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☆ Shopify to launch AI assistant for merchants
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 12 (Reuters) - Canadian ecommerce firm Shopify said on Wednesday it would soon launch an artificial intelligence assistant for merchants on its platform, the latest technology company to roll out such a feature. The assistant called "Sidekick" would be embedded as a button on Shopify and answer merchant queries, including details about sales trends, CEO Tobi Lutke illustrated in a video posted on Twitter. Companies such as Alibaba Group Holding , Zoom Video Communications (ZM.O) and Databricks have all launched AI assistants in the last few months following the massive jump in the use of OpenAI's chatbot ChatGPT. The assistant can also help entrepreneurs update their stores on Shopify. The feature is "coming soon", the video showed, without specifying the date when it would be rolled out.

Persons: Shopify, Tobi Lutke, Chavi Mehta, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: Twitter, Companies, Alibaba, Video Communications, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ EU antitrust regulators set Aug. 7 deadline for Adobe, Figma deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, July 3 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators will decide by Aug. 7 whether to clear Adobe's (ADBE.O) $20 billion bid for cloud-based designer platform Figma after a preliminary review, according to a European Commission filing on Monday. Photoshop maker Adobe sought EU approval last Friday. A request made a month before the summer holidays suggests the company expects the EU competition enforcer to open a full-scale investigation following its initial scrutiny. The Commission earlier this year warned the deal threatens to significantly affect competition in the market for interactive product design and whiteboarding software. Britain's competition watchdog on Friday gave Adobe a week to offer remedies to address its concerns or face a deeper investigation.

Persons: Foo Yun Chee, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Adobe, Zoom Video Communications, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS

☆ Adobe tops quarterly results and forecast estimates driven by AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Samrhitha A | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 15 (Reuters) - Adobe Inc (ADBE.O) surpassed Wall Street estimates for quarterly results and forecast on Thursday as the Photoshop maker's efforts to drive up demand with generative artificial intelligence (AI) integrations paid off. Adobe's spree to boost AI innovation has been evident by AI features being introduced into Acrobat, Express, Photoshop and Premiere Pro. Analysts see generative AI as both a near- and long-term benefit to both the creative and experience businesses, which could be a catalyst to 2024 revenue growth. Focus continues to remain on the impact of generative AI and the pending close of the Figma deal. Adobe has been waiting to finalize its $20 billion buyout deal for the cloud-based designer platform, with management expecting an initial ruling this month.

Persons: integrations, Dan Durn, Samrhitha, Pooja Desai Organizations: Adobe Inc, Acrobat, Adobe, Users, Reuters, Analysts, Zoom Video Communications, Airbnb Inc, Revenue, Thomson Locations: San Jose , California, Bengaluru

NEW YORK, June 6 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Sequoia is blazing another new trail in venture capital. As one of Silicon Valley’s pioneers, Sequoia Capital has backed everything from Apple (AAPL.O) to Zoom Video Communications (ZM.O) over the past half-century, and many others in between, including Instagram, 23andMe (ME.O) and DoorDash (DASH.N). The world has changed, however – and changed yet again – since Sequoia opened its doors. Valentine named Sequoia after a tree that lives thousands of years, signifying a plan to survive and grow through any sort of climate. Follow @thereallsl on TwitterFollow @anshumandaga on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSVenture capital firm Sequoia Capital said on June 6 that it would separate its China, India and Southeast Asia, and U.S. and European arms into three businesses.

Persons: Don Valentine, – Roelof Botha, Neil Shen, Shailendra Singh –, Valentine, Sequoia, ByteDance, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Sequoia Capital, Apple, Video Communications, Investments, HK, Sequoia, Venture, Thomson Locations: China, India, U.S, Sequoia, Southeast Asia, United States, Mumbai, Shanghai

☆ NYSE to bust erroneous CDW Corp trades as shares briefly dive 96%
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Medha Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 18 (Reuters) - NYSE Arca Equities is looking into likely erroneous trades in the shares of IT solutions provider CDW Corp (CDW.O) after they briefly plunged as much as 96% to $7 in premarket trading on Thursday. The exchange operator, owned by Intercontinental Exchange (ICE.N), said it would bust all trades in the stock between 04:00 a.m. CDW Corp shares quickly recouped most of their losses and were last down 0.7% at $172.09 before the bell. ET, closed at $173.25 with a market value of $23.35 billion on Wednesday. CDW Corp and CaliberCos did not immediately respond to a Reuters requests for a comment.

