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Given this outlook, the firm lifted its price target to $70 from $65, reflecting 24% upside from Thursday's close. — Samantha Subin 6:20 a.m.: Citi trims price target on Roblox, cites slower bookings growth Citi cut its price target on Roblox to $40 from $52 a share as the gaming platform grapples with a deceleration in bookings growth. "We are updating our model to account for 1Q24 results and our latest outlook," wrote analyst Jason Bazinet. For 2025, Citi now expects bookings growth of 14% versus 21%, or 4% below consensus. The firm expects bookings growth of 10% in 2026, which is 11% below consensus.

Persons: Macquarie, Jefferies, Reddit, Ronald Josey, OpenAI, Josey, – Samantha Subin, Mark McLaughlin, McLaughlin, — Samantha Subin, Jason Bazinet, DAUs, Bazinet, Craig Siegenthaler, Siegenthaler, Robinhood, — Fred Imbert, Morgan Stanley downgrades Baidu, Morgan Stanley, Gary Yu, Yu, Ellie Jiang, JD, Jiang, Laurence Alexander, Alexander Organizations: CNBC, DuPont, OpenAI, Bank of America, Citi, Baidu, Macquarie, Jefferies, DuPont de Nemours Locations: China, 3Q24, Robinhood, Underperform, Thursday's, JD.com

☆ Gaza Gets Its First Aid Shipment from U.S. Pier: Israel-Hamas Latest Updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The notion of deploying U.N. peacekeepers into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been mentioned occasionally by diplomats. But the Arab League’s statement appeared to be the first time the group had officially made such a request in a written document, according to Farhan Haq, a U.N. spokesman. U.N. forces, which are typically drawn from the armed forces of multiple countries, do not enter live battle zones and do not engage in fighting. Both Israel and Hamas would also have to agree to having U.N. peacekeepers on the ground. “We don’t go into active combat, and parties themselves have to agree on allowing the presence of peacekeepers.

Persons: Farhan Haq, Mr, Haq, don’t, Israel, Vedant Patel, António Guterres, Guterres Organizations: United Nations, West Bank, . Security, League, Arab League, State Department Locations: Gaza, Israel, Manama, Bahrain, United States, Washington, Bahrain’s, Rafah

☆ What’s at stake in the union election at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

New York CNN —A high-stakes union election is underway at a Mercedes-Benz plant near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the only plant for the luxury automaker in North America. The fallout will be significant whether the workers at Mercedes-Benz vote to join the United Auto Workers union or not. And last month, it won a union election at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, its first victory in three attempts to organize the factory. Though a union win could generate momentum, it doesn’t mean a victory will mean other plants can overcome management opposition at other foreign-owned plants. Non-union automakers have already begun their response to the big union victories thus far.

Persons: Shawn Fain, Fain, ”, —, Tesla, Mercedes, Mercedes ’, “, MBUSI, Wheaton, Mercedes plant’s, It’s, Mercedes Benz, ” Wheaton, “ It’s, Harry Katz, ” Katz, Katz, ’ ” Katz, they’ve, CNN’s Chris Isidore, Nathaniel Meyersohn Organizations: New, New York CNN, Benz, Mercedes, United Auto Workers, UAW, Big Three, Volkswagen, Kia, Toyota, US, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Volvo, Team, The National Labor Relations Board, Benz US International, Member, Volkswagen didn’t, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations ’, CNN, “ Labor, Big, – GM, Ford, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, P Global Market Intelligence, General Motors Locations: New York, Tuscaloosa , Alabama, North America, Chattanooga , Tennessee, United States, Vance , Alabama, Tuscaloosa, ”, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations ’ Buffalo, Alabama, Alabama , Georgia , Mississippi, South Carolina , Tennessee, Texas

☆ The US is worried about an invasion, but China could take control of Taiwan without firing a shot, war experts warn
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Defense experts say that an aggressive Chinese coercion campaign, short of war but still threatening, is more likely than a full-scale invasion and the US needs to prepare for such an event. Economic and diplomatic pressure is notable, and Chinese misinformation operations and the potential to slowly set up a blockade of Taiwan are also concerns. Annabelle Chih/Getty ImagesThe report identifies four things key to resisting Chinese coercion. CM-11 tanks fire artillery during the 2-day live-fire drill, amid intensifying threats military from China, in Pingtung county, Taiwan, 7 September 2022.

