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☆ Japan’s population crisis was years in the making – and relief may be decades away
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The demographic crisis has become one of Japan’s most pressing issues, with multiple governments failing to reverse the double blow of a falling fertility rate and swelling elderly population. But Japan’s crisis is unique in that it’s been decades in the making, experts say – meaning its impact is particularly evident now, with relief unlikely to come anytime soon. ‘Not reversible’The first thing to understand about Japan’s population crisis is that it’s only partly behavioral, said James Raymo, professor of sociology and demography at Princeton University. As of last year, Japan’s fertility rate sat at 1.3. The real problem is that the fertility rate has been consistently low for so long.

Persons: handwringing, It’s “, –, it’s, James Raymo, ” Raymo, ‘, aren’t, Raymo, Tomohiro Ohsumi, – “, Stanislav Kogiku, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Princeton University, government’s Institute of Population, Social Security Research, Getty Locations: Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Spain, Italy, United States, India, Yonomori, Fukushima, singlehood, Vietnam, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Toyko

☆ What worked and didn't work this week from AI and cybersecurity to consumer stocks and gaming
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

AI trade: Market gains accelerated since the Morning Meeting, with both the Nasdaq Composite and S & P 500 rising to new all-time highs. Casino stocks : Wynn shares and other Macao gaming stocks fell after the region's Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau reported February gross gaming revenue (GGR). 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: Jim Cramer, Salesforce, Consumer Staples, Locker, Wynn, Stifel, Jim Cramer's, Jim Organizations: CNBC, Market, Nasdaq, Dell Technologies, Dell, Semiconductor, Energy, Tech, Consumer, Palo Alto Networks, Broadcom, Bausch Health, GE Healthcare, Health Care, Apple, Wynn Resorts, Wynn, Jim Cramer's Charitable Locations: U.S, China, Macao

Goldman Sachs lowered its rating on Estée Lauder to neutral, and its new price target calls for a slight decline going forward. Elsewhere, Daiwa raised its price target on Nvidia, which points to more than 10% upside over the next 12 months. The firm stood by its outperform rating on the chipmaker stock, but lifted its price target to $900 from $535. FLYW YTD mountain FLYW in 2024 Faucette accompanied his downgrade by lifting his price target to $30 from $27. He also lifted his price target on the stock to $40 from $30, implying upside of 24.6% from Thursday's close.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Estée Lauder, Jefferies, Root, Daiwa, Brad Sills, Sills, — Lisa Kailai Han, Stephens, Vita Coco, Coco, Jim Salera, COCO, Lisa Gill, Gill, Louis Miscioscia, Miscioscia, Lisa Kailai Han, Piper Sandler downgrades, Piper Sandler, Mark Fitzgibbon, Fitzgibbon, Morgan Stanley downgrades Flywire, Morgan Stanley, James Faucette, Faucette, Goldman Sachs downgrades Estée Lauder, Lauder, Goldman, Yaron Kinar, Kinar, Fred Imbert Organizations: CNBC, Nvidia, Bank of America, of America, Vertex, Accenture, RSM, BDO, JPMorgan, Daiwa, Markets, Riding, AMD, Intel, York Community Bancorp, York Community, New York Community Bancorp, Travel, B2B, U.S, Jefferies Locations: York, Canada, Asia, China, Hainan, Thursday's

☆ Here are Friday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Apple, Dell, Netflix, Micron, Broadcom, Eli Lilly, New York Community Bancorp & more
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

"We are initiating coverage of Evolent Health with an Outperform rating and $45 price target." Goldman Sachs downgrades Estee Lauder to neutral from buy Goldman downgraded the stock and said it's under "sizeable pressure." "We are upgrading Annexon (ANNX shares) to Overweight from Neutral and establishing a December 2024 price target of $11." Bank of America reiterates Eli Lilly as buy Bank of America raised its price target on the stock to $1000 per share from $800. "Following 4Q23 earnings we are upgrading GoodRx from Neutral to Overweight and increasing our December 2024 price target from $7 to $10."