☆ US exchanges to bust erroneous CDW Corp trades after shares briefly dive 96%
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Medha Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

They would bust all trades in the stock between 04:00 a.m. CDW Corp shares quickly recouped most of their losses and were last up 0.2% at $173.50. ET, closed at $173.25 with a market value of $23.35 billion on Wednesday. Scottsdale, Arizona-based CaliberCos jumped 44.8% to $8.65, a day after it jumped in its Nasdaq debut to notch a market value of $123.7 million. CDW Corp and CaliberCos did not immediately respond to a Reuters requests for a comment.

☆ Zoom invests in AI startup Anthropic in latest effort to spruce up offerings
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 16 (Reuters) - Zoom Video Communications Inc (ZM.O) said on Tuesday it has invested an undisclosed sum in Anthropic and will integrate the artificial intelligence start-up's technology into its video-conferencing platform. The move marks the latest effort by Zoom to spruce up its offerings with AI as it competes against Microsoft Teams, the dominant video-conferencing tool for enterprises. Under the collaboration, Anthropic's Claude - a large language model that competes directly with offerings from Microsoft-backed OpenAI - will be integrated with Zoom's platform. In March, Zoom had announced a partnership with OpenAI to add AI-driven capabilities such as conversation summaries and message drafts to its Zoom IQ assistant. Reporting by Akshita Toshniwal in Bengaluru and Krystal Hu; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Adobe's $20 billion Figma buyout deal under UK competition watchdog scanner
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Britain's competition watchdog said on Wednesday it was looking into Adobe Inc 's $20 billion buyout deal for cloud-based designer platform Figma to find if it could lead to "substantial lessening of competition" in the country. The move underlines regulators' worries that large tech firms acquiring smaller innovative rivals could throttle competition. UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) last week blocked U.S. software giant Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard over concerns it would hinder cloud gaming. CMA said it has set June 30 as the deadline for its phase 1 decision on the the Adobe-Figma deal. Figma said it would "continue to engage constructively with regulators in the UK".

☆ Companies are latching onto the hot new AI trend. The feds are warning they're watching for false claims.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The FTC warned companies to avoid overselling their AI products in a blog post on Monday. It called AI a "hot marketing" term that some companies won't be able to stop themselves from "abusing." The craze has caused an AI arms race between Big Tech companies like Microsoft and Google. News organizations like Buzzfeed and CNET have also begun using AI. "Is it any wonder that we can be primed to accept what marketers say about new tools and devices that supposedly reflect the abilities and benefits of artificial intelligence (AI)?"

☆ Zoom Is Paying Up to Hold the Line
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Dan Gallagher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The basic online videoconferencing service that made Zoom famous is also now available widely at competitors. Just ask Zoom Video Communications . The company that helped the world stay connected in the pandemic has been struggling since to revive its growth traction. That is no small task, given that the pandemic expanded Zoom’s business more than sixfold in two year’s time, creating comparisons that future periods could never live up to. Revenue from the segment of Zoom customers made up of consumers and small businesses fell 7% in the fiscal year ended January, according to the company’s fiscal year-end results reported late Monday.

Data showed the U.S. trade deficit in goods increased moderately in January, with both imports and exports rising solidly. FEDWATCHBofA Global Research warned the Fed could even hike interest rates to nearly 6%. "We're talking about stickier inflation in the economy and higher interest rates for longer. ET, Dow e-minis were up 43 points, or 0.13%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 3.5 points, or 0.09%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 2.25 points, or 0.02%. The three main indexes are headed for monthly declines, with the blue-chip Dow (.DJI) in the red for the year.

