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☆ Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Nvidia, Snowflake, Coinbase, Skechers, Tesla, Berkshire Hathaway & more
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Here are Thursday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Macquarie downgrades Sony to neutral from buy Macquarie said it sees a more balanced risk/reward for the entertainment company. "With Sony near our target price and market expectations at risk given lacklustre FY3/25 guidance, we are downgrading to Neutral." Deutsche Bank reiterates Rocket Lab as a top pick Deutsche said it's standing by its bullish status on the space company. " Bank of America initiates Super Micro as buy Bank of America said the server and storage solutions company is an AI beneficiary. Bank of America reiterates Uber as buy Bank of America said it's feeling more bullish after the company's investor day.

Persons: Macquarie, Davidson, DA, Piper Sandler, Piper, KeyBanc, Evercore, Skechers, Price, Bernstein, underperform Bernstein, Redburn, Eastman, Morgan Stanley, Wells, Morgan Stanley downgrades, Guggenheim, Generac, Uber, Tesla, KBW, Berkshire Hathaway Organizations: Macquarie, Sony, JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, Deutsche, Nvidia, Citi, FedEx, Apple, HSBC, GE Healthcare, GE, Crypto, UBS, Downside, Eastman Chemical, Comcast, Cisco, Cliffs, Steel, " Bank of America, Air Products, of America, Linde, Bank of America, Micro, Inc, Guggenheim, Mizuho, Energy, BMO, CNBC, & $ Locations: Nashville, China, Morgan Stanley downgrades Cleveland

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States on Tuesday said it imposed a third round of sanctions on a group of Hamas officials, members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad who work to transfer money from Iran to Gaza, and a Lebanese money exchange service that facilitates the transfers. The Treasury Department sanctions, coordinated with the United Kingdom, come in response to the surprise Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel that left roughly 1,200 people dead or kidnapped. The sanctions block access to U.S. property and bank accounts and prevent the targeted people and companies from doing business with Americans. This and two previous rounds of sanctions against Hamas and its affiliates are aimed at protecting the international financial system from abuse by Hamas militants and their enablers, the Treasury Department said. The State Department also is designating a Palestinian Islamic Jihad military leader for diplomatic sanctions.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Antony Blinken, “, Joe Biden, David Cameron, Mohammed Deif, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: WASHINGTON, Islamic, Treasury Department, Hamas, The State Department, Jihad, Israel, Iranian, U.S, Health Ministry, Foreign Locations: United States, Islamic Jihad, Iran, Gaza, Lebanese, United Kingdom, Israel, U.S, Syria, Iraq, West Bank, israel

☆ Morning Bid: Haunted by 5% ahead of ECB, GDP and Amazon
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., October 23, 2023. With Amazon due to report later, there was no respite for the so-called 'Magnificent Seven' Wall St behemoths or the wider market ahead of Thursday's open. The bond market seemed unimpressed even as the U.S. House of Representatives ended a three week hiatus by electing Republican Mike Johnson, a conservative with little leadership experience, as speaker. European stocks (.STOXXE) and the euro dropped sharply, meantime, as regional banking shares were hit ahead of the European Central Bank's policy decision later in the day. Key developments that should provide more direction to U.S. markets later on Thursday:* European Central Bank policy decision and press conference.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Mike Dolan, Israel, Republican Mike Johnson, Johnson, Joe Biden's, AO, Bunge, Northrop, Wang Yi, Antony Blinken, Emelia Sithole Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Google, Big Tech, Nasdaq, Semiconductor, SOX, Bank of Japan, U.S . House, Republican, United Auto Workers, Ford, European, ECB, Chartered, BNP, Central Bank, Turkish Central Bank, Fed, Intel, UPS, Honeywell, Merck, Comcast, Mastercard, Capital, Energy, Mohawk, Eastman Chemical, Camden Property, AO Smith, Hasbro, Myers Squibb, Boston Scientific, Hershey, Northrop Grumman, Treasury, Foreign, U.S, Brussels Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Wall, Israel, Gaza, Philadelphia, Bank, Ukraine, China, Kansas, Bristol, Washington, Brussels

