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March 6 (Reuters) - The S&P 500 made little progress on Monday, closing slightly higher than its session low as U.S. Treasury yields pulled higher with investors braced for this week's testimony from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and the February jobs report. Rising bond yields tend to weigh on equity valuations, particularly those of growth and technology stocks, as higher rates reduce the value of future cash flows. "People are worried about the jobs number and the economic data because they're worried about what the Fed will do. According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 (.SPX) gained 2.72 points, or 0.07%, to end at 4,048.36 points, while the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) lost 12.59 points, or 0.11%, to 11,676.41. Since Powell last spoke strong economic data and hotter than expected inflation have raised concerns the Fed will raise rates higher than expected or keep them higher for longer.

Rising bond yields tend to weigh on equity valuations, particularly those of growth and technology stocks, as higher rates reduce the value of future cash flows. "People are worried about the jobs number and the economic data because they're worried about what the Fed will do. And with potential Fed rate hikes their key concern, Monday's data had already dampened investor enthusiasm, said Shawn Cruz, head trading strategist at TD Ameritrade in Chicago. Since Powell last spoke strong economic data and hotter than expected inflation have raised concerns the Fed will raise rates higher than expected or keep them higher for longer. The S&P 500 posted 20 new 52-week highs and one new low; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 85 new highs and 92 new lows.

☆ Factbox: Silvergate crisis: Crypto industry majors drop embattled lender
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

La Jolla, California-based Silvergate, one of the most influential banks in the digital asset industry, also said it has made a "risk-based decision" to discontinue the Silvergate Exchange Network that enabled crypto payments. loadingCoinbase Global (COIN.O):The crypto exchange said it was no longer accepting or initiating payments to or from Silvergate. loadingCrypto.com:A spokesperson for the crypto exchange said in an emailed statement to Reuters it was temporarily suspending USD deposits and withdrawals via Silvergate out of caution. Gemini:The crypto firm said on Twitter it has stopped accepting customer deposits/processing withdrawals via automated clearing house (ACH) and wire transfers through Silvergate on the Gemini exchange. loadingCboe Clear Digital:The company said it would be pausing all transactions with Silvergate Bank at this time until further notice.

Shares of iPhone maker Apple Inc (AAPL.O), last up 2%, were the biggest boost for the S&P 500 index (.SPX) after Goldman Sachs initiated coverage with a "buy" rating. Correlation between S&P 500 and 2-year Treasury bond yieldsMonday's data likely dampened investor enthusiasm, said Shawn Cruz, head trading strategist at TD Ameritrade in Chicago. Six of 11 major S&P 500 sectors rose. Since Powell last spoke strong economic data and hotter than expected inflation have raised concerns the Fed will raise rates higher than expected or keep them higher for longer. The S&P 500 posted 20 new 52-week highs and one new low; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 74 new highs and 71 new lows.

The benchmark S&P 500 (.SPX) is up 6.2% so far this year after a 19.4% plunge in 2022. Nine of 11 major S&P 500 sectors advanced in early trading. However, commodity-linked shares of mining (.SPLRCM) and oil (.SPNY) companies fell 1.0% and 0.2%, respectively, after top crude and metals consumer China set a lower-than-expected target for economic growth this year at around 5%. Shares of cryptocurrency-related companies fell after Silvergate Capital Corp (SI.N) pulled the plug on its crypto payments network, after raising doubts about the company's ability to stay in business. The S&P index recorded 19 new 52-week highs and one new low, while the Nasdaq recorded 69 new highs and 45 new lows.

