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☆ Here are Monday's biggest analyst calls: Netflix, Nvidia, Apple, Meta, Lowe's, Walmart, Target, Pepsi & more
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

JPMorgan upgrades Lowe's to overweight from neutral JPMorgan said investors should buy the stock ahead of earnings later this month. JPMorgan reiterates Netflix as overweight JPMorgan said it's standing by its overweight rating on shares of Netflix. Loop reiterates Meta as buy Loop raised its price target on the stock to $550 per share from $440. Loop reiterates Alphabet as hold Loop raised its price target on the stock to $155 per share from $140. " UBS reiterates Target as buy UBS says Target shares are "compelling."

Persons: Evercore, it's, wouldn't, Rivian, Piper Sandler, Piper, Jefferies, Willis Towers Watson, URBN, Morgan Stanley downgrades Hershey, Morgan Stanley, Morgan Stanley downgrades XPO, Stifel, Raymond James downgrades, Raymond James, Melius, Roth, Guggenheimer, Guggenheim Organizations: Apple, Barclays, Walmart, EV, JPMorgan, generics, UFC, WWE, Netflix, Citi, Willis, PepsiCo, PEP, LT, UBS, Urban Outfitters, Google, 4Q, Bulls, Target, Bank of America, of America, Bank of America downgrades Duke Energy, Duke Energy, Brands, Nvidia, Deutsche Bank, Industries, Deutsche, SilverBow Resources Locations: U.S, Bank of America downgrades, NWL, Republic, Mohawk

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Palantir, Spotify, UPS, DocuSign and more
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

In its second quarter, the materials company posted earnings of 36 cents per share, greater than the 26 cents per share anticipated by analysts polled by StreetAccount. In its fourth quarter, the company posted adjusted earnings of 87 cents per share, compared to guidance of 85 cents to 87 cents in earnings per share. The company said it was committed to announcing a $3.5 billion share buyback for the first half of the year. The insurance service company reported adjusted earnings of $7.44 per share, topping the FactSet consensus estimate of $7.05 in earnings per share. Analysts polled by FactSet were expecting earnings of $1.08 per share on revenue of $1.24 billion.

Persons: Li, Willis Towers Watson, Gil Shwed, DocuSign, FactSet, Rambus, — CNBC's Michelle Fox, Alex Harring, Hakyung Kim, Yun Li, Tanaya Macheel, Jesse Pound, Pia Singh Organizations: LSEG, StreetAccount, GE HealthCare Technologies, FactSet, Li Auto, Deutsche Bank, Spotify Technology, DuPont de Nemours, BP —, BP, Simon Property Group, Simon Property, United Parcel Service, UBS, Software Technologies, UBS — U.S, FMC Locations: StreetAccount ., FactSet ., Mississippi, Dalton , Georgia, Dalton, Swiss

☆ 8 more of our stocks report earnings next week. Here's what we want to see
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

The three major averages posted gains for the fourth week in row, lifted by strong quarterly earnings results for most of the Big Tech companies and a strong jobs report. A weaker ADP Employment report on Wednesday provided no read-through to the monster January jobs report Friday. Here's what we're keeping an eye on in the coming week: 1. Earnings: It's another big earnings week head for the portfolio, with 8 more of our companies reporting. Consistency is what we appreciate most from nat gas giant Linde , so we're hoping for another quarter of solid earnings growth Tuesday.