Persons: —, Han, Annabelle Chih, MANDY CHENG, Lai Ching, Lai, Ceng Shou Yi, John Aquilano, Xi, Aquilano, Carlos Del Toro, Frank Kendall Organizations: Service, Business, American Enterprise Institute, Institute for, Liberation Army, PLA, AEI, Cobra, Getty, Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan, Getty Images, US, Pacific Command, US Armed Services, Air Force, Department of Defense Locations: Taiwan, China, Pingtung, US, Pacific, Hualien, AFP, Pingtung county, Guam, Japan

☆ AI chatbots spew out nonsense too often. But there's a solution: retrieval-augmented generation.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Matthew S. Smith | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

RAG was the first," said Bob van Luijt, the CEO and cofounder of the AI data infrastructure company Weaviate. WeaviateThe innovation that's sweeping AI"Every industry that has a lot of unstructured data can benefit from RAG," van Luijt said. Courtesy of Kyle DeSanaHe said that a successful RAG chatbot could carry its own pitfalls. AI engineers are eager to find more proactive solutions that don't require constant meddling with the data RAG provides to the AI. Put simply, an AI chatbot would have an effectively infinite memory, letting it "remember" any data presented to it in the past.

Persons: —, OpenAI's ChatGPT, RAG, Bob van Luijt, Bob, van Luijt, Nadaa, Taiyab, van Lujit, Van Lujit, that's, Kyle DeSana, DeSana, Weaviate, it's Organizations: Service, Nvidia, Companies, Google

☆ Columbia University president hit with no-confidence vote from faculty group over handling of pro-Palestinian campus protests
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Alisha Ebrahimji | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Columbia cited security concerns in canceling the large event, a school official told CNN, and instead is holding smaller ones. “Canceling the traditional commencement ceremony was one of the toughest calls in a year of many tough calls,” Shafik wrote in an op-ed in the Columbia Daily Spectator, noting her top priority has been the safety of students, faculty and staff. Fifty people were arrested, and police began the booking process onsite, university spokesperson Tom Vasich said in an email. Pro-Palestinian protesters had set up a campus encampment on April 29, when the university also called in local law enforcement. “This is not protest, this is pure hate.”The building’s takeover came a day after the UCB Divest Coalition agreed to end its campus encampment following discussions with university leadership.

Persons: Minouche Shafik, “, Shafik “, Ben Chang, Shafik, ”, ” Shafik, Tom Vasich, ” Vasich, Vasich, Anna, Dan Mogulof, Nazism ”, David, Mogulof, Santiago Mejia, ” Carol Christ, Jagdeep Singh Bachher, Ana Mari Cauce, ” Cauce, David Ryder David Ryder, ’, Russell Dorn, Robert Manuel, ” Manuel, Manuel, –, ” Benjamin Meyer, Morehouse, Joe Biden’s, David A, Thomas, CNN’s Victor Blackwell, Amanda Musa, Matt Egan, Julia Vargas Jones, Andy Rose, Chris Boyette, Melissa Alonso Organizations: CNN — Pro, Columbia University, Ivy League school’s, New York, CNN, Barnard College, American Association of University Professors, –, Columbia Daily Spectator, UC Irvine, University of California, Irvine Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Authorities, KABC, UC Berkeley, Pro, KGO, Jewish Community Relations, Nazism, UCB, UC Berkeley’s, Palestine, San Francisco, Getty, UC Regents, UC, Regents, University of Washington, Seattle, Wednesday, REUTERS, Reuters, University, ” DePaul University, Police, DePaul University in, WLS, DePaul, ” University, Coalition, ” Morehouse, Morehouse College’s, White House, White Locations: Israel, Gaza, Shafik, Columbia, Irvine, Orange, Berkeley, Merced, Seattle, DePaul University in Chicago, Atlanta

