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Since the constitutional right to abortion was taken away in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization in 2022, Democratic spending on abortion-related ads has jumped. Line chart showing the percentage of television ad spending devoted to abortion from 2018 to 2024. Democratic spending jumped up to around one-third in 2022 after the Dobbs ruling and has stayed high. In the first four months of this year alone, 48 percent of Democratic ad spending on broadcast networks in Pennsylvania centered on abortion. Democrats are seizing the moment, devoting two-thirds of their ad spending to abortion there.

Persons: Roe, Wade, Dobbs, Emily Holzknecht, Adam Westbrook, Trump, overperformed, —, N.M, Andy Beshear’s, Daniel Cameron’s, Mr, Biden Organizations: Democratic, Republican, Republicans, Jackson, Health Organization, Democrats, Republicans Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin, Supreme Court, Data, Pew Research, Ore ., Nev . Ohio Ill, Conn . Iowa Pa, Ind, Del . Utah Colo, Religion Research Locations: Dobbs v, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, . Arizona, . Maine, Mont, Minn . Vt, Ore, Ore . Idaho, Wis, N.Y, S.D . Mich, R.I, Wyo, Conn . Iowa Pa . N.J, Nev . Ohio, Del . Ind . Utah Md, Colo, W.Va . Va . Calif, Kan, Mo, Ky, N.C, Tenn, Okla, ., N.M . Miss ., Ala . Texas, Fla . Alaska Hawaii, Conn . Iowa, Neb . N.J, Del . Utah, W.Va . Md . Va . Calif, United States, Nevada , Arizona , Montana , Colorado, South Dakota , Nebraska , Missouri , Arkansas, Florida , New York, Maryland, Nevada , Arizona , Wisconsin , Michigan, Kentucky, Gaza, Ukraine

☆ Ark Invest's Cathie Wood says lower prices and rates will 'activate coiled equities'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood believes stocks are ready to spring upward with easing price pressures and lower interest rates on the horizon. "In the fourth quarter, as the Fed's dot plot began pointing to much lower interest rates, the bull market in equities broadened dramatically," Wood said in an X post on Thursday evening. In our view, more price deflation and lower interest rates will activate coiled equities." She said investors have been flocking to safe havens and cash at a dramatic pace last seen during the 1930s. "In our view, the search for cash and safety in the equity markets today is as intense as that during the Great Depression in the early 1930s," Wood said in the X post.

Persons: Cathie Wood, Wood Organizations: Federal Reserve

☆ Here are JPMorgan's top clean energy picks for the rest of 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

JPMorgan's top picks for the rest of the year are two smaller, lesser known companies — Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure and TPI Composites . Hannon Armstrong finances renewable projects and TPI builds blades for wind turbines. The investment bank has $39 price target for Hannon Armstrong, implying 21% upside from Thursday's close of $32.13. When long-term Treasury rates are higher than short-term rates, Hannon Armstrong can book projects at the higher rate but finance them at the lower rate. Nextracker's price target remains at $63, suggesting 23% upside from the last closing price of $51.32.

Persons: JPMorgan's, — Hannon Armstrong, Hannon Armstrong, TPI, Mark Strouse, Strouse Organizations: U.S, JPMorgan, — Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure, TPI Composites

☆ Dollar holds firm as traders trim U.S. rate cut bets
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"The carry of holding dollars is far juicier," he said, while policymakers' rhetoric has also made traders nervous about inflation and the risk rate cuts would be distant or small. Traders have pushed out the timing of the first Fed rate cut to December. Thursday's business surveys from S&P Global supported the conviction among many traders that the Fed may keep rates higher for longer. But not for traders who are positioned for Fed cuts. Rates markets still price a near 90% chance the ECB cuts rates next month.

Persons: Martin Whetton, Matt Simpson, Sterling, Christopher Waller Organizations: U.S, Westpac, Federal, Traders, P Global, European Central Bank, Federal Reserve Locations: Sydney

☆ This DoubleLine bond fund is beating the market. Here's what it's buying
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A bond fund run by two of the top names at DoubleLine is outpacing the broader market by being defensive without fully committing to an imminent recession. The DoubleLine Opportunistic Bond ETF (DBND) has a total return of 3.2% over the past year. That's more than the broadest bond funds, such as the iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (AGG) , and the category indexes for the ETF as determined by FactSet and Morningstar. "Given where yield levels are, you're paid relatively well just to be in the higher credit quality," Sherman said.