Persons: Estee Lauder, Eli Lilly, Mounjaro, Nelson Peltz, Estée Lauder, Tyson, CARR, Jacobs, Willis Towers Watson, Edwards, Walt Disney, Oscar Health, Philip Morris, Armour, BAX, BILL, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, George Frey Organizations: Big Tech, Dow Jones Industrial, Nasdaq, PMI, Apple, Starbucks, Procter, Gamble, GE Healthcare, DuPont, Linde, Ford, General Motors, Trian Partners, Disney, ESPN, Wynn Resorts, Wynn, Vegas, Prix, Estée Lauder Companies, Caterpillar, McDonalds Corp, Allegiant Travel, Bowlero Corp, Tyson Foods, TSN, Air Products & Chemicals, IDEXX Laboratories, CNA Financial Corp, CNA, Timken Company, Graham Corporation, Mesa Laboratories, Sphere Entertainment, Loews Corp, Technologies, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Semiconductors, Simon Property Group, Amkor Technology, FMC Corporation, FMC, BellRing Brands, Crown Holdings, ChampionX Corporation, Golub Capital BDC, Flexsteel Industries, Kilroy Realty Corp, Gladstone Capital Corp, Unibanco, S.A, Snack Foods Corp, Kimball Electronics, Skyline Corp, Cabot Corporation, Simpson Manufacturing Co, Varonis Systems, Co, GE HealthCare, Linde plc, LIN, Spotify Technology S.A, BP, Hertz Global Holdings, AeroSystems Holdings, Toyota Motor Corp, Cummins, CMI, Software Technologies, AGCO Corporation, Carrier Global Corporation, Lear Corp, CONSOL Energy, Centene Corporation, Gartner, Arcbest Corp, CTS Corporation, Energizer Holdings, Hamilton Lane Incorporated, KKR, Precision Drilling Corporation, Frontier Group Holdings, Waters Corp, Alfa Laval, Aramark Holdings Corp, FirstService Corporation, Garden Sports Corp, New Jersey Resources Corp, nVent Electric plc, PJT Partners, Resources, Sensata Technologies, Ford Motor Company, Enphase Energy, Grill, VF Corp, Edwards Lifesciences Corp, Gilead Sciences, Lumen Technologies, Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp, Weatherford International plc, Amcor plc, Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Advanced Energy Industries, Uber Technologies, CVS Health, Roblox Corporation, Ares Capital Corp, Bunge, XPO Logistics, Scotts Miracle, Gro Company, Berry Global, Flex LNG, Equinor ASA, Griffon Corporation, OneMain Holdings, Brookfield Asset Management, Emerson Electric Co, Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Reynolds Consumer Products, Silicon Laboratories, Brands, Sciences, CDW Corp, Fox Corporation, WYNN, PayPal, Arm Holdings plc, ARM, Axcelis Technologies, Mattel, Paycom, Annaly Capital Management, McKesson Corp, Health Corporation, O'Reilly Automotive, Allstate Corp, Fluence Energy, Power Systems, Digital Turbine, Blue Bird Corp, Everest Group, Omega HealthCare, Coty, COTY, ConocoPhillips, Cameco Corp, Philip Morris International, Spirit Airlines, Hershey Company, Lightspeed Commerce, Aurora Cannabis, Lincoln National Corp, P, Tenet Healthcare Corp, Asbury Automotive Group, Arrow Electronics, Baxter International, PetMed, Boyd Gaming Corp, FirstEnergy Corp, Motorola Solutions, Terex Corp, PepsiCo, Growth, AMC Networks, Owl, American Pipeline, TELUS International, Magna International, Newell Brands, Jim Cramer's Charitable, CNBC, Bloomberg, Getty Locations: U.S, China, Macau, Wynn Macau, Valvoline, VVV, ALFVY, Madison, New Jersey, Gilead, Ceridian, ORLY, Paycor, Aurora, Provo , Utah

☆ Goldman Sachs analysts have increased conviction in these 5 stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Investors looking for value heading into the holiday season should look no further than the following stocks, Goldman Sachs says. The company beat on both the top and bottom line to go along with strong guidance for the fourth-quarter. TransDigm- buy rating "TDG reported F4Q23 key metrics above consensus, guided the same ones for FY2024 above consensus, announced a large special dividend & announced a new sizable acquisition. Willis Towers Watson - buy rating "We view 3Q23 results as quite supportive of our thesis around ramping talent production & cost efficiencies & we reiterate our Buy rating as we expect momentum to continue on both top & bottom line results. Trex Company- buy rating "We are also encouraged by mgmt's optimism for further top-line gains in 2024, supporting our forecast for robust FCF to allow for investments in growth opportunities and shareholder returns.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Goldman, Ross, Willis Towers Watson, Noah Poponak, TransDigm, Poponak, Robert Cox, Willis, Cox, there's, Brett Feldman, Warner's, Feldman, shouldn't Organizations: CNBC, Warner Brothers Discovery, TransDigm, Warner Brothers, 3Q, Trex Locations: TransDigm