☆ Arab League Calls for U.N. Peacekeepers in Gaza and the West Bank
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Anushka Patil | Farnaz Fassihi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Arab League called on Thursday for a United Nations peacekeeping force to be deployed in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank until a two-state solution can be negotiated, in a statement that also called for the U.N. Security Council to set a time limit for that political process. The notion of deploying U.N. peacekeepers into the Israeli-Palestinian conflicthas been mentioned occasionally by diplomats. It’s unlikely that U.N. peacekeepers would be deployed to Gaza and the West Bank in the near future because sending U.N. peacekeepers into any conflict requires first the authorization of the Council. “We don’t go into active combat, and parties themselves have to agree on allowing the presence of peacekeepers. In addition to calling for an immediate cease-fire and accusing Israel of obstructing those efforts, the Arab League called for “the deployment of United Nations international protection and peacekeeping forces in the occupied Palestinian territory until the two-state solution is implemented.”

Persons: Farhan Haq, Mr, Haq, don’t, Israel, ” Organizations: United Nations, West Bank, . Security, League Locations: Gaza, Palestinian, Israel, Manama, Bahrain

I tested the Flexispot E2 Pro Standing Desk, the best budget option in our guide to the best standing desks, to see if it stood up to these criteria. Flexispot E2 Pro Standing Desk The no-frills Flexispot Standing Desk moves quickly, smoothly, and quietly to reach your desired height. Kelly Burch/InsiderMy first task was to decide which E2 Pro desk I wanted to test. We've reviewed the best standing desks, as well as the best standing desk converters. Kelly Burch/InsiderThe Flexispot E2 Pro is a well-built, stable and easy-to-use standing desk that offers plenty of work space.

Persons: Max, Kelly Burch, I'm, Kelly Burke, We've, I've Organizations: Business, Shop

☆ These are Goldman Sachs' favorite stocks with 50% or more upside
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

'Conviction list' stocks with big upside Investors still looking for quality names with more upside may want to consider names in Goldman's conviction lists — directors' cut. CNBC Pro scoured Goldman's May conviction lists for stocks with further upside of 50% or more, based on the bank's price targets. Goldman gave it a price target of $35, implying 107% upside. Goldman gave it a price target of 37 euros ($40), implying 64% upside. The bank gave the stock a price target of 380,000 Korean won ($277), or potential upside of 94%.

Persons: Stocks, Goldman Sachs, Peter Oppenheimer, Goldman, Neste, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Dow Jones, U.S . Federal, Fed, CNBC, Europe's, Energy, Korean Locations: 1Q24, United States, Europe, Asia, Korean

☆ A stock trader who consistently beats the S&P 500 and returned 118% in his best year shares how he's investing his money in 2024 — and what ETF he would add to his portfolio if he was a 'set and forge
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Courtesy of Erik SmolinskiHe says he has a long position in iShares Russell 2000 ETF (ETF, IWM) and iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (ETF, TLT). AdvertisementThe portfolio addition for the hands-off investor: the iShares Russell 2000 ETFSmolinski recognizes that, as an investor, he's "more active than I imagine most people want to be." For the everyday investor who wants to be more hands-off, he recommends buying the iShares Russell 2000 ETF. This investment tracks the Russell 2000 Index, which measures the performance of small caps. That would be the next expression, so: looking at strong sectors, strong sub-sectors, then finding the leading stocks within those strong performing sub-sectors."

Persons: —, Erik Smolinski, he's, Smolinski, He's, Russell Organizations: Service, Business, Marine, Treasury Bond, Nasdaq Locations: California, Norway, iShares Russell

☆ CEO says Pinterest's growth strategy centers on 'positivity' not 'engagement via enragement'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Julie Coleman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

"When I came into Pinterest, one of the things I set out to do was prove a business model for social media centered on positivity rather than engagement via enragement," Ready said. Like its peers, Pinterest uses AI to improve on its recommendation selections, Ready said. According to Ready, Pinterest is also different from other platforms because its users are more engaged than those in older generations. Usually, he said, social media sites attract their most engaged cohorts early on. "Not only are we aging down, our most recent cohorts are nearly twice as engaged as cohorts from the years prior," he said.

