DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ A flurry of earnings reports, Fed rate hike, signs of a bull market
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Earnings season continues next week, with Club holdings Linde (LIN), Emerson Electric (EMR) and Walt Disney (DIS) all set to report. Similarly, shares of Meta Platforms (META) have surged over 20% since CEO Mark Zuckerberg reassured investors Wednesday evening that 2023 would be the technology giant's "year of efficiency." The bull case is further supported by continued signs inflation is easing, a still-robust job market and the breadth of market-buying activity since the start of the year. Lastly on Wednesday, the Fed's Federal Open Market Committee raised the federal funds rate by 25 basis points, in line with expectations. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

☆ Sustainable Packaging Is Sometimes Doubling as Easier-to-Open Packaging
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Katie Deighton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Sarah Ryan Hudson found the Barbie’s Dr. Jane Goodall packaging to be a welcome departure from the hard-to-open versions of her youth. The costs involved in overhauling packaging systems also made them reluctant to change for the benefit of a less-finicky opening experience. To be sure, shifts toward more sustainable materials haven’t made packaging easier to use across the board, and campaigners for widely accessible packaging say companies aren’t moving to provide it quickly enough. The company’s Gillette razor brand in 2021 began selling some razors in cardboard packaging with a pulp tray, rather than in plastic blister packs and trays. Colgate-Palmolive Co. in 2019 introduced a recyclable Colgate toothpaste tube, using a high-density polyethylene material without aluminum, said Greg Corra, Colgate-Palmolive’s worldwide director of global packaging and sustainability.

☆ 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.

☆ Hasbro to cut 15% of workforce in 2023, estimates dour holiday quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 26 (Reuters) - Hasbro Inc (HAS.O) said on Thursday it would cut about 15% of its global workforce this year and estimated holiday-quarter results well below Wall Street expectations amid weakening demand for its toys and games. "Despite strong growth in Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming... our consumer products business underperformed in the fourth quarter against the backdrop of a challenging holiday consumer environment," Chief Executive Officer Chris Cocks said on Thursday. Hasbro estimated fourth-quarter revenue of about $1.68 billion, down 17% from a year earlier. Hasbro added that Eric Nyman, president and chief operating officer, was also exiting the company as part of organizational changes. Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Deutsche Bank upgrades Shopify, says stock can rally more than 20% as more brands migrate to platform
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Shopify is in vogue as brands grow increasingly interested in the e-commerce platform, according to Deutsche Bank. Analyst Bhavin Shah upgraded the e-commerce stock to buy from hold. Shah also raised his price target by $10 to $50, which implies a 23.5% upside from where Shopify closed Friday. He pointed to Mattel and Supreme as two examples of brands whose presences are helping Shopify outpace the broader U.S. e-commerce ecosystem. The pace of operating expense growth is also expected to cool in 2023, Shah said.

☆ A leaked Google memo compared it to slime mold
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Jake Swearingen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

It's like the start of a joke: What do Google and slime mold have in common? A lot, says a memo from an ex-Googler comparing the org to a "slime mold." (A key difference: Stanford grads aren't desperate to intern at a slime mold.) But with ChatGPT setting off alarm bells inside and outside the org, Google should probably move faster and with more intention than slime mold. The most memorable part of the memo compares Google's bottom-up organizational structure to a "slime mold," highlighting how both Google and a slime mold can work independently but still come together to solve complex problems.

☆ Shopify is making moves to woo multimillion-dollar businesses. It's a big change to its identity as a small business champion it established during the pandemic.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

With the move to Commerce Components, Shopify could target merchants with sales that are more in the $500 million range, Wong said. For Commerce Components, Shopify has already partnered with Mattel, which generated nearly $5.5 billion in sales for 2021. For a subscription fee, Shopify merchants get access to tools to build an online store, ship out products, and process payments. To convince large retailers to use its product, Shopify must show them it has an edge over legacy software platforms. At the same time, it has launched other products, like its advertising product Shopify Audiences, that are available only to larger merchants using Shopify Plus.

☆ Mattel launches taller Barbie aimed at children as young as 3
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Love her or loathe her, Barbie has been transformed again, this time into a version for children as young as 3. I think doll play allows children to really practice storytelling skills, perspective taking and social interactions,” LeVos said. McKnight made it clear that My First Barbie will not be a separate, parallel Barbie universe. Andrea Werner, a pediatric occupational therapist in West Hartford, Connecticut, and mother of a preschooler and an infant, supports doll play as developmentally valuable. “Companies will always be trying to sell consumers the next best thing.”Kohchi isn’t entirely sold on My First Barbie as appropriate.

☆ Mattel is giving preschoolers an age-appropriate Barbie
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Mattel is giving preschoolers a new age-appropriate Barbie doll that it says is better suited for their needs. Mattel launched a new Barbie doll, called My First Barbie, specifcially designed for preschoolers. My First Barbie is larger, 13.5 inches tall versus 11.5 inches for the standard Barbie fashion doll. My First Barbie is bigger than the originally Barbie fashion doll and features a softer body. First introduced as Barbie Millicent Roberts in 1959, Mattel sold 300,000 Barbie dolls in the first year of her launch.

