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☆ The consumer slowdown is here and its flashing a recession warning for the economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Consumer spending is slowing, and it's a warning shot for the US economy as it navigates the approach to a soft or a hard landing. Meanwhile, March retail sales were revised downward, with spending rising 0.6% instead of the initially reported 0.7%. The retail sales number was sluggish with a capital 'S,'" economist David Rosenberg said in a note this week. A hard landing has been postponed partly because of the strength of consumer spending in 2023, he wrote previously. The New York Fed sees a 50% chance that the economy will tip into recession by April 2025.

Persons: David Rosenberg, Rosenberg, Primerica, Danielle DiMartino Booth, who's, Booth, Schwab, I've Organizations: Service, Business, Conference, New, Fed Locations: American, York

☆ Tesla's easy ride in China may be coming to an end
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Nora Naughton | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk appears focused on reinforcing Tesla's China business. AdvertisementTesla is facing tougher years ahead in the Chinese market, and it couldn't come at a worse time for the company. AdvertisementAfter years of steady growth in China, Tesla's sales are slippingTesla sold 62,167 cars in China in April, down 18% from a year ago, according to data released Tuesday by the China Passenger Car Association. Inexpensive Chinese cars are also competing with Tesla in important European and Scandinavian markets, a traditional stronghold for Musk. After his latest visit to the region, Musk appears to be sending reinforcements to the Chinese market.

Persons: Tesla, Elon Musk, —, Elon, BYD, China couldn't, Musk, Tom Zhu Organizations: Service, Elon Musk's, Shanghai Gigafactory, China Passenger Car Association, China, Tesla, BYD's, Ford, GM Locations: China, Shanghai, California, Mexico, Tesla's

☆ Why Series I savings bonds are losing their luster
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Sharon Epperson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWhy Series I savings bonds are losing their lusterI bonds were all the rage a couple of years ago, when the interest rate hit nearly 10% and yields on savings accounts were low. Now, as inflation has come down, I bonds have lost their luster. CNBC Senior Personal Finance Correspondent explains.

Organizations: CNBC

☆ Analysts bail on Starbucks with 2 downgrades, slashed price targets. 'Stunning across-the-board miss,' says Blair
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

But Deutsche kept its $89 price target, which suggests the stock could gain just 0.6%, as of Tuesday's close. Starbucks stock hasn't logged a positive year since 2021. Bank of America's Sara Senatore maintained her buy rating and $108 price target, which implies roughly 22% potential upside — a fairly bullish aim compared with other firms. Underpinning Senatore's stance is her expectation that Starbucks' earnings growth will reaccelerate in 2025, fueled by traffic-driving initiatives, such as more menu innovation and operational improvements. JPMorgan analyst John Ivankoe kept his overweight rating but moved his price target lower to $92 from $100.

Persons: William Blair, Sharon Zackfia, Zackfia, Lauren Silberman, Deutsche, Wells, Bank of America's Sara Senatore, Laxman Narasimhan, John Ivankoe Organizations: Starbucks, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan, UBS, Bank of America, Bank of America's Locations: Tuesday's, U.S, China, Wells Fargo, Israel

☆ Opinion: Right now, I’d rather raise my child in Taiwan than America
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Opinion Clarissa Wei | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

My dad still remembers the anxiety that engulfed the island when the United States cut off diplomatic recognition of Taiwan in favor of the People’s Republic of China in 1979. My parents considered America a safe haven and wanted me to grow up with all its comforts. Of course, comparing the United States and Taiwan this way without acknowledging the nuanced socio-political contexts can be misleading. Clarissa WeiThe biggest shift, then, has been how the people of Taiwan perceive the United States. The United States, on the flip side, is the 131st.

