DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Societe Generale economist discusses Chinese property market
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | 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 EmailSociete Generale economist discusses Chinese property marketMichelle Lam, greater China economist at Societe Generale, discusses the potential headwinds for Chinese markets.

Persons: Michelle Lam Organizations: Societe Generale Locations: China

☆ Bitcoin faces 'several' headwinds that will challenge miners in near term, says JPMorgan
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Unprofitable bitcoin miners are starting to exit the network after the halving , as expected. But much of their performance relies on bitcoin's price, which still faces several near-term headwinds, according to JPMorgan. However, "we do not see upside for bitcoin prices in the current juncture and if anything we see headwinds over the near term," he added. That was expected to happen after the halving in April, which slashed a key revenue source for bitcoin miners. "The more bitcoin prices decline the higher the number of unprofitable miners that come under pressure to leave the bitcoin network and the larger the result[ing] decline in the hash rate and bitcoin production cost."

Persons: JPMorgan's Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou, Bitcoin, it's overbought, There's, Kong's, there's, Panigirtzoglou Organizations: JPMorgan, Venture, Miners

Sony Pictures Entertainment and Apollo Global Management have taken a significant step forward in their effort to court Paramount, three people familiar with the matter said on Friday. Paramount previously shared materials with another suitor, the Hollywood studio Skydance. Early this month, Sony and Apollo sent Paramount a nonbinding expression of interest in acquiring the company for $26 billion. But Sony’s shareholders have fretted over the possible acquisition, given the potential cost of a bid for Paramount and the headwinds facing the subscription streaming business. Sony and Apollo are now contemplating a variety of approaches to acquire the company’s assets, but are backing away from their plan to make an all-cash, $26 billion offer for Paramount, two of the people said.

Organizations: Sony Pictures Entertainment, Apollo Global Management, Paramount, Hollywood, Sony, Apollo, CBS, MTV

☆ These Dow stocks are cheap and have more upside as index reaches key milestone
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Hakyung Kim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Dow Jones Industrial Average reached the 40,000 milestone level , but investors can still find inexpensive growth opportunities in the index. Shares currently have a forward P/E of 12.6, versus the stock's average five-year P/E of 17.8. The consensus price target on the stock indicates 14.2% upside from Wednesday's close. The stock's current forward P/E is at 27.6, slightly lower than its 5-year average of 32.1. Shares are trading at a 25.3 forward P/E ratio, relative to the 28.2 five-year average P/E ratio.

Persons: Dow, Piper Sandler, DA Davidson, Johnson, McDonald's, —, Fred Imbert Organizations: Dow Jones, CNBC, Deutsche Bank, Amazon, Dow, Chevron, Exxon, Hess, Visa, Walmart, Management, Verizon, Johnson Locations: headwinds, Guyana

☆ Affluent consumers are creating a ‘bubble’ at Walmart, warns retailer’s former U.S. CEO Bill Simon
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Stephanie Landsman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Even though affluent shoppers helped drive the retailer's latest beat on quarterly results, former Walmart U.S. CEO Bill Simon warns they'll be hard to keep. His warning comes with Walmart stock hitting all-time highs going back to August 1972, when it began trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Last October on "Fast Money," Simon warned bargains were losing their magic because consumers were starting to buckle for the first time in a decade. "As long as there's inflation and those tail winds that come from particularly from food inflation, more traffic will come to the Walmart store," said Simon. "When inflation abates and service becomes more important than price, some of those tail winds will become headwinds," Simon said.

Persons: Bill Simon, they'll, it's, CNBC's, abate, Simon Organizations: Walmart, Walmart U.S, New York Stock Exchange, Darden Restaurants

☆ This 147-year-old company that's been trailing the market is ready for big upside, some analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Despite AT & T 's stock trailing the overall market, analysts from JPMorgan and Wells Fargo think the storied company is well positioned for long-term growth. AT & T dates back to 1876, when Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone and then founded Bell Telephone Company a year later. Both JPMorgan and Wells Fargo think the firm can continue to grow its wireless business with a steady stream of new customers. The analyst maintains an overweight rating on AT & T stock with a $20 per share price target, implying 15% upside moving forward. In the first-quarter, the company said it reported the lowest level of postpaid customer churn for that time period ever.