☆ Zoom Revenue Up on Growth From Big Customers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Denny Jacob | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Zoom Video Communications Inc. posted higher sales in the fourth quarter on strong growth from enterprise customers and forecast profit ahead of Wall Street expectations. The videoconferencing company on Monday said sales grew 4% to $1.12 billion, just ahead of the $1.1 billion expected by analysts recently polled by FactSet. Enterprise revenue rose 18% compared with last year, while online revenue, which measures individual customers, fell 10%.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Norwegian Cruise Line, Target, Advance Auto Parts and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Hims & Hers Health — Shares of the telehealth stock soared by 17% after the company reported quarterly results that surpassed estimates. However, Target's full-year earnings guidance came in below expectations. Zoom's full-year revenue guidance came in lighter than expected, but topped estimates on its earnings guidance for 2023. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings — The cruise company fell 12% after reporting a wider-than-expected loss for the fourth quarter. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv had forecast an 85 cents per share loss on revenue of $1.5 billion.

☆ Futures slip as yields rise on bets of higher rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The gains, however, were not enough to reverse monthly losses for the three main indexes, with the blue-chip Dow (.DJI) in the red for the year after strong economic data suggested the Federal Reserve could keep interest rates higher for longer. FEDWATCHThe yield on two-year Treasury notes , which track investors' expectations of the path of interest rates, rose to 4.8%, trading just below a near four-month high hit in the previous session. Yields are climbing higher in the U.S. and that's pushing down equity markets," said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets. "We're talking about stickier inflation in the economy and higher interest rates for longer. ET, Dow e-minis were down 25 points, or 0.08%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 4 points, or 0.1%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 18.25 points, or 0.15%.

☆ Zoom jumps on AI bandwagon, forecasts upbeat 2024 profit targets
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Tiyashi Datta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Analysts predict the AI tech will be a major driver for future growth for the tech industry, which has been grappling with slowing demand amid recessionary fears. San Jose, California-based Zoom forecast fiscal 2024 profit between $4.11 and $4.18 per share, compared with analysts' average estimate of $3.66 per share, according to Refinitiv data. On an adjusted basis, Zoom earned $1.22 per share for the fourth quarter ended Jan. 31, compared with estimates of 81 cents per share. Revenue grew 4% to $1.12 billion, above analysts' average expectation of $1.10 billion. The company, however, expects 2024 revenue between $4.44 billion and $4.46 billion, below average Street estimate of $4.60 billion.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves after hours: Zoom Video, Occidental Petroleum, Workday and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Eric Yuan, founder and CEO of Zoom Video Communications, stands before the opening bell during the company's initial public offering at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York on April 18, 2019. First-quarter earnings per share guidance came in above expectations, according to Refinitiv. The energy giant missed analysts' expectations for fourth-quarter earnings and revenue, according to Refinitiv. Workday — Workday's stock fell 1% even after the human resources software company beat Wall Street's fourth-quarter revenue and earnings expectations, according to Refinitv. Hims & Hers posted a smaller-than-expected loss for the fourth quarter and revenue that came in slightly above Wall Street's expectations, according to Refinitiv.

☆ Zoom forecast annual profit above estimates, shares up
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 27 (Reuters) - Zoom Video Communications Inc (ZM.O) on Monday forecast annual profit above Wall Street estimates, benefiting from cost-cutting measures and steady demand for its video-conferencing service from the ongoing shift to hybrid work models. Shares of the San Jose, California-based company rose 6% in trading after the bell. Zoom forecast annual profit between $4.11 per share and $4.18 per share, compared with estimates of $3.66 per share, according to Refinitiv data. Revenue for the quarter ended Jan. 31 was $1.12 billion, compared with analysts' average expectation of $1.10 billion. However, the company expects fiscal 2024 revenue to be between $4.44 billion and $4.46 billion, compared with analysts' average estimate of $4.60 billion.

Feb 15 (Reuters) - Adobe Inc (ADBE.O) will need to secure European Union antitrust approval for its $20 billion bid for cloud-based designer platform Figma even though the deal falls short of the EU turnover threshold for a review, EU regulators said on Wednesday. The move by the European Commission underlines regulators' worries on Big Tech acquiring smaller innovative rivals and the impact on competition. Photoshop maker Adobe had originally sought approval from antitrust agencies in Austria and Germany for the deal. Austria subsequently referred the case to the Commission, prompting the other EU countries to join in. "We look forward to working constructively with the European Commission to address its questions and bring the review to a timely close," a spokesperson for San Francisco, California-based Figma said.

