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☆ AI frenzy’s feedback loop stuffs Nvidia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Aug 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The ducks on Wall Street are quacking for artificial intelligence, and that means Nvidia (NVDA.O) gets fed. Under co-founder Jensen Huang, Nvidia has built a business that dominates the design of specialized chips that are an essential component in training AI systems. Alphabet is already investing $7 billion a quarter, and promised last month it would ramp capital spending further as it beefs up in AI. While companies talk up the potential of AI, it hasn’t yet generated much revenue, even for prime booster Microsoft. Should Wall Street sour on AI, Nvidia’s valuation would look overstuffed.

Persons: Jensen Huang, Amy Hood, Jonathan Guilford, Sharon Lam Organizations: Reuters, Nvidia, Nasdaq, Microsoft, Google, Thomson

☆ Opioids expose unhealthy bankruptcy addictions
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Between 2006 and 2014, it manufactured roughly 30 billion opioid pills. Its attempt to climb out of bankruptcy has been stalled multiple times, most recently on Thursday by the U.S. Supreme Court. Mallinckrodt agreed to a $260 million settlement last year and quarterly revenue from Acthar has tumbled 70% since 2019. If not, it will be up to elected officials to end such unhealthy bankruptcy addictions. As part of that settlement, Mallinckrodt agreed to pay $1.7 billion over eight years to settle opioid claims.

Persons: Johnson, Mark Trudeau, Sackler, Mallinckrodt, It’s, haven’t, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam Organizations: Reuters, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Johnson, CVS Health, Purdue Pharma, U.S, Supreme, Department of Justice, Specialty Brands, Point, Purdue, Purdue Pharma’s, DOJ, Biden Administration, Thomson Locations: American, Delaware, Acthar

☆ WeWork multitasked when it had just one job
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Aug 9 (Reuters Breakingviews) - WeWork (WE.N) took a decent idea and turned it into a ridiculous one. Occupancy declined and WeWork burned through another $300 million. WeWork agreed to take over loads of space when revenue was doubling each year and prices were far higher. Workspace-sharing providers can thrive again, too, if they remember that being cautious about puffing up their balance sheets is the main job. WeWork, valued at $47 billion in a private 2019 funding round, said in May it had completed a debt-for-equity recapitalization that eliminated $1.2 billion of debt.

Persons: Adam Neumann, Masayoshi Son, WeWork, Daniel Hurwitz, it’s, Sandeep Mathrani, Hurwitz, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam Organizations: Reuters, SoftBank, Video Communications, Thomson Locations: Swiss

☆ Obesity drugs take brakes off Big Pharma’s growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

That’s what Eli Lilly (LLY.N) did in the second quarter, thanks to demand for its diabetes and weight loss drug Mounjaro. While doctors are currently free to prescribe Mounjaro for obesity, insurers and governments typically won’t pay for what some still insist is a vanity treatment. Even so a regulatory green light, and clear evidence that these drugs have tangible health benefits, will help loosen purse strings. The brakes are off these firms’ growth, and investors are counting on them remaining so. Mounjaro, the company’s diabetes drug, brought in revenue of $980 million, compared to $16 million a year ago.

Persons: Eli Lilly, LLY.N, Lilly, That’s, David Ricks, Mounjaro, Peter Thal Larsen, Sharon Lam Organizations: Reuters, Novo Nordisk, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Merck, Investors, Thomson Locations: Danish, U.S, Novo

☆ Hey Siri: Screen iPhone calls on Apple’s valuation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Signage is seen at the Apple Fifth Avenue store for the release of the Apple iPhone 14 range in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., September 16, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew KellyNEW YORK, Aug 3 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The iPhone 15 is probably coming soon, but the handset that anchors Apple (AAPL.O) is losing some of its allure. Apple sold nearly $40 billion of them in the quarter, a 2.5% dip from roughly the same three-month stretch in 2022. In 2017, though, existing U.S. owners waited 2.1 years to replace their iPhone, according to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. The segment’s revenue reached a record $21 billion in the quarter, or 8% more than the same period a year ago.

Persons: Andrew Kelly NEW, Boss Tim Cook, Cook, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam Organizations: Apple, REUTERS, Andrew Kelly NEW YORK, Reuters, Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Apple Watch, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S

☆ Dish Network enters dangerous financial orbit
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Billionaire Charlie Ergen staked Dish Network’s (DISH.O) future on wireless spectrum, a decision looking worse by the day. The satellite operator has spent some $25 billion since 2008 acquiring the finite resource used to carry data. In January, Dish issued $1.5 billion of senior notes, secured by spectrum, with an 11.75% coupon. The satellite operator said on July 17 that its 5G network covered nearly three-quarters of the U.S. population. Dish must meet additional thresholds in 2025 or it could face up to $2.2 billion in fines and might be forced to forfeit wireless spectrum.