Persons: Morningstar, Jeffrey Sherman, Jeffrey Gundlach, Sherman, Bonds, it's Organizations: Bond, Aggregate Bond, FactSet, SEC, CNBC, Federal Reserve Locations: DoubleLine, Treasurys

☆ Scanning the Dark Universe, Euclid Finds Scenes of Cosmic Light
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Katrina Miller | More About Katrina Miller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Ninety percent of the mass in this cluster is dark matter. Gravity makes dark matter clump together, but dark energy counteracts this effect. Studying the density of dark matter across the cosmos will help astronomers learn how dark energy influences the structure of our universe. The telescope’s sensors make it like a net for light, Dr. Cuillandre said. “It’s very rare to find an isolated galaxy,” Dr. Cuillandre said.

Persons: Euclid, Katrina Miller Euclid, ” Jean, Charles Cuillandre, Beta, Cuillandre, ”, Michael Seiffert, “, We’re, Seiffert Organizations: European Space Agency, CEA Paris, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Messier

☆ Biden looks to counter China’s influence as he rolls out red carpet for Kenya
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Kevin Liptak | Kayla Tausche | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Among the goals of his three-day state visit in October: securing another $1 billion in loans from China to help complete infrastructure projects. On Wednesday, when he arrived at Joint Base Andrews to begin another state visit – this time to Washington – he again found a red carpet and troops. Senior administration officials acknowledge a central factor in scheduling a state visit with Kenya was the desire to counter China’s influence and financial leverage on the African continent, which has outpaced the United States in direct investment. One of the goals of Thursday’s state visit is to demonstrate the ability of democracies – like Kenya’s – to deliver for their people. “I plan on going in February,” Biden told reporters.

Persons: Washington CNN —, William Ruto, Joint Base Andrews, Washington –, Jill Biden, Joe Biden, –, Kenya –, ”, “, Biden, Ruto, ” Ruto, he’s, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, Jake Sullivan, ” Biden, Xi Jinping, Donald Trump –, ” Sullivan, Ariel Henry Organizations: Washington CNN, Kenyan, Joint Base, East, Kenya, NATO, Africa –, White, Initiative, Loans, Washington, World Bank, Group, European Union, Democratic, White House, Angolan, Advisers, CNN, Haitian Locations: Beijing, China, Africa, Kenya, United States, China’s, Nairobi, Mombasa, Boston, US, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Washington, East, Ukraine, ”, Russia, –, combatting al, Shabab, Somalia, Yemen, Haiti

☆ Haley will vote for the Trump ‘chaos’ that she once decried
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Before losing her home state’s primary to Trump earlier this year, Haley lashed out at Republicans who backed Trump despite privately despairing over him. They’re just too afraid to say it out loud.”Now Haley is saying out loud she’s voting for Trump. Haley seeks to preserve her futureThere is every sign that Haley wants to run again for president once Trump finally leaves the stage. Trump has made no effort to appeal to Haley voters during the march to the nomination despite his dire need to court suburban voters. “Rightly or wrongly, chaos follows (Trump),” Haley complained at almost every event.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Donald Trump, ”, couldn’t, Joe Biden, “, ” Haley, Haley, Trump, Biden, —, They’re, Ted Cruz, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, I’m, Cruz, There’s, Liz Cheney, repudiating, John Bolton, ” Bolton, CNN’s Wolf, Haley –, Ron DeSantis, “ There’s, they’d, Ronald Reagan’s, Bush, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, “ Trump, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Tapper, Putin Organizations: CNN, South, Trump, United Nations, president’s, Harvard Law School, Democrats, Wyoming, GOP, Vermont, Florida Gov, Republicans, Hudson Institute, Republican, freeloading, NATO, Hampshire Locations: South Carolina, Texas, Washington, Florida, Iowa, Georgia, New Hampshire, Russian, North Korean, Europe, Asia, United States, Columbia , South Carolina

☆ Amazon’s new cloud boss inherits a business under pressure to keep pace in AI
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

"It's very early days in generative AI," said Jassy, who succeeded Jeff Bezos as CEO in 2021. Davidson, told CNBC that Amazon was "caught flat-footed" by the generative AI boom. During a Q&A session on Wednesday, Jassy was asked twice about the status of Amazon's generative AI efforts. He said the company is "seeing a lot of momentum" in generative AI within AWS to where it's now a multibillion-dollar business based on annualized revenue. Amazon has previously said it intends to use generative AI to make Alexa more conversational.