Persons: Bill Ready, CNBC's Jim Cramer, Pinterest, Ready Organizations: Wednesday Locations: Pinterest, enragement

☆ The US and Pacific ally Japan are teaming up to defeat new hypersonic missiles that right now are basically unstoppable
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewThe US and Japan have agreed to work together to develop a defense system to defeat hypersonic missiles, according to the US Department of Defense. Russian navy frigate Admiral Gorshkov launching a Zircon hypersonic missile in White Sea, Russia, on July 19, 2021. Notably, Pyongyang is also attempting to develop what it says are hypersonic missiles. DF-17 medium-range ballistic missiles equipped with a DF-ZF hypersonic glide vehicle in a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People's Republic. The allies successfully tested the jointly developed Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) Block IIA interceptor in a February 2017 intercept of a ballistic missile target.

Persons: —, Gorshkov, Zoya Rusinova Organizations: Service, US Department of Defense, Business, Cooperative, US Missile Defense Agency, Japan, Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, AP, China's, Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense, Iran's, Israel Locations: Japan, Russian, Sea, Russia, Pacific, Moscow, Beijing, Pyongyang, Republic, Getty

☆ Opinion: Restricting and monitoring social media won’t protect kids — here’s what will
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Opinion Michal Luria | Aliya Bhatia | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

But the bills mentioned by policymakers at a congressional hearing last month to address the problem — specifically, the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act — may do more harm than good. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will be considering the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act on Thursday. Both KOSA and the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act also propose parental monitoring tools to help guardians observe their children’s online activities. Join us on Twitter and FacebookBut that’s not enough — social media platforms should continue taking active steps toward more thoughtful designs for young people. A parent might talk to their child about what they are doing online or respond to something they post on social media.

Persons: Michal Luria, Aliya Bhatia, Aliya Bhatia Tim Hoagland, — Organizations: Center for Democracy & Technology, CNN, US, American Psychological Association, Pew Research Center, Social Media, Senate Commerce, Science, Transportation, Research, Global, American Privacy, APRA, Federal Trade Commission, Social, Twitter

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken warned on Wednesday that recent gains in getting desperately needed humanitarian aid to people in the Gaza Strip risked being undone by the fighting in southern Gaza. The border crossing in the southern city of Rafah has been closed since Israel began what it describes as a limited military operation against Hamas fighters in the town, on the border with Egypt. The United Nations said on Wednesday that 600,000 people had fled Rafah since Israel’s ground assault started there. “At the very time when Israel was taking important and much needed steps to improve the provision of humanitarian assistance,” Mr. Blinken said to reporters in Kyiv, Ukraine, “we’ve seen a negative impact on the fact that we have this active, very active conflict in the Rafah area.”Josep Borrell Fontelles, the European Union’s top diplomat, said in a statement that Israel needed to end its Rafah operation “immediately,” warning that extending it “would inevitably put a heavy strain on the E.U.’s relationship with Israel.”

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, Israel, ” Mr, “ we’ve, ” Josep Borrell Fontelles, ” Organizations: Israel, Hamas, United Nations Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Egypt, Kyiv, Ukraine, “, Israel

☆ Election Updates: Biden and Trump are aiming to have two debates, the first in June.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jonathan Swan | Maggie Haberman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +13 min

Mr. Biden recently indicated he would debate Mr. Trump, but had until now declined to give any firm commitment or specific details. In a video announcing his offer, Mr. Biden taunted Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump leads Mr. Biden in most polls of battleground states, including the recent surveys by The New York Times, Siena College and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Significantly more voters trust Mr. Trump over Mr. Biden to handle the economy. Mr. Biden, exasperated, famously said to Mr. Trump, “Will you shut up, man?