Persons: Clarissa Wei Editor’s, Clarissa Wei, “, ”, Annabelle Chih, there’s, Tyrone Siu, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, “ Wei, Ting Yen, I’m, nodded, Billy H.C, Kwok, It’s, Republican —, Xi Jinping, “ Trump Organizations: Taipei CNN, CNN, America, Metro, Trump, Taiwan, Franklin & Marshall College, 131st, San Francisco Bay Area, China’s Communist Party, Republican Locations: Taiwanese American, Taipei, Taiwan, China, United States, People’s Republic of China, America, Los Angeles, Taiwanese, Kaohsiung, San Francisco Bay

☆ Golden Visa Programs, Once a Boon, Lose Their Luster
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Liz Alderman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But when she started looking at houses in the same village, almost everything was priced at more than 500,000 euros. The amount — nearly 20 times more than the average annual salary in Spain — happens to correspond to the cost of the country’s “golden visa,” a program that offers residency to wealthy foreigners who buy real estate there. “There’s nothing I can afford,” said Dr. Barba, an allergist who has been working 100 hours overtime every month to save up a nest egg. “If foreigners inflate the prices for those of us who live here, it’s an injustice,” she said. Faced with growing pressure to address its housing crunch, Spain said this month that it would scrap its golden visas, the latest in a wider withdrawal from the program by governments around Europe.

Persons: Ana Jimena Barba, Spain —, ”, Barba Locations: Madrid, Spain, Europe

☆ Tesla's reign as EV king is fizzling, so Elon Musk has his sights set on a new goal — turning X back into Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Tesla's stock is down over 10% in the last year, and Elon Musk's net worth has also fallen. Lately, social media platform X has begun to look more like regular old Twitter. With his social media venture, X, that seems to mean returning to the app to the pre-Musk days of plain old Twitter. Musk and representatives for Tesla and X did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider. "Honestly, the best thing that Twitter can do to regain its position is to sideline Musk.

Persons: Tesla, Musk, —, Elon, Gabor Cselle, CNN's Oliver Darcy, David Camp, Metaforce, Camp, X, Cselle, Ed Zitron, Kim Kardashian, Jay, Zitron, Linda Yaccarino, Yaccarino, he's Organizations: Elon, Service, Twitter, NBC News, Variety, Business, Camp Locations: China, Texas

☆ Jim Cramer says the AI buzz is far from a bubble — the game has yet to start
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

"It's clear that lots of investors have no idea what AI is," Cramer said on "Mad Money." "In fairness, the reason they have no idea is because we really haven't even seen anything transformative from the AI camp just yet." Cramer cautioned that it isn't prudent to so quickly dismiss AI bellwethers like chipmaker Nvidia in favor of high-performing refinery and dollar store stocks. "In terms of innings, I don't think the AI game has even started yet," Cramer said. Expanding his baseball metaphor, Cramer said AI is in its batting practice stage but may eventually replace many "undesirable" jobs involving physical labor.

Persons: CNBC's Jim Cramer, Cramer, Jensen Huang Organizations: Nvidia

☆ Investors say underperforming Alphabet is a buying opportunity as it rights its AI missteps
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Alphabet needs to correct its artificial intelligence flubs and prove its monetization potential if it hopes to renew investors confidence. GOOGL YTD mountain Alphabet shares this year "There's uncertainty around the moat," said Jamie Meyers, an analyst at Laffer Tengler Investments. "It's an opportunity that is meaningfully underestimated by investors given everything that's happened," said Deepwater Asset Management's Gene Munster. Using the pullback as an opportunity Many investors, however, are finding the positive in Alphabet's recent troubles for their portfolios, and using the recent stock performance as a buying opportunity. Laffer Tengler's Meyers also noted that Alphabet's advantage in personal data, strong user base and dominant market position could give them and edge in AI once they correct their mistakes.

Persons: giant's, Jamie Meyers, It's, They're, Alphabet's, Gene Munster, OpenAI, Dan Hanson, Neuberger Berman, They've, Michael Sansoterra, they're, Hanna Howard, Brad Gerstner, CNBC's, Laffer Tengler's Meyers, Deepwater's Munster Organizations: Microsoft, Meta, Nvidia, Investments, Google, Investors, Silvant Locations: Munster

☆ I tried 30 of Trader Joe's seasonal spring products, and there are only a few I wouldn't buy again
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Savanna Swain-Wilson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +44 min

AdvertisementOther candy makers should take notes because Trader Joe's clearly knows what it's doing when it comes to chocolate. I fell in love with the lemon-and-ricotta ravioli's tasty fillingThis lemon-and-ricotta option is my new favorite Trader Joe's ravioli. These blueberry-and-lemon hand pies are the perfect pastry for the spring seasonThe blueberry-and-lemon hand pies from Trader Joe's look homemade. Trader Joe's Portuguese custard tarts totally lived up to the hypeTrader Joe's Portuguese custard tarts blew me away. If someone told me Trader Joe's lemon sheet cake came from a fancy bakery, I wouldn't question it for a second.