Persons: Noah Berger, Andy Jassy, OpenAI's ChatGPT, Adam Selipsky, Jassy, Jeff Bezos, Matt Garman, Gil Luria, Davidson, Luria, Bezos, Selipsky, Casey McGee, McGee, Anthropic, Dario Amodei, OpenAI, it's, Garman, Amazon, wasn't, Dilip Kumar, Kumar, Swami Sivasubramanian, Jamie Meyers, Meyers, Matt, Jordan Novet, Kate Rooney Organizations: Web Services, Getty, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, D.A, CNBC, Amazon Web, Alexa, AWS, Nvidia, ChatGPT, Accenture, Toyota, Nasdaq, Investments Locations: Las Vegas, Vegas, Bezos, Anthropic

☆ Walmart and Target are slashing prices. What does that mean for inflation?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

That doesn’t mean the battle against inflation is won. Walmart saw first-quarter sales at stores open at least a year climb 3.8% from the prior year, in part thanks to its ability to keep prices low even as inflation remains sticky. “Our combination of everyday low prices plus a large number of rollbacks is resonating” with consumers, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said on a call with analysts. Investors will get more inflation data next week from the Personal Consumption Expenditures index for April. Without that discount, the combined fine would have topped £88 million ($112 million).

Persons: Doug McMillon, Price, we’re, ”, Preston Caldwell, Scarlett Johansson, Will Scarlett Johansson, OpenAI, Johansson, OpenAI’s, Sam Altman, Brian Fung, OpenAI didn’t, Anna Cooban, “ Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Walmart, Ikea, Aldi, Morningstar Research Services, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Investors, Citi, Citigroup, Financial Conduct Authority, Bank of England’s Prudential, Authority, CNN Locations: New York, United States

☆ I tried the Megaformer Pilates workout, loved by Kim Kardashian and Michelle Obama. It targeted my thighs in a whole new way.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Rachel Hosie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The list of Lagree's celebrity fans is long, including, reportedly, Jennifer Aniston, Meghan Markle, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Lopez, Michelle Obama, and Kim Kardashian. Steve Granitz/Getty ImagesThe global boutique fitness studio market is currently valued at $55.16 billion and is expected to reach $79.66 billion in 2029, according to Research and Markets. The gym was luxurious but minimalist, with club-style studiosThere are a couple of fitness studios in London offering Megaformer workout classes now, both at £35 ($45). AdvertisementStudio Fix's Megaformer studio. Afterward I felt proud of myself and my body felt good from the stretching and mobility.

Persons: —, Sebastien Lagree, Jennifer Aniston, Meghan Markle, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Lopez, Michelle Obama, Kim Kardashian, Steve Granitz, I've, Rachel Hosie, Andrea, Rachel, Lagree, I'd, Najeeb Abunahl, Sebastian Lagree, Abunahl Organizations: Service, Business, Research, Sauce Communications Locations: barre, London, Kensington —, Europe

☆ I used a fake name on my résumé to land a job. It might have helped, but it felt like I lost a core part of myself.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Charissa Cheong | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In 2007, I added an English-sounding name to my résumé in the hopes that it could help me land a job. AdvertisementToward the end of my college experience, I started preparing to get a job in petroleum engineering. AdvertisementOver time, I began to transition back to using Mukhtar. A Nigerian colleague who was like a mentor to me started using my real name. Since Arabic is widely spoken in the Middle East, I would introduce myself to new people as Mukhtar, not Mark.