Persons: Wells, Sebastiano Petti, Alexander Graham Bell, Petti, Wall, Eric Luebchow Organizations: JPMorgan, Bell Telephone Company, 5G

Google I/O 2024 "should assuage fears over [Alphabet's] AI competitive position," analysts at Oppenheimer wrote in a research note to clients on Wednesday. Here's the full list of Alphabet's AI updates. "I was using Google Search versus using ChatGPT … [and] ChatGPT was so much more thorough than Google without ads. The next big question in AI: Who will Apple choose to partner with for its own AI features? Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks at the Google I/O developer conference.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Oppenheimer, Bard, Jim Cramer, Siri, Alexa —, Sundar Pichai, ChatGPT, Jim, Goldman, Jim Cramer's, Andrej Sokolow Organizations: Citi, Google, Wednesday, ChatGPT, Microsoft, Gmail, Gemini, Apple, Developers, CNBC, Getty

☆ Palo Alto nears a key test that could break it out of Wall Street's penalty box
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Shares of Palo Alto plunged 28% on Feb. 21, a session after the company delivered a more cautious outlook for the rest of 2024. The shift in business strategy requires Palo Alto to give customers its new services and products for free to demonstrate their many benefits. PANW YTD mountain Palo Alto Networks (PANW) year-to-date performance 2. The Club is focused on how much industry spend is going to Palo Alto versus competitors, but we're not concerned about demand for the company's offerings. In this photo illustration the Palo Alto Networks logo seen displayed on a smartphone and on the background.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Sellers, Nikesh Arora, Palo, We'd, it's, PANW, Arora, Jim Cramer, We've, nudging, Stephen Vintz, we're, Jim, Jim Cramer's, Rafael Henrique Organizations: Palo Alto Networks, Wall Street, Palo, Tech, Barclays, Palo Alto, billings, Wall, Alto Networks, UnitedHealth Group, Change, Healthcare, Club, Microsoft, Vans, Corp, Caesars Entertainment, Securities, Exchange, US Fed, CNBC, Networks, Getty Locations: Palo Alto, U.S, Palo, billings, Palo Alto's, Alto

☆ Morgan Stanley says these stocks could win as U.S.-China trade tensions resurface
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Biden administration's decision to impose tariffs on $18 billion worth of imports from China could help a handful of stocks break out, according to Morgan Stanley. Stocks that are poised to benefit include U.S. automakers Ford and General Motors , as well as solar panel manufacturer First Solar . Morgan Stanley maintains an overweight rating on First Solar stock. GM YTD mountain General Motors stock. Morgan Stanley maintains an overweight rating on both Ford and GM.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Laura Sanchez, Sanchez Organizations: Biden, White, U.S, Ford, General Motors, Wall, Department of Commerce and International Trade Commission, GM Locations: China, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam

☆ At Christie’s, the Show Goes On, Despite a Hack
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Zachary Small | Julia Halperin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The salesroom at Christie’s was packed on Tuesday evening, as spectators rubbernecked to see if buyers would compete for multimillion-dollar artworks at an auction house still hobbled by a cyberattack. Could she succeed despite the headwinds of a slumping market and concerns about whether a cyberattack might have compromised the financial data of Christie’s clientele? There were only four withdrawals ahead of the evening sales, as Christie’s salespeople worked hard to assure buyers and sellers that business would continue without a glitch. There was a depth of bidding not seen the night before at the contemporary art sales at Sotheby’s, where out of its 52 lots, most sold on just a few bids. Still, Sotheby’s managed to outdo its rival with a total of $267 million on Monday — more than double Christie’s final result of $115 million, from a total of 57 lots, offered on Tuesday.

Persons: Georgina Hilton, Rosa de la Cruz, Christie’s salespeople, Sotheby’s Organizations: Cuban Locations: Christie’s, Cuban American, Sotheby’s

☆ China is asking its tech giants to ditch Nvidia chips and buy local instead: report
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewChinese officials are asking domestic tech giants to buy locally-made AI chips instead of Nvidia's, The Information reported on Monday. Chinese tech giants, The Information's sources said, are now expected to purchase equal numbers of locally and foreign-made AI chips for their new data centers. China is a very important market for the technology industry," Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told the Financial Times in May 2023. Cupertino-based tech giant Apple, for instance, has been working to diversify its supply chains away from China.