"Financial inclusion," defined as individuals and businesses having access to useful and affordable financial products, has declined in the U.S., according to new industry research. The U.S. fell to fourth place, from second, this year in the second annual Global Financial Inclusion Index compiled by the Centre for Economics and Business Research in London and Des Moines, Iowa-based Principal Financial Group. Singapore's small size, with a population of just six million people, helps it in the ranking, but it is also boosted by its commitment to financial literacy, financial technology adoption and employer support. Consumer sentiment in the U.S. is down across financial systems and employers but is especially pronounced when it comes to the government. "It creates uncertainty and causes people to delay decisions that they might otherwise make about purchase around savings, and you don't want to paralyze people's decision-making around financial security," Dan Houston, Principal Financial Group Chair and CEO, told CNBC in an exclusive interview.

Persons: people's, Dan Houston Organizations: Centre for Economics, Business Research, Financial Group, Finance, Consumer, Supreme, CNBC Locations: U.S, London, Des Moines , Iowa, Singapore, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Sweden

☆ United States falls in measure of providing access to financial services
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailUnited States falls in measure of providing access to financial servicesFinancial inclusion means individuals and businesses have access to useful and affordable financial products. A country's employers, financial systems and governments are the pillars for what makes a system inclusive. The Centre for Economics and Business Research and Principal Financial Group researched 42 markets to create an index of financial inclusion that puts Singapore at the top spot for the second year. The U.S. now ranks fourth, falling from second place last year. CNBC's Sharon Epperson spoke exclusively with Principal Financial Group Chairman and CEO Dan Houston about financial inclusion and the U.S. position.

Persons: CNBC's Sharon Epperson, Dan Houston Organizations: Economics, Business Research, Financial Locations: States, Singapore, U.S

By Meg Anderson, vice president and chief information security officer at Principal®This story previously appeared on principal.com. Employment of information security analysts is expected to grow 31% from 2021 to 2031*, outpacing the average for all occupations. There's always room for continued improvement in digital operations, of course, but we can start feeling more optimistic about progress that's been made toward cybersecurity for small businesses. *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, information security analysts, September 2022. © 2023 Principal Financial Services, Inc. Principal®, Principal Financial Group®, and Principal and the logomark design are registered trademarks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., a Principal Financial Group company, in the United States and are trademarks and service marks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., in various countries around the world.

Persons: Meg Anderson, we've, what's, We've, cybersecurity, There's, that's Organizations: Software, Cyber Readiness, CRI, Infrastructure Security Agency, Insider Studios, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics, . Department of Labor, Life Insurance, Financial Services, Inc, Financial Group Locations: I'm, cyberattacks, Des Moines, United States

☆ Here's why Americans can't stop living paycheck to paycheck
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Juhohn Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

For many Americans, payday can't come soon enough. As of June, 61% of adults are living paycheck to paycheck, according to a LendingClub report. In other words, they rely on those regular paychecks to meet essential living expenses, with little to no money left over. Almost three-quarters, 72%, of Americans say they aren't financially secure given their current financial standing, and more than a quarter said they will likely never be financially secure, according to a survey by Bankrate. That amount already accounts for about 61% of the median take-home pay.

Persons: Ida Rademacher, there's, Kamila Elliott Organizations: Aspen Institute, Principal Financial, Institute, Finance, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics, for Community, Economic Research, Wealth Partners, CNBC's Locations: U.S, Atlanta

☆ Insight: Insurers poised for US break on investment losses from high rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Koh Gui Qing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

A negative IMR forces insurers to tap pots of money they would have otherwise spent on their business or returned to shareholders. Among those insurers are Prudential Financial (PRU.N), OneAmerica Financial Partners, Principal Financial (PFG.O) and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, according to Fitch. That compares to $1.8 billion in net fixed income-related losses Prudential recorded in 2022. They do not give banks the option of deferring interest rate-related losses, fearing excesses that led to the 2008 financial crisis. DEFERRING LOSSESFollowing the rule change, insurers will be allowed to amortize interest rate-related losses over time equivalent to 10% of their statutory surplus.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Fitch, Edward Stone, Stone, Ken Tanji, MassMutual, OneAmerica, Steven Zabel, Zabel, Koh Gui Qing, David French, Greg Roumeliotis, Anna Driver Organizations: Prudential Financial, REUTERS, SEATTLE, Sunday, National Association of Insurance, Reuters, Federal Reserve, OneAmerica Financial Partners, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance, Prudential, Silicon Valley Bank, First Republic Bank, Insurance, American Council of, Equitable Holdings, MetLife, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, MassMutual, OneAmerica, Financial, Unum, Thomson Locations: United States, U.S, Seattle, Fitch, Silicon, New York