Persons: —, Mukhtar Kadiri, Mukhtar, I've, Mark, Mukhtar —, I'd, Mark —, I'm Organizations: Service, Business, Texas Tech University, Employers Locations: Toronto, Edo State, Nigeria, Oman, UAE, US, Canada

Morgan Stanley accompanied the move by cutting its price target to $100 from $120. His $185 price target, up from $160, forecasts that shares of Take-Two could rally 23% from Wednesday's close. — Lisa Kailai Han 5:55 a.m.: Bernstein initiates Ford at an outperform rating Investors who don't own Ford are missing out, according to Bernstein. — Lisa Kailai Han 5:55 a.m.: JPMorgan upgrades Hasbro Don't expect Hasbro's momentum to slow in the near future, according to JPMorgan. It also raised its price target on shares to $74 from $61, implying upside of 22%.

Persons: Bernstein, Morgan Stanley downgrades NetEase, Morgan Stanley, Alex Poon, Poon, Lisa Kailai Han, Omar Dessouky, Dessouky, — Lisa Kailai Han, Sam Poser, Sean Dodge, Dodge, GoodRx, Ford, Daniel Roeska, Roeska didn't, Roeska, Christopher Horvers, Fred Imbert Organizations: CNBC, Ford, JPMorgan, Hasbro, NetEase, Bank of America, Rockstar Games, Rockstar, Supreme, Corp, Trading, EMEA, Timberland, RBC, RBC Capital Markets, pharma, Kroger Locations: China, Wednesday's, Americas

William J. Burns, the C.I.A. This month, frustration boiled over between officials from Hamas and Israel, and the countries mediating — the United States, Qatar and Egypt — put the talks on hold. Israeli officials were upset with what they saw as shifting negotiating stances by Hamas, including the number of hostages to be released in a first phase. Hamas was upset by Israel’s operations in Rafah, the southern Gazan city, which have been progressing since. But core to the dispute were disagreements over how to define a cessation of hostilities between Hamas and Israel, and how different stages of the cease-fire would be put into effect.

Persons: William J, Burns, Egypt — Organizations: U.S Locations: Gaza, Europe, Israel, United States, Qatar, Egypt, Rafah, Gazan

☆ Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Tesla, Ford, Super Micro, Wendy's, Hasbro, Take-Two, Wynn & more
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Bank of America reiterates Nvidia as buy Bank of America raised its price target on the stock to $1,320 per share from $1,100 following earnings. Deutsche Bank initiates Freshpet a buy Deutsche said it sees "multiple structural tailwinds" for shares of the pet food and health company. Deutsche Bank initiates BellRing Brands as buy Deutsche said it sees a long runway for growth for the food company. " Deutsche Bank initiates Legend Biotech as buy Deutsche said it's bullish on the biotech company's multiple myeloma drug Carvykti. Bank of America reiterates Super Micro Computer as buy Bank of America said Nvidia's earnings report on Wednesday bode well for companies like Super Micro.

Persons: Bernstein, Ford, Morgan Stanley downgrades NetEase, Morgan Stanley, Evercore, BRBR, Wedbush, Jefferies, GDRX, Oppenheimer, Armour, Kevin, Dell, Chubb, Stephens, FHN, Tesla, Argus, it's bullish, bode Organizations: " Bank of America, Nvidia, Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, Deutsche, BellRing Brands, JPMorgan, Hasbro, RBC, Norfolk Southern, NSC, GE Vernova, GE, UBS, Eastman Chemical, Eastman, SAP, underperform Bank of America, Berkshire Hathaway's, of America, Rockstar Games, NextEra Energy Partners, Argus, Wynn, Biotech, Computer Locations: U.S, China, Berkshire, Macau, Las Vegas, 2H24

☆ The jury in the Trump trial faces a task unique in American history
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“The judge hates Donald Trump, just take a look, take a look at him, take a look at where he comes from. The intricate task that awaits jurorsIt’s impossible to know how jurors are interpreting the daily drama of the courtroom in any trial. Trump has denied the alleged affair with Daniels, and hush money payments are not illegal in themselves. When Cohen finally took the stand, he directly implicated Trump in the alleged scheme to buy Daniels’ silence. But he may have ended up creating a hole in the Trump defense, according to several legal experts.

