DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ It's been a bad year for tech. But top investor Paul Meeks is betting on these bright spots
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

E-commerce Meeks is avoiding the e-commerce space altogether, citing concerns about "lackluster" online Christmas spending in the United States and the return of Covid shutdowns in China. Among the world's major e-commerce stocks, Meeks said he prefers JD.com to Alibaba and Amazon , though he suggested that "investors wait to buy any of them." Cyber stocks Cyber stocks, like nearly everything else in the broader tech sector, haven't been spared from this year's tech rout. The First Trust Nasdaq Cybersecurity ETF (CIBR) and the iShares Cybersecurity and Tech ETF (IHAK) are both down by about 22% this year, less than the Nasdaq's 30% drop. The semiconductor sector has, however, recovered slightly, with the SOX up 14.9% since the end of the third quarter.

☆ UK fresh food prices climb record 14.3% in November – BRC
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Suban Abdulla | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said fresh food prices were 14.3% higher this month than a year ago. Other food item prices surged at the fastest pace on record to 12.4% in November, up from 11.6% the month before, it said. Overall shop price inflation rose to 7.4%, a record for the index which started 17 years ago, and up from 6.6% in October. "Food prices have continued to soar, especially for meat, eggs and dairy, which have been hit by rocketing energy costs, and rising costs of animal feed and transport," she said. Market research firm NielsenIQ, which co-produces the data, said Christmas will become more expensive as higher prices are already forcing consumers to limit spending on non-essential items.

It fell as far as $73.60 earlier, its lowest since Dec. 22, 2021. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies including Russia, known as OPEC+, will meet on Dec. 4. read moreInvestors also focused on Western plans for a price cap on Russian oil. On Thursday, EU governments were split on the level at which to cap Russian oil prices. The price cap is due to come into effect on Dec. 5 when an EU ban on Russian crude also takes effect.

WTI's trading range is expected to fall to $70-$75, he said, adding the market could stay volatile depending on the outcome of the OPEC+ meeting and the price cap on Russian oil. read moreInvestors also focused on Western plans for a price cap on Russian oil. Group of Seven(G7) and European Union diplomats have been discussing a price cap on Russian oil of between $65 and $70 a barrel, with the aim of limiting revenue to fund Moscow's military offensive in Ukraine without disrupting global oil markets. On Thursday, EU governments were split on the level at which to cap Russian oil prices. The price cap is due to come into effect on Dec. 5 when an EU ban on Russian crude kicks off.

☆ Employees Are Using Job Offers to Win Big Raises From Their Employers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Aki Ito | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Employers, not surprisingly, hate that people are using job offers as bargaining chips. That strategy may work for employers in a normal job market, when it's hard to find another job, let alone a better-paying one. "Employees are finding that there's a big gap between where they are and what they can get." "The job market is still performing very well," says Jay Denton, the chief analytics officer at LaborIQ, a compensation-data provider. Independence, it turns out, pays way, way better than loyalty.

☆ Oil falls over $2 a barrel as China's Covid protests fuel demand fears
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Oil futures fell more than $2 a barrel on Monday, with WTI hitting an 11-month low, as protests in top importer China over strict Covid-19 curbs fueled demand concerns. WTI's trading range is expected to fall to $70-$75, he said, adding the market could stay volatile depending on the outcome of the OPEC+ meeting and the price cap on Russian oil. Investors also focused on Western plans for a price cap on Russian oil. On Thursday, EU governments were split on the level at which to cap Russian oil prices. The price cap is due to come into effect on Dec. 5 when an EU ban on Russian crude kicks off.

