Since last month’s issue, we’ve seen continued volatility in the U.S. equity markets.
Trading volume was among the slowest this year; according to Dow Jones Market Data Group, the typical daily volume in the New York Stock Exchange is close to 5 billion. However, this year, it has been around 4 billion.


The second-quarter earning session is just around the corner. Investors are eager to see how companies are contending with soaring inflation and other factors, including the U.S. labor market participation.

A sudden surge in the U.S. dollar over the past year has bought good and relatively bad news for some firms. With the dollar strengthening, American companies with significant imports have benefitted from cheaper foreign exchange trade. Meanwhile, companies with a more global business are suffering because the strong dollar is affecting their performance.

Shares of Netflix (NFLX) are trading down this morning after the company beat Q1 expectations. Revenue grew 15.2% to $9.4 billion (beating by 1.3%, or $125.2 million) while EPS grew 83.3% to $5.28 (beating by 16.7%, or $0.76). Net streaming additions was 9.3 million, way ahead of expectations.