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☆ We're raising our price target on Apple after its big earnings beat and raise
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Earnings per share rose 1% to $1.53, a March quarter record, and exceeded the LSEG consensus estimate of $1.50. This resulted in stronger-than-expected free cash flow, which is more important than operating cash flow because it is cash Apple can ultimately return to shareholders via buybacks and dividends. During the reported quarter, Apple paid over $27 billion to shareholders, including $3.7 billion in dividends and equivalents and another $23.5 billion via the repurchase of 130 million shares. Quarterly results Apple's services sales notched another record, which offset a slight miss in product sales and led to beats on gross and operating income. iPad sales are expected to gain double digits year over year, much better than the 5.9% expected on Wall Street.

Persons: Tim Cook, Cook, we're, Apple, Luca Maestri, Maestri, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim Organizations: Apple, Management, MacBook, MacBook Air, Apple Watch, Fortune, Apple Vision, KLM Airlines, CNBC, Apple Inc, Visual China, Getty Locations: China, Greater China, America, East, Canada, India, Spain, Turkey, Indonesia, WWDC, U.S, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Shanghai

☆ Here are Monday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Nvidia, AT&T, Tesla, Shopify, Super Micro Computer and more
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Evercore ISI reiterates Tesla as in line Evercore ISI lowered its price target on Tesla to $145 per share from $155. Barclays upgrades AT & T to overweight from equal weight Barclays sees "growth quality" for the telecommunications and wireless provider. Barclays downgrades Lululemon to equal weight from overweight Barclays downgraded the maker of athleisure wear due to rising competition. "We initiate coverage of Dave Inc. with a Market Outperform rating and $70 price target representing ~65% upside from the current price." "We are upgrading GWW from EW to OW, while raising our price target from $1,000 to $1,250."

Persons: Evercore, Tesla, Jefferies, LUV, Lululemon, LULU, Dave, Oppenheimer, Instacart, Bernstein, Goldman Sachs, William Blair, Eastman, Morgan Stanley, Berenberg, Melius, Price, Stephens, Grainger Organizations: Airlines, Jefferies, Southwest Airlines, Dynamics, Barclays, Dave Inc, JPMorgan, CART, Apple, Eastman Chemical, Arista Networks, Nvidia, Data, Citi Locations: Americas, China, Tulsa , Oklahoma, Kingsport , Tennessee

☆ Earnings playbook: Your guide to the busiest week of the season, including Apple and Amazon
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Fred Imbert | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

It's the busiest week of the earnings season, and it could have major consequences for the stock market. This quarter: The fast-food giant is expected to report single-digit earnings and revenue growth from the year-earlier period, LSEG shows. Amazon is set to report earnings after the close. What history shows: Pfizer earnings beat earnings expectations 87% of the time, per Bespoke. Thursday Apple is set to report earnings after the bell.

Persons: Jeffrey Bernstein, Bernstein, JPMorgan's Andrea Teixeira, Teixeira, AMZN, Joseph Feldman, Feldman, AAPL, —, Apple Organizations: Apple, Pfizer, IBM, CNBC, Barclays, Investment, Management, AWS, Amazon, pharma, Food and Drug Administration, UBS Locations: China

☆ Indonesia's central bank delivers surprise rate hike to support rupiah
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Indonesia's central bank delivered a surprise rate hike on Wednesday, stepping up efforts to support the rupiah currency which has fallen to four-year lows on rising risk aversion and a delay in the expected timing of any U.S. policy easing. Bank Indonesia (BI) raised the 7-day reverse repurchase rate, opens new tab by 25 basis points (bps) to 6.25%, its highest since the bank made the instrument its main policy rate in 2016. BI also increased the overnight deposit facility, opens new tab and lending facility rates, opens new tab by the same amount to 5.50% and 7.00%, respectively. "This hike in interest rates is to strengthen the stability of the rupiah exchange rate against the risk of a worsening global risks," BI Governor Perry Warjiyo told a briefing where the rate hike was announced. The rupiah extended gains after the announcement and was up 0.45% against the dollar at 0736 GMT at 16,140.