☆ Fisher-Price issues second recall for Rock 'n Play sleepers after reports of 8 additional infant deaths since the product was pulled from shelves in 2019
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Fisher-Price issued a recall reminder for Rock 'n Play sleepers after eight additional deaths. "We now know of approximately 100 infant deaths in the Rock n Play, including eight that happened after the recall was announced. " "I urge all stores, including online marketplaces, to review the products being donated or listed and stop all recalled products from being sold." Since the 2019 and 2021 recalls, the CPSC has worked with companies and the federal government to improve product safety on infant sleep products. In 2022, Congress passed The Safe Sleep For Babies Act, which bans the sale of all inclined infant sleep items, effective November 12, 2022.

☆ Mattel reannounces recall of Rock 'n Play sleepers after more infant deaths
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Mattel Inc's (MAT.O) Fisher-Price brand on Monday reannounced the recall of about 4.7 million "Rock 'n Play" sleepers, following at least eight more deaths that occurred after the original recall in 2019. The product was launched in 2009 and first recalled a decade later after more than 30 infant fatalities were reported. A total of about 100 deaths have reportedly occurred while infants were in the sleepers, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said on Monday. Fisher-Price has been unable to confirm the circumstances of the deaths or whether the product was a "Rock 'n Play" sleeper in some of the reports, the CPSC said. Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

At the toy manufacturer Mattel Inc., Disney ‘s princesses aren’t damsels in distress. They are saving the day. Nearly a decade after losing the Walt Disney Co.’s princess doll license to rival Hasbro Inc., Mattel is back to making and selling the doll versions of some of Disney’s iconic characters.

☆ Shopify launches new subscription product to lure big retail clients
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 3 (Reuters) - Shopify Technologies Inc on Tuesday launched a new service aimed at big retailers that will allow them to select tools and services the Canadian tech giant offers and integrate it with their own online platform. Shopify, which helps businesses set up their online store and website for a subscription fee, will allow retailers to pick and choose components, such as checkout and other back-office services, for their existing online businesses. The pricing for the service, called Commerce Components, will depend on the retailer's customization and components they choose to use. Currently, subscription for Shopify Plus starts at $2,000 a month and basic costs of $29. Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi MajumdarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ American Girl makes history with its first South Asian Girl of the Year doll
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Brahmjot Kaur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

American Girl unveiled its 2023 Girl of the Year on Thursday, and in a brand first, the title goes to a South Asian doll. Kavi Sharma, an Indian American from New Jersey, loves to sing, dance and hang out with her friends. Kavi, who takes weekly classical Indian dance classes, and her tight-knit family also celebrate their culture through holidays, food and clothing. American Girl, a subsidiary of toy company Mattel, debuted its first Girl of the Year in 2001. Although Kavi is the company’s first South Asian Girl of the Year, she is not the first South Asian doll.

☆ Barbie's creator wanted Ken to have more of a 'bulge' — but Mattel refused to give the doll a prominent crotch
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Barbie creator Ruth Handler wanted the Ken doll to have a "bulge," she wrote in her autobiography. "Both the all-male design and marketing staffs, however, disagreed, so the groin on the first Ken doll was as smooth as Barbie's." "Ruth felt the design team lacked 'the guts' to give the Ken doll even the suggestion of male sex organs," Gerber wrote. "But Ruth was not political or prone to dwell on the root of cultural standards," Gerber wrote. A range of Barbie dolls for sale during the 2015 National Barbie Doll Collectors Convention.

☆ 9 fascinating details hidden inside Barbie Dreamhouses throughout history
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Barbie Dreamhouse debuted in 1962, three years after its plastic resident hit toy store shelves. Nine details in the homes show us what Barbie — and we — value, from ambition to accessibility. Barbie hit toy store shelves in 1959, with the first Dreamhouse following three years later for $8. The new book "Barbie Dreamhouse: An Architectural Survey" takes a look at Barbie's history through the architecture and interiors of her consistently updated bachelorette pad. When the Barbie Dreamhouse debuted, it was a vision of a bachelorette pad for a woman unmoored from the expectations of her day.

☆ Google, YouTube content providers must face U.S. children's privacy lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Circuit Court of Appeals in Seattle said Congress did not intend to pre-empt state law-based privacy claims by adopting the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA. In July 2021, U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman in San Francisco dismissed the lawsuit, saying the federal privacy law pre-empted the plaintiffs' claims under California, Colorado, Indiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Tennessee law. The case was returned to Freeman to consider other grounds that Google and the content providers might have to dismiss it. Lawyers for Google and the content providers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Their lawsuit sought damages for YouTube users age 16 and younger from July 2013 to April 2020.