Persons: Davidson, Campbell, Morgan Stanley, JD, TD Cowen, Parker, Dell, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, Louise Singlehurst, Tom Ford, Jefferies, Root, AVGO's, Stephens, Vita Coco, COCO, Piper downgrades, Piper, Redburn, Oppenheimer, Daiwa, Morgan Stanley downgrades Flywire, Goldman Sachs downgrades Estee Lauder, Estee Lauder, Dwight, Wells, Eli Lilly, Lilly, D.A Organizations: Apple, Vulcan, Merck, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Bank of America, Broadcom, York Community Bancorp, Netflix, Micron, Mizuho, MU, Citi, EV, Health, Nvidia, Dwight, Hewlett Packard Enterprises, JPMorgan, biosciences, " Bank of America Locations: York, Davidson, Oshkosh, Minneapolis , MN

☆ Alibaba Cloud slashes prices by as much as 55% to fuel AI growth in China
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Sheila Chiang | In Sheilachiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Alibaba 's cloud business on Thursday said it is cutting prices on a wide range of core cloud products by as much as 55%, in a bid to fuel AI growth in China. The move aims to make "cloud capabilities more inclusive and accessible in the era of AI," Alibaba Cloud said. "As the biggest cloud service provider in China and APAC, we see tremendous growth prospect of China's digital market," said Liu Weiguang, president of public cloud business at Alibaba Cloud Intelligence. "One is using cloud to support generative AI initiatives. With its massive calls on compute, storage, and networking, generative AI needs cloud to scale.

Persons: Alibaba, Liu Weiguang, Liu, OpenAI Organizations: Alibaba, Holding, Smart, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, McKinsey Locations: Chongqing, China

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Putin delivers State of the Nation address to Russian lawmakers, troops and journalists
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's Elections Commission said that the pro-Kremlin United Russia part had won local elections in four regions of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces, in a vote dismissed by Kyiv. Germany, the U.K., Spain, Poland and NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg were among those denying that sending ground troops into Ukraine was an option. The Kremlin had warned earlier Tuesday that such a move would lead to an "inevitable" conflict between NATO and Russia. Since then, state-run Russian media has been dominated by Russian officials relishing the obvious division in NATO, and Macron's apparent misreading of the NATO mood music. She claimed NATO countries' denials that they planned to send their ground troops into Ukraine showed the West had "betrayed Ukraine and will continue to use and betray it," repeating Moscow's baseless claims that Western countries are using Ukraine to destroy Russia.

Persons: Alexander NEMENOV, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, Emmanuel Macron, Jens Stoltenberg, Macron, Vyacheslav Volodin, Volodin, Maria Zakharova, — Holly Ellyatt Organizations: Commission, Kremlin, Kyiv, Getty Images, NATO, NATO's, Foreign Ministry, Ukraine —, Russian Foreign, Sputnik, Tass Locations: St, Basil's, Moscow, Russia's, Kremlin United Russia, Ukraine, AFP, Germany, Spain, Poland, Russia, NATO, Russian

☆ Opinion | Trump’s Allies Don’t Want to Destroy the ‘Deep State.’ They Want to Seize It.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Carlos Lozada | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Every new administration that wins power away from the opposing party contends that whatever its predecessors did was terrible and that victory constitutes a popular mandate to fix or get rid of it all. Elections have consequences, politicians love to remind us, and a big one entails trying to change everything, right away. It is possible to read “Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise” — an 887-page document proposing to remake the executive branch, department by department, agency by agency, office by office — as one more go-round in this Washington tradition. It is an off-the-shelf governing plan for a leader who took office last time with no clear plan and no real ability to govern. This book attempts to supply him with both.