Rising bond yields tend to weigh on equity valuations, particularly those of growth and technology stocks, as higher rates reduce the value of future cash flows. The three main U.S. stock indexes rallied on Friday and notched weekly gains as yields pulled back from their peaks after comments from Fed policymakers calmed jitters around aggressive rate hikes. Traders expect at least three more 25-basis-point hikes this year and see interest rates peaking at 5.44% by September from 4.67% now. ET, to assess the impact of higher rates on the manufacturing sector. Reporting by Sruthi Shankar and Bansari Mayur Kamdar in Bengaluru Editing by Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Futures subdued after strong week on Wall Street
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Futures: Dow off 0.09%, S&P slips 0.04%, Nasdaq up 0.04%March 6 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were subdued on Monday as investors awaited Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's testimony and monthly payrolls report this week for cues on the central bank's interest-rate trajectory. "But it's always possible that a word like 'disinflation' slips out of his mouth, and that we get a boost on risk." Traders expect at least three 25-basis-point rate hikes this year and see rates peaking at 5.44% by September from 4.67% now. ET, Dow e-minis were down 31 points, or 0.09%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 1.75 points, or 0.04%, while Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 5.25 points, or 0.04%. Reporting by Sruthi Shankar and Bansari Mayur Kamdar in Bengaluru Editing by Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/5] A man walks past a model of G20 logo outside the finance ministry in New Delhi, India, March 1, 2023. Germany responded saying it would counter Russian "propaganda" at the G20 meeting. The foreign ministers meeting comes days after a meeting of finance chiefs of G20 countries in Bengaluru that was also overshadowed by Russia's war in Ukraine. An EU source separately said the EU delegation would not support a statement at the G20 meeting if it did not include condemnation of the war. The G20 includes the wealthy G7 nations as well as Russia, China, India, Brazil, Australia and Saudi Arabia, among other nations.

☆ Goldman Sachs shares 4 charts that explain the state of the housing market right now — and show why 4 cities could soon see the biggest price declines
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Housing supply on a national basis will remain tight, Goldman Sachs strategists say. Part of that call — which is less bearish than forecasts from firms like KPMG, Interactive Brokers, and Pantheon Macroeconomics — is due to Goldman's outlook for housing supply levels. In certain areas of the country, supply levels are rising faster than in others. In four cities in particular, supply levels are above pre-pandemic levels, the bank said, which will result in greater price declines than the national average. Goldman SachsSupply developments in the multi-family housing market could also signal trouble for prices down the line, the strategists said.

The group said estimated it would spend around $1 billion a year to bring the Woodsmith project in north-east England to production by 2027. The mine has the world's largest known deposit of polyhalite, a multi-nutrient fertiliser. It now expects first production from 2027, reaching around 5 million tonnes per annum by 2030, from a previous estimate of 2024 with output of 10 million tonnes a year in the initial phase. "And then depending on how we shape and develop the markets from there, we will expand it from the 5 million tonnes to the 13 million tonnes," Chief Executive Duncan Wanblad told reporters. ($1 = 0.8293 pounds)Reporting by Clara Denina; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ South Korea's producer price inflation slows to near 2-year low
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SEOUL, Feb 23 (Reuters) - South Korea's producer price inflation slowed for a seventh straight month to its lowest in 22 months, central bank data showed on Thursday. The producer price index rose 5.1% in January from a year earlier, while it had climbed 5.8% in December, according to the Bank of Korea. The annual rate continued its slowing trend for a seventh straight month, after hitting a near 14-year high of 10.0% in June 2022. The index rose 0.4% over a month, however, after two straight months of declines, driven mostly by higher utility costs. Reporting by Jihoon Lee Editing by Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Danone eyes better margins in 2023, Q4 sales top estimates
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Dominique Vidalon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Danone (DANO.PA) like-for-like quarterly sales growth topped estimates on Wednesday on the back of higher prices amid soaring raw materials and energy costs which still weighed down its full-year operating margin. The world's largest yoghurt maker's 2023 forecast was in line with its mid-term like-for-like sales growth target of 3% to 5%, with a moderate improvement in recurring operating margin. The owner of Activia yoghurt and Evian bottled water reported like-for-like sales growth of 7.8% for 2022, near the top end of its 7% to 8% sales growth forecast. Danone reported fourth-quarter sales growth of 7%, beating market expectations of 6.2%, helped by growth across Essential Dairy and Plant-based, Specialised Nutrition and Waters segments. "Building on 2022 momentum, we are entering 2023 with renewed ambition and confidence in our strategy," CEO Antoine de Saint-Affrique said in a statement.

☆ India's Akasa to place large plane order in 2023, eyes international growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Aditi Shah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, Feb 16 (Reuters) - India's Akasa Air will place a "substantially" large order for new narrowbody jets this year, as the start-up budget airline looks to capitalise on booming demand at home and begin international flights, its chief executive told Reuters. The 200-day-old airline has taken delivery of 17 Boeing (BA.N) 737 MAX planes out of a total order of 72 jets to be delivered by March 2027. The new order will be for narrowbody planes, said Akasa's founder, a former chief executive of now-grounded, bankrupt full-service carrier Jet Airways (JET.NS). Indian airlines are forecast to order 1,500 to 1,700 planes over the next couple of years, according to consultancy CAPA India, including a likely 500 plane order from Akasa rival IndiGo (INGL.NS), the country's biggest airline. "The demand in India as a whole is going to continue to grow and grow and grow."