ChatGPT — an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot — is having a viral moment, offering a high-profile glimpse at the maturing technology's capabilities. Like other GPT models, ChatGPT can generate text in a variety of styles and formats, including responses to questions, descriptions, and even entire conversations. The growth of Azure is central to our long-term investment thesis in Microsoft, and artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly prominent role in cloud computing. Additionally, Club holding Alphabet is no stranger to artificial intelligence — and, more specifically, machine learning. While all three models — ChatGPT, Sparrow and LaMDA — have their differences, they share a foundational network architecture known as Transformer.

☆ Adults are buying toys for themselves, and it’s the biggest source of growth for the industry
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Sarah Whitten | Whitten Is A Social Media Writer For Cnbc. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

It’s an important moment for the toy industry, too, with the holiday season upon us. “The definition of adulthood has definitely evolved,” said Jeremy Padawer, chief brand officer at toy company Jazwares. Toy companies have even begun creating their own television and movie content in order to support toy lines. Still, the stakes remain high for the toy industry as it heads into the final weeks of the year. “Right now, adult toy buyers are the reason for growth in the toy business,” Larian said.

☆ These are analysts’ favorite value stocks heading into 2023, including one name expected to double
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Fred Imbert | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The IWF , its growth counterpart, has dropped 28% in that time, while the S & P 500 has fallen nearly 20%. This would mark the first time since 2016 that the IWD outpaces both the S & P 500 and IWF since 2016. The stock is trading at a slight discount relative to the S & P 500 and has buy ratings from three-quarters of analysts covering it. Mattel also made the list, with a price-to-earnings ratio of 10 and buy ratings from 73% of analysts. The stock is one the best performers in the S & P 500 for 2022, gaining more than 70% as investors have piled into the energy sector this year.

☆ Disney+ streaming service launches with major advertisers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 8 (Reuters) - The ad-supported version of the Disney+ service launched Thursday, attracting major advertisers from different sectors, bringing in new revenue as Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) strives to push its streaming business into profitability. The company is under pressure to turn a profit on its streaming business, which posted a $1.5 billon loss in the company's most recent quarter. The company's other streaming services, Hulu and ESPN+, already have commercials. A $3-a-month price increase also took effect Dec. 8, bringing the price for the ad-free version of Disney+ to $10.99. Other streaming services, such as HBO Max, Paramount+ and Peacock, also offer ad-supported versions of their streaming services, emulating the business model that has long supported the television business.

☆ Cameo launches Cameo Kids personalized videos with Candle Media
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Dec 8 (Reuters) - Celebrity video messaging service Cameo said Thursday it has partnered with Candle Media to launch a new feature aimed at the playground set -- Cameo Kids. The service will offer personalized birthday and holiday video greetings from animated children's characters, including popular figures from Candle Media's Moonbug Entertainment's franchises "Blippi" and "CoComelon." Personalized messages for children expand the potential market for Cameo, which launched five years ago and allows athletes, celebrities and musicians to sell personalized videos to their fans. Cameo had experimented with offering children's content about a year ago, working with Mattel Inc's (MAT.O) 'Thomas the Tank Engine,' but its partnership with Candle Media helped elevate the experience, Galanis said. Blackstone-backed Candle Media spent months figuring out how to use its animated characters to deliver personalized video at scale.

☆ Cramer's lightning round: AGNC Investment is not a buy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

I don't know where it bottoms, but it sure isn't close to the top." Loading chart...Hasbro Inc : "I don't like the earnings, and I think that Mattel 's actually cheaper." Loading chart...AGNC Investment Corp : "That's one of those real estate investment trusts that I do not like." Loading chart...Citigroup Inc : "The book value is so different from where the common stock is, the price. Something is very wrong there."

☆ Investors look for clues on consumer health as holiday shopping kicks off
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( David Randall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

NEW YORK, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Investors are closely watching U.S. retail stocks as a barometer of consumer confidence as inflation bites, as the most important shopping season of the year begins on Friday. That would come in below both the 13.5% jump reported last year, and the 9.3% gain in 2020. Expectations for purchasing long-lasting manufactured goods fell 21% due to high interest rates and high prices, the survey found. Shares of Walmart are up 7.5% for the month to date, while shares of Target are down 1.2%. Kohl's, meanwhile, withdrew its forecast as it faces weakening demand due to rising prices.

☆ Hasbro CEO says inflation won't ruin Christmas but Wall Street is worried
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN Business —The holidays are rapidly approaching, and for the toy company Hasbro, a slowing economy could be a proverbial Grinch that steals Christmas. Before joining Hasbro, Cocks was an executive at Microsoft (MSFT) from 1999 through 2006 and 2008 through 2016. Cocks said Hasbro is investing “significantly” in digital toys, particularly digital versions of classic Hasbro board games like “Monopoly” and “Scrabble” as well as D&D and the company’s “Magic: The Gathering” game. It’s definitely been a boon for the game,” Cocks said. “If there’s a couple of truisms in life, there’s death, there’s taxes, and there’s parents wanting to have a great holiday for their kids.”

Search resuls for: "Mattel"

25 mentions found