☆ 37% of baby boomers have more stock exposure than they should, Fidelity says. These 4 tips can help
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Simon Potter | Getty ImagesWhen it comes to stocks, investors face a big question: How much exposure is enough? At Fidelity, the allocations to equities in retirement funds are about 10% higher than where they should be, Shamrell said. watch nowSome of those investors with excess stock exposure may simply need to rebalance after recent market highs, Shamrell said. Experts say having the right mix of equities can go a long way toward helping retirees meet their financial goals. Importantly, a client's personal circumstances drive these goals, McClanahan noted.

Persons: Simon Potter, Mike Shamrell, boomers —, Shamrell, Carolyn McClanahan, McClanahan, Carl Smith, Sri Reddy Organizations: Getty, Fidelity Workplace, Security, Fidelity, Planning Partners, CNBC's, Principal Financial, iStock Locations: Jacksonville , Florida

☆ Morning Bid: ECB to follow Fed hike, Meta surges
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Fed Chair Jerome Powell remained equivocal about whether there was one more policy rate rise left this year and said Fed staff were no longer forecasting a recession - but futures markets continue to see a less than 50% chance of another move. Global stocks (.MIWD00000PUS) hit their highest since April last year on Thursday, with European stocks up more than 1% ahead of the ECB decision. The euro pushed higher against a softer dollar ahead of the announcement and press conference from ECB chief Christine Lagarde. The yen also firmed as the Bank of Japan is expected to keep its easy policy unchanged on Friday. The euro zone's biggest bank BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA), by contrast, beat Q2 estimates and the stock jumped 4%.

Persons: Mike Dolan, Meta, Jerome Powell, Dow Jones, Christine Lagarde, Willis Towers Watson, Giorgia Meloni, Joe Biden, Toby Chopra Organizations: Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Fed, Treasury, Boeing, Dow, Wall, ECB, Bank of, Shell, Barclays, BNP, Central Bank, Intel, Ford, Boston Scientific, Myers Squibb, Honeywell, Xcel, Eastman Chemical, Pentair, Mastercard, P Global, Hershey, Digital Realty, Northrop Grumman, Weyerhaeuser, Cincinatti, Verisign, Comcast, Southwest Airlines, HCA, . Federal Reserve Board, Washington Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters, Exxon, Chevron, Thomson Locations: U.S, Bank of Japan, Asia, Hong Kong, China, Abbvie, Bristol, Edison, Kansas, Basel III, Washington

Say you have a succession plan in place, and have identified an owner, price, and date of transition. That one scenario points to the importance of "what ifs" to consider in any succession plan. That's why a well-rounded succession plan also addresses business continuity. Those contingencies include: Income: What accommodations will provide income if you need to take a leave before a succession transition is complete? What accommodations will provide income if you need to take a leave before a succession transition is complete?

Persons: Patti Bell, Price, Bell, You'll, SIPC Organizations: Partners, Insider Studios, Kiplinger, National Life Insurance, Life Insurance, Inc, Principal Funds, Securities, Principal Securities, Financial Services Locations: NY, Des Moines

Business succession is one of the top priorities for business owners, according to the 2023 Principal® Business Owner Insights survey1. Yet 39% of these business owners lack a succession plan. A thoughtful, thorough succession plan benefits you — helping you figure out retirement income, for example. Here are six key steps to creating your succession plan. Insurance products issued by Principal National Life Insurance Co (except in NY) and Principal Life Insurance Company®.