Persons: —, I've, Wilson, Joe's, they're, Savanna, I'm, seitan, pico, gallo, there's, Joe's didn't, Parmesan, Almond, Wilson I'm, graham, They'd, Meyer, munch, Wilson I've, Ina Garten, They're, madeleines, Florentine, Joe, Wilson It's, frosting, pasteis, nata, I'd, pretzels, Joe's dulce, dulce de Organizations: Service, Business, Wilson Locations: Savanna, Eastern Europe, Parmesan, Portugal

☆ Talk of recession is dying down in corporate America
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Ever since the Federal Rserve began raising interest rates in early 2022, corporations and investors have braced for how a recession might play out. The word recession came up on the fourth-quarter earnings calls of 47 companies in the S & P 500, according to market data platform FactSet. Almost half of the more than two dozen finance chiefs surveyed by CNBC said they expect the Federal Reserve to control inflation without a recession, a scenario known as a soft landing. Looking ahead to 2024, CFO Emma Giamartino said the Dallas-based company's full-year guidance is "contingent" on the Fed cutting short-term interest rates and the economy skirting a recession. "All indications are now that we're going to have more of a soft landing than a recession."

Persons: John Wall, Emma Giamartino, Giamartino, Richard Galanti, Galanti, Joseph Margolis, it's, Margolis, J, Thomas Hill, Marvin Ellison, Ellison Organizations: Federal, U.S, Cadence Design Systems, CNBC, Federal Reserve, Costco, Kirkland Signature, Hotels, Vulcan Locations: Dallas, Salt Lake City, North Carolina

☆ Single dose of LSD provides immediate, lasting anxiety relief, study says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —A clinical trial’s encouraging results won US Food and Drug Administration breakthrough therapy status for an LSD formulation to treat generalized anxiety disorder, Mind Medicine Inc. announced Thursday. Generalized anxiety order is characterized by excessive, ongoing thoughts that are difficult to control and interfere with day-to-day activities. Anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders in the US, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. The MM120 study, however, was accomplished without the use of psychotherapy during the session. So that’s a critical difference.”Most adverse effects in the study were rated as mild to moderate by participants, occurring mostly on the day of the study, Karlin said.

Persons: “, ”, Daniel Karlin, MindMed’s MM120, ” Karlin, buspirone —, Karlin, David Nutt, Nutt, Dr, Gabriella Gobbi, Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert, Eddie Adams, Leary, Richard Nixon Organizations: CNN, US Food and Drug Administration, Medicine Inc, Tufts University School of Medicine, FDA, Depression Association of America, Unit, Imperial College London’s, McGill University Health Centre, Canada, Therapeutics, Mental Health, Harvard University, Harvard, League for Spiritual, Woodstock Locations: Boston, United States, Montreal, New York, Vietnam

☆ Wall Street weighs in on what's wrong with Apple and whether the stock can make a comeback
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

But the tides have shifted in recent months as investors overlook the $2.6 trillion company for rosier AI opportunities. "Everybody's waiting for Apple to come along," said Max Wasserman, co-founder and senior portfolio manager at Miramar Capital. "Great cash flow, great balance sheet, but they're just not demonstrating that they're going to be the new leader in AI." Apple's AI story Last month, Apple pulled the plug on its decade-long autonomous vehicle project in what many on Wall Street viewed as a move to divert resources toward AI prospects. Another way Apple could satisfy the need for AI progress is through a merger or acquisition of a company with large-scale AI capabilities, Meeks said.

Persons: Max Wasserman, they're, Tim Cook, haven't, CFRA Research's Angelo Zino, Wasserman, That's, Paul Meeks, Miramar's Wasserman, Melius Research's Ben Reitzes, Rosenblatt's Barton Crockett, Meeks, hasn't, Michael Bloom Organizations: Apple, Miramar Capital, Nasdaq, Nvidia, Meta, Microsoft, Union, Huawei, Accounting, Portfolio Management, Apple's, Conference Locations: China

☆ Music marketers say artists need to make TikToks now more than ever, as influencer campaigns lose luster
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Advertisement"I always remember early label conversations when we'd run TikTok campaigns," Ramzi Najdawi, cofounder at the music-marketing firm ATG, told BI. In 2024, most artists now need to get directly involved in creating social content in some form, said 10 music marketers who spoke to BI about their strategies. AdvertisementTo make influencer campaigns work better, music marketers ask artists to post original content first, creating organic interest in a song that creators can then push forward with additional videos. "Influencer campaigns don't really work in the way that people think they do," Prophet Media's founder Steph Rinzler told BI. Many marketers are now seeking out an artist's fans, rather than random influencers, to make videos for song campaigns.

