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☆ As earnings season winds down, investors turn to Tuesday's debt ceiling meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

With only a small fraction of the S & P 500 left to report quarterly earnings, investors are now turning their focus to another major hurdle for the markets and economy: the debt ceiling crisis. Earlier this week, we looked back to debt limit crisis of 2011 for potential lessons. The protracted fight ultimately ended in an agreement in early August of that year, but it was a choppy summertime ride for investors. Within the portfolio, Wynn Resorts will report Tuesday, after the closing bell, and Disney will report on Wednesday, after the closing bell. Estee Lauder (EL) and Emerson Electric (EMR) reported earnings before the opening bell.

☆ No harmful chemical levels in air after Shell Texas chemical plant fire, company says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] An olefins unit burns in fire at Shell Deer Park, Texas chemical plant in this screengrab obtained from social media on May 5, 2023, in Deer Park, Texas, U.S. Johnny Walea via TMX/via REUTERSMay 6 (Reuters) - Air monitoring around an extinguished fire at the Shell Plc's (SHEL.L) chemical plant in Deer Park, Texas, showed no harmful levels of chemicals in the air, the company said on Saturday, added that there was no threat to the surrounding community. The fire broke out shortly before 3 p.m. CDT (2000 GMT) on Friday after in an olefins unit at the plant in the Houston suburb. Five people were taken for evaluation of possible injuries due to exposure to burned chemicals, the county sheriff said on Friday. The company on Saturday said in a series of tweets that the fire was extinguished and air monitoring has detected no harmful levels of chemicals. Operations at the refinery continued despite the fire in the chemical plant, sources familiar with the refinery's operations said.

☆ Six injured in Shell Texas chemical plant fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Erwin Seba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HOUSTON, May 5 (Reuters) - Six people were injured after a fire broke out in an olefins unit on Friday at Shell Plc's (SHEL.L) Deer Park, Texas chemical plant, said five people familiar with plant operations. A large column of black smoke could be seen rising from the fire in the olefins unit located near Highway 225 in the Houston suburb of Deer Park, the sources said. In a notice posted on a website for nearby residents, Shell said there was a fire at the chemical plant. All personnel at the plant at the time the fire broke out had been accounted for by 4 p.m. CDTOperations at the neighboring Pemex (PEMX.UL) refinery were continuing despite the fire in the chemical plant, said sources familiar with the refinery's operations. Pemex bought the Deer Park refinery from Shell in 2022.

The blue-chip index (.FTSE) and the mid-cap FTSE 250 index (.FTMC) rose 0.3% each, as of 0830 GMT. Oil and gas sector (.FTNMX601010) jumped 1.7%, with firm crude prices and a weaker dollar supporting gains. The U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank hiked interest rates by 25 basis points (bps) earlier this week. Though the ECB signalled more hikes were to come, the Fed indicated a potential pause in its monetary tightening. "As long as inflation doesn't move higher, it looks like the Fed has done enough in the near term."

☆ HSBC shareholders to vote on whether to spin off Asia business at Friday's annual meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

HSBC's senior executives faced its Hong Kong shareholders from retirees to taxi drivers as the lender seeks to fend off a push in Asia to split the bank. Last month, HSBC said spinning off its Asian business "would result in material loss of value for HSBC shareholders." "It's just a bank that has some great operations [in] Hong Kong, and other places. Shares of HSBC in Hong Kong were trading 0.6% lower on Friday. The annual meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Hong Kong time.

Barrick has been building its copper business organically and said it is exploring copper drilling opportunities in countries such as Chile and Argentina. "We have always said that if you want to be relevant as a gold miner you have to be in copper business," Bristow added. Gold is often a byproduct of copper, a critical metal required for electrification and the transition to a greener economy. Teck last month withdrew its plan to split its coal and metals business after it failed to secure shareholders' approval. Bristow said Glencore's proposal made a "lot of sense" as Glencore could handle Teck's debt and had offered a clean split of Teck's business.