Persons: Perry Warjiyo Organizations: Bank Indonesia, Reuters, BI

☆ Currencies calm but cautious after a weary week
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. one hundred dollar bills are being shown in this picture illustration taken in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Dec. 15, 2023. Eyes are on the yen this week, with the Bank of Japan's, or BOJ, Friday policy review the notable item on the economic calendar. The yen has been one of the biggest losers against the dollar this year, with losses mounting to 9%. The ECB's Robert Holzmann, however, said the ECB probably will not cut rates this year as much as planned if the Fed does not move. BoE Governor Andrew Bailey and Deputy Governor Dave Ramsden alluded last week to Britain's inflation slowing as expected.

Persons: Chris Weston, Weston, Kazuo Ueda, BoE, ECB policymaker Madis Muller, Christine Lagarde, Robert Holzmann, BoE Governor Andrew Bailey, Dave Ramsden, Sterling, Bitcoin Organizations: U.S ., Bank of Japan's, Federal Reserve, Monetary Fund, Bank, Washington , Bank of Japan, European Central Bank, Bank of England, ECB policymaker, ECB, Treasury Locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, East, Tehran, Iran, Washington, United States, Japan, South Korea, Washington ,, U.S

☆ Aussie, New Zealand dollars tumble on risk-off moves; yen rises
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The risk-sensitive Australian dollar tumbled 0.8% to $0.6370, and the New Zealand dollar fell 0.63% to $0.5864. ABC News reported late on Thursday that Israeli missiles have hit a site in Iran, citing a U.S. official. The shift in rate expectations has come on the back of a slew of resilient U.S. economic data that has repeatedly surpassed expectations, alongside still-sticky inflationary pressures. "Although policy easing may arrive a bit later than previously expected, we still believe the FOMC will start cutting rates before the year is out," said economists at Wells Fargo. Against a basket of currencies, the greenback rose 0.1% to 106.28, hovering near a more than five-month high of 106.51.

Persons: Carol Kong, I'm, Kazuo Ueda, it'll, CBA's, Jerome Powell Organizations: New, Hamas, U.S ., U.S, New Zealand, ABC News, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Bank of Japan, European Central Bank, ECB Locations: New Zealand, Iran, United States, Japan, South Korea, U.S, CBA's Kong, Wells Fargo

☆ Dollar takes a breather as investors ponder U.S. rates outlook
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The dollar was soft on Thursday as traders assessed the U.S. interest rates outlook in the wake of comments from Federal Reserve officials that cemented expectation of monetary settings remaining restrictive for a while longer. The dollar was soft on Thursday as traders assessed the U.S. interest rates outlook in the wake of comments from Federal Reserve officials that cemented expectation of monetary settings remaining restrictive for a while longer. The yen strengthened 0.05% to 154.29 a dollar but remained close to the 34-year low of 154.79 touched on Tuesday. Japan last intervened in the currency market in 2022, spending an estimated $60 billion to defend the yen. Elsewhere, the Australian dollar was little changed at $0.6439, while the New Zealand dollar eased a bit to $0.5914 after spiking 0.6% on Wednesday.

Persons: Sterling, Michelle Bowman, Kristina Clifton, Tony Sycamore Organizations: Federal Reserve, Traders, Market Committee, Federal, Fed, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, IG, Japan, New Zealand Locations: U.S, Japan, South Korea, Tokyo, Seoul

Analyst Laura Champine also lowered her price target to $80 from $85, implying a 6% increase for the stock. "New York City office is one of the few REIT subsectors seeing improved demand," the analyst wrote. The bank double-upgraded the e-commerce platform to overweight from underweight and hiked its price target to $62 from $35. Feather added that eBay stock is currently trading at a discount versus peers, with Etsy trading around 35% higher. "JetBlue's DNA aligns with our broader preference for loyalty, premium, and international exposure ... albeit with less vigor than the Big 3," the analyst wrote.