Persons: ”, —, “, Biden, Donald Trump, Nikki Haley Organizations: Leadership, Heritage, Trump Locations: Washington

☆ Nita Ambani is now the most powerful woman in Indian media
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Diksha Madhok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New Delhi CNN —Just a few months ago, Nita Ambani stepped away from frontline business to focus on philanthropy. Now, the wife of Asia’s richest man is back with the biggest job in the ferociously competitive world of India media. Nita Ambani will not be steering the media giant alone. Nita Ambani first stepped into the business limelight 10 years ago, becoming the first woman director on the board of Reliance Industries. With her new job title, Nita Ambani has become the most powerful woman in Indian media and entertainment sector, which is worth over $25 billion and growing rapidly.

Persons: New Delhi CNN —, Nita Ambani, Mukesh Ambani, Uday Shankar, “, ”, Ambani’s, Nita Mukesh Ambani, Bikas Das, —, Isha, Anant, Akash —, Akash, ” Nita Ambani, National Stock Exchange —, EY, Mihir Shah Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, Disney’s, Reliance Industries, Disney’s Asia, Disney, Reliance Foundation, Indian Premier League, IPL, Reliance, Music, International Olympic Committee, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Stock Exchange, Media Partners, Netflix Locations: New Delhi, India, Mumbai, Disney India, New York, Viacom18

☆ Russia relishes NATO disarray after hasty denials of plan to deploy ground troops to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The United States, Germany, the U.K., Spain, Poland and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg were among those denying that sending ground troops into Ukraine was an option. She claimed NATO countries' denials that they planned to send their ground troops into Ukraine showed the West had "betrayed Ukraine and will continue to use and betray it," repeating Moscow's baseless claims that Western countries are using Ukraine to destroy Russia. After the conference, Macron said discussions had also covered the possibility of deploying ground troops, although he said there was no agreement on the issue. France was left looking increasingly isolated throughout the day Tuesday, with the White House also distancing itself from Macron's comments. When asked about Macron's comments, Kirby said "well, that's a sovereign decision that every NATO ally would have to make for themselves.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Mikhail Metzel, Emmanuel Macron, Jens Stoltenberg, Dmitry Medvedev, Macron, Vyacheslav Volodin, Volodin, Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleon, Maria Zakharova, Macron's, Stephane Sejourne, John Kirby, Kirby, General Stoltenberg, —, Biden, Timothy Ash, Ash Organizations: Defence, Sputnik, Reuters, NATO, Russian, Russia's Foreign Ministry, Ukraine —, Russian Foreign, Tass, Chesnot, Getty, White, . National Security, Kremlin Russia, Kremlin, Russia, BlueBay Asset Management Locations: Nazi Germany, Moscow, Russia, Reuters Russia, Ukraine, United States, Germany, Spain, Poland, NATO, Russian, France, Canada, Paris, France's, Republic, U.S

☆ Premarket stocks: Revolution or market bubble? Investors weigh the AI boom
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —What’s the difference between a revolution and a market bubble? Thanks to strong performances in stocks and bonds in 2023, coupled with steady savings rates and employer-provided matching contributions, 401(k) investors ended 2023 very much in the black, reports my colleague Jeanne Sahadi. That’s according to new fourth-quarter data from Fidelity Investments, one of the largest providers of workplace retirement plans that cover 23 million 401(k) participants. The troubled plant-based meat company, which has partnerships with McDonald’s and KFC owner Yum! On a Tuesday call with Beyond Meat’s investors, Brown outlined a set of initiatives intended to rightsize the struggling company.

Persons: New York CNN —, ’, Jamie Dimon, Dimon, ”, Torsten Slok, Yung, Yu Ma, “, Jeanne Sahadi, Gen Xers, Fidelity, Samantha Delouya, Ethan Brown, Brown Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Nvidia, AMD, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, JPMorgan, CNBC, Apollo Global Management, Federal Reserve, BMO Wealth Management, Big, Norges Bank Investment Management, Legal, General, AFL, US Securities and Exchange Commission, Lawyers, SEC, Fidelity, Fidelity Investments, McDonald’s, KFC, Brands Locations: New York, California, “

☆ Here are Wednesday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Nvidia, Salesforce, Dell, Microsoft, Snap, McDonald's & more
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Morgan Stanley reiterates Apple as overweight Morgan Stanley said it's standing by Apple amid reports the company canceled its car project. Barclays reiterates Microsoft as overweight Barclays says investments made in advertising is a "$50 billion opportunity" for Microsoft. Goldman Sachs reiterates Salesforce as buy Goldman said it sees "upside" heading into Salesforce earnings Wednesday afternoon. Barclays initiates Weatherford as overweight Barclays says the oil services company is a "reborn industry player." Barclays upgrades Ecolab as overweight from equal weight Barclays says it has "strong visibility" for the food safety company.