☆ Wall Street braces for big tech earnings and key economic data in the week ahead as Treasury yields rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Major earnings reports and economic data will be in focus next week as investors seek clarity on how the Federal Reserve will proceed from here. But next week will bring the lion's share of results including reports from mega-cap darlings Alphabet, Amazon , Meta Platforms and Microsoft . While the S & P 500 is higher by 10% in 2023, the equal-weighted index is down slightly. Of note, Tesla shares sank more than 9% on Thursday following a pessimistic economic outlook from CEO Elon Musk during the company's earnings call. Its the S & P 500's first weekly loss in three weeks.

Persons: bode, Elon Musk, We're, Sam Stovall, it's, Raphael Bostic, Ed Clissold, Ned Davis, Clissold, Katie Stockton, Rob Ginsberg, I'm, CFRA's Stovall, Stovall, Sherwin, Williams, Kimberly, Hess, Raymond James Financial, Keurig Dr Pepper, Northrop, Willis Towers Watson, Stanley Black, Rowe Price Organizations: Federal Reserve, Microsoft, Investors, CFRA, Dow Jones, Treasury, Fed, Atlanta Federal Reserve, Ned, Ned Davis Research, Wolfe Research, Chicago, P, PMI, P Global PMI Manufacturing, P Global PMI Services, Richmond Fed, Visa, Texas Instruments, General Electric, NextEra Energy, Raytheon Technologies, Dow, Inc, General Motors, Halliburton, Coca, Corning, Hilton Worldwide, General Dynamics, Dominion Freight, Mobile US, Boeing, Raymond, Technology, Whirlpool, International Business Machines, O'Reilly, Honeywell, Northrop Grumman, Mastercard, Amazon, Royal Caribbean Group, Tractor Supply, United Parcel Service, Hasbro, Southwest Airlines, Comcast, Hershey, Intel, L3Harris Technologies, Ford Motor, Energy, Chevron, Decker, Exxon Mobil, Colgate, Palmolive Locations: U.S, Atlanta, AbbVie

☆ Bank of America sees risks for employers as insurance coverage of weight loss drugs grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The eye-popping predictions for weight loss drug sales hinge on insurance companies agreeing to provide coverage of the pricey treatments, and momentum seems to be building on that front. The drugs include Novo Nordisk's semaglutide, which is sold as Ozempic for diabetes management and as Wegovy for weight loss. Unlike earlier generations of weight loss medicines, their side effects have been largely mild and included diarrhea, constipation and nausea. Higher hospital labor costs as well as GLP-1 medications are contributing to the biggest jump in health insurance costs since 2012, Lutz said. But those numbers will grow, especially as ongoing research continues to make the case for benefits beyond blood sugar control and weight loss.

Persons: Allen Lutz, Lutz, Lutz's, Savanta, Accolade, Eli Lilly, Mercer, Willis Towers Watson, Peter Verdult, Verdult, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Bank of America, Accolade, Novo Nordisk's semaglutide, Food, Drug Administration, Citi, Nordisk, Centers for Disease Control Locations: U.S

"There's been very little marking down of (private) assets," said Con Keating, head of research at Brighton Rock Group, an insurance company for pension schemes. "No-one knows where the next big blow-up for pensions will come from," said Henry Tapper, founder of pension market analysis group AgeWage. He said heavy selling of commercial property and private equity stakes by pension schemes is raising questions over private capital valuations. "It's the right approach to obviously put some scrutiny on private market valuations." But in deals where private equity firms and investors buy and sell portfolios of investments, assets are being valued at less.