☆ Factbox: Tech firms, Wall Street titans lead job cuts in corporate America
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File PhotoFeb 8 (Reuters) - Big Tech firms and Wall Street titans are leading a string of layoffs across corporate America as companies look to rein in costs to ride out a global economic downturn. Here are some of the job cuts by major American companies announced in recent weeks. TECHNOLOGY, MEDIA AND TELECOM SECTORIBM Corp (IBM.N):The software and consulting firm said it will lay off 3,900 employees. read moreMicrosoft Corp (MSFT.O):The U.S. tech giant said it would cut 10,000 jobs by the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2023. MANUFACTURING SECTOR3M Co (MMM.N):The industrial conglomerate said it would cut 2,500 manufacturing jobs after reporting a lower profit.

☆ Cigna beats quarterly profit expectations as COVID medical costs fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Leroy Leo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A screen displays the logo for Cigna Corp. on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., July 16, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoCompanies Cigna Corp FollowFeb 3 (Reuters) - Cigna Corp (CI.N) beat Wall Street estimates for quarterly profit on Friday, aided by a sharp fall in medical costs due to lower COVID-19-related hospitalizations. The company's annual profit forecast of at least $24.60 per share was marginally below expectations of $24.84 per share. The insurer forecast medical care ratio of 81.5% to 82.5% for 2023, compared with Wall Street estimate of 81.9%. Excluding one-off items, the company reported a profit of $4.96 per share in the fourth quarter, beating analysts' average estimate by 10 cents.

☆ India asks Vodafone Idea to convert nearly $2 bln in govt dues into equity
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Troubled Indian mobile service provider Vodafone Idea Ltd (VODA.NS) said on Friday the government had ordered the company to convert into equity all the dues owed to the government for use of airwaves including the interest related to payments for spectrum. The total amount to be converted into equity shares is 161.33 billion rupees ($1.96 billion), the mobile carrier said. The company said it has been directed to issue 16.13 billion shares at 10 rupees each. The conversion of Vodafone Idea dues into equity was approved by India's capital market regulator, Reuters reported in October last year. The sector's troubles had also been compounded by large dues owed to the government.

☆ Futures fall as megacaps slide on downbeat earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shares of Wall Street heavyweights Apple (AAPL.O), Amazon Inc (AMZN.O) and Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) declined between 3.5% and 6% in premarket trading. The economy is expected to have added 185,000 jobs, fewer than the 223,000 additions in December. The unemployment rate is expected to tick higher to 3.6% in January, from 3.5% in December. The unemployment rate is expected to tick higher to 3.6% in Janaury, from 3.5% in December. ET, Dow e-minis were down 81 points, or 0.24%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 29.25 points, or 0.7%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 181.5 points, or 1.41%.

☆ Meta surges on cost cut, buyback plans; lifts mega-cap stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 2 (Reuters) - Shares of Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) soared nearly 20% in premarket trading on Thursday as the Facebook parent wooed investors with plans to rein on costs and a new $40 billion share buyback. Meta plans to cut costs in 2023 by $5 billion to between $89 billion and $95 billion compared with its earlier outlook of $94 billion to $100 billion, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg calling 2023 the "Year of Efficiency." If premarket gains hold, the company would add nearly $76 billion to its $401.51 billion market value. Meta results also sparked a rally in shares of other mega-cap firms that are set to report quarterly results later in the day. Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) and Google owner Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) rose about 4% each, while Apple Inc (AAPL.O) firmed 1.1%.

The company gave a lackluster quarterly revenue forecast a day earlier that it blamed on a tough economy, a strong dollar and "significant" poor product execution at Tinder. The cuts have already taken place in the United States and are being implemented in other countries. "In addition to the cuts, we expect Match to place greater emphasis on marketing its Tinder and Hinge brands, core areas of growth for 2023," CFRA Research analyst Angelo Zino said. It forecast first-quarter revenue between $790 million and $800 million, lower than analysts' estimates of $817.3 million, according to Refinitiv data. The company also reported its first-ever quarterly revenue decline.