Persons: Smucker, Stifel, DELL, Morgan Stanley, Apple, it's, NVDA, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, FSLR, Salesforce, Raymond James, Bernstein, Stellantis, Cantor Fitzgerald, Cantor, KBW, it's bullish, Guggenheim, McDonald's, Craig, Hallum Organizations: Apple, Barclays, Microsoft, U.S, " Bank of America, Nvidia, Bank of America, Constellation Energy, JPMorgan, Apollo, JMP, Weatherford, Bright, Holdings Locations: J.M, CY2026, Europe, UK, China, India, CEG

☆ Investors get more reasons to like Apple as company abandons EV plans and CEO updates AI ambitions
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Many employees on the nearly 2,000-person team will be tasked to work on Apple's AI unit instead, Bloomberg said. There has been little public info about Apple's self-driving car ambitions, but reports first surfaced back in 2014 when the company poached automotive engineers from other firms. 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: Tim Cook, Bloomberg, Cook, we're, ChatGPT, Jim Cramer, Jim, Tesla, he's, it's, Apple's, Morgan Stanley, Siri, Jeff Marks, Jim Cramer's, Eduardo Munoz Organizations: Apple, Bloomberg News, Big Tech, General Motors, Club, Ford Motor, GM, Bloomberg, UBS, CNBC Locations: U.S, New York

☆ Some Republicans are celebrating the 'good news' of Mitch McConnell's retirement: 'Better days are ahead'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"Better days are ahead for the Republican Party," said Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Our thoughts are with our Democrat colleagues in the Senate on the retirement of their Co-Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (D-Ukraine). No need to wait till November… Senate Republicans should IMMEDIATELY elect a *Republican* Minority Leader. But McConnell comes from a different generation than many House and Senate Republicans, and he's had a famously frosty relationship with Trump since January 6.

Persons: Mitch McConnell, That's, Matt Gaetz, —, Democratic boogeyman, Republicans trashing, Kevin McCarthy, Ronna McDaniel, We’ve, McCarthy McDaniel McConnell, qZEZ7s9Ly6, Republican Sen, Josh Hawley, McConnell, Sen, Rick Scott of Florida, Hawley, Scott, Chuck Schumer, Schumer, Donald Trump, Merrick Garland, Barack Obama's, he's, Mike Lee, John Organizations: GOP, Republican Party, Service, Democratic, Republicans, Caucus, Kentucky Republican, Republican, POLITICO, McConnell's, McConnell's Democratic, Supreme, Senate Republicans, Trump Locations: Florida, Ukraine, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Utah

☆ 3 pieces of information you should never share in a job interview and what to say instead, from a recruiting manager.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Bonnie Dilber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

I've been in recruiting for nearly 10 years and a hiring manager for even longer, working in education, non-profits, and tech. When interviewing with a hiring manager as a candidate, my advice is always to be very discerning about what you share. Challenges in previous jobs or with your job searchIn an interview, the hiring manager is looking for someone who makes them confident they can deliver strong results for the company. Some things I've heard job seekers share before — like challenges in previous workplaces or how tough the market is — can distract the hiring manager from seeing them as the strongest candidate. Was their previous manager really difficult to work with, or are they the difficult one?