Persons: Biden, Donald J, Trump, —, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Mr, Biden’s, Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, O’Malley Dillon, ”, Trump’s, “ Let’s, Donald, Ms, Mark Makela, “ Will, Susie Wiles, Chris LaCivita, Reagan, “, There’s, Kennedy, Wiles, LaCivita, George W, Bush’s, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Richard Perry, Romney, Hillary Clinton’s, Bill Clinton, Reid J, Epstein Organizations: The New York Times, Biden, Commission, Mr, Trump, “, ”, Republican National Convention, Republican National Committee, Siena College, The Philadelphia Inquirer, White House, CNN, Electoral College —, Republican, Democratic, ” Networks, CBS News, ABC News, Telemundo Locations: Washington, Trump’s Manhattan, York, Milwaukee, America

☆ This year's biggest air battles are showing the US what it could need most in a missile war with China
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jake Epstein | Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, FileThe war has shown how effective air defenses can be at denying air superiority, protecting key areas, and threatening high-value aircraft, as well as the costs when capabilities are degraded. Ukraine's air defenses, like its Soviet-era S-300s and US-supplied Patriots, have defeated enemy missile and drone strikes, hindered Russian air operations, and shot down numerous fighter-bombers and other Russian planes. "Ukraine and NATO might reduce risks with a two-prong strategy of strengthening air defenses and boosting infrastructure resilience." Needing more interceptors for the PacificFrom the fights this year, the US can see how it'll need to employ air defenses in a potential showdown with China. Running out of air defenses before the enemy runs out of air threats spells trouble.

Persons: —, Bradley Martin, Evgeniy, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Firefighters, Archer Macy, Martin, Shaan Shaikh, We've, Amir Cohen TPX, Shaikh, it's, Andy Wong, Thomas Shugart, Shugart, Joshua Smoot, Heath Collins, Navy Carlos Del Toro, Macy, Mark Wright Organizations: Service, Business, US Navy, Ukraine, AP, Patriots, Institute for, Emergency, Ministry, RAND Corporation, NATO, Western, Central Command, Combat, Navy, RAND, Patriot, US, Missile Defense, Center for Strategic, International Studies, REUTERS, China, Pentagon, Defense, Center, New, Air Force, 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, Andersen Air Force Base, US Air Force, Aegis, Missile Defense Agency, Former Navy, CSIS, Pacific Missile, AP Air Locations: China, Ukraine, Israel, Navy, Russia, Congress, Avdiivka, Kharkiv, Russian, Kyiv, NATO, Yemen, Gulf of Aden, Iran, Red, Screengrab, French, Ashdod, South Korea, Japan, Guam, Beijing, New American, Gen, Kauai, Hawaii

☆ Air Force asks for new charges against airman who leaked classified intel on Discord
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —US Air Force prosecutors have asked for new charges against the Massachusetts Air National guardsman who pleaded guilty in federal court earlier this year to leaking highly classified intelligence reports and other documents on social media, according to the Air Force. During a hearing at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts on Tuesday, Air Force prosecutors asked a hearing officer to recommend charges of disobeying an order and obstructing justice against Jack Teixeira under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. CNN reported earlier this month that the Air Force would pursue separate charges under the UCMJ. Teixeira was represented by three military defense counsel, including one of the chief district defense counsels for the Air Force, a spokesperson for the Air Force said. The hearing officer will then make a recommendation on whether to move forward with the recommended charges or change them in some way.