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationFeb 1 (Reuters) - Match Group Inc (MTCH.O) said on Wednesday it would lay off about 8% of its workforce, a day after it forecast first-quarter revenue below Wall Street expectations. Shares of the Texas-based firm were down 7.8%, having lost 11% after the bell on Tuesday following its downbeat forecast. The dating company joins Big Tech firms and Wall Street titans in reducing staff as they strive to cut costs amid concerns of a recession. The workforce reductions at Match are in-line with staff cuts across the broader tech sector, Zino added. Reuters GraphicsMatch forecast first-quarter revenue between $790 million and $800 million on Tuesday, lower than analysts' estimates of $817.3 million, according to Refinitiv data.

Companies Humana Inc FollowFeb 1 (Reuters) - Humana Inc (HUM.N) on Wednesday beat Wall Street estimates for quarterly profit as the health insurer's investment income jumped, even as the company reported higher-than-expected medical costs. Health insurers' costs were expected to decline on lower COVID-19-related hospitalizations, though there were concerns around a surge in flu and respiratory syncytial virus cases in the last quarter of 2022. The health insurer said it expects to add at least 625,000 members to its Medicare Advantage plan this year. Excluding one-off items, the health insurer reported a profit of $1.62 per share, higher than analysts' average estimate of $1.46 per share, according to Refinitiv data. The company's $160 million investment income was higher than Wall Street estimates of $136.7 million, Oppenheimer analyst Michael Wiederhorn said.

☆ Tinder owner Match to cut staff by about 8%
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Feb 1 (Reuters) - Match Group Inc (MTCH.O) said on Wednesday it would lay off about 8% of its workforce, becoming the latest tech company to cut jobs in the face of rising interest rates and lower spending from consumers. Reporting by Vansh Agarwal and Shreyaa Narayanan in Bengaluru Editing by Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Humana profit beats estimates on strength in govt-backed insurance
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Humana Inc FollowFeb 1 (Reuters) - Humana Inc (HUM.N) beat Wall Street estimates for quarterly profit on Wednesday on strength in its government-backed insurance business for older adults. This was, however, higher than analysts' expectations of 87.20%. Excluding one-off items, the health insurer reported a profit of $1.62 per share, higher than analysts' average estimate of $1.46 per share. The company forecast adjusted profit of at least $28 per share for 2023, in line with analysts' expectations. Reporting by Leroy Leo and Khushi Mandowara in Bengaluru Editing by Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

REUTERS/Phil NobleCOVENTRY, England, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Developing fully autonomous vehicles (AVs) that can go everywhere has proven harder and more expensive than expected, but investors are continuing to fund startups that target simpler self-driving vehicle solutions far removed from pedestrians and other vehicles operated by unpredictable humans. Earlier promises made by robotaxi companies of operating fleets of vehicles by the early 2020s have fallen well short. BMW iVentures has also invested in AV truck technology firm Kodiak Robotics, which managing partner Sage said has adopted a simpler approach to areas like mapping. Construction and agricultural equipment - used off-road in low-traffic environments - has been another growth area for AV startups. U.S. agricultural equipment maker AGCO Corp (AGCO.N), for instance, is using the Palo Alto, California-based startup's software for an experimental automated electric planter.

☆ Marathon Petroleum tops profit estimates on high demand, tight supplies
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Arunima Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A Marathon Petroleum banner covers an Andeavor sign outside the El Paso refinery following a closed $23 billion deal after the Ohio-based Marathon bought the Texas-based company, forming one of the largest global refiners in El Paso, Texas, U.S., October 1, 2018. REUTERS/Julio-Cesar Chavez/File PhotoJan 31 (Reuters) - Marathon Petroleum Corp (MPC.N) on Tuesday beat Wall Street expectations for quarterly profit as its margins soared amid tight supplies and high demand for refined products. The top U.S. refiner also approved an additional $5 billion in stock repurchase, while rival Phillips 66 (PSX.N) raised its quarterly dividend by 5% to 97 cents per share. Meanwhile, realized refining margins for rival Phillips 66 jumped 65% to $19.73 per barrel in the October to December quarter. Phillips 66 reported an adjusted income of $4 per share, missing analysts' expectations of $4.35 per share.

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