Persons: TD Cowen, Morgan Stanley, Needham, Laura Martin, Andy, Martin, — Jesse Pound, Laura Champine, Champine, — Lisa Kailai Han, Tesla, Emmanuel Rosner, Elon Musk, Rosner, Fred Imbert, John Kim, Kim, SLG, KeyBanc, Eric Heath, Heath, Nathan Feather, Feather, James West's, West, Jamie Baker, Baker, Lisa Kailai Han, Matthew Ramsay, Ramsay Organizations: CNBC, Nvidia, Amazon, Wholesale, BJ's Wholesale, Deutsche Bank, Tesla, Reuters, BMO Capital Markets, Green Realty, New York City, SL Green Realty, SL Green, SL, KeyBanc, eBay, EBAY, GE, ISI, GE Vernova, General Electric, JPMorgan, JetBlue JPMorgan, JetBlue, Jetblue, Technology, NVIDIA, Match Group Locations: China, Manhattan, York City, Wednesday's, York

☆ Dollar steady, yen fragile after Fed comments dash rate cut bets
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The comments follow a slew of data in recent weeks that highlight the strength of U.S. economy along with persistent inflation. Against a basket of currencies, the dollar was last at 106.33, just below the five month peak of 106.51 touched on Tuesday. I'm watching dollar strength and U.S. real yields very closely." On Wednesday, the yen was last at 154.65 per dollar, having touched the 34-year low of 154.79 in the previous session. The Australian dollar rose 0.12% to $0.641, while the New Zealand dollar rose 0.22 to $0.589.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Powell, Powell's, " Powell, Ben Bennett, Kieran Williams, InTouch Capital's Williams Organizations: Federal Reserve, U.S, Traders, Investment Management, Asia FX, InTouch, CPI, New Zealand Locations: Washington, Asia, JPY, Japan

☆ Dollar stands tall as U.S. rate-cut bets recede
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The dollar steadied on Monday, holding its biggest weekly gain since 2022, as escalating conflict in the Middle East and the prospect of stubbornly high U.S. interest rates gave support. The dollar steadied on Monday, holding its biggest weekly gain since 2022, as escalating conflict in the Middle East and the prospect of stubbornly high U.S. interest rates gave support. There was little initial reaction to a weekend attack on Israel by Iran. Canadian and New Zealand inflation figures are due on Tuesday, along with Chinese growth numbers. British inflation data is out on Wednesday and Aussie jobs data on Thursday.

Persons: Jason Wong, Sterling Organizations: New Locations: Asia, Israel, Iran, New Zealand, Israeli, Damascus, Wellington, Zealand

☆ Yen crumbles under towering dollar and U.S. Treasury yields
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In this photo illustration, the man is holding several U.S. dollar bills with some Chinese yuan in the background. The yen struggled to break away from a 34-year low on Friday and was headed for a weekly decline, while the dollar hovered near a five-month high alongside U.S. Treasury yields as traders heavily scaled back bets for a slew of U.S. rate cuts this year. The yen was last marginally higher at 153.17 per dollar, languishing near a 34-year trough of 153.32 per dollar hit in the previous session on the back of a surge in U.S. Treasury yields, which the dollar/yen pair tends to closely track. The benchmark 10-year yield was last at 4.5784%, flirting with a five-month peak of 4.5930% hit in the previous session. The renewed dollar strength also weighed on the Australian and New Zealand dollars , which each fell 0.02%.

Persons: Tony Sycamore, Shunichi Suzuki, David Doyle Organizations: U.S, Treasury, European Central Bank, Federal Reserve, IG, Japanese Finance, ECB, New, Macquarie Locations: U.S, United States, freefall, Tokyo, New Zealand

☆ Dollar firms, yen skids as Fed cut wagers crumble
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

U.S. one hundred dollar bills are being shown in this picture illustration taken in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Dec. 15, 2023. Japan intervened in the currency market three times in 2022 as the yen slid toward what was then a 32-year low of 152 to the dollar. The Japanese central bank last month ended eight years of negative interest rates but yen has remained rooted near 151 per dollar levels since then. The euro was last at $1.0744, having dropped 1% on Wednesday ahead of the European Central Bank, or ECB, meeting later in the day. The Australian dollar was little changed at $0.651, while the New Zealand dollar eased 0.17% to $0.598.

Persons: Masato Kanda, Kyle Rodda, Rodda, Kazuo Ueda, Kevin Cummins, Sterling Organizations: Fed, Reuters, Bank of, Bank of Japan, Federal Reserve, U.S, NatWest, Treasury, European Central Bank, ECB, New Zealand Locations: Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tokyo, Japan, Bank of Japan, U.S

☆ Why the next 10 trading days are a make-or-break moment for this bull market
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Frank Cappelleri | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The S & P 500 has been higher two weeks later all five times. The S & P 500 popped 1.1% on the day of the release. If this happens, it could finally infect the S & P 500, however. The first clue would be seeing the S & P 500 down two weeks after a CPI report. Ultimately, the S & P 500 can pull back to the 4,800 zone and remain above the breakout zone.