Persons: —, TikTok, Taylor Upsahl, wasn't, influencers, we'd, Ramzi Najdawi, doesn't, it's, Ed Winters Ronaldson, Najdawi, scrappy, Cynthia Parkhurst, Jonas, Parkhurst, Matine Kazemi, Lawrence, Prophet Media's, Steph Rinzler, Omid Noori, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Simon Friend, Sean Kane, Kane Organizations: Service, Business, BI, Universal Music, Creative, YouTube, Prophet Media

☆ Here are Tuesday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Tesla, Apple, Microsoft, Oracle, Arm, Rivian, Lyft & more
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Here are Tuesday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Goldman Sachs reiterates Tesla and Rivian as neutral Goldman said further price cuts are needed for Tesla and Rivian. Morgan Stanley downgrades Sunnova to equal weight from overweight Morgan Stanley said in its downgrade of the solar company that it sees stock "dislocation." JPMorgan upgrades Sea Limited to overweight from neutral JPMorgan said the Singapore-based internet tech conglomerate is on an "upswing." JPMorgan initiates Amphastar as overweight JPMorgan said it's bullish on shares of the pharmaceutical company. JPMorgan initiates Metagenomi as overweight JPMorgan said it's bullish on shares of the biotech company.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Tesla, Goldman, TD Cowen, Arm's, Ian Thornton, Morgan Stanley downgrades Sunnova, Morgan Stanley, Baird, DA Davidson, it's, Jefferies, BJ's, it's bullish, Oppenheimer, Wolfe, Rosenblatt, Moffett, Philip Morris, Guggenheim Organizations: Tesla, Nvidia, NVIDIA, Microsoft, JPMorgan, Jefferies, UBS, disinflation, Barclays, Oracle, Citi, Novo Nordisk, CMD, Costco, Adobe, Williams, Apple, Cable, . Cable, Argus, Guggenheim, Lyft Locations: Singapore, China, Sonoma

☆ Gold hovers near 3-month peak as eyes on Powell's testimony
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Gold bars arranged at the Korea Gold Exchange store in Seoul, South Korea, on Oct. 13, 2023. Gold prices steadied near a three-month peak on Tuesday, supported by subdued U.S. manufacturing and construction spending, as investors awaited testimony from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and key jobs data later this week. Spot gold was flat at $2,114.59 per ounce, as of 0423 GMT, hovering around Monday's levels of $2119.69 that marked its highest point since Dec. 4. London's gold price benchmark hit an all-time high of $2,098.05 per troy ounce at an afternoon auction on Monday. The world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, SPDR Gold Trust's GLD holdings were down 10% from the previous year as of March 4.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Joni Teves, Fed's Raphael Bostic, Teves Organizations: Korea Gold Exchange, Federal, UBS, Data, ANZ Locations: Seoul, South Korea, U.S

☆ How Google lost its way
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Hugh Langley | Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Just two months after Google launched Gemini, its flashy new AI model, the company revealed that it had already built a better version. AdvertisementThen, days later, Google scrambled to explain why its image generation tool spit out racially inaccurate depictions of historical figures. Users have long bemoaned — and researchers recently found — a decline in the quality of Google Search results. The fact that Google is not far and away the self-driving-car leader, it's, like, a total joke," the former Google director said, adding that the problem of Google's lost supremacy is "maybe impossible to solve, frankly." Google now is reminiscent of the Steve Ballmer-era Microsoft, which missed the smartphone, search, and cloud waves and was overtaken by Apple, Google, and Amazon.