Persons: Charlie Ergen, Morgan Stanley, Semafor, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Dish, New, Research, Dish Network, Amazon.com, U.S . Federal Communications Commission, Thomson Locations: EBITDA

☆ Biotech’s doldrums are a warning amid exuberance
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The sector’s doldrums are a warning sign, despite the broader market shrugging off recession concerns. In 2000, the index peaked weeks before the S&P 500 Index (.SPX) and hit bottom three months earlier. In the 2009 financial crisis, the biotech index peaked later, but both emerged at about the same time. Yet biotech stocks have been lackluster since. Since January, the index is down 2%, while the S&P 500 Index is up 19% and the Nasdaq Composite Index is up 35%.

Persons: Robert Cyran, Jonathan Guilford, Sharon Lam Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Biotechnology, Nasdaq Biotechnology, Nasdaq, Twitter, Thales, Thomson Locations: Spain

☆ Chevron’s restraint paying off
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, July 24 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Chevron’s (CVX.N)second-quarter profit was cut nearly in half as production rose slightly, according to a surprise early release of the oil giant’s earnings on Sunday night. Chevron’s profit jumped, too. Each barrel Chevron was producing brought in about $20 of profit, some 40% less than it had in the quarter earlier. Oil prices have continued to fall, but the drop in profit per barrel is less dramatic than before – just 8%. As long as restraint holds the upper hand, so will Chevron’s profit.

Persons: Brent, Goldman Sachs, Robert Cyran, Lauren Silva Laughlin, Sharon Lam Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Chevron, Reuters Graphics, Twitter, Thomson Locations: U.S, Spain

☆ Warren Buffett flaunts his green investment thumb
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, July 17 (Reuters Breakingviews) - How does Warren Buffett allocate capital? Buffett noted a few years ago how electric utilities need a “massive makeover” involving costs that would chew up BHE’s earnings for decades. Natural gas will also become increasingly important as a backup fuel. Unlike most utilities, BHE doesn’t have to pay a dividend – and neither does Berkshire, because of the faith investors have in the $750 billion company. This frees up capital, giving Buffett an edge where capex and acquisitions are concerned.

Persons: Warren Buffett, Buffett, Greg Abel, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Berkshire Hathaway, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, Dominion, Chevron, Occidental Petroleum, Twitter, Dominion Energy, Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, Thomson Locations: Berkshire, Brookfield

☆ Exxon’s carbon-capture deal is pale shade of green
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The oil titan’s $4.9 billion all-stock deal for Denbury (DEN.N) unveiled on Thursday provides a financially and strategically judicious way to capture and move carbon dioxide. The $89.75 a share is also lower than where Denbury was trading before Bloomberg reported news of a possible deal in October. Denbury says that 28% of it is “blue oil” that produces negative scope 3 emissions. Showcasing an evolving mindset while helping extract more oil is just the pale green hue that suits Exxon. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Darren Woods, Denbury, Robert Cyran, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Exxon Mobil, Exxon, Denbury, Bloomberg, Twitter, Thomson

☆ 3D-printing takeover battle misses third dimension
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Stratasys (SSYS.O) for now prefers a merger with peer Desktop Metal (DM.N), but a sweetened bid from Nano Dimension (2N5By.F) complicates matters. A simpler two-dimensional financial analysis suggests a snubbed offer from 3D Systems (DDD.N) may wind up the best option. The company’s nominees favor the Desktop Metal deal, while Nano’s back the alternative transaction. On May 25, Stratasys agreed to combine with Desktop Metal in an all-stock deal valued at $1.8 billion. On the same day, 3D Systems offered to buy Stratasys for $7.50 a share in cash and 1.3223 3D Systems shares for each Stratasys share.

Persons: Stratasys, Nano’s, Jeff Graves, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Systems, Desktop, Twitter, Thomson

☆ Eli Lilly gorges on obesity options
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, June 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Eli Lilly (LLY.N) has filled its plate with potential obesity treatments, unveiling data from two more on Monday. With so many options under development at Lilly, Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) and others, it raises reasonable questions about capital allocation. Obesity drugs have investors salivating, but is this just more pharmaceutical R&D overkill? Pfizer’s cholesterol-lowering Lipitor, for one, reached consumers after rivals, and a decade after Merck’s version. Lilly’s research budget, projected at 24% of revenue this year, exceeds that of many peers, including Pfizer’s (PFE.N) 19%.