Persons: there’ll, Donald Trump’s, He’s, Juan Merchan, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Donald Trump, Trump, It’s, he’s, —, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, “, Matthew Colangelo, they’ve, Michael Cohen, ”, Todd Blanche, Cohen, David Pecker, Pecker, Hope Hicks, Hicks, ” Hicks, ’, ” Trump, ‘, ’ ” Cohen, Trump’s, he’d, beseeched, Cohen’s, ” Blanche, Merchan, — Robert Costello, Costello Organizations: CNN, Trump, Attorney, Democrat, Republican, GOP, New York, Prosecutors, American Media Inc, National Enquirer, White House Locations: New York, Manhattan, Lake Tahoe

☆ Federal Reserve minutes indicate worries over lack of progress on inflation
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell holds a press conference following a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee on interest rate policy in Washington, U.S., May 1, 2024. Federal Reserve officials grew more concerned at their most recent meeting about inflation, with members indicating that they lacked the confidence to move forward on interest rate reductions. Minutes from the April 30-May 1 policy meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee released Wednesday indicated apprehension from policymakers about when it would be time to ease. The meeting followed a slew of readings that showed inflation was more stubborn than officials had expected to start 2024. The Fed targets a 2% inflation rate, and all of the indicators showed price increases running well ahead of that mark.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Christopher Waller, FOMC, Stocks Organizations: Federal, Committee, Federal Reserve, Market, Fed, University of Michigan, New York Fed Locations: Washington , U.S

Analyst Ronald Epstein downgraded the electronics maker to underperform from neutral and slashed $15 off his price target to $150. Analyst Rupesh Parikh reiterated his outperform rating on the wholesaler, while lifting his price target by $45 to $850. Analyst Tal Liani reiterated his buy rating on the software stock and price target of $315. Analyst Gabriela Borges upgraded the retail software stock to buy from neutral and raised her price target by $7 to $74. He also slapped a $42 price target on the stock, implying upside of nearly 17%.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Piper Sandler, Kraft Heinz, Ronald Epstein, Epstein, — Alex Harring, Oppenheimer, Rupesh Parikh, Parikh, Alex Harring, Daniel Grosslight, Grosslight, HIMS, he's, Tal Liani, Liani, CORA, it's, Morgan Stanley, Josh Baer, Baer, Box's, there's, Goldman, Gabriela Borges, Borges, Shopify, Michael Lavery, Lavery, KHC, Fred Imbert Organizations: CNBC, Garmin Garmin, Bank of America, Garmin, Costco, Citi, Kraft, ~$ Locations: Tuesday's, Swiss, Shopify

☆ A Microsoft under attack from government and tech rivals after 'preventable' hack ties executive pay to cyberthreats
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Trevor Laurence Jockims | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

The decision by Microsoft to link executive compensation to successful cybersecurity performance is another is prompting discussions at other firms. One change the tech giant is making in response: linking executive compensation more closely to cybersecurity. In recent years, many Fortune 500 companies, including Apple, have added bonus pay tied to ESG metrics. The conversations about cybersecurity-linked executive pay have started taking place at other companies since Microsoft made its move, according to Aalap Shah, managing director at executive compensation consultant Pearl Meyer. Madnick's research shows that gaps in corporate culture are often culprits in high-profile hacks, not just the Microsoft example.

Persons: Brad Smith, Charlie Bell, Aalap Shah, Pearl Meyer, It's, I've, Shah, —, Stuart Madnick, Madnick, Ryan Kalember, unavoidability, Jen, Kalember, ransomware, Mike Doonan, Doonan Organizations: Microsoft, U.S, Hill, Google, U.S . Department of Homeland, Initiative, Microsoft Security, Team, Companies, Fortune, Apple, MIT, Infrastructure Security Agency, CNBC, Technology, State Department Locations: China, Russia, cybersecurity, U.S

☆ This researcher studied happiness for 10 years to try and find it herself—now she has a new definition for it
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

CNBC Make It spoke to her about why she challenges the common definition of happiness and offers up a new one. Experiencing my own challenges with my mental health, my physical health, my relational health, and that compelled me to want to understand what I was doing wrong. Based on your research, what are some things that people get wrong about happiness, and what actually leads to true happiness? I thought it was very interesting that you've formed this "New Happy" community. I started to build the community by doing things like providing free challenges every week.