Persons: OpenAI, Sora, Sam Altman, Sundar Pichai's, Pichai, —, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Lea Suzuki, Getty Brin, Page, Google, Googlers, Axel Springer, Diane von Furstenberg, Giovanni Giannoni, Michael Avrukin, Vuk Valcic, wouldn't, Patrick Mork, Eric Lehman, Lehman, ChatGPT, Caesar Sengupta, Sengupta, Alexa, Google's, Steve Ballmer, Satya Nadella, Hugh Langley, Lara O'Reilly Organizations: Google, Hollywood, Industry, San Francisco Chronicle, Business, Penske Media, Microsoft, Amazon, The New York Times, Oracle, YouTube, Apple, IBM, Meta Locations: Silicon Valley, Silicon, —

☆ Jim Cramer says be patient and stick with Home Depot
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Julie Coleman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

CNBC's Jim Cramer told investors to hold on to stock of home improvement retailer Home Depot , even though its most recent quarter lacked luster. "Sure, the quarter wasn't great, but the conference call commentary I found encouraging, which is why I'm willing to be patient and hold on to Home Depot," he said. Cramer called management's outlook "appropriately conservative," saying the company is optimistic, but not yet ready to declare a decisive turnaround. Now that inventory is under control, the company is poised for better future, Cramer said. "Besides, I'm betting that management deliberately gave a conservative forecast—they like to under promise and over deliver at Home Depot."

Persons: CNBC's Jim Cramer, Richard McPhail, Cramer, Ted Decker's, Decker, Depot's Organizations: Home, CNBC, Home Depot, Reserve

☆ My small Scottish city was in a Marvel movie, and it's now a filming hot spot. Living on a set is getting annoying.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Bethany Gemmell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

My town was a filming location for several scenes in "Avengers: Infinity War," and it wasn't uncommon to stumble upon a set. AdvertisementNow, Edinburgh seems to be a hot spot for film crews. But, as a resident, the luster of celebrity sightings and film crews is starting to wear off. In this small city, the stunt immediately raised alarm bells. The small city has been greatly impacted by the attention from Hollywood.

Persons: —, Wanda, Vision's, Bethany Gemmell, Captain America, there'd, Marvel, Guillermo Del Toro's, I've, it's Organizations: Marvel, Service, University of Edinburgh, Waverley, Edinburgh Fringe Locations: Edinburgh, Scotland, Bethany, London, Hollywood

☆ How Ford’s F-150 Lightning, Once in Hot Demand, Lost Its Luster
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Neal E. Boudette | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

In July Michael Puglia drove home with what seemed like the coolest vehicle he’d ever own — a Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck. It was big enough to haul around his children and all their hockey gear. Once, after Mr. Puglia had driven 35 miles to an ice rink, his range fell by 73 miles. Another time, a 60-mile jaunt reduced his range by 110 miles. Several trips to the dealership for software updates didn’t fix the problem, leaving Mr. Puglia wondering whether he should keep the $79,000 truck.

Persons: Michael Puglia, He’d, ” Locations: Puglia, Ann Arbor, Mich

☆ George Hoyningen-Huene: The man who captured the jazz age on film
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Christian House | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —In 1930 George Hoyningen-Huene pulled off one of the greatest dupes in the history of photography. George Hoyningen-Huene Estate ArchivesRönngren said Huene was “like Forrest Gump. George Hoyningen-Huene Estate ArchivesAll this gossip and glamour would, of course, make great television: and Rönngren is now working on a Netflix drama about the photographer’s life and times. The Jaeger exhibition, which presents works, dating from 1927 to 1955, coincides with the publication of “George Hoyningen-Huene: Photography, Fashion, Film” by Susanna Brown (Thames & Hudson). Photographer George Hoyningen-Huene in the studio in Paris, 1937.

Persons: George Hoyningen, Huene, Horst P, Horst, Lee Miller, ”, “ George Hoyningen, Katherine Hepburn, Josephine Baker, Benjamin Jaeger, Steffi, ” Huene, Baron Barthold Theodor Hermann von Hoyningen, Tsar Nicholas II, Susannah Brown, George, Salvador Dalí, Weissmuller, Huene “, Tommy Rönngren, Asa, Tommy “, Rönngren, Forrest Gump, Joseph Pilates, Ava Gardner, Sophia Loren, George Cukor, Condé Nast, Cole Porter, “ sauvage, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, “, Dietrich, Garbo, ’ ” Heune, Miriam Hopkins, Susanna Brown, Baker, Roger Schall, Lisa Fonssagrives, Irving Penn, Jaeger Organizations: CNN, Vogue, Cote, Jaeger Art, Jaeger, “, British Army, Condé, Thames & Hudson, Nexus Hall, Neue, Hudson Locations: Paris, Russian, New York, Côte, Berlin, St Petersburg, England, France, Montmartre, Swedish, Huene, Horst’s, Stockholm, “, Hollywood, revolté, Thames, Tokyo, Europe, Germany