Persons: Yann Tessier, Con Keating, Henry Tapper, EY's, Paul Kitson, Burgiss, Ben Leach, Willis Towers Watson, IOSCO, Wilfred Small, Sinead Cruise, John O'Donnell, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: City of, REUTERS, Britain's, Authority, Brighton Rock Group, Reuters, Numis Securities, Thomson Locations: City, City of London, Canary, London, Britain, Germany, Sweden

Benefit consultants from Mercer, Aon (AON.N) and Willis Towers Watson (WTW.O) see employer healthcare costs jumping 5.4% to 8.5% in 2024 due to medical inflation, soaring demand for costly weight-loss drugs and wider availability of high-priced gene therapies. Benefit consultants help design insurance plans for medium and large employers. About two-thirds of U.S. workers receive benefits through such plans.Insurers UnitedHealth (UNH.N), Centene (CNC.N), Cigna (CI.N) and Elevance (ELV.N), which manage employer insurance plans, declined to comment for this story. Of its projected 8.5% increase in employer healthcare costs for next year, Aon anticipates 1 percentage point coming from weight-loss drugs alone. Gene therapy treatment of just one employee could significantly raise costs for a company, consultants said.

Persons: Srdjan, Willis Towers Watson, Mercer, Marsh McLennan, Beth Umland, Aon, Novo's Ozempic, Eli Lilly's, Janet Faircloth, Jodi Picoult's, Khushi Mandowara, Leroy Leo, Caroline Humer, Bill Berkrot Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Reuters Graphics, Novo, Reuters, Employers, Thomson Locations: Ljubljana, Mercer, Aon, United States, Bengaluru

Thermal coal insurance rates rose more than 20% last year, it said, above the 7.3% rise in the benchmark Marsh Global Insurance Market Index. Insurance companies can be active in both primary insurance and reinsurance and have differing commitments on ESG for different parts of their business. "Establishing a mutual fund for the coal industry is a matter for the coal industry," a spokesperson for the Australian Department of Treasury said. "I'm talking about going beyond your normal UK-based markets and looking into Asia for funders and insurance cover," she added. Coal prices hit record highs in September last year as European countries scrambled to replace Russian gas, sending coal miners' profits soaring.

Persons: Philip Mostert, Seriti, Doug Gain, Gain, Ben Davis, Willis Towers Watson, Thungela, China's, Russia's, Switzerland's Chubb, Chubb, Russia's SOGAZ, Peter Bosshard, Nombasa Tsengwa, Tsengwa, Exxaro, Clara Denina, Sarah McFarlane, Nelson Banya, Elaine Hardcastle, Daniel Flynn Organizations: REUTERS, Seriti, Thungela Resources, International Energy Agency, Reuters, Marsh Global Insurance, Whitehaven Coal, Whitehaven, Allianz, Swiss, Germany's Allianz, Insuramore, Australian Department of Treasury, South, Thomson Locations: American, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, South, Ukraine, Whitehaven, Munich, Australia, Asia, Europe

A selection of injector pens for the Wegovy weight loss drug are shown in this photo illustration in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., March 31, 2023. The increasingly popular Wegovy has transformed the weight-loss market since its U.S. launch in June 2021, capturing the attention of patients, investors and celebrities worldwide. Novo's news lifted shares in Europe's second-most valuable listed company after LVMH (LVMH.PA) by more than 17% to record highs. Novo said the eagerly-awaited study results, which have not been peer reviewed, showed that patients on Wegovy had a 20% lower incidence of heart attack, stroke or death from heart disease compared to those on a placebo. Lilly's shares rose nearly 15% in early U.S. trading, boosted by its upbeat quarterly results and Novo's trial data.

Persons: Jim Vondruska, Novo, Wegovy, Jeff Levin, Willis, Willis Towers Watson, Martin Holst Lange, Novo's, Eli Lilly, Mounjaro, Soren Lontoft Hansen, Maggie Fick, Nikolaj Skydsgaard, Jacob Gronholt, Ludwig Burger, Patrick Wingrove, Terje Solsvik, Josephine Mason, Sharon Singleton, Kirsten Donovan, Jan Harvey, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, COPENHAGEN, Novo Nordisk, Willis Towers, U.S, Union, Pfizer Inc, Amgen Inc, World Health Organization, Barclays, Reuters, Pedersen, Thomson Locations: Chicago , Illinois, U.S, LONDON, Europe's, Europe, United States, Novo, Wegovy, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, New York, Oslo