Persons: Stephanie Harrison's, Harrison, Dr, Martin Seligman, Penn, we're Organizations: CNBC, University of Pennsylvania Locations: Penn

☆ Inflation is biting into Target’s ‘Tar-zhay’ luster
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Target has spent decades building a reputation for cheap chic home goods, clothing and other merchandise. It was the fourth-straight quarter of sales declines at Target (TGT). More than half of Target’s merchandise is discretionary. Target is trying to lure back shoppers by cutting prices on some key items and adding its own brands. The company also recently created a new house brand called Dealworthy to take on dollar stores and Walmart.

Persons: Target, pare Organizations: New, New York CNN — Target, Walmart, Costco, Target Locations: New York

☆ Microsoft’s latest AI tool is alarming privacy experts
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Samantha Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Microsoft’s buzziest new AI feature is raising concerns that it could potentially be misused in the wrong hands. It’s different from a keyword search; the tool regularly saves screenshots of the user’s screen and stores them directly on the device. It then uses AI to process the data and make it searchable. Jen Golbeck – a professor of AI at the University of Maryland who focuses on privacy – said the recall feature could pose a potential “nightmare” if the device falls into the wrong hands. Still, Michela Menting, a senior research director at ABI Research, believes the feature is a “step backwards” for privacy.

Persons: Jen Golbeck –, –, ”, that’s, Satya Nadella, Geoff Blaber, ” Blaber, Golbeck, Blaber, Michela Organizations: CNN, University of Maryland, Data Protection, ICO, Microsoft, Wall Street, CCS Insight, ABI Research

☆ UK inflation comes in hotter than expected, slashing June rate cut bets
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.K. inflation came in hotter than expected with a drop to 2.3% in April, the Office for National Statistics said Wednesday, prompting traders to pull back from bets on a June interest rate cut from the British central bank. Core inflation, excluding energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, dipped to 3.9% in April from 4.2% in March. A dramatic drop in the headline rate was widely expected because of the year-on-year decline in energy prices. Investors were instead set to focus on core and services inflation, after BOE policymakers indicated they would be willing to cut interest rates some time in the summer, but stressed that the timing would depend on fresh data. Following the print, money markets slashed the probability of a June rate cut to just 15%, down from 50% earlier in the day.

Persons: BOE Organizations: National Statistics, Bank of England's, Reuters Locations: Russia, Ukraine, British, U.K

☆ Britain's inflation rate could be about to drop below the Bank of England's 2% target
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesLONDON — U.K. inflation could be about to hit a major milestone, with some forecasting that a sharp fall in the April print will take the headline rate below the Bank of England's 2% target. That would represent a plunge from the current level of 3.2% and could "make or break" a June interest rate cut, economists say. Ashley Webb, U.K. economist at Capital Economics, said that if the headline rate does fall below 2% in April, as he expects, it would be "momentous." "This will be crucial in determining whether the first interest rate cut from 5.25% will happen in June (as we expect) or in August. We think inflation will fall further, perhaps even to 1.0% later this year," Webb said in a Friday note.

Persons: Ashley Webb, What's, Webb, —, BOE Governor Andrew Bailey, BOE, Ben Broadbent, James Smith, ING's Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, Bank of England's, Capital Economics, Bank of England, European Central Bank, ING Locations: Kingston, London, U.K

☆ OpenAI cofounder says artificial general intelligence is coming fast — and needs some 'reasonable limits'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewThe age of AGI is coming and could be just a few years away, according to OpenAI cofounder John Schulman. Speaking on a podcast with Dwarkesh Patel, Schulman predicted that artificial general intelligence could be achieved in "two or three years." A spokesperson for OpenAI told The Information that the remaining staffers were now part of its core research team. Schulman's comments come amid protest movements calling for a pause on training AI models. Groups such as Pause AI fear that if firms like OpenAI create superintelligent AI models, they could pose existential risks to humanity.

Persons: —, John Schulman, Dwarkesh Patel, Schulman, AGI, Elon Musk, OpenAI, Kayla Wood, Jan Leike, Ilya Sutskever Organizations: Service, Business, Tech, Washington Post

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