☆ Why parts of the ‘Magnificent 7’ are losing their luster
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

After turbocharging late 2023's stock market rally, some of the " Magnificent 7 " technology darlings are looking less magnificent this year. Shares of Meta and Nvidia are leading the Magnificent 7 for the year, with both stocks jumping roughly 34% each. The rest of the Magnificent 7 stocks, however, have received anywhere from 70% to 85% buy rating consensus. While the other five are forecast to see at least double-digit earnings growth estimates, analysts predict Apple's earnings growth to stay relatively unchanged. On the other hand, consensus estimates call for Tesla earnings to fall by 20%.

Persons: turbocharging, Tesla, Art Hogan, Hogan, Baird, Elon Musk's, Ben Kallo, Tim Long, Piper Sandler, Harsh Kumar, Charles Schwab, Kevin Gordon, Gordon, Ed Yardeni, isn't, Yardeni, Russell, Fred Imbert Organizations: Nvidia, Meta, Microsoft, Apple, Wall Street, Riley Wealth Management, CNBC, BYD, Barclays, Blips, Yardeni Research, titans Locations: Delaware, China

☆ Apple's sales plunged in China — these are the iPhone giant's 5 biggest problems right now
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty ImagesApple is facing renewed challenges in China, one of its most critical markets. The iPhone giant's sales in the greater China region in the December quarter fell nearly 13% to $20.8 billion. "This increased competition exerts pressure on both Apple's older models and the base models of its new series." For a long time, Apple has been seen as a luxury brand in China with high appeal among younger audiences. GeopoliticsAnd like many foreign technology firms operating in China, the specter of geopolitics constantly hangs over.

Persons: Tim Cook, Andrew Caballero, Reynolds, Will Wong, Shah, Josh Koren, CNBC's, Gen, Koren, Apple Organizations: Economic Cooperation, APEC, Apple, AFP, Getty, Huawei, IDC, CNBC, Musketeer Capital Partners, Samsung, Bloomberg Locations: Asia, San Francisco, China, Cupertino , California, 4Q23, Xiaomi

☆ Pat McGrath: How the legendary makeup artist created these looks at the Maison Margiela show
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Claire Coleman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —It’s been more than a week since the looks created by makeup artist Pat McGrath for last week’s Maison Margiela couture show captured collective imaginations, and the internet is still abuzz. The legendary creative — deemed the most influential makeup artist in the world by Vogue magazine — transformed models into living dolls, complete with porcelain skin, pencil-thin eyebrows and strikingly shaded eyes, lips and cheeks. While “glass skin” was all about leaving the face bare but with a glistening sheen, 2020s “dolphin skin” trend took things to the next level. The last decade has seen a range of trends celebrating skin with a high sheen, from so-called "glass skin" to 2022's "glazed donut" look. Pat McGrath LabsLike “glass skin” before it, “dolphin skin” was a sensation on social media, but not everyone was a fan.

Persons: CNN — It’s, Pat McGrath, —, McGrath, Pat, influencers, Mary Phillips, skincare, Andy Millward, Hailey Bieber, Monika, Gemma Chan, Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, Megan Fox, ” Pat McGrath, Charles Sykes, you’ve Organizations: CNN, Vogue, Maison, Pat McGrath Labs, Margiela, Clio Locations: Korea

☆ Zircons Are Not the Gem You Probably Think They Are
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Tanya Dukes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

If you could ask the humble zircon, the answer might be mistaken identity and decades of undeserved obscurity. In the Victorian era, the peak of popularity for zircons, a mined mineral, colorless ones were regularly used as diamond alternatives and blue ones were particularly popular. “Zircon can come in a wide range of colors — blue, yellow, brown, green and, rarely, a purplish-pink color,” said Nathan Renfro, senior manager of colored stone identification at the Gemological Institute of America. Then, along came cubic zirconia, an inexpensive synthetic crystal discovered in the 1930s but not developed to the point it could be faceted until 1969. By the end of the 1970s, it bypassed zircon and became the most common diamond simulant.

Persons: ”, Nathan Renfro, “ Organizations: Gemological Institute of America

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