Persons: Jack Teixeira, Military Justice . Teixeira, Teixiera, Teixeira, ”, Daniel DeVoe, CNN’s Kaanita Iyer Organizations: CNN, US Air Force, Massachusetts Air National, Air Force, Hanscom Air Force Base, Military Justice, Prosecutors, Department of Justice, ”, Martial Locations: Massachusetts, Russia, Ukraine, States

☆ 'Someone played this beautifully': Why one expert is suspicious of the latest meme-stock revival
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Deep out-of-the-money call options saw an explosion in trading volume just before the return of "Roaring Kitty." AdvertisementThe recent explosion in meme stocks like GameStop and AMC Entertainment looks suspicious, according to one market expert. Aside from the call options, GameStop stock has been gaining since late April, jumping about 60% from April 24 through March 10 despite no fundamental news on the company. "A suspicious person might wonder why 'Roaring Kitty' chose to return to social media today. The SEC filings in BBBY were boilerplate, and the social media post literally had no words.

Persons: Steve Sosnick, —, Sosnick, Kitty, Ryan Cohen, Cohen, it's Organizations: GameStop, Interactive, Service, AMC Entertainment, Interactive Brokers, Yahoo Finance, SEC Locations: Bath

☆ Did dinosaur blood run hot or cold? Both, according to a new study
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Were dinosaurs warm-blooded like birds and mammals or cold-blooded like reptiles? Clues from dinosaur eggshells and bones have suggested that some dinosaurs were warm-blooded and others were not. These dinosaurs may have evolved endothermy, or the ability to internally generate body heat, according to the study. “Warm-blooded animals are generally more active, for example, cold-blooded animals usually don’t build nests,” said lead study author Dr. Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza, Royal Society Newton International Fellow at University College London’s department of Earth sciences. Her 2022 study suggested that ornithischians were more likely cold-blooded and sauropods were warm-blooded.

Persons: Big John, Sarah Meyssonnier, ornithischians, ”, Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza, Brontosaurus, ” Chiarenza, “, Jasmina, ” Wiemann, Chiarenza, Anthony Fiorillo, ” Fiorillo, wasn’t Organizations: CNN, Royal Society Newton International, University College London’s, Field, UCL, Universidade de, New, New Mexico Museum, Southern Methodist University Locations: Paris, Chicago, Spain, New Mexico, Dallas

☆ ‘Big Short’ investor Michael Burry piles into physical gold fund, making it his biggest bet
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Michael Burry, known for calling the subprime mortgage crisis, piled into a physical gold trust in the first quarter, making it his biggest bet, according to a new regulatory filing. Burry, who now manages hedge fund Scion Asset Management, bought more than 440,000 units of the Sprott Physical Gold Trust (PHYS), worth more than $10 million in the first quarter. The closed-end fund holds its assets in physical gold bullion. The gold trust is trading at a discount to its net asset value. The widest discount PHYS has traded at over the past 52 weeks is 2.52%.

Persons: Michael Burry, Burry, It's, Michael Lewis Organizations: Asset Management, Nuveen, JD.com, HCA Healthcare, Citigroup, Block, Securities and Exchange

Netflix's cheaper, ad-supported tier has amassed 40 million global monthly active users, the company said Wednesday. That's nearly double the 23 million figure the streaming giant shared in January. The company also said it would launch its own advertising platform and no longer partner with Microsoft for that technology. The tech giant will remain a programmatic advertising partner, but will also be joined by other ad tech companies including The Trade Desk, Google Display & Video 360 and Magnite. The streaming giant joined its media peers for the second time in making an annual pitch to lock in advertising for its platform.

Persons: That's, Ted Sarandos, Sarandos Organizations: Microsoft, Netflix, National Football League, CNBC, NFL Locations: Canada, U.S

☆ E. Jean Carroll seeks to expedite Trump’s appeal of verdict from first defamation civil trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Lauren Del Valle | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Lawyers for E. Jean Carroll have asked a federal appeals court to expedite Donald Trump’s appeal of the verdict in their first trial in which a jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages after finding Trump liable for defamation and battery in May 2023. The motion with the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals filed Tuesday cites Trump’s numerous attempts to delay both trials with Carroll as a signal that he’s likely to drag out the appeal. The jury in the second trial held in January determined Trump should pay Carroll $83.3 million in damages for defaming her. Her lawyers also asked the appeals court to consider the author’s progressing age. Carroll is an 80-year-old woman who has struggled mightily to obtain justice for almost five years,” the filing says.

