Core Insights - Operating profit increased by 48%, driven by strong online sales in the U.S. despite ongoing political uncertainty [1] Group 1 - The significant rise in operating profit indicates robust financial performance [1] - Online sales in the U.S. played a crucial role in this growth, highlighting the importance of e-commerce channels [1] - Political uncertainty did not adversely affect the company's performance, suggesting resilience in its business model [1]

Core Viewpoint - ABN Amro plans to distribute an additional 500 million euros ($595 million) to its shareholders through a buy-back program and dividend, following a strong fourth-quarter net profit of 41 million euros [1] Group 1: Financial Performance - The bank reported a fourth-quarter net profit of 41 million euros [1] - The decision to return capital to shareholders reflects the bank's strong financial position and profitability [1] Group 2: Shareholder Returns - ABN Amro's plan includes a buy-back program and dividend distribution totaling 500 million euros [1] - This move is aimed at enhancing shareholder value and demonstrating confidence in the bank's future prospects [1]

The Sonder fiasco cost Marriott millions. On a Tuesday earnings call, Marriott's outgoing finance chief, Leeny Oberg, said Marriott incurred a $23 million loss from terminating its contract with the luxury short-term rental company Sonder in November.A Tuesday earnings report said the $23 million in charges came from termination expenses and the write-down of Marriott's licensing agreement with Sonder. Oberg added that it was a one-time expense. There were no other mentions in the earnings call of any fal ...

Germany's Commerzbank , fending off a possible takeover by Italy's UniCredit , said on Wednesday that net profit in 2026 would probably exceed its original target of 3.2 billion euros ($3.81 billion). ...

Core Viewpoint - Heineken announced plans to cut up to 6,000 jobs globally and has lowered its profit growth expectations for 2026 compared to the previous year as the company and its industry peers face ongoing challenges [1] Group 1: Job Cuts - Heineken will reduce its global workforce by up to 6,000 positions [1] Group 2: Profit Growth Expectations - The company has set lower expectations for profit growth in 2026 than it did a year earlier [1]

Core Insights - Marriott International Inc continues to outperform in the competitive hotel industry, maintaining a strong position against competitors like Hilton and Hyatt [1] - BMO Capital has reaffirmed its "Outperform" rating for Marriott, raising the price target from $370 to $400 [1] Financial Performance - Marriott reported revenue of $6.69 billion for Q4 2025, slightly above analysts' expectations of $6.67 billion, leading to an 8.5% stock surge to $359.35 [2][6] - The adjusted earnings per share (EPS) were $2.58, slightly below the consensus of $2.61, while worldwide revenue per available room (RevPAR) increased by 1.9% [3][6] - International RevPAR growth was 6.1%, which helped offset flat performance in the US and Canada [3] Future Projections - For Q1, Marriott projects adjusted EPS between $2.50 and $2.55, aligning with Wall Street expectations, and anticipates worldwide RevPAR growth of 1% to 2% [4] - For the full year, adjusted EPS is expected to range from $11.32 to $11.57, with RevPAR growth projected between 1.5% and 2.5% [4] Growth Strategy - Marriott aims for net room growth of 4.5% to 5% and plans for capital returns exceeding $4.3 billion [5] - The stock has fluctuated between a low of $347.36 and a high of $363.54, with a market capitalization of approximately $96.43 billion [5]

It’s not the destination, it’s the journey — and in this economy, Americans are taking very different ones. Marriott’s fourth-quarter earnings report shows that well-heeled travelers are still shelling out for top-tier accommodations while budget and middle-income travelers are pulling back. A key industry metric, revenue per available room, jumped more than 6% for global luxury hotels in the fourth quarter. The hotel giant’s overseas travel business also helped boost the company’s results, with 6.1% grow ...

Core Viewpoint - The U.S. stock market showed mixed results with the Dow Jones increasing by 0.1%, while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 indices decreased by 0.59% and 0.33% respectively [1] Group 1: Stock Performance - Major technology stocks experienced varied performance, with Oracle rising over 2% and Tesla increasing more than 1%, while Google and Broadcom fell over 1% [1] - The residential construction, railway transportation, and tourism sectors saw significant gains, with Marriott Hotels rising over 8%, Hilton Hotels increasing over 3%, and Union Pacific up over 2% [1] - Storage and cryptocurrency-related stocks faced notable declines, with Western Digital dropping over 8%, SanDisk down over 7%, and Seagate Technology falling over 6% [1] Group 2: Chinese Stocks - The Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index rose by 0.87%, with popular Chinese stocks such as Li Auto increasing by 2.9%, and BYD and Alibaba both rising over 2% [1] - Other Chinese companies like NIO, Xpeng, New Oriental, and JD.com saw increases of over 1%, while Tencent fell by 1.4% and Meituan dropped by 2.8% [1]

Economic Indicators - Nonfarm payrolls are expected to increase by +68,000 in January, with the unemployment rate remaining unchanged at 4.4% [1] - Average hourly earnings are projected to rise by +0.3% month-over-month and +3.7% year-over-year in January [1] - Initial weekly unemployment claims are anticipated to decrease by -7,000 to 224,000 [1] - Existing home sales in January are expected to decline by -4.3% month-over-month to 4.16 million [1] - January CPI is expected to rise by +2.5% year-over-year, with core CPI also expected to increase by +2.5% year-over-year [1] Retail Sales and Employment Costs - US December retail sales were unchanged month-over-month, falling short of expectations of +0.4% [2] - The employment cost index for Q4 rose by +0.7% quarter-over-quarter, which is the smallest increase in 4.5 years and below the expected +0.8% [2] Stock Market Performance - Stock indexes experienced mixed trading, with the Dow Jones reaching a new all-time high while the S&P 500 closed down -0.33% and the Nasdaq down -0.56% [6][5] - The broader market initially found support from weaker-than-expected retail sales and employment cost index reports, which lowered bond yields [5] Earnings Season Insights - Over half of the S&P 500 companies have reported earnings, with 78% beating expectations [7] - S&P earnings growth is expected to rise by +8.4% in Q4, marking the tenth consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth [7] - Excluding the Magnificent Seven tech stocks, Q4 earnings are projected to increase by +4.6% [7] Interest Rates and Bond Market - The markets are pricing in a 23% chance of a -25 basis point rate cut at the next Federal Reserve meeting [8] - The 10-year T-note yield fell to a 3.5-week low of 4.13%, supported by weaker-than-expected economic reports [9] Sector Performance - AI-infrastructure stocks faced pressure, with Western Digital down more than -7% and other tech stocks also declining [12] - Wealth-management stocks dropped significantly, with Raymond James Financial down more than -8% due to concerns over AI disruption [13] - Homebuilding stocks rose after the drop in mortgage rates, with Toll Brothers up more than +6% [14] Company-Specific Developments - Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co reported Q4 adjusted EPS of 39 cents, below the consensus of 49 cents, leading to a decline of more than -14% [15] - Incyte forecasted dull-year total net product revenue of $4.77 billion to $4.94 billion, causing a drop of more than -8% [16] - Spotify reported a record 38 million monthly active users in Q4, leading to a rise of more than +17% [17]

Marriott International logged higher revenue in the fourth quarter, boosted by solid international travel trends and continuing strength in the company’s luxury segment https://t.co/f1ZrAOVYXK ...