☆ OPEC+ meeting to take into account market conditions – Iraqi official
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Oil Marketing Company FollowCAIRO, Nov 26 (Reuters) - The OPEC+ meeting in December will take into account the condition and balance of the market, Iraq's state news agency quoted Saadoun Mohsen, a senior official at the country's state oil marketer SOMO, as saying on Saturday. OPEC+'s October decision to reduce production by two million barrels per day (bpd) had played an important role in stabilising global markets, Saadoun, who serves as Iraq's delegate to OPEC, said. OPEC+, which includes members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies led by Russia, will hold its next meeting in Vienna on Dec. 4. Oil markets are witnessing "severe fluctuations" due to the repercussions of the pandemic, a slowing global economy and the war in Ukraine, the Iraqi official said, making it harder to ensure price stability. Reporting By Ahmed Tobla; Writing by Moaz Abd-AlazizOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Criteo has bet big that e-commerce ads will contribute to $1 billion in revenue by 2025. But a new crop of startups are also coming for those dollars.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Adtech firm Criteo is battling for retailers' ad businesses with new competitors like CitrusAd. E-commerce advertising is driving much of Criteo's growth, with the firm hoping to hit $1 billion in revenue from retail media by 2025. Criteo's technology has moved beyond search ads to include display ads and ads that appear off the retailer's site. Not all retailers outsource their ad businesses, creating more competition with CriteoCriteo also faces competition from retailers themselves. Some retailers don't want Criteo or CitrusAd managing their ad businesses and license technology to build ad businesses that they manage themselves.

☆ Saudi, Iraqi energy ministers meet, review oil markets
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 25 (Reuters) - The energy ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iraq met on Thursday and stressed the importance of adhering to OPEC+ output cuts that last until the end of 2023, the Saudi energy ministry said in a statement on Friday. Iraq's energy minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani met Saudi energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman on a visit to the kingdom which began on Wednesday. In its last meeting on Oct. 5 an output cut of 2 million barrels a day was agreed. Prince Abdulaziz said earlier this week the group remains ready to take further measures if needed to balance supply and demand. Reporting By Maha El Dahan, Writing by Moaz Abd-Alaziz; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

China, the world's largest crude oil importer, and India, the third-biggest, have increasingly turned to Russian crude this year, buying cargoes at steep discounts as Moscow sought to keep up export volumes after Western countries shunned its oil. Chinese refiners have begun slowing their purchases of Russian crude for December arrivals, according to traders and industry players in China. The lower volumes for December follow strong imports by India of Russian crude in recent months. It's likely that both countries will be keen to buy Russian crude, especially if it comes at a steep discount compared to grades from the Middle East and Africa. Currently, much of the crude China buys from Russia comes from the eastern ports.

☆ 5 Club stocks that did worse than the Nasdaq since year-ago record but are well-liked by analysts
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

It turns out the tech-heavy index peaked on Nov. 22, 2021, one session after its last closing record. Using the one-year anniversary of the Nasdaq's record , we wanted to see where Wall Street stands on the 13 Nasdaq-listed stocks in the Club portfolio. From here, though, 72.7% of the 44 analysts who cover the stock consider the stock a buy or buy equivalent. Facebook-parent Meta Platforms was the worst-performing Club stock in the Nasdaq since its 2021 peak. Conversely, the vast majority of analysts — 90.4% to be exact — have a buy or buy-equivalent rating on Microsoft shares.

☆ Nasdaq in focus: META, DOCU, DLTR & TMUS
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailNasdaq in focus: META, DOCU, DLTR & TMUSSteve Grasso, Grasso Global CEO, joins 'Power Lunch' to discuss Nasdaq's come down from last year's record highs in a three stock lunch look at Nasdaq's best and worst performers.

☆ Some QAnon believers are enraged by Trump's 2024 announcement and have started ignoring 'Q drops.' But experts say the movement is as fervent as ever.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Q-aligned candidates did badly at the midterms, and recent "Q drops" failed to make a stir. The QAnon movement was already on the back foot. To Q and beyondThe week of the midterm elections, three new "Q drops" appeared. While previous Q drops were met with excitement and flurries of posts from followers scrambling to decode them, the latest drops were largely met with ambivalence. Fredrick Brennan, who founded 8chan but has since dedicated himself to exposing those behind the Q movement, told Insider that the reaction to the latest Q drops was comparatively "muted" following controversial drops in the summer.