Persons: —, Tencent, pare, hasn't, Colette Kress, Jensen Huang, Huang, walling, Jay Pelosky, BI's Yuheng Zhan, Tencent didn't Organizations: Service, Baidu, Business, China's National, Ministry of Industry, Information Technology, Nvidia, downer, Reuters, Financial Times, BI, Apple, Bloomberg, China's Ministry of Industry, Alibaba Locations: China, United States, Cupertino, India

☆ Tencent posts fastest profit growth in 3 years as online ads, business services offset slower gaming
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Tencent has faced a number of headwinds in 2022 including a Covid-induced slowdown in the Chinese economy and a tougher market for gaming. Tencent beat analyst estimates for revenue and profit in the first quarter, thanks to slightly better sales in the Chinese tech giants core gaming business and improved profitability at its advertising and business services division. Here's how Tencent did in the March quarter versus LSEG consensus estimates:Revenue: 159.5 billion Chinese yuan ($22 billion) versus 158.4 billion yuan expected. Profit attributable to equity holders of the company: 41.9 billion yuan versus 36.64 billion yuan anticipated. Tencent's adjusted net profit was up 62% year-on-year, marking the fastest growth since the March quarter of 2021, according to LSEG data.

Persons: Tencent Organizations: Revenue

☆ Red Lobster closing at least 99 locations as its future comes into question
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Rob Wile | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A sign is posted on the exterior of a Red Lobster restaurant on April 17, 2024 in Rohnert Park, California. At least 99 locations of Red Lobster are being auctioned off amid questions about the stalwart seafood chain's long-term future. Last month, CNBC reported Red Lobster was seeking a buyer as it looked to avoid a bankruptcy filing, but none have materialized. Earlier this year, Thai Union, the largest investor in Red Lobster, announced it was seeking to exit its position. Red Lobster did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Persons: Neal Sherman Organizations: TAGeX Brands, Business, CNBC, Thai Union Locations: Rohnert Park , California, Denver, Indianapolis, Rochester , New York, Sacramento , California, San Antonio, San Diego, U.S, Thai Union, Thai

☆ We're adding to this battleground position based on some new data out of China
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Following the trade, Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust will own 525 shares of EL, increasing its weighting to 2.2% from 2%. A couple of recent data points from China have us feeling incrementally better about this battleground position. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB.

Persons: Estee Lauder, Jim Cramer's, Joe Tsai, Tsai, we've, Jim Cramer, Jim Organizations: CNBC Locations: China, United States, Amazon

☆ Why a debt-fueled US economy is facing a hard landing in 2025, chief economist says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

According to the Apollo chief economist, that's because current strength stems from high debt loads, both among US consumers and the corporate world. Slok pointed out that delinquencies are rising on credit cards and auto loans, despite an economy with low unemployment. But while that keeps a hard landing on the table, the next few quarters will still deliver solid performance, he said. Advertisement"We still have behind us a very strong tailwind. We still have strong spending in the pipeline from the Chips Act, Inflation Reduction Act, the Infrastructure Act."

Persons: —, Torsten Slok, Slok Organizations: Service, Apollo, Business, Bloomberg, Fitch, Reserve Locations: headwinds

☆ SoftBank Vision Fund posts first annual gain in 3 years, up $4.6 billion
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

SoftBank's Vision Fund, the brainchild of the company's founder Masayoshi Son, has faced a number of headwinds including a slump in technology stocks as a result of rising interest rates, a tough China market and geopolitics. SoftBank posted a 7.24 billion Japanese yen ($4.6 billion) gain on its Vision Fund in the fiscal year ended March, the first time the flagship tech investment arm has been in the black since 2021. SoftBank's flagship tech investment arm, the Vision Fund, had a tough time in the fiscal year that ended in March 2023, posting a record loss of around $32 billion amid a slump in tech stock prices and the souring of some of the business' bets in China. However, in the June quarter of last year, the Vision Fund posted its first investment gain in five consecutive quarters, signalling early stages of a recovery. SoftBank's Chief Financial Officer Yoshimitsu Goto said in the previous quarter that SoftBank had shifted from an "Alibaba to AI-centric portfolio."

