets
Enjoy flexible access to more than 17,000 global markets, with reliable execution
Deal seamlessly, wherever you are
Trade on the move with our natively designed, award-winning trading app
Feel secure with a trusted provider
With 45 years of experience, we’re proud to offer a truly market-leading service
Earnings season report calendar: key events
Take a look at some of the most anticipated UK and US earnings announcements.
| Earnings release date | ||
| Delta Air Lines | 14 January | Trade now |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co | 15 January | Trade now |
| Netflix | 19 January | Trade now |
| Boeing Co | 27 January | Trade now |
| Pfizer | 2 February | Trade now |
| BP | 2 February | Trade now |
| Disney | 11 February | Trade now |
| Rolls-Royce Holdings | 18 February | Trade now |
| Lloyds | 24 February | Trade now |
| IAG | 26 February | Trade now |
Take a look at our earnings calendar for more.
Are you ready to trade earnings season? Create a live account now.
Keep up to date on earnings reports
Set trading alerts
Never miss out on earnings announcements with our free automated trading alerts. Choose from:
- Price alerts. Get notified when a market moves by a certain percentage or amount in points
- Technical indicator alerts. Use popular indicators to signal your ideal market conditions
- Economic alerts. Just select your chosen event in our economic calendar to receive an alert
Breaking news and analysis
Get updates before and after company earnings from our in-house market experts.
Compare our costs
Buy 17 Tesla shares at $750 with a FX rate of 1.305 (GBP/USD).
Please note, when you buy and sell shares with spread bets and CFDs, you will only be speculating on the underlying market price – not taking ownership of the shares.
| Spread betting | CFD trading | Share dealing | |
| Action | Go long at £0.13/pt | Go long on 17 shares | Buy 17 shares |
| Capital required to open | £2000 | $2550 | $12,750 |
| Charge to open | £0.52 (spread) | $15.00 (commission) | $0** |
| Round trip FX conversion fee | - | 0.5% FX conversion on CFD profits/losses* | $127.50 |
| Overnight funding | £1.12 | $1.48 | - |
| Charge to close | £0.52 (spread) | $15.00 (commission) | $0** |
| Total fees | £2.16 | £24.24 | £97.70 |
This information is correct as of 10/06/2020 and with the corresponding FX conversion rates.
*When you trade in a currency other than your account’s base currency.
** Trade in your share dealing account three or more times in the previous month to qualify for our best commission rates. Please note published rates are valid up to £25,000 notional value. See our full list of share dealing charges and fees.
Trade earnings season on our web platform and app
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Seize your next opportunity with one-click dealing, clear price charts, and in-platform news and analysis.
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1 Deal three or more times in the previous month to qualify for our best commission rates.
2 Best trading platform as awarded at the ADVFN International Financial Awards and Professional Trader Awards 2019. Best trading app as awarded at the ADVFN International Financial Awards 2020.
3 Based on revenue excluding FX (published financial statements, June 2020)
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