☆ US FDA approves first RSV vaccine from GSK
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved GSK Plc's (GSK.L) respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, the British drugmaker said on Wednesday, making it the first shot to be cleared for protection against a common respiratory disease that can be fatal for older people. The vaccine was approved for people aged 60 and older, the company said. The approval makes GSK, which has been neck-and-neck with Pfizer (PFE.N) in RSV vaccine development, the first company to tap into a multi-billion-dollar market and puts it ahead of rivals such as Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) and Bavarian Nordic (BAVA.CO). Analysts have estimated the market for RSV vaccines to cross $10 billion by 2030. GSK expects the vaccine to be available before the next RSV season in the United States, Chief Commercial Officer Luke Miels told Reuters on Wednesday before the approval.

☆ Edtech Chegg slumps on revenue warning as ChatGPT threatens growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 2 (Reuters) - What's the cost of students using ChatGPT for homework? For U.S. education services provider Chegg Inc (CHGG.N), it could be nearly $1 billion in market valuation. Chegg forecast current-quarter revenue below estimates and signaled that the usage of viral chatbot ChatGPT was pressuring customer growth, sending its shares 44% lower in premarket trading on Tuesday. We now believe it's having an impact on our new customer growth rate," said Chegg CEO Dan Rosensweig. "We fear Chegg could start to lose mind-share before CheggMate fully rolls out," Thill said.

By attributing that knowledge to JPMorgan, Epstein's accusers might show that JPMorgan "actually knew" about the venture or "recklessly disregarded" its existence, Rakoff said. JPMorgan is separately suing Staley to cover its losses in the two lawsuits it faces, and forfeit eight years of pay. 22-10018; Jane Doe 1 v JPMorgan Chase & Co, No. 22-10019; Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands v JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, No. 22-10904; and JPMorgan Chase Bank NA v Staley, in Nos.

(Reuters) - A Kirkland & Ellis partner whose clients have included General Motors Co, BP Plc and auto manufacturer Polaris Inc said he has joined the Chicago office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. R. Allan Pixton told a federal judge in Detroit on Friday that he has joined Quinn Emanuel's Chicago office. Pixton and a Kirkland spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to his defunct Kirkland profile, Pixton's litigation experience covered class actions and mass torts. In 2020, he left Kirkland to lead the new Chicago office of Hilliard Martinez Gonzalez, a Corpus Christi, Texas-based law firm.

This is weighing on how much the private equity firms are offering to buy companies. So far, bids for Subway have ranged between $8.5 billion and $10 billion, one of the sources said. This is a more expensive route that private equity firms may not opt for, three of the sources added. To be sure, Subway is allowing bidders to use any financing route they want, as long as they can show they can secure committed financing. TPG and Bain were part of a group that owned Burger King when John Chidsey, who is now Subway's CEO, headed that burger fast-food restaurant chain.

☆ A solid start to earnings season will be put to the test in the week ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

The biggest week of this earnings season showed us that things aren't as bad as many feared. The week ahead of earnings, including several more Club names, should tell us more. The results are always important, but it's the guidance and management commentary we will really hone in on to better understand the path ahead. In Amazon's case, a solid first quarter for its AWS cloud business was overshadowed by management seeing a material slowdown in April. ET: Nonfarm Payrolls Looking back It was the biggest week of this earnings season for the Club as several of our mega-cap holdings and industry bellwethers reported results.

☆ WPP Says Growth Target on Track Despite Softness From Some Tech Clients
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The WPP headquarters in New York. Chief Executive Mark Read said the company has seen some slight softness from some of its technology clients following several years of increasing budgets. Photo: WPPAdvertising holding company WPP PLC says it is on track to hit its organic growth target this year as other parts of its business help offset lower spending from some technology clients. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CMO Today CMO Today delivers the most important news of the day for media and marketing professionals. The measure strips out currency fluctuations, acquisitions, disposals and costs such as expenses billed to clients.

☆ US FDA panel backs restricted use of AstraZeneca's prostrate cancer drug
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 28 (Reuters) - A panel of U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisers on Friday voted for the restricted use of British drugmaker AztraZeneca Plc's (AZN.L) experimental treatment, jointly developed with Merck & Co (MRK.N), for a type of prostate cancer. The FDA panel voted 11-1 with one abstention, in favor of Lynparza, in combination with other medications – abiraterone and prednisone or prednisolone – as a first-line treatment for a type of treatment-resistant prostate cancer in adult patients. They were withdrawn last year as second line of treatment for ovarian cancer patients after the FDA limited the use of PARP inhibitors and requested companies to pull the drug. Lynparza is already approved by the FDA to treat a type of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, as well as a different form of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among men in the United States with about 288,300 new cases in 2023, according to the American Cancer Society's estimates.