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Meta Platforms, Chipotle, Royal Caribbean and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Meta Platforms reported earnings of $2.98 per share on $32 billion in revenue. Royal Caribbean , Norwegian Cruise Line — Shares of Royal Caribbean surged 8.7% after the cruise company beat expectations for the second quarter. Royal Caribbean reported $1.82 in adjusted earnings per share on $3.52 billion of revenue. The company reported $5.98 in adjusted earnings per share on $3.21 billion in revenue. The company reported $2.05 in adjusted earnings per share, below the StreetAccount consensus of $2.33 per share.

Persons: Chipotle, Refinitiv, Lam, L3Harris, Willis Towers Watson, Northrop Grumman, Northrop, Sunnova, Edwards, StreetAccount, —, Alex Harring, Hakyung Kim, Samantha Subin, Yun Li Organizations: Refinitiv, Cruise, Royal Caribbean, Lam Research, KLA Corp, —, L3Harris, Northrop Grumman, Northrop, Management, Energy, Honeywell, Honeywell International, Comcast —, Comcast, Southwest Airlines, eBay, Wall Street, CNBC Locations: Royal Caribbean, Refinitiv

☆ 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

☆ Obesity drug Wegovy's popularity has US employers rethinking insurance coverage
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Patrick Wingrove | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] A selection of injector pens for the Saxenda weight loss drug are shown in this photo illustration in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., March 31, 2023. A new and more expensive version of the drug specifically for weight loss, called Wegovy, had been approved in 2021 by U.S. health regulators. Employers that cover weight-loss drugs have required medical practices to document patients’ need for Wegovy since it was approved. The federal Medicare healthcare program for Americans aged 65 and older cannot cover weight loss treatments by law. Only 16 states – the most populous being California, Pennsylvania and Michigan – cover Wegovy and other obesity drugs under their Medicaid plans for low-income patients.

Persons: Jim Vondruska, Shawnte, Aon, Mercer, Willis Towers Watson, Eli Lilly, Jeff Levin, Levin, Scherz, Michael Manolakis, William Yancy, Manolakis, Patrick Wingrove, Michele Gershberg, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: REUTERS, New, Warner Bros, Warner Bros Discovery Inc, Reuters, Marsh & McLennan, Employers, Barclays Research, Novo Nordisk, Duke University, Thomson Locations: Chicago , Illinois, U.S, New York, Marsh, Wegovy, California, Pennsylvania, Michigan

Recessions haven't always resulted in declining stock markets, and good opportunities can be found amid them. Sectors for recession naysayersThe best sectors for recession disbelievers are the most economically sensitive ones: industrials, materials and financials. Well-positioned companies with good growth prospects currently include: Corteva, Dow Chemical, Ecolab, Linde plc, Martin Marietta Materials, Nucor Corp., PPG Industries and Sherwin-Williams. Currently buyable names include: Campbell Soup Co., General Mills, The Hershey Co., Kellogg's, Kimberly-Clark Corp., Kroger, Procter & Gamble and Walmart. Sector names with reasonable risk levels and good growth prospects include: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, IDEXX Laboratories, DaVita Inc., Veeva Systems Inc., IQVIA Holdings Inc., Cigna Group and Zoetis Inc.

Persons: Sherwin, Williams, Mayur, Martin Marietta, JPMorgan Chase, Rowe Price, Willis Towers Watson, Campbell, General Mills, Clark, Willie B, Thomas, Digitalvision Organizations: Westend61, University of Michigan Consumer, Investors, Westinghouse Air Brake Co, Cummins Inc, CSX, Emerson Electric, Otis Worldwide, Carrier, Caterpillar, Honeywell, Illinois Tool, Lockheed Martin Corp, Dow Chemical, Ecolab, Linde plc, Martin, Martin Marietta Materials, Nucor Corp, PPG Industries, XLF, JPMorgan, Rowe Price Group Inc, American International Group, Allstate, The, McLennan, Sectors, Co, Hershey Co, Clark Corp, Kroger, Procter, Gamble, Walmart, Getty Images Health, iShares U.S, Medical Devices, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, IDEXX Laboratories, DaVita Inc, Veeva Systems Inc, IQVIA Holdings Inc, Cigna, Zoetis Inc Locations: American, The Hartford, Marsh, Kimberly