Persons: Bonnie Dilber, Dilber, I've, I'm, you've, jobseekers, wasn't Organizations: Employers, . Employers, Companies Locations: Zapier

☆ Why South Korea's Japan-style measures to boost its stock market may not work
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

An inflatable bull during a ceremony marking the first day of trading of the year at the Korea Exchange (KRX) headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesSouth Korea's Japan-style measures for improving corporate governance may not be enough to boost its undervalued stock markets and tackle the so-called "Korea discount." Asia's fourth-largest economy is striving to boost stock market valuations that are considered much lower compared to peers, with analysts referring to the phenomenon as the "Korea discount." The 'chaebol' problemSouth Korean markets are made up of corporations called "chaebols," which are large family-owned global conglomerates, typically controlled by the founder's family. "The behavior that leads to South Korea's low stock prices is motivated, and therefore seeking to coax South Korean controlling families into 'being nice' to minority stockholders is unlikely to be successful," Pines said.

Persons: SeongJoon Cho, James Lim, Jonathan Pines, Federated Hermes, Daniel Tan Organizations: Korea Exchange, Bloomberg, Getty Images Bloomberg, Getty, Financial, FSC, Samsung Electronics, LG, SK, Hyundai, Dalton Investments, Japan, Korean Stock Exchange, Federated, Grasshopper Asset Management, CNBC Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Japan, Korea, Tokyo, Asia, Singapore

☆ Cramer gives the portfolio's core holdings a makeover — 4 are booted, 6 are added including a trio of tech giants
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

COST 5Y mountain Costco's stock performance over the past five years. DHR 5Y mountain Danaher's stock performance over the past five years. ETN 5Y mountain Eaton Corp.'s stock performance over the past five years. "The megatrends are real serious, and [Eaton] is a real serious company," Jim said. TJX 5Y mountain TJX Companies' stock performance over the past five years.

Persons: Jim Cramer, Jeff Marks, Morgan Stanley, Wall, Beijing's, Jim, Eaton, Linde, Lilly's, Eli Lilly, We've, Zepbound, Mark Zuckerberg's, Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI, Copilot, management's, Nvidia, TJ Maxx, TikTok, Gen Zers, TJX, Jim Cramer's, Satya Narayana Nadella, Lucas Jackson Organizations: GE Healthcare, Meta, Microsoft, Johnson, Natural Resources, Starbucks, Apple, Apple Music, Services, Amazon, Amazon Web Services, Prime, Costco, Danaher, Eaton Corp, Investors, GE, LIN, Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, Novo Nordisk, Management, Nvidia, TJX Companies, Marshalls, CNBC Locations: Eaton, China, Manhattan, New York City

☆ Opinion: What it means to be born Black in Germany
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Opinion Josephine Apraku | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

It is hard to group Black Germans — sometimes also referred to as Afro-Germans — under one umbrella; there is no one description that encompasses the diversity of Black people here. The same year I was born, a seminal work about Black Germans, “Showing Our Colors: Afro-German Women Speak Out,” was published. I think that these are precisely the times when Black community, Black alliances and Black spaces are so important. In 2020, the Black Student Union at the University of Bremen renamed February “Black Our Story Month,” and has been holding Black History Month events every year since, creating visibility for the complexity of Black experiences. The Black community in Germany celebrated its first Black History Month in 1990.

Persons: Josephine Apraku, I’m, I’ve, ” Josephine Apraku Dahahm Choi It’s, there’s, ” Josephine Apraku, ”, Christian Mang, Audre Lorde, Lorde, Roma, Sinti, — that’s, Steffi Loos, Schwarzer, George Floyd, Black, — Organizations: African Studies, CNN, Berlin CNN, Black, Africa, Free University of Berlin, CDU, Christian Democratic Union, Black Student Union, University of Bremen, ISD, of Black People, White Locations: Berlin, Germany, Black, East Germany, Angola, Ethiopia, Mozambique, German, Ghana, Europe, Territories, Namibia, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Cameroon, Togo, ” Josephine Apraku Germany, France, Belgium, Great Britain, United States, Tiergarten, Black Germans, Deutschland

Loop Capital initiated Dell Technologies with a buy rating and a price target that implies more than 35% upside. Analyst Stephen Grambling hiked his price target by $9 to $49, while keeping his rating at overweight. Salesforce has popped nearly 14% in 2024, extending gains after the stock price came close to doubling in 2023 alone. Roseka's price target of $27.10 shows the potential for just 3.6% in upside compared with Tuesday's ending price. Analyst Ananda Baruah initiated coverage of the technology stock with a buy rating and a $125 price target.

