TSLA

Shares of Tesla are trading down 3% to $214 from $222 following earnings.

The company reported $21.45 billion in revenue compared to $21.96 billion expected while earnings of $1.05 beat the $1.00 consensus. Tesla had pre-reported soft deliveries so estimates were guided lower.

As for the macro picture, Tesla isn't a strong indicator. It has a captive base of buyers but a rich valuation (although less so than at the start of the year with shares down 50%).

A better bellwether is aluminum giant Alcoa. The company's shares fell 14% to $34.10 from $37.62 as adjusted EBITDA was $210m compared to $255.7m expected. The company lost 33-cents per share compared to a 2.6 cent gain forecast. They also took a large loss on a pension adjustment.

The company lowered guidance for bauxite and alumina shipments while citing high costs for energy and raw materials as drags, citing two refineries in Europe. Both of which have been curtailed.

The company didn't offer any macro commentary.

AA shares

The final earnings report I'm looking for today will be Steel Dynamics. That sector enjoyed a boom through the pandemic but prices have fallen recently and any comments on demand for steel will be instructive. At the same time, the company has high exposure to drill pipe and could offer some insight into the ability of oil companies to improve capex.

Update: Steel Dynamics shares are up about 1.5% after earnings and commentary from CEO Mark Millett was positive.

“Customer order entry activity continues to be healthy across our businesses, with expectations for seasonally moderated volume for our steel and metals recycling operations in the coming months,” said Millett. “Despite weaker flat rolled steel pricing, our order activity and backlogs remain solid. We believe North American steel consumption will remain steady, and that demand for lower-carbon, U.S. produced steel products coupled with lower imports will support steel pricing. Our steel fabrication operations order backlog also remains historically high based on volume and forward pricing levels. This, in combination with our existing and recently announced expansion initiatives, are firm drivers for our continued growth in the coming years."