Making sense of the markets this week: February 19, 2023

In the event you’re a “glass is half full”-type shareholder, you’re happy to see the corporate announce earnings, which isn’t a given for the tech large. Shopify president Harley Finkelstein highlighted the Shopify Fulfilment Community and Deliverr as strategic verticals within the firm to observe in 2023. You may also be pleased on the 45% year-to-date returns, the 21% year-on-year income development in 2022, and the optimistic momentum constructing on Q3 outcomes.

It seems there are much more “half-empty” tech traders lately. They’re fast to fixate upon Finkelstein’s much less enthusiastic statements about Shopify’s future, akin to…

“Moreover, whereas our monetary outlook assumes that the COVID-triggered acceleration of e-commerce continues to return to a extra normalized charge of development in 2023, there’s elevated inflation and continued warning round shopper spending as a consequence of a wide range of macroeconomic components.”

Thus far, it has been a stable quarter for Canadian tech firms, as they search to bounce again from a extremely powerful 2022. With Open Textual content and Lightspeed posting stable outcomes, it’s as much as Constellation Software program to maintain transferring the pattern when it declares earnings in a few weeks.
In the event you’re searching for a Canadian tech ETF with publicity to those names, the iShares S&P/TSX Capped Info Know-how Index ETF (XIT) takes a diversified method to the sector. Whereas Shopify does make up about 27% of the ETF’s holdings, it will make up considerably extra if the capped ETF had been only a pure market-weighted index ETF. Shopify’s $90 billion market cap almost doubles second-place Constellation, and it’s roughly seven instances bigger than Open Textual content’s $13 billion. For extra, you may learn this text on Canadian tech shares at Million Greenback Journey.

Don’t travellers know we’re speculated to be in a recession?

Everybody’s speaking about how unhealthy the financial system is and the way we should already be in a recession. But, somebody forgot to inform Uber and Airbnb. their revenue statements, there’s no signal we’re in laborious instances.

Admittedly, issues weren’t so rosy for Lyft. Even because the rideshare firm posted a slight enhance on earnings, the inventory was down 30% in after-hours buying and selling, as a consequence of weak income steerage (which means they’re not predicting a sudden enhance in paying clients anytime quickly). Lyft seems to have plateaued, as rider numbers are nonetheless considerably beneath pre-pandemic ranges.

Uber, nonetheless, reported an excellent fourth quarter, and the inventory value was up 9% in after-hours buying and selling. The corporate additionally introduced that, in contrast to many different tech firms, it will “proceed hiring at a considered tempo in 2023.” Proving that it could do extra with much less: Uber’s headcount is down 5%, whereas revenues are up 75% relative to 2019.

Anecdotally, as somebody who’s travelled utilizing Airbnb’s providers a number of instances over the previous yr, I wasn’t shocked to listen to how properly it’s doing. Property homeowners have positively observed demand for his or her dwellings. And I’ve not skilled any “recessionary value stress” on the locations I’ve checked out and stayed. Airbnb confirmed my hunch when the corporate launched that each day costs on their listings had been down just one% from the summer season quarter, and had been clinging to the $153-per-night value level. Listings had been up 16% in 2022.

Will the world’s economies develop in 2023?

Not too long ago, the Visible Capitalist took a take a look at development forecasts all over the world this yr. Notably, the world is projected to see 2.9% gross home product (GDP) development in 2023, whereas Canada is anticipated to return in round 1.5%.