Persons: Masayoshi Son, SoftBank, Masayoshi, Yoshimitsu Goto, Goto Organizations: Vision, Vision Fund Locations: China, Alibaba

☆ These 'virtuous' stocks with high dividend growth and strong cash flow are primed for outperformance, Wolfe Research says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Against this backdrop, Wolfe Research screened for stocks that can help investors navigate a still challenging macroeconomic backdrop. "One of our favorite dividend strategies is to buy companies with a virtuous combination of (1) high dividend growth, and (2) a high free cash flow yield," Wolfe Research's Chris Senyek wrote. Johnson & Johnson was one of the companies that made the cut. Johnson & Johnson also said earlier in May it would spend $6.5 billion to resolve all outstanding litigation in the U.S. tied to claims its talc power caused ovarian cancer. JNJ YTD mountain Johnson & Johnson stock.

Persons: isn't, Wolfe, Chris Senyek, Johnson, Enrique Lores, it's, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Federal Reserve, Wolfe Research, Wall, Johnson, HP Inc, HP, Constellation Energy, Constellation, eBay, Vistra Energy Locations: U.S, Johnson

Smarter grids, like Chattanooga's, are just part of what it will take to modernize the American grid in the coming decades. A troubled transition to renewable energyOffshore wind farms are one of the growing areas of renewable energy. And the Edwards & Sanborn project, the US's largest solar energy and energy storage project in California, came online in January. Renewable energy is not only cleaner than fossil fuels but also often less expensive. Breaking down barriersThe US grid isn't designed for fluctuating renewable energy, so much of it goes to waste because clean-energy projects can't connect to the grid.

Persons: Kevin Schneider, Harris, Joe Rand, Joshua Rhodes, barleyman, Edwards, Rand, Philip Odonkor, Seib, headwinds, Julia Bovey, Ørsted, Bovey, Paul Denholm, We'll, Denholm, There's, PATRICK T, FALLON, we're, Schneider, We've, EPB, MISO, it's Organizations: Infrastructure, Service, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Nationwide, Biden, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of Texas, Renewables, Sanborn, of Systems, Enterprises, Stevens Institute of Technology, Trump, Fork, Eversource Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Getty, Infrastructure Law Locations: Chattanooga , Tennessee, Chattanooga, EPB, Austin, Maine, North Carolina, California, United States

Jefferies raised its price target on the artificial intelligence chipmaker, calling for more than 30% upside. Analyst Biju Perincheril downgraded shares to neutral from positive and slashed his price target by $36 to $56. Ramnani's $531 price target implies upside of 16.2% for Mastercard, while he sees Visa shares advancing 14.7% to $322. — Alex Harring 5:39 a.m.: Jefferies raises Nvidia price target Nvidia's gains won't stop anytime soon, according to Jefferies. After an analyst change, the firm kept its buy rating and raised its price target to $1,200 from $780.

Persons: Jefferies, Biju Perincheril, SolarEdge, Perincheril, — Alex Harring, Tom O'Malley, O'Malley, Seth Seifman, We've, Seifman, Morgan Stanley, Dara Mohsenian, Mohsenian, Alex Harring, Piper Sandler, Arvind Ramnani, Ramnani, Achal Kumar, Kumar, Delta, Blayne Curtis, NVDA, Curtis, Fred Imbert Organizations: CNBC, Nvidia, HSBC, American Airlines, Susquehanna, FactSet, Wall, Micron, Barclays, JPMorgan, GE Aerospace, GE, PepsiCo, Pepsi, PEP, Mastercard, Visa, Technology, Delta Locations: Delta, United, Europe, Monday's premarket

☆ Tesla will drop 70% after robotaxi and AI ambitions stop shielding a failing business, 'Big Short' investor says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"Big Short" investor Danny Moses is still betting against Tesla stock and expects it to fall to $50. Tesla's focus on Robotaxis and AI is a distraction from its "falling apart" core business, he told CNBC. AdvertisementTesla's stock is cruising toward a steep correction, and will see a drop-off that even new tech initiatives can't steer around, investor Danny Moses told CNBC. The Moses Ventures founder revealed a Tesla short last year, sparked by a frustration over CEO Elon Musk's purchase of X, formerly Twitter. While Moses holds Tesla as his primary short, he touted a separate autonomous driving firm called Wayve.

Persons: Danny Moses, Moses, —, Tesla, Elon Musk's, Bill Gates Organizations: CNBC, DOJ, Service, Moses Ventures, Elon, Department of Justice, Nvidia

☆ The US-China rivalry will reshape the landscape for Big Tech earnings
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Yuheng Zhan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The growth of US tech earnings is vulnerable to ongoing tensions with China. As Beijing exerts influence in the region, US tech firms will compete for a smaller market share. S&P Global data shows that for US chip firms, China is even more important for business than their home turf. AdvertisementGeopolitical tensionsAbishur Prakash, the founder of advisory firm The Geopolitical Business, told Business Insider that US tech companies ignoring the geopolitical tensions with China are risking serious setbacks to their portfolios. Experts believe that China will gradually contribute less to the revenue of mega-cap US tech firms.

