With sticky inflation and increasing uncertainty about the Federal Reserve's rate-cutting path, first-quarter earnings could be the next-best sign of the stock market's health, and whether equities can make further progress or manage to hold on to recent gains. After a stellar first quarter, stocks have had a rough start to the second quarter, with all three major U.S. stock indexes trading in the red this month.
23 reflecting higher demand for its surgical robots used in minimally-invasive procedures. Citigroup recently raised its price target on Intuitive to $462 from $428 and kept a buy rating on the stock, saying in an early April note that the Food and Drug Administration's long-awaited approval of the company's Da Vinci 5 robotic surgery system should drive the stock higher.