Persons: Patti Bell, it's, Bell, doesn't, SIPC Organizations: Insider Studios, National, Insurance, Life Insurance, Inc, Principal Funds, Securities, Principal Securities, Financial Services Locations: NY, Des Moines

☆ Here are Friday's biggest analyst calls: Meta, Apple, Uber, Target, SoFi, Nike, Amazon, GM and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Here are Friday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Morgan Stanley reiterates Apple as overweight Morgan Stanley said in a note Friday that it sees several reasons for share outperformance. Morgan Stanley upgrades Evotech to overweight from equal weight Morgan Stanley said the drug discovery and development company is well-positioned for artificial intelligence. As such we are upgrading to Market Perform with a $44 price target." Morgan Stanley reiterates Snowflake as overweight Morgan Stanley said it's bullish heading into the company's upcoming investor day. Barclays reiterates Uber as overweight Barclays raised its price target on Uber to $70 per share from $57 and says it's well-positioned.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Apple, Stephens, KeyBanc, Wells, Armour, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Valvoline, underperform SVB, Wayfair, Snowflake, it's, Uber, Roth, Bernstein, Jefferies Organizations: Deutsche Bank, Nike, Sovos Brands, UAA, Outsized NA, JPMorgan, Global Products, Securities, Bed, Barclays, Amazon, Citi, General Motors Locations: China, Italian, downgrades, EBITDA

☆ Rise in Distressed Sales Signals New Chapter for Beleaguered Office Market
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Peter Grant | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Global investment manager Hines paid $60 million for a new office tower in Washington, D.C., less than half of what it cost to develop. Photo: HinesProperty owners are starting to unload troubled office buildings at fire-sale prices, a sign that the office market slump is moving into a new phase where more landlords are ready to capitulate. In recent weeks, Blackstone sold the Griffin Towers office complex in Santa Ana for $82 million, or about 36% less than the firm paid in 2014, say people familiar with the matter. Principal Financial Group sold a Parsippany, N.J., office building for $14.3 million, down from the $52 million it paid in 2008, according to participants in the sale.

Among Gen Z super savers (ages 18-25), 28% have an annual salary of less than $35K, with deferral rates of 15%+. 50% of super savers are 40 years old or younger and 53% make less than $100K annually. In our research, we learned several things from Gen Z super savers. 7 plan design updates to help more Gen Z employees become retirement super saversA few simple updates can help modernize your employer-sponsored retirement plan to prepare for the newest generation of workers. Among Gen Z super savers, 87% say their employer-sponsored retirement plan will be their main source of income in retirement.

☆ Morning Bid: Fresh spur from Meta and Europe's banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Perhaps even more surprising, Europe's big banks are wowing the gallery too - showing limited, if any, fallout from the failure of ailing Credit Suisse at the end of the quarter. And so the glass appears half full again despite background tensions around regional U.S. banks and as wider markets brace for several weeks of a U.S. debt ceiling standoff. With Amazon reporting later, its stock rose another 2% ahead of the bell too. The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday narrowly passed a bill to raise the government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling that includes sweeping spending cuts over the next decade. The dollar was marginally weaker, with crude oil prices struggling to recover from their latest lunge lower this week.

☆ Big investor in Credit Suisse bonds says 'bail-in' system worked
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Herbert Lash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The firm's exposure to Credit Suisse AT1s represented 1.32% of Spectrum's assets under management (AUM) on Feb. 28. In 2021 and early 2022 Spectrum held about $400 million of Credit Suisse AT1 bonds, Jacoby said. The Credit Suisse debt represents about 12% of the benchmark for CoCos, a massive slice of the ICE BofA U.S. dollar contingent capital index (.MERCOCO), he said. "We had been paring back in Credit Suisse, had an internal negative outlook for a little over a year." "This is a Credit Suisse event and this is a Swiss bank regulation event, this is not a global disaster for CoCos."

Yet only 54% of all businesses say they have a business continuity and disaster recovery plan for a cyberattack. 2 2022 Small Business Profile, U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy. https://cdn.advocacy.sba.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/30121338/Small-Business-Economic-Profile-US.pdfCyber Readiness Institute (CRI) is not an affiliate of any company of the Principal Financial Group®. Referenced companies are members of the Principal Financial Group®, Des Moines, IA 50392. ©2023 Principal Financial Services, Inc.