Persons: we've, –, hasn't, …, We'll Organizations: Treasury

☆ Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Tesla, Super Micro, Meta, Wynn, Reddit, Coinbase, GM & more
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Mizuho reiterates Nvidia as a top pick Mizuho says Nvidia is still a top idea at the firm. Morgan Stanley initiates Mural Oncology at overweight Morgan said in its initiation of the biotech company that it sees a long "cash runway" lasting through 2025. Morgan Stanley downgrades Block to underweight from equal weight Morgan Stanley sees growth headwinds for the payment tech company. Morgan Stanley upgrades Zeta to overweight from equal weight Morgan Stanley said the marketing technology company has an underappreciated valuation. " Morgan Stanley reiterates Tesla at overweight Morgan Stanley lowered its price target to $310 per share from $320. "

Persons: Bernstein, Reddit, underperform Bernstein, Raymond James, Raymond James downgrades Bumble, Barclays downgrades Ferrari, it's, Mizuho, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, Morgan Stanley, Morgan, Wolfe, underperform Wolfe, Piper Sandler, Piper, Synopsys, Morgan Stanley downgrades Block, Dave, Buster's, Jefferies, Zeta, Oppenheimer, Ball, Wayfair, Wynn, bullish, Tesla, Goldman Sachs downgrades Hertz Organizations: Citi, Barclays, Ferrari, Nvidia, JPMorgan, Avis, UBS downgrades Bank of America, UBS, Apple, AstraZeneca JPMorgan, AstraZeneca, Amazon, AWS, Meta, General Motors, GMC, Chevrolet, Buick, GM, DFS, Mizuho, Eversource Energy Locations: Avis, MURA, Charlotte, Wayfair, Capital, Macau

☆ Here are Monday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Apple, Tesla, Super Micro Computer, Disney, Netflix, Meta, Amazon & more
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Wells Fargo reiterates Citi as overweight Wells Fargo raised its price target on Citi to $80 per share from $70." "We initiate coverage of Kinetik Holdings Inc. with an Outperform rating and $40 price target." "We are initiating coverage of Motorola Solutions (MSI) with an Outperform rating and $400 Target price." Citi reiterates Netflix as neutral Citi raised its price target on Netflix to $660 per share from $555. Morgan Stanley reiterates Tesla as overweight Morgan Stanley said it's standing by its overweight rating on the stock.

Persons: BoB, Mizuho downgrades Tesla, Wells, Wells Fargo, Kinetik, it's bullish, Huya, Raymond James downgrades Dave, Raymond James, Dave, Buster's, Morgan Stanley, it's, Evercore, Sealy, Raymond James downgrades Scotts, Tesla, MASI Organizations: Bank of America, Nvidia, Mizuho, Citi, RBC, Kinetik Holdings, Northland, Astera, of America, " Bank of America, Meta, Argus, Barclays, Adobe, ISI, Motorola Solutions, Netflix, Mattress, JPMorgan, PT, Raymond James downgrades Scotts Miracle, Gro, Scotts Miracle, Strong, MASI, UBS, Apple, Arista Networks, Arista Locations: China

☆ Gold's three-week winning streak under pressure amid U.S. inflation heat
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Gold prices were on track on Friday to snap a three-week winning streak as surprisingly hot U.S. inflation readings prompted traders to re-think on how swiftly and deeply the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates this year. A reading on consumer inflation earlier this week also showed some stickiness in inflation. Higher inflation adds pressure on the U.S. Fed to keep interest rates elevated, weighing on non-yielding assets such as gold, and increasing appeal for bonds, raising the dollar. Other data showed U.S. retail sales rebounded last month, but were below analyst estimates, while fewer people sought unemployment claims. Spot platinum fell 0.4% to $927.35 per ounce, palladium dropped 0.2% to $1,066.86, while silver was up 0.6% at $24.97.

Persons: Hugo Pascal Organizations: U.S, Fed, Traders Locations: Singapore, InProved .