Persons: Eli Lilly, Robert Cyran, Aston Martin, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Novo Nordisk, Twitter, Vodafone, Thomson Locations: Lilly, China, Canada

☆ Peak oil is another reason to shun OPEC club
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The group known as OPEC+, which includes the organization’s 13 oil-producing members as well as allied nations like Russia, produces over 40% of the world’s oil. Guyana’s recoverable reserves of around 11 billion barrels in that field alone make it an obvious candidate to join OPEC. Non-OPEC oil nations, such as the United States, Brazil and Canada, are growing production. Even OPEC+ members aren’t united in their desire to prioritize price over production. OPEC+, which comprises the cartel’s 13 oil-producing states and ten other allied nations such as Russia, represents over 40% of the world’s oil production.

Persons: Groucho Marx, It’s, aren’t, Abdulaziz bin Salman, Haitham, Bharrat Jagdeo, Hess, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Organization of, Petroleum, Wall Street, Exxon Mobil, International Energy Agency, OPEC, United Arab Emirates, Cooperation, Saudi Energy, Wall Street Journal, Exxon, Thomson Locations: Guyana, OPEC, Russia, United States, Brazil, Canada, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia

☆ ‘Intel Outside’ is more like it these days
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The cash will come in handy for the company whose “Intel Inside” campaign is part of marketing lore, but the benefits of putting the subsidiary on a path to a standalone future are bigger. IMS dominates a specialized niche of semiconductor manufacturing, making laser-based tools that construct masks used to etch complex patterns on silicon-wafer circuitry. With Intel, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (2330.TW), and others rushing to build plants, there’s plenty of business. Intel’s own ambitious plans, including a recently unveiled $33 billion expansion in Germany, have opened it up to talking with outside investors. IMS might benefit similarly from being outside Intel.

Persons: Robert Cyran, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: YORK, Reuters, IMS, Bain Capital, Intel, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Germany, Cava

☆ Virgin Galactic defies gravity
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, June 16 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The Virgin Galactic (SPCE.N) countdown has begun. Richard Branson’s space tourism company said on Thursday it plans to launch its first commercial flight within days. Virgin Galactic also depends on there being enough people willing to pay $450,000 for a few minutes in weightlessness. If Virgin Galactic could carry six passengers a week, and earn a 20% EBITDA margin, it would someday generate about $30 million of such earnings. For a company that has so badly missed previous projections, it’s Virgin Galactic’s valuation that is out of this world.

Persons: Richard, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Robert Cyran, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Streisand Neto Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Virgin, Galactic, Origin, SpaceX, Southwest Airlines, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Cava

☆ Oil servicers sweeten the pill
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, June 15 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The approach of peak oil demand is bad for oil producers, but it’s worse for companies that help dig and service new wells. A $5 billion merger between Patterson-UTI Energy (PTEN.O) and NexTier Oilfield Solutions (NEX.N), two small oil field services firms, offers a way out. Big oil producers are already focusing on returning cash to investors as they face up to the inevitable. The International Energy Agency said on Wednesday that global demand growth is set to nearly halt by 2028, as the use of oil in transport falls from 2026. That trend is one reason Patterson-UTI and NexTier have both delivered negative total shareholder returns since 2018.

Persons: Patterson, Robert Cyran, John Foley, Streisand Neto Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Patterson, UTI Energy, International Energy Agency, Twitter, Thomson Locations: India

☆ Apple could overcome VR’s nerd and creepy factors
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, June 6 (Reuters Breakingviews) - To be successful at launching a new technological device, a company must overcome both nerd and creepy factors. Meta Platforms (META.O), after buying headset company Oculus in 2014, uses its products to push Mark Zuckerberg's pet project, the Metaverse. And people may still be uncomfortable about switching between the real world and the virtual one. But as far as finding a device that is both aesthetic and copacetic, Apple's real world experience suggests it has a better chance at success than others. Follow @rob_cyran on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSApple revealed Vision Pro, the company’s virtual and augmented reality headset on June 5.