But employee benefits costs? Ask employees what they're missingYou may think your employees are satisfied with the benefits you offer, but it's worth investigating if that's still true. Add access as an employee benefitLet's say there's a potential benefit your employees want, but it's outside your employee benefits budget. "For example, maybe they just want to buy extra life insurance," Schelhaas said. Insurance products issued by Principal National Life Insurance Co (except in NY) and Principal Life Insurance Company®.

☆ Jobs report to give clues about where economy is headed
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Investors will get another clue when the January jobs report is released on Friday. Economists predict that 185,000 jobs were added last month, a slowdown from the gain of 223,000 jobs in December and 263,000 in November. A further deceleration in the labor market would likely please the Fed, as it would show that last year’s rate hikes are successfully taking some air out of the economy. Along those lines, average hourly earnings, a measure of wages that is also part of the monthly jobs report, are expected to increase 4.3% year-over year. So far, tech earnings season is not off to an inspiring start, with Microsoft (MSFT), Intel (INTC) and IBM (IBM) all reporting weak results.

☆ Here comes the biggest week of earnings. Plus an AI ode to the Dow
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

While only six companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average are reporting next week, about 20% of the S & P 500 reports, making it the biggest week of earnings this season. The Dow and the S & P 500 gained 2.2% and 2.9% this week, respectively, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 4.7%. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB.

☆ WW International Says Chief Financial Officer to Depart
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Stephen Nakrosis | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WW International Inc. on Wednesday said Amy O’Keefe will step down from her role as chief financial officer effective Dec. 2, but will remain with the company through the end of the year to support the finance team. Heather Stark, a 12-year veteran of the company who most recently served as head of North American Finance, will assume the role of interim principal financial officer, the company said. Also on Wednesday, the company, also known as WeightWatchers, said Tiffany Stevenson will join the company in January and assume the role of chief people officer. Most recently, she was chief people officer of Patreon, and before that spent 12 years at Sephora, WW said. The company also appointed David Cohen as chief data officer.

☆ For CIOs, it’s a critical time to deliver value on IT investments
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Bob Violino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The pressure on IT leaders to make the right decisions on technology investments is significant and is only going to intensify in the years to come. Chief information officers are expected to deliver digital dividends, and CEOs and boards--anticipating that investments in digital assets, channels, and digital business capabilities will accelerate growth--want to see these digital-driven improvements reflected in company financials. A report released last month by research firm Gartner underscored that CIOs and other IT leaders must figure out how to leverage top- and bottom-line growth from their many digital investments. An analysis of the survey data revealed four ways in which CIOs can deliver digital dividends and demonstrate the financial impact of technology investments. At Principal, she said the company has prioritized digital investments that will deliver the most value to customers and create growth opportunities and efficiencies.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Apple, Amazon, Intel and more
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Carmen Reinicke | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Apple – Shares of Apple jumped 8% after the technology giant beat both top and bottom line estimates when it reported earnings results for its latest quarter. Amazon – Shares of Amazon slipped 9% Friday after the retailer on Thursday reported quarterly revenue that fell short of Wall Street's expectations. T-Mobile – T-Mobile stock jumped 6% after the telecom company reported the largest jump in subscriber numbers since 2020, when it merged with Sprint. Pinterest – Pinterest rose 8% after the social media company beat earnings expectations and reported more monthly users than analysts forecast. The medical equipment company reported quarterly results on Thursday, posting revenue that slightly beat expectations, according to consensus estimates on StreetAccount.

☆ Morning Bid: Meta averse, ECB decides and CS slides
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike Dolan. Meta added a deep pothole to an already bumpy U.S. earnings season - another obstacle to a market pumped-up by bets of some central bank relief on the horizon as G7 economies slow. read moreWith Apple (AAPL.O) and Amazon reporting later on Thursday, sentiment toward tech giants remains on edge. But after two-week, trough-to-peak bounce of almost 10%, global stock indices (.MIWD00000PUS) struggled to make much headway for the second session on Thursday. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

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