☆ Pocket more of your return and save on taxes with these tips, says Bank of America
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Darla Mercado | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"Fixed income returns, by contrast, come almost entirely from coupon payments, which can be taxable at the highest rates." You may also want to think about where you're holding these fixed income assets. The fourth step to save on taxes: Consider whether a buyback ETF or a dividend ETF is right for you. Woodard recently highlighted the iShares Core Dividend ETF (DIVB) and the Invesco BuyBack Achievers ETF (PKW) as buyback plays. He also noted that true income investors may want to go with dividend funds, including Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) and Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM) .

Persons: It's, Jared Woodard, Woodard, buybacks, they're, DIVB, PKW, SCHD, VYM, Morningstar Organizations: Bank of America, Taxpayers, Schwab, Equity, Vanguard, & ' $

☆ Here are Wednesday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Tesla, Super Micro, Coinbase, Apple, Microsoft, Rivian & more
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

"We are initiating coverage of Legend Biotech (LEGN) with an Outperform rating and a price target of $86." Bank of America reiterates Super Micro as buy Bank of America raised its price target on Super Micro to $1,280 per share from $1,040. The firm has an outperform rating on shares of Boeing. We Initiate with a Buy rating and $15 PT." "We initiate coverage of IMVT with a Buy rating and 12-month price target of $50 (60% upside potential)."

Persons: Raymond James, it's, Wells, Tesla, Davidson, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, Baird, Bernstein, TXRH, EBITDA, Jefferies, underperform Jefferies, Baird downgrades Fiserv, Stephanie Ferris, Charles Drucker, helms, Cooper, William Blair, BTIG, Bitdeer, JMP, Morgan Stanley, Idacorp, Rivian Organizations: Biotech, Legend Biotech, Citi, Constellation Brands Citi, Constellation, Watch, Nielsen, DA, " Bank of America, Bank of America, Nvidia, GPU Tech Conference, TAM, Royal Caribbean, Boeing, Apple, Moelis, Company, RBC, Pointe, GM, Microsoft, ROIC, Jefferies, FIS, JPMorgan, Cooper Companies, Bitdeer Technologies, Technology, ICE, of America, Argus Locations: Nice, Texas, Cleveland, Southwest, Kansas, Missouri

☆ Gold retreats from near record-high levels ahead of U.S. inflation data
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Gold prices slipped from near record-high levels on Tuesday, as traders braced for key U.S. inflation report that could give more clarity on when the Federal Reserve might start cutting its interest rates. Spot gold fell 0.2% to $2,178.53 per ounce, as of 0424 GMT, after rising for nine consecutive sessions. "Following the stellar run-up in gold prices, it does call for some near-term breather," IG market strategist Yeap Jun Rong said. Another surprise run of hotter-than-expected inflation data for February will likely challenge that, which could drive some near-term unwinding in gold prices." Traders are pricing in three to four quarter-point (25 bps) U.S. rate cuts, with a 70% chance for the first in June, as per LSEG's interest rate probability app.

Persons: Bullion, Yeap Jun Rong, there's, Tim Waterer Organizations: Co, Federal Reserve, Traders, U.S . Treasury, KCM Trade Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, U.S

☆ Gold rally hits pause ahead of U.S. inflation data
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

One kilogram gold bullion at the YLG Bullion International Co. headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. Gold prices took a breather from a record-breaking rally on Monday, which was fueled by a cooling U.S. labor market and remarks from the Federal Reserve, with traders awaiting a U.S. inflation report for fresh clues on the timing of rate cuts. Gold set a record peak of $2,194.99 for the fourth straight day on Friday after data signaled a cooling U.S. labor market. COMEX gold speculators raised their net long positions by 63,018 contracts to 131,060 in the week ended March 5, data showed on Friday. A cooler reading on the CPI print could help the case for an early rate cut, supporting gold prices.

