Netflix Inc's quarterly results on Monday may offer an advanced preview of whether Facebook Inc, Amazon.com Inc and other heavyweights behind much of the U.S. stock market's record-breaking rally can keep delivering. Wall Street on Friday shrugged off a looming U.S. government shutdown and propelled the S&P 500 to a record high as investors focused on upcoming quarterly reports. Many of the largest companies - Microsoft Corp, Apple Inc, Alphabet Inc and Amazon.com - have outperformed the broader market in the first 13 trading days of 2018, with investors betting strong earnings growth will justify tech valuations at their highest levels in a decade. Netflix, which is due to report its quarterly results on Monday after the stock market closes, has jumped nearly 15 percent this year, outpacing the S&P 500's 5 percent increase. Netflix's 53 percent surge in 2017, along with rallies by Amazon.com and Silicon Valley's largest tech companies, helped propel the stock market to new highs. Apple said on Wednesday it would make about $38 billion in one-time tax payments on its overseas cash, and investors want to know how much of the $252 billion held abroad Apple will bring home and potentially spend on dividends, share buybacks or acquisitions. After the market closed on Friday, the U.S. Senate was racing to avert a government shutdown ahead of a midnight deadline on a stopgap spending measure amid lingering disagreements between Democrats and Republicans. Up 42 percent in the past 12 months, the S&P 500 information technology index is trading more than 19 times expected earnings, its highest since 2008, according to Thomson Reuters data. Facebook will post quarterly results on Jan. 31, followed by Amazon.com, Apple and Alphabet on Feb 1. Nvidia, which surged 81 percent in 2017 and replaced Qualcomm as the most valuable U.S. chipmaker after Intel Corp, reports on Feb 7.