☆ A year out from Nasdaq's peak, it's been brutal for tech stocks and the pain's not over
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Patti Domm | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"Leadership has shifted away from the tech sector and FANMAG. Two major challenges for tech names Clissold said the tech sector is facing two major challenges. Stockton said the peak in the Nasdaq last November was also the peak of its outperformance versus the S & P 500. The tech sector outperformed the S & P 500, but it was the materials sector that led the index higher, up about 19%. However, the S & P 500 has been up just 20%.

"Initially when that (Bullard commentary) came out, you saw the market sell off and then there was some discussion about was he being over-reactive?" Equities had seen strong gains last week after a softer-than-expected inflation report boosted hopes of smaller rate hikes from the Fed. Most of the 11 major S&P 500 sectors advanced, with defensive utilities (.SPLRCU) and real estate (.SPLRCR) leading gains, up about 1% each. The S&P index recorded six new 52-week highs and no new low, while the Nasdaq recorded 34 new highs and 60 new lows. Reporting by Shubham Batra, Ankika Biswas and Amruta Khandekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ GQ Awards honour 'Squid Game' star Lee, rapper Stormzy, among others
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Hanna Rantala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Lee Jung-jae accepts the award for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series for "Squid Game" at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, U.S., September 12, 2022. REUTERS/Mario AnzuoniLONDON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Actors Lee Jung-jae, Sydney Sweeney and Andrew Garfield, England soccer captain Leah Williamson and rapper Stormzy were among the honourees at the 2022 GQ Men Of The Year Awards in London on Wednesday. "This is the 25th GQ Men of the Year awards at British GQ. And what better time to just be a little bit radical, try something new, have a bit of fun. Other honourees include actor Ben Whishaw, documentary filmmaker Louis Theroux, Olympic distance-running champion Mo Farah and "House of the Dragon" star Emma D'Arcy.

☆ Christmas shopping comes early for Britons in grip of cost crunch
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies 30% of Britons began Christmas shopping before mid-OctFigure last year was 18% - NielsenIQ survey findsBudgets stretched by inflationLONDON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - More Britons began their Christmas shopping early this year as they navigate a worsening cost-of-living squeeze by budgeting their spending, market research group NielsenIQ said. Nielsen said sales growth at British supermarkets picked-up over the last month on a value basis, masking a drop in volumes once inflation is accounted for. It said growth was 5.3% in the four weeks to Nov. 5 year-on-year, having increased 4.7% in last month's data set. NielsenIQ said that crisps and snacks and soft drinks were the only two categories to see volume growth in the four week period with growth of 2.9% and 0.6% respectively. General merchandise volume sales fell 7.6%, it said.

☆ Middle East's Fertile Crescent dries up as rains fail
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Alaa Al-Marjani | Orhan Qereman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

As world leaders meet in Egypt for a climate summit to address issues including water and food security, Elwan’s plight highlights a crisis facing Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries that could fuel more turmoil in the region as communities fight over dwindling water resources. Reuters spoke to more than two dozen people in five provinces across Iraq who all said that a prolonged drought, which has only worsened in recent years, was crippling livelihoods. Farmers in neighbouring Syria and Turkey are also struggling with lower rainfall. In Iraq, officials and water experts said rains had come later and ended sooner in each of the last three years. “Desertification now threatens almost 40% of the area of our country - a country that was once one of the most fertile and productive in the region,” Iraq's President Abdul Latif Rashid told the climate summit in Egypt last week.

☆ Iran strikes dissident sites in Iraqi Kurdistan, two dead - officials
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Local officials and security sources said the attacks had struck targets near Erbil and Sulaimaniya. The Revolutionary Guards have attacked Iranian Kurdish militant opposition bases in Iraq's Kurdish region since the death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16 triggered nationwide unrest. Iran has accused Iraq-based Kurdish militants of fomenting the unrest and threatened strikes against armed Iranian Kurdish dissidents. In an attack by the Guards in September, 13 people were killed and 58 were wounded near Erbil and Sulaimaniya. A media and public relation official with the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), an exiled Iranian Kurdish opposition party, told Reuters two of its fighters were killed in attacks on four of its offices.