The Asia, Africa and Middle East-focused bank had previously set a 2030 target to reduce the emissions 'intensity' of loans to the sector by 30% from 2020 levels. Emissions intensity measures carbon emissions as a percentage of business activity, such as revenue. As a result, carbon emissions can increase in absolute terms even when emissions intensity goes down, because businesses can become more efficient in reducing emissions and still emit more in total when their activity goes up. Banking peers that have adopted an absolute emissions reduction target include HSBC(HSBA.L) and Citi (C.N), as well as a number of smaller banks. "Setting this absolute sector target and supporting our clients in their transition journey are critical sustainability priorities for Standard Chartered," Chief Sustainability Officer Marisa Drew said.

☆ Barclays Profit Lifted by U.S. Credit-Card Business
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Josh Mitchell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Barclays combines a major investment bank with substantial consumer, credit-card and business-banking operations. Photo: PHOTO: Justin Tallis/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesBarclays PLC ’s profit rose robustly in the first quarter despite banking turmoil that roiled both sides of the Atlantic. Profit grew 27% in the first three months of the year from a year earlier, to £1.78 billion, or about $2.22 billion, the British bank said Thursday. Analysts had expected a profit of £1.45 billion, according to a Barclays poll.

☆ Glencore says takeover bid for Teck Resources still stands
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Clara Denina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 27 (Reuters) - Glencore Plc (GLEN.L) said on Thursday its takeover bid for Teck Resources Ltd (TECKb.TO) still stands, after the Canadian miner scrapped a restructuring plan that would have ended it. It chief executive, Jonathan Price, repeated on Wednesday his objection to Glencore's bid, saying he would "not engage in something that is a distraction". Glencore's plan would combine and spin off its thermal coal unit and Teck's steelmaking coal business, while rebranding the rest of the operations as GlenTeck. Glencore also said it "remains committed to ensuring that its proposal delivers real benefits to Canada." On Monday, Chrystia Freeland, Canada's deputy prime minister, said Teck should remain headquartered there, providing the clearest indication to date that Ottawa was closely watching the takeover battle.

☆ European shares edge lower as banking jitters resurface
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 27 (Reuters) - European shares edged lower on Thursday, despite a raft of positive corporate earnings, as troubles at U.S. lender First Republic Bank continued to rattle investors over the global banking sector. The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) was down 0.1% by 0720 GMT. The index was dragged lower by media shares (.SXMP), which dropped 1.6%, while Universal Music Group (UMG.AS) fell 4% after it posted a slump in its first-quarter core profit. Worries over the banking sector unnerved investors as shares of First Republic Bank (FRC.N) sank almost 30% on Wednesday, hitting a record low for the second consecutive day. Still, banking shares (.SX7P) rose 0.4%, led by Barclays Plc (BARC.L) that climbed 2.4% on an estimate-beating quarterly profit, as a resilient performance from its consumer bank offset pressure on key other business lines.

☆ Barclays posts 27% rise in net profit for the first quarter, beats expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The headquarters of Barclays Plc beyond the West India Quay Docklands Light Railway station in the Canary Wharf financial district in London, UK, on Monday, March 20, 2023. LONDON — Barclays on Thursday reported net profit of £1.78 billion ($2.2 billion) for the first quarter, beating expectations and coming in 27% higher year-on-year. A consensus Reuters poll of analysts forecast net profit at £1.432 billion. The income of Barclays UK was up 19% due to improved net interest income. In its previous results, Barclays said it set aside £1.2 billion for such charges last year, as its customers struggled with cost pressures.