Persons: —, Tesla, Apple, Prakash, Elon, Kelvin Wong, walling, Jay Pelosky, Pelosky, Wong Organizations: Service, TPW, American, Nvidia, AMD Locations: China, Beijing, India, Europe, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Southeast Asia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia

☆ Earnings playbook: Your guide to a key week of reports, including Walmart
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Fred Imbert | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Just seven S & P 500 names are slated to post their quarterly figures, including Home Depot and Walmart. Management is scheduled to hold a call at 4:30 p.m. Last quarter: Cisco posted fiscal second-quarter results that beat expectations. What history shows: Cisco shares have risen after the last six earnings releases, Bespoke data shows. Thursday Walmart is set to report earnings in the premarket, followed by a call at 8 a.m. Last quarter: Walmart earnings topped analysts' estimates, thanks to soaring e-commerce sales . What history shows: Walmart has beaten bottom-line forecasts 71% of the time, per Bespoke.

Persons: Wells, Zachary Fadem, LSEG, Samik Chatterjee, Robert Ohmes Organizations: Home Depot, Walmart, CNBC, Investment, Cisco Systems, Management, Cisco, JPMorgan, Campus Networking, Bank of America

☆ Inside Tesla's chaotic month of brutal layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Several executives at the company have departed and Tesla workers say morale is flagging. AdvertisementTesla faces headwindsAhead of the layoffs, Tesla's delivery numbers slumped, falling below Wall Street's estimates. AdvertisementMore on the EV slowdown:The cuts commenceBefore Musk notified staff of the mass layoff, workers had been wary of impending cuts. Tesla workers hadn't seen such a deep cut since 2022 when Tesla slashed 10% of its salaried staff. In the weeks that followed, Musk cut Tesla's US advertising team and reportedly chose to slash Tesla's entire Supercharging team, as well as its vehicle programs and new product introduction team.

Persons: —, Elon, Musk, Tesla, Elon Musk, Omar Marques, they'd, Tesla's, he'd, Justin Sullivan, Tom Zhu Organizations: Service, Business, Tesla, Musk, Bloomberg, Getty Locations: Tesla, Berlin, China —, Fremont, California, China

☆ FanDuel parent Flutter joining the big leagues. Moving primary listing to U.S. from U.K. may spur investor interest
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Dublin-based parent company of FanDuel launched a secondary listing of its shares on the New York Stock Exchange on Jan. 29. Shareholders have since voted to making the NYSE the primary listing for the stock rather than London, and that change is slated to take effect May 31. UBS analyst Ben Shelley said in a May 9 note to clients that the primary listing change could help close those gaps. Flutter is not the only company in recent years to shift its primary listing to the U.S., and the track records of those companies could be a positive sign for Flutter. UBS pointed to building materials companies CRH — which transitioned its primary listing to the NYSE in September 2023 — and Ferguson — which made the switch in May 2022 — as examples.

Persons: FanDuel, Ben Shelley, —, Ferguson, Shelley, Paddy Power Organizations: UBS, The, New York Stock Exchange, NYSE, Penn Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, DraftKings, MGM International Locations: U.S, The Dublin, London

The bank's price target implies more than 35% upside. Citi also increased its price target to $47 per share from $38, which implies more than 30% upside from Thursday's $36.06 close. The firm upgraded shares of the drive-through coffee company to buy from hold and raised its target price to $46 per share from $33. Dutch Bros stock has ticked up roughly 4% in 2024, lagging the broader market. The firm upgraded the conglomerate to buy and raises its price target to $115 per share from $91.13.

Persons: abate, Jon Tower, Brian Evans, TD Cowen, Cowen, Andrew M, Charles said, — Brian Evans, Chris O'Cull, Wesley Brooks, Brooks, Brandon Nispel, Nispel, Fred Imbert Organizations: CNBC, Warner Bros, Discovery, HSBC, Citi, Cheesecake, Bros, MMM

Search resuls for: "headwinds"

25 mentions found