On today’s episode of the Zacks Friday Finish Line podcast, Content Writer Ryan McQueeney and Editor Maddy Johnson take on this week’s biggest story: the start of earnings season and the outlook for Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon this quarter.

First, the hosts took a look at Target (TGT), the latest traditional retailer to post disappointing holiday sales. Target said that comparable sales fell 1.3% in November and December and any gains seen in its online business were outshone by increased difficulty in getting customers into its stores.

Read more here: Target Slides 6% on Disappointing Holiday Sales

Maddy and Ryan kicked off the discussion about earnings season by looking at one of the biggest companies to have already reported: Netflix (NFLX). The video streaming giant saw its stock soar after posting an earnings beat and surpassing its own membership growth estimates.

Check out the full details: Netflix Stock Climbs on Fourth Quarter Earnings Beat

Finally, the hosts preview the upcoming earnings reports from Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL), Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN), and Apple (AAPL). While all four companies are showing some signs of growth, success is not a guarantee for anyone.

Alphabet investors will want to know whether Google’s new line of Pixel phones has taken off; Microsoft investors will be curious about the company’s growing cloud business; Amazon investors will hope that the company can bounce back from its disappointing miss last quarter; and Apple investors will be crossing their fingers that the new iPhone and MacBook Pro are selling well.

Find out what else is being said about these companies and more in the tech sector:

Will Microsoft Beat On Earnings This Quarter?

Tech Stock Roundup: AAPL AR, AMZN Card, Waymo Tech, YHOO

Amazon Pledges To Create 100,000 Full-Time U.S. Jobs By 2018

As always, thanks for checking out this week’s episode of the Zacks Friday Finish Line, and make sure to check back next week for even more news from the investment and financial world!

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