Persons: Stifel, Smucker, Raymond James, Rick Patel, Patel, — Alex Harring, Kenneth Worthington, Worthington, Alex Harring, Morgan Stanley, Stephen Grambling, DKNG's, Grambling, DraftKings, Jackpocket, Morgan, Wednesday's premarket, Goldman, Goldman Sachs, Kash Rangan, Rangan, Bernstein, Daniel Roeska, Stellantis, Roseka, KeyBanc, Sophie Karp, CEG, Karp, Matthew Smith, Smith, Fred Imbert, Dell, Ananda Baruah, DELL, Baruah Organizations: CNBC, Dell Technologies, FactSet, Apollo Global Management, JPMorgan, APO, Grambling, Constellation Energy, Constellation, Dell, Capital, DELL Locations: Tuesday's, Wednesday's premarket, Grambling, Wednesday's, Salesforce, Netherlands, U.S, Europe

☆ We're raising our price target on TJX after the discount retailer's impressive earnings beat
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Higher sales and lower COGS resulted in better-than-expected gross margin expansion that trickled down to a bottom-line beat. The company's pretax profit margin also expanded versus the year-ago period, benefiting from a higher merchandise margin. The strong merchandise margin was attributable to less shrink (theft), reduced freight costs, and lower markdowns. The company's pretax profit margin also expanded versus the year-ago period, benefiting from a higher merchandise margin. The strong merchandise margin was attributable to less shrink (theft), reduced freight costs, and lower markdowns.

Persons: Ernie Herrman, —, Herrman, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Scott Mlyn Organizations: Companies, LSEG, Management, Wall, TJX, CNBC, Shoppers, TJ Maxx, CNBC TJX Companies Locations: Maxx, buybacks, Canada, New York

☆ Electronic Arts, maker of Madden NFL, to lay off 5% of staff as gaming industry layoffs widen
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —Electronic Arts plans to lay off 5% of its employees, making it the latest company in the gaming and tech space to reduce its workforce. Epic Games cut 830 jobs in September. In January, Tencent’s Riot Games said it would lay off 11% of its workforce and Microsoft said it would cut 1,900 jobs from its Activision Blizzard and Xbox gaming divisions. And electronics giant Sony said on Tuesday it would cut 8% of its global workforce, amounting to around 900 jobs. That means that after its cuts to staff last year, Wednesday’s layoffs could affect more than 600 workers.

Persons: ”, Andrew Wilson Organizations: New, New York CNN, Electronic Arts, EA, Madden NFL, Apex, ” EA, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Sony Locations: New York

☆ EA to lay off 5% of workforce, or about 670 employees
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Alex Koller | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

An Electronic Arts video game logo is seen at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. The company's announcement marks the latest headcount reduction among video game developers in recent months, continuing a broader trend of significant downsizing across the tech industry. On Tuesday, Sony said it would lay off about 900 employees in its PlayStation division, or 8% of its workforce. EA CEO Andrew Wilson wrote in a memo to employees on Wednesday that the video game company is "streamlining our company operations to deliver deeper, more connected experiences for fans everywhere." "We are continuing to optimize our global real estate footprint to best support our business," Wilson wrote in his Wednesday note.