☆ Goldman Sachs loves these stocks, but the rest of Wall Street hates them
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Finding opportunities in this tricky stock market is no easy task, and Goldman Sachs thinks it might be worth looking at these unloved gems with great potential. The Wall Street bank identified a slew of stocks where its analysts are bullish but most of the Street gave either a neutral or sell rating. These stocks with buy ratings from Goldman analysts have at least 10% upside, based on their price target, and the firm's earnings estimates for these companies are at least 2% above consensus. "These names appear underappreciated by the market and could generate alpha for investors with a contrarian view," Goldman said. Ride sharing giant Lyft is also widely hated by Wall Street, except for Goldman.

☆ Workers are clamoring for pricey new weight-loss drugs like Ozempic. Companies are grappling with how to respond.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Companies that pay for workers' health insurance are grappling with how to cover the pricey drugs. Medicare, the federal program that provides health coverage for people 65 and older, doesn't cover weight-loss drugs. ArcBest already has a program to help workers lose weight through behavior changes and nutrition. Krutsch said he wants to build on that, covering the weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Saxenda for employees who aren't able to lose weight without medication. The new weight-loss drugs were in short supply in 2022, and that gave employers time to figure out how to handle them, he said.

☆ Don't miss these approaching deadlines if you have a health care flexible spending account
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Sarah O'Brien | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The most common deadline for this is March 31, she said, although some companies may give you six or 10 months. Some offer a grace period or carryover amountMeanwhile, some employers also provide a grace period to spend any remaining 2022 FSA money — meaning qualifying 2023 health care expenses also can be applied against last year's balance. "You can think of it as a two and half-month extension of your 2022 plan," Myers said. For those with a grace period, that share is 37%. Check with your employer about its FSA rulesIt's common for workers to not know what their employer's FSA rules are.

☆ Here are Monday's biggest analyst calls: Tesla, Alphabet, Apple, Nvidia, Best Buy, Zillow & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Goldman Sachs upgrades Nomad Foods to buy from neutral Goldman said it sees an "attractive investment opportunity" to invest in the frozen food company. Goldman Sachs upgrades Willis Towers Watson to buy from neutral Goldman said it sees a robust turnaround for the insurance company. Barclays reiterates Tesla as overweight Barclays said it's standing by its buy rating heading into Tesla's investor event on March 1. Raymond James upgrades Frontier to strong buy from outperform Raymond James upgraded the cable company after its "impressive" earnings report. UBS reiterates Apple as buy UBS said its survey checks show Apple is the preferred brand in both the U.S. and China.

☆ Rising Interest Rates May Bring Higher Pension Costs for Companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Rising interest rates have boosted corporate pensions, with funded status reaching a 20-year high in the second half of last year. But rising rates may not prove so kind to companies, from Delta Air Lines Inc. to Sysco Corp. , and their pension costs this year. Within the last year, interest rates rose significantly while asset values fell, driving up pension accounting costs. Plan sponsors that measured these costs at the end of 2022, for instance, saw much higher interest rates than a year earlier, he said, which pushes 2023 balance sheet costs up. The higher costs were driven by a reduction in return on plan assets and higher interest costs, which were only partially offset by higher discount rates, the building materials maker said in a regulatory filing last month.

☆ Oakmark fund manager likes this alternative asset firm for its ‘attractive long-term earnings growth outlook’
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Investors should take a closer look at KKR & Co. on the strength of its alternative assets business, according to Michael Nicolas, portfolio manager at Oakmark Funds. "If you kind of step back a little bit, alternatives have been taking share of invested assets for quite some time, and KKR has been taking share within alternatives," he said Wednesday on CNBC's " Squawk on the Street ." The portfolio manager at the Oakmark Equity And Income Investor fund (OAKBX) said he prefers KKR over some of its competitors, such as Blackstone and Apollo Global Management. "We think the company is extremely well managed, and has a really attractive long-term earnings growth outlook. Additionally, Nicolas said he still likes Fiserv and Willis Towers Watson , both stocks he recommended on CNBC in October .