Persons: Matt Simpson, Simpson, Powell Organizations: Co, Federal, Index, Traders Locations: Bangkok, Thailand

☆ Income investors hate dividend cuts, but here's why they could provide an attractive opportunity in some cases
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Dividend stocks usually take a hit when they decrease their payouts, but investors may not want to count some of them out, according to Morgan Stanley. While many companies instituted large dividend decreases, there are several that announced dividend cuts of 30% or less. Shares of Annaly are up 1% in 2024, and the dividend yield is 13.3%. That's about a 20% quarter-over-quarter decrease, per Morgan Stanley. Shares are up 10% this year, and they offer a dividend yield of 0.4%.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Todd Castagno, Castango, Russell, David Finkelstein, Raul Jacob Ruisanchez Organizations: Annaly Capital Management, Southern Locations: Southern

☆ Dollar steady as traders ponder Fed rate cut bets; yen shaky at 150 per dollar
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The dollar was steady on Friday after data showed U.S. inflation remained sticky but easing gradually, keeping alive the chance of the Federal Reserve cutting rates in June, while the yen slid back to the key 150 per dollar level. The data showed U.S. prices picked up in January in line with expectations, while annual inflation slipped to the lowest in three years. Takata's comments stoked expectations that the central bank could end negative rates in March rather than the widely held view of a move in April. The contrasting comments are likely to keep investors guessing about the next move from the central bank. The Australian dollar rose 0.08% to $0.65025, while the New Zealand dollar was little changed at $0.6088.

Persons: Raphael Bostic, Hajime Takata, Kazuo Ueda Organizations: Federal Reserve, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Traders, Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank, Bank of Japan, New Zealand Locations: United States, U.S, Atlanta

☆ Gold prices steady as traders await key U.S. inflation report
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Gold prices remained steady on Thursday, and have held ground so far this month, despite bleak hopes for swift and deeper rate cuts in the United States as traders await a key U.S. inflation reading due later in the day. Gold prices remained steady on Thursday, and have held ground so far this month, despite bleak hopes for swift and deeper rate cuts in the United States as traders await a key U.S. inflation reading due later in the day. Spot gold was steady at $2,035.78 per ounce, as of 0419 GMT. Gold is holding firm on a month-on-month basis despite traders trimming bets to three quarter-point rate cuts in the U.S. for 2024, from bets of five cuts a month ago. Hopes of the first cut arriving in May have receded this month, and a cut is now expected in June.

Persons: Kyle Rodda, there's Organizations: Capital.com, U.S, Fed Locations: United States, U.S

☆ Yen sinks as currency traders keep short and carry on
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The yen is the worst-performing G10 currency this year, with a 6.4% slide on the dollar. For the week the yen is down 0.6% on the euro, touching its weakest for three months overnight at 163.45 per euro . Yen moves against the dollar were more modest due to the risk its slide could prompt intervention in markets from Japan, with officials reminding traders they stand ready in recent days. The dollar gained 0.1% to trade at 150.41 yen this week. Investors can earn interest, or carry, by borrowing yen around 0% and buying income-bearing assets in other currencies.

Persons: Moh Siong Sim, Sterling, Christine Lagarde, Christopher Waller Organizations: New, Deutsche, Britain, of Singapore, U.S, European Central Bank Locations: Japan, New Zealand, Friday's Asia, U.S, Europe

A railroad stock and a fast food giant were in focus Wednesday among early analyst calls. Barclays raised its rating on Norfolk Southern to a buy-equivalent rating, and his new price target calls for about 20% upside. The firm downgraded the retailer to reduce from hold and maintained a $323 per share price target. — Brian Evans 5:44 a.m.: Barclays upgrades Norfolk Southern Norfolk Southern could see a shake-up to its leadership, and Barclays thinks these changes could lead to strong gains for the stock. He also hiked his price price target to $305 from $255.

Persons: SolarEdge's, Morgan Stanley, Andrew Percoco, Goldman Sachs, Brian Lee, SEDG, Vikram Bagri said.Bagri, — Brian Evans, Piper Sandler, Piper Sandler's, Rob D, Owens, Brian Evans, Daniela Bretthauer, John Ivankoe, Brandon Oglenski, Ancora, It's, Alan Shaw, Oglenski, Fred Imbert Organizations: CNBC, Barclays, Norfolk, JPMorgan, Palo Alto Networks, billings, Palo Alto, HSBC downgrades Home, Depot, HSBC, Home Depot, JPMorgan downgrades, Norfolk Southern, NSC Locations: Wendy's, Norfolk Southern Norfolk Southern, Norfolk Southern, Norfolk

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