What investors can expect from 'pivotal' US earnings season?

An eye on tech players and artificial intelligence

Slowing global growth, rising interest rates and mixed macroeconomic signals make the current earnings season an important one for many of the world's largest businesses. The same also applies to some of the leading lights of the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution.

Companies such as Alphabet (Google's parent) and Intuitive Surgical, the leader in robotic surgery, are under greater scrutiny following the equity market moves seen in Q4 and fears that Wall Street could be talking itself into a recession, even if this is not justified by corporate fundamentals. The tail end of 2018 was undeniably a challenging period for global equity markets amid concerns about rising rates in the US, a burgeoning trade war between the US and China and regional challenges such as Brexit. Three unexpected sectors where AI is coming to the fore The shorter-term ou...