☆ Investors have been fleeing Big Tech for 'old economy' stocks. Here’s what it means for our holdings
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

The largely abysmal results for the last quarter led Jim Cramer to urge investors to limit their exposure to tech and semiconductor stocks . The market cap of the Club's five Big Tech stocks are collectively down 42% over the last 12 months, as of Thursday's close, according to FactSet. Here's a closer look at each of our tech stock's valuation changes, along with our analysis, too. Being close to its 5-year average valuation doesn't make it the most enticing P/E compared to other tech stocks whose valuations have dropped more than their historical averages. Meta Platforms (META) Meta currently trades at 13.6 times forward earnings estimates, compared with the 5-year average of 21.8 times.

☆ Major analysts are talking about Robinhood's third-quarter results. Here’s what they said
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Wall Street analysts are impressed with Robinhood after it posted strong results for the latest quarter that showed a boost from interest rates and lower expenses. In August, the fintech company announced a 23% reduction in its headcount as it reported weaker-than-expected results for the second quarter . Deutsche Bank – Hold, price target $11 "Quite positively, the company achieved adjusted EBITDA profitability a quarter ahead of its target... Piper Sandler – Neutral, price target $11.50 "Our price target multiple increase is driven by our increased confidence in HOOD's leaner expense model & given it achieved adjusted EBITDA profitability a quarter earlier than expected. Barclays – Underweight, price target $11 "Q3 revenues beat, driven by higher net interest income, and costs came in well below expectations, driving adj.

Organizations: ~ +

☆ Here are Wednesday's biggest analyst calls: Tesla, Netflix, Carvana, Exxon, Meta, Apple & more
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Bernstein reiterates Tesla as underperform Bernstein said shares of Tesla remain extremely overvalued. Needham reiterates Netflix as hold Needham said the streaming giant could see "negative revenue growth near-term" due to its new ad-based product. Bank of America downgrades Twilio to underperform from buy Bank of America double downgraded the communications tools company due to rising competition. Bank of America reiterates Peloton as buy Bank of America said it's standing by shares of Peloton heading into earnings on Thursday. Bank of America reiterates Carvana as buy Bank of America said in a note on Wednesday that it's standing by shares of Carvana.

Nov 1 (Reuters) - After months of tears and tantrums, bitcoin wants to split up with stock markets. The cryptocurrency, which has been closely correlated with tech stocks for much of its torrid 2022, is staging one of its strongest efforts yet to break away. For some crypto backers, any bitcoin break-up from Big Tech is a sign of strength. Bitcoin and crypto is one of those 'next' growth industries," said Santiago Portela, CEO of FITCHIN, a Web3 gaming ecosystem. Yet it's anyone's guess whether fickle bitcoin will begin to rally, or slide anew, or if it will swiftly rebound to the embrace of technology stocks.

☆ Cannabis giant Canopy Growth crafted a complex plan to get into the US and reverse a stock slump. But some analysts say it could backfire.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Jeremy Berke | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

It's another consequence of the quasi-legality of the cannabis industry in the US. The Canadian cannabis giant Canopy Growth has long searched for a way to give its stock a much-needed boost. "We continue to have open conversations with the exchanges," Klein said. He added that Canopy's deal could provide a model for other Canadian cannabis companies that want to do business in the US. Jefferies said Nasdaq's objection to Canopy's plan was a key risk and that the rest of the cannabis industry should pay close attention.

Iranian authorities did not respond to requests for comment for this story. His comments have angered Iranian authorities, who placed him under a travel ban in 2017. The supreme leader's office wrote back and said Iran's government does not allow discrimination or inequality. Iranian officials have occasionally counted on him in times of crisis. The group, denounced by Tehran as terrorists, has carried out repeated attacks on Iranian security forces.

Search resuls for: "Q's"

25 mentions found