☆ UK housebuilder Taylor Wimpey sees improving buyer confidence
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 27 (Reuters) - British housebuilder Taylor Wimpey Plc (TW.L) said on Thursday buyer interest has risen over the past few months, helped by an improvement in sales and mortgage rates, even as the group remained cautious over broader economic woes. Daly, however, said the company remained cautious over continued macroeconomic uncertainty. Taylor Wimpey said its total order book value - a key measure that gauges near-term demand - stood at about 2.38 billion pounds ($2.97 billion) in the reported period, up from 2.15 billion pounds seen in the first two months of the year. Taylor Wimpey's bigger rival Persimmon (PSN.L) said on Wednesday trading over recent weeks had offered some signs of encouragement, with cancellation levels normalising and sales rates steadily improving since the start of the year. ($1 = 0.8019 pounds)Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane VenkatramanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

HONG KONG, April 26 (Reuters) - Standard Chartered PLC (StanChart) (STAN.L) on Wednesday said first-quarter profit jumped 21%, beating expectations, as rising interest rates buoyed income from its cash management and retail banking businesses. The earnings update showed how rising central bank rates have boosted revenue, as StanChart charged borrowers more interest while not passing all of the increase to depositors. StanChart, which earns most of its revenue in Asia, said January-March statutory pretax profit reached $1.81 billion. That compared with $1.49 billion a year earlier and the $1.43 billion average of 14 analyst estimates compiled by the bank. The bank said it saw signs of stabilisation in China's troubled commercial real estate market, with no increase in credit impairment from the previous quarter.

HONG KONG, April 26 (Reuters) - Standard Chartered PLC (StanChart) (STAN.L) on Wednesday said first-quarter pretax profit jumped 21%, beating analyst estimates, as rising interest rates buoyed cash management income and retail product sales of the emerging markets-focused lender. StanChart, which earns most of its revenue in Asia, said statutory pretax profit for January-March reached $1.81 billion. That compared with $1.49 billion a year earlier and the $1.43 billion average of 14 analyst estimates compiled by the bank. It was the bank's largest single-quarter profit since the start of 2014, as rising interest rates boosted lending income while its financial markets trading division saw frenzied trading from customers amid volatile markets. The earnings update from StanChart showed how rising central bank rates have boosted revenue, as it charged borrowers more interest while not passing through all of the increase to depositors.

☆ Goldman Prize winner 2023: Zambian who took on a UK mining giant and won
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Chilekwa Mumba Courtesy Goldman Environmental PrizeOn Monday, Mumba, 38, was awarded the 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa for his work for the community and setting legal precedent. The prize is awarded each year by The Goldman Environmental Foundation, with ceremonies in San Francisco and Washington, DC. CNN has contacted Vedanta and the Zambian state mining company for comments. The government, however, says that approved projects will follow environmental policies set by the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA). For Mumba, who now runs an orphanage in the Zambian capital Lusaka with his wife, the battle is far from over.

The blue-chip index (.FTSE) fell 0.3%, down for the third straight session, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 (.FTMC) shed 0.4% as of 0829 GMT. The FTSE 100 had a good run earlier this month, buoyed by strength in commodity stocks and defensives like pharmaceuticals. However, markets have taken to a wait-and-see mode as earnings kicked in, to assess the impact of monetary tightening on results. Oil and gas stocks (.FTNMX601010) rose 0.6% as crude prices gained on reports of falling U.S. crude oil and fuel inventories. Drax Group's shares (DRX.L) rose 3.8% after the power generator announced a 150 million pound ($187 mln) share buyback programme.

☆ European shares fall as banking sector jitters eclipse upbeat earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Shubham Batra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) fell 0.7%, as regional banking stocks (.SX7E) dropped 1.2%. Earnings from Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Google's parent Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) beat expectations, but recessionary worries in the world's largest economy kept investor sentiment fragile. Shares of Swiss banking software company Temenos AG (TEMN.S) jumped 10.2% after it reported first-quarter earnings above consensus. Meanwhile, ASM International NV (ASMI.AS) fell 10.0% after the Dutch semiconductor equipment maker reported a drop in first-quarter orders, citing softening market conditions, despite an estimate-beating revenue. Dassault Systemes SE (DAST.PA) slid 7.4% after the French software maker reported first-quarter numbers broadly in line with estimates but with a miss on software licenses.

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