☆ Earnings and Fed Chair Powell will again drive markets in the week ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Patti Domm | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

With few economic releases and the earnings season starting to wind down, an appearance by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell Tuesday could be among the newsiest events for markets in the week ahead. The Fed chair is speaking at the Economic Club of Washington D.C. at midday Tuesday. If he wanted to walk back anything, he could have done it then," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley. Economists said Friday's surprisingly strong jobs report should encourage the Fed to push forward with planned rate hikes. Earnings, earnings, earnings But there continues to be earnings news.

☆ Long Covid patients can face a battle trying to claim benefits through their workplace disability insurance
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Sarah O'Brien | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Many workers get disability coverage via an employerAn estimated 43% of private industry workers have access to short-term disability insurance through their employer, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Long-term disability insurance, which is intended to kick in when necessary after short-term disability benefits run out, is available to 35% of workers. After 10 weeks of struggling, he filed another short-term disability claim when it was clear he was not improving. Toward the end of 2021, with five doctors agreeing that his condition was disabling, he again filed a long-term disability claim. In fact, cases involving denial of long-term disability benefits for long Covid are cropping up around the country.

☆ Recession fears could trigger a 'lipstick' effect on deal activity next year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

For the first time in over three years, there were no mega deals valued over $10 billion during the third quarter, according to the latest M&A report by Willis Towers Watson . There were only 49 large deals valued over $1 billion during the quarter, as compared with 67 large deals closed in the same period a year ago. Despite global recession fears, geopolitical tensions and expectations for inflation and interest rates to keep rising in 2023, WTW predicts dealmaking activity will continue. "An unprecedented number of disruptive forces have created headwinds for dealmakers, but they are also generating opportunities," said Massimo Borghello, head of human capital M&A consulting, Asia Pacific at WTW. "The fundamentals that drive dealmaking are still in place and, with valuations moderating after the historic levels reached in 2021, strategic and financial buyers alike will take advantage of better-priced opportunities for growth."

☆ 31 stocks that mutual funds are heavily betting on, driving their best-performing year since 2007 according to Goldman Sachs
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Laila Maidan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mutual funds are set to have their best year of outperformance relative to benchmarks since 2007. The report indicates that 56% of large-cap mutual funds outperformed their benchmarks compared to a 36% outperformance rate seen since 2007. Meanwhile, 66% of large-cap value funds outperformed the benchmark Russell 1000 Value index. Below are 31 of the 50 stocks listed in Goldman Sachs' Mutual Fund Overweight Positions basket. The list is based on the investment bank's analysis of 548 large-cap core, growth, and value mutual funds with $2.5 trillion in equity assets.

☆ Analysis: First U.S. coral insurance marks the rise of the reef brigades
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Clare Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

On Monday, the global 'Reef Brigades' plan came closer to reality when it bought an insurance policy on behalf of the state of Hawaii, the first U.S. coral insurance contract, which will provide funds for repair work, building on similar policies taken out in the Caribbean. Apart from being a precious nursery for fish, coral reefs that fringe developed coastlines can limit flooding by providing a barrier against ocean storm surges, meaning insurers have every interest in protecting them. For the premium of $110,000 in Hawaii's contract announced on Monday, that state will get up to $2 million of insurance protection for its coral reefs until the end of December 2023. Just offshore from some of the country's most famous Mayan ruins, local tourism businesses and the government bought an insurance policy to cover their share of the Mesoamerican Reef. Willis Towers Watson, which worked on the MAR Fund policy and the Hawaii policy, said it is actively working on a coral reef policy for Fiji, and policies for coral reef bleaching, run-off due to excessive rainfall, and lost fishing days due to climate change-induced storms.

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