Persons: Andrew Wilson, Wilson, —, Steve Kovach Organizations: Arts, Electronic Entertainment, Electronic Arts, EA, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Sony, PlayStation, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Riot Games, SEC, Apex, EA Sports FC, Madden NFL, CNBC PRO

☆ Family Dollar to pay nearly $42 million in connection with rodent-infested warehouse
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Parija Bhatnagar | Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Family Dollar Stores was hit with a record fine for violating product safety standards after selling items that were stocked in a rat-infested warehouse filled with live, dead and decaying rodents. The retailer, a subsidiary of Dollar Tree was fined $41.6 million, “the largest-ever monetary criminal penalty in a food safety case,” the Justice Department said in a statement Monday. Family Dollar and Dollar Tree will also be under robust corporate compliance and reporting requirements for the next three years, according to the DOJ. The agency said at the time that Family Dollar has been aware of the rodent problem since at least January 2020. The DOJ said Family Dollar, which has more than 8,000 stores nationwide, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of causing FDA-regulated products to become adulterated while being held under insanitary conditions.

Persons: ” Benjamin Mizer, exterminators, Rick Dreiling, “, Dreiling, – CNN’s Nathaniel Meyersohn, Rebekah Riess Organizations: New, New York CNN, Justice Department, DOJ, The, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, Dollar Tree’s Locations: New York, Arkansas

☆ Surge Pricing for Burgers and Shakes? Wendy’s Will Give It a Whirl.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Maybe you are the type who enjoys biting into a warm, spicy chicken nugget from Wendy’s, and at $5.99 for a 10-piece in Midtown Manhattan, it is a tempting treat. Soon, you may want to consider what time it is before you satisfy such a craving, because the fast-food chain is going to price those crispy chunks of meat and other menu items differently, depending on demand. The company plans to begin testing dynamic pricing as early as 2025, Wendy’s president and chief executive, Kirk Tanner, said during a February earnings call. In other words, the prices of a Wendy’s Vanilla Frosty and other menu items will rise and fall based on demand. The feature will be rolled out along with digital menu boards that would reflect the price changes; the company plans to invest approximately $30 million in those initiatives.

Persons: Kirk Tanner, Frosty Locations: Midtown Manhattan

☆ Unilever and Dell have shut down some sustainability marketing initiatives as big corporations embrace 'green hushing'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Late last month, computing giant Dell cut part of its marketing team that focused on sustainability and other ESG-related marketing roles, Business Insider has learned. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. AdvertisementThis is feeding into a growing trend of "green hushing," where companies stop publicizing their sustainability efforts due to concerns around regulatory scrutiny or a consumer backlash, experts say. Other sustainability agencies have been absorbed into wider offerings, R3 EVP of delivery Sarah Tan told Business Insider. Leo Rayman, head of the sustainability consultancy and venture studio Eden Lab, said that the green hushing phenomenon could suggest a sign of maturity in the space.

Persons: we're, Hein Schumacher, hushing, Pimco, , Harriet Kingaby, Sarah Tan, Kingaby, Bud, Bud Light, influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Guy Parker, — that'll, Parker, Leo Rayman, Rayman, Townsend Organizations: Dell, Business, Unilever, JPMorgan, State, ACT Climate Labs, Media, Advertising Network, Brands, Green Guides, Standards Authority, ASA, BMW, Shell, Etihad Airways, Competition, Markets Authority, Eden, Sustainability

☆ Educators teaching AI literacy to students should include ethics in their lesson plans, scholars say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Ngozi Nwanji | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

While some optimists focus on AI's benefits in education, others fear that using AI in classrooms could catalyze cheating and misinformation. This is where AI literacy can be useful. Created within the Stanford Graduate School of Education, CRAFT is a collaborative effort of Stanford education researchers, software developers, and curriculum developers. Lee also told BI that AI literacy in classrooms "should involve recognition of where AI can be effective and where it requires extra vigilance." He said the school also hopes to grow CRAFT's teacher codesign fellowship through which fellows develop AI literacy lessons.

Persons: —, OpenAI, Victor Lee, Lee, Matthew Ratz, Ratz, ChatGPT, Erin Reddick, who's, Reddick, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Organizations: Stanford, Service, Allied Market Research, Arizona State University, ASU, Stanford Graduate School of Education, Montgomery College, TED, Ratz, Houghton Locations: North America, Jasper, Houghton Mifflin

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