☆ U.S. weekly jobless claims increase, labor market remains tight
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The jobs market has remained resilient despite growing economic headwinds from the Federal Reserve's interest rate increases. While labor market strength keeps the U.S. central policy on its monetary policy tightening path, it also suggests that a much anticipated recession is nowhere near. The four-week moving average of claims, considered a better measure of labor market trends as it strips out week-to-week volatility, fell 2,500 to 189,250, the lowest level since last April. "But even so, the job market remains remarkably strong." "There is no sign of easing of labor market tightness here."

☆ 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.

☆ Zoom to Lay Off 15% of Staff, CEO Slashes Salary
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Will Feuer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Zoom Video Communications Inc. is laying off 1,300 of its employees, or 15%, of its staff, becoming the latest technology company to trim its workforce as it adjusts to more normalized trends after a pandemic-fueled growth spurt. Chief Executive Eric Yuan said Tuesday he was also reducing his salary and foregoing his bonus, joining other corporate leaders across finance and tech to take pay cuts this year. He made just over $300,000 in salary for the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2022, and about $13,000 as part of a non-equity bonus plan.

☆ Zoom to shed about 1,300 jobs as pandemic-fueled demand slows
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 7 (Reuters) - Zoom Video Communications (ZM.O) said on Tuesday it would cut 15% of its workforce, or about 1,300 jobs, and trim base pay for its executive leadership as pandemic-fueled demand for the company's video conferencing services slows. Announcing the layoffs, Chief Executive Eric Yuan also said that he will take a salary cut of 98% for the coming fiscal year, foregoing his fiscal 2023 corporate bonus. Zoom had bumped up hiring during the pandemic to meet surging demand, but now joins U.S. companies is reining in costs to brace for a potential recession. The video conferencing software maker also said that its executive leadership team will reduce their base salary by 20% in the same period. Departing employees will receive 16 weeks of salary, healthcare coverage and annual bonus for the year, Yuan added.

☆ Cramer's lightning round: Zoom Video needs a merger
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Loading chart...Cintas Corp : "It's one of the greatest small business companies in the world." Loading chart...Zoom Video Communications Inc : "They're just not making enough money ... Loading chart...Corsair Gaming Inc : "I can't recommend Corsair Gaming because they're a ... second-rate Logitech ." Loading chart...Pioneer Natural Resources Co : "I think that PXD at $220 may be one of the best investments you can make." Disclaimer: Cramer's Charitable Trust owns shares of Pioneer Natural Resources.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Wayfair, Salesforce, Paypal and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Check out the companies making the biggest premarket moves:Advanced Micro Devices — The semiconductor maker rallied nearly 3% after being upgraded by Barclays to overweight from equal weight. The Wall Street firm cited improving market share trends and a better grasp on spending from management. Abbott Laboratories — Abbott Labs lost 2.5% following a Wall Street Journal report Friday that the Justice Department is investigating conduct at its infant-formula plant in Sturgis, Michigan. Tapestry — The Coach and Kate Spade parent slid 1.85% after being downgraded to equal weight from overweight by Barclays. The Wall Street firm's reasons included inflation creeping to higher household income brackets.

☆ Analysis: Wood’s ARK slammed by higher interest rates in 2022 along with other growth funds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( David Randall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The ARK Innovation Fund has lost around 67% year to date, more than tripling the decline of the S&P 500 index (.SPX). With the S&P 500 on pace for its biggest annual decline since the Great Financial Crisis, few funds are likely to escape 2022 unscathed. Wood's fund ranked 3,544 among all 3552 actively-managed U.S. equity mutual funds tracked by Morningstar. The worst performing fund of the year, by comparison, was the Voya Russia fund, which is down 92% for the year to date. CRASH LANDINGOther funds that soared in recent years on the backs of large bets on technology stocks fell on hard times in 2022.

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