Persons: Tim Cook, Mark, Cook, Tim Cook’s, Lauren Silva Laughlin, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Apple, Google, Meta, Thomson

NEW YORK, May 30 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Nvidia (NVDA.O) has made a boisterous entry to the $1 trillion club, but it might not remain there for long. While Nvidia has been around for ages – it was founded in 1993, making it older than Amazon and Alphabet – its valuation growth of late has been prodigious. Its trip from $500 billion to $1 trillion has taken about 500 days, which is about one-third what it took Apple. Unlike Apple or Google-owner Alphabet, the brand has little consumer cachet to fall back upon. Alphabet, Amazon.com, Apple, and Microsoft are the four other United States-based companies worth over $1 trillion, according to Refinitiv data.

Persons: Jensen Huang, Lauren Silva Laughlin, Sharon Lam Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Nvidia, Tuesday, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Twitter, Thomson Locations: States

☆ AI offers leisure, if not happiness
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The hours consumed by housework and employed jobs, however, fell by 3.8 hours per day on average, leaving more time for leisure. The loss of manufacturing jobs induced decades of pain on the U.S. Midwest, as it took workers time to find, or retrain for, service jobs. AI might erode the accomplishment people feel from work, or devalue leisure time because people will have too much of it. Past economic shifts have led to increased economic inequality. But all this leisure will leave people with lots of time to argue about what level is optimal.

☆ Omaha man sails into Florida’s imperfect storm
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

This imperfect storm suits the Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N) CEO’s investing style. Underwriters in the state have been feverishly trying to offload risk following last year’s Category 5 hurricane that was Florida’s deadliest in nearly 90 years. The upside is several billion dollars, Jain said, if Mother Nature turns out to be more forgiving. “If the big hurricane happens in Florida, we could lose – across all the units, we could lose as much as $15 billion. And if there isn’t a loss, we’ll make several billion dollars as profit,” Jain said during Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting in Omaha.

☆ Apple’s balance sheet is golden and delicious
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But for Apple (AAPL.O), the sharp change in monetary conditions is golden and delicious. The iPhone maker said on Thursday that it ended the first quarter with cash and saleable investments $57 billion greater than its debts. That’s nearly enough to cover its newly-raised dividend for a year, and $90 billion buyback program, without touching the balance sheet. While the first two initiatives sit on Goldman’s balance sheet, the buy-now-pay-later product sits on Apple’s. Apple had $57 billion more in cash and saleable securities on its balance sheet than its debts at the end of the quarter.

☆ Eli Lilly’s golden ticket is a regrettable winner
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

NEW YORK, May 3 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Eli Lilly’s (LLY.N) Mounjaro might turn out to be the biggest selling drug ever. The pharmaceutical giant is maximizing the diabetes treatment’s gain by using a golden ticket to speed its U.S. approval for use in a possibly bigger market, obesity. Lilly’s peak sales for treating obesity might be about 10 times as high, Jefferies analysts estimate. At the industry multiple of 5 times revenue, that would pad its $535 billion market value by $30 billion. Lilly may have secured a Willy Wonka-like golden ticket that allows its obesity drug to reach customers quicker.

☆ Exxon burns brighter on Permian and Guyana
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, April 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) burned brighter in the first quarter, thanks to the Permian Basin and Guyana. The $485 billion oil giant earned $11.4 billion, or twice as much as it did the same period a year ago. The first gusher came from Texas, where Exxon pumped 615,000 barrels a day from the shale basin. Last quarter, Exxon took 375,000 barrels a day from offshore, and it has a target capacity of 1.2 million barrels by 2027, 20% more than the Permian. Shale wells quickly deplete, so the company may need to eventually top up in the Permian.

☆ Eli Lilly races rising obesity expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, April 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The race is on between Mounjaro’s growth and investors’ burgeoning hopes. The drug made by Eli Lilly (LLY.N), which was approved in May to treat diabetes, reaped an astonishing $569 million of revenue in the first quarter less than a year after it was approved for sale. The results encouraged Lilly to raise its annual profit guidance by 3.5%. The pharmaceutical firm also unveiled alongside its earnings release on Thursday that the drug had its second successful large clinical trial against obesity. With another successful trial under Lilly’s belt, Mounjaro is likely to receive an official green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in obesity, and more insurers will subsidize the cost.

☆ Tech giants bury mediocre results under AI hype
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The technology giants’ quarterly results released on Tuesday jumped the low bar of being better than investors feared. Microsoft’s revenue was $52.9 billion, or about 7% higher than a year ago, and almost perfectly flat from the previous quarter. Still, the company earned $18.3 billion, up 9% year-over-year. The company earned $18.3 billion, or $2.45 a share, compared to $16.7 billion, or $2.22 per share, a year ago. The firm earned $15 billion, or $1.17 per share, compared to $16.4 billion, or $1.23 a year ago.

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