Persons: Jean Carroll, Donald Trump’s, Carroll, Trump, Trump’s, “ Donald J, “ Ms, mightily Organizations: CNN, E, 2nd US, Carroll

☆ Opinion: Did Trump’s defense think this strategy would work on Cohen?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Opinion Norman Eisen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The forceful direct examination of former Trump fixer-turned-star prosecution witness Michael Cohen concluded Tuesday in the Manhattan criminal trial of former President Donald Trump. But the cross was uneven and Cohen, like Stormy Daniels before him, held his own. Whether that will change in the days ahead remains to be seen, but in any event, the cross of Cohen got off to an inauspicious start. ), his anti-Trump podcast (showing bias, but Cohen owned it) and even selling anti-Trump merchandise (showing financial motive, but again failing to get a rise out of Cohen). However, even when Blanche confronted Cohen with his most inflammatory social media comments, such as calling Trump a “dictator douchebag” and a “Cheeto-dusted cartoon villain,” Cohen was utterly unfazed.

Persons: Michael Cohen, Donald Trump, Todd Blanche, Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Trump, Allen, Weisselberg, Daniels, Norm Eisen, Susan Hoffinger, ”, Hoffinger, “, Blanche, ” Cohen, Susan Necheles, Necheles, Judge Juan Merchan, douchebag ”, mercifully, Blanche’s Organizations: CNN, Trump fixer, Trump, Trump Organization, Trump “, Twitter Locations: Manhattan

☆ Can MLB save the starting pitcher? The search for solutions to baseball’s ‘existential crisis’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Jayson Stark | Ken Rosenthal | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +20 min

Ten active major-league starting pitchers have won a Cy Young Award — and nine of them have spent time on the injured list in 2024. The issue is not only the health of the modern starting pitcher, but the role those starters play in the sport these days. “You’ve got to get the starting pitcher back. But has the starting pitcher crisis risen to that level? If you’re a dominating starting pitcher in this era, it probably means you throw harder than the average pitcher.

Persons: Tom Seaver, Steve Carlton, Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, ’, Cy Young, Baltimore’s Corbin Burnes, Yu Darvish, Justin Steele, ”, Max Scherzer, “ You’ve, Patrick Mahomes, isn’t, that’s, weren’t, here’s, It’s, they’d, you’re, they’re, David Ortiz, Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Adam Wainwright, they’ve, “, North America aren’t, I’ve, you’ve, ” Scherzer, Corbin Burnes, Patrick Smith, Rob Manfred, we’re, “ You’re, wouldn’t, it’s, “ that’s, He’s, Manfred, Eamonn Dalton, Conrad Williams , Jr, Matthew Grimes Jr Organizations: Cy, Wrigley, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Cubs, Padres, Major League Baseball, Texas Rangers, NFL, Athletic, MLB, American League, of Fame, didn’t, Atlantic League, Red Sox, National League, North America, Orioles, Newsday, Getty Images, Atlanta Braves, Getty

☆ These 3 ETFs have risen by double-digits every year for the past 5 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Two U.S.-listed ETFs — the SPDR S & P Metals & Mining ETF and VanEck Steel ETF — and the Japan-listed NEXT NOTES Japan Equity High Beta Select 30 ETF have each risen more than 10% every year since 2019. SPDR S & P Metals & Mining ETF The SPDR S & P Metals & Mining ETF (ticker: XME) gives investors broad exposure to the metals and mining segment. The VanEck fund has outperformed the S & P 500 in four of the past five years. NEXT NOTES Japan Equity High Beta Select 30 The NEXT NOTES Japan Equity High Beta Select 30 ETF (ticker: 2068.T-JP) is a smart beta ETF. High beta stocks react with more volatility than the rest of the market.

Persons: SPDR, It's Organizations: CNBC, P Metals, Mining, VanEck Steel, —, Japan, CNBC Pro, Mining ETF, VanEck, NEXT, Nomura Japan Equity Locations: U.S, Japan

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