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☆ Kroger will stop mailing weekly grocery advertisements in newspapers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Atlanta CNN —Kroger, the largest grocery chain in the United States, is ditching its long-running weekly newspaper ad circulars announcing the latest grocery specials. The ads for Kroger (KR) stores and subsidiaries, including Ralphs, Fred Meyer and King Soopers, will shift online. “Kroger is joining many retailers in shifting the way our weekly ads are distributed,” a spokesperson told CNN. The move could deal a blow to shoppers who plan their store trips based on weekly newspaper ads. Some companies, such as Walgreens (WBA), stopped printing coupon catalogs and moved their weekly advertisements online.

Lawyers for Kroger said in a filing in California federal court that the grocery store shoppers who sued over the deal have failed to define the relevant market necessary to evaluate grocery store competition and to identify how the acquisition would hurt consumers. The attorneys said the lawsuit was lacking "real-world facts." U.S. competition law "does not turn every grocery store consumer in the country into a roving antitrust enforcer," lawyers for Kroger told U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria. State antitrust enforcers also are looking at the deal. The case is Whalen v The Kroger Co, Albertsons Companies Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No.

☆ Jeremy Grantham can spot market bubbles. Now he's warning of an 'ominous' bust
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“Every one of these great bursts of euphoria, the great bubbles with overpriced markets … has been followed by a recession,” Grantham said. “When the great bubbles break, they do impose a lot of stress on the system,” Grantham said. What’s even more worrying is that this time, bubbles in the stock market and the real estate market are poised to burst simultaneously, Grantham said. The sector, which relies heavily on debt financing, has been hit hard by rising interest rates. Volcker raised interest rates to unprecedented levels to fight inflation in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

April 11 (Reuters) - Mark Shafir, one of Citigroup Inc's (C.N) top dealmakers, is retiring after a career spanning over three decades during which he advised some of the world's largest corporations on several landmark deals. Shafir, who has led Citi's global mergers and acquisitions unit since joining the bank in 2008, will stay on till mid-May to help with the transition, according to an internal memo sent on Tuesday by Tyler Dickson and Manuel Falco, Citi's global co-heads of banking, capital Markets and advisory. Cary Kochman, who has served as co-head of global M&A at Citi alongside Shafir since 2017, will continue to lead the franchise. "(Mark) has been one of the lead drivers of our M&A business and has played a central role developing the franchise, which grew significantly under his leadership," Dickson and Falco said in the memo. Shafir was instrumental in shaping Citi's M&A franchise during his tenure and advised on several landmark transactions.

☆ UBS details how consumer spending is under pressure as inflation remains a threat — and reveals 4 top retailers worth investing in
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Consumer spending hasn't collapsed due to high inflation, though pressure is building. The resilience of consumer spending might be the biggest surprise in markets in the past year. To that point, $44 billion AutoZone (AZO) indicated it hasn't seen consumer behavior change and has maintained its margins by passing on costs. 4 retail stocks to buy nowIf there's a consensus among the companies that attended UBS' conference, it's that although consumer spending has held up for now, pressure from inflation is steadily mounting. Those are listed below, along with each company's ticker and market capitalization, as well as selected insights their management teams provided at UBS' retail conference.

☆ Self-driving startup Gatik to double workforce, strikes Kroger deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Abhirup Roy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SAN FRANCISCO, March 15 (Reuters) - Self-driving trucking startup Gatik will double its workforce by year end, a top executive said, after it announced a deal on Wednesday with grocer Kroger Co (KR.N) to transport goods within its Dallas, Texas network. Gatik, which operates traditional mid-sized trucks fitted with its autonomous technology, aimed to expand to 15 new U.S. states over five years, CEO Gautam Narang told Reuters. Many investors in the self-driving industry have grown sceptical as complicated technology and tough safety regulations have delayed large-scale commercialization. Autonomous truck company Embark Technology (EMBK.O) said this month it would lay off 70% of its employees and start evaluating options, including winding down the business. Microsoft (MSFT.O)plans to invest more than $10 million in Gatik at a valuation above $700 million, sources told Reuters in January.

☆ Albertsons, Kroger reiterate store divestiture plan ahead of merger
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

March 14 (Reuters) - Albertsons Companies Inc (ACI.N) reiterated in a filing on Tuesday it would divest some stores owned by the company and Kroger Co (KR.N) to obtain the regulatory clearance needed to go ahead with the merger of the two firms. Last month, Reuters reported citing sources that the supermarket operators were advancing plans to sell between 250 and 300 stores, which they hope would alleviate U.S. antitrust concerns over their combination. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which is reviewing Kroger's proposed $24.6 billion acquisition of Albertsons, is under pressure from some U.S. lawmakers and consumer advocacy groups to block the deal on concerns it may lead to higher grocery prices. Reporting by Ananya Mariam Rajesh in BengaluruOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Albertsons, Kroger to divest some stores ahead of merger
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

March 14 (Reuters) - Albertsons Companies Inc (ACI.N) said on Tuesday it would divest some stores owned by the company and Kroger Co (KR.N) to obtain the regulatory clearance needed to go ahead with the merger of the two firms. Reporting by Ananya Mariam Rajesh in BengaluruOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Here are Friday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Tesla, Alphabet, Kroger, Meta, Silvergate, UPS & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Here are Friday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Morgan Stanley reiterates Apple as a top pick Morgan Stanley said it sees a "catalyst rich event path" for the tech giant. Morgan Stanley names Alphabet, Amazon and Meta top AI picks Morgan Stanley named Alphabet, Amazon and Alphabet as top picks and said AI is at an inflection point. Barclays reiterates Alphabet as overweight Barclays said it's standing by its overweight rating on the stock but sees it range-bound for the foreseeable future. Morgan Stanley reiterates Eaton as a top pick Morgan Stanley said it sees several cyclical growth drivers for the multination power management company. Morgan Stanley names Eli Lilly as a catalyst driven idea Morgan Stanley named Eli Lilly as a catalyst driven idea, saying that the stock "levered" to a likely positive outcome from upcoming obesity drug trials.

☆ Top 10 things the Club is watching in the stock market Friday
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Club holding Costco (COST) was a little disappointing Thursday evening, with an earnings beat overshadowed by some softer February trends. Analysts outline five "underappreciated catalysts" that they think will drive a re-rating of the Club holding in the next twelve months. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER .

☆ Kroger sees annual profit above estimates
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 2 (Reuters) - Kroger Co (KR.N) forecast annual profit above Wall Street estimates on Thursday, as the supermarket chain benefits from higher prices, easing cost pressures and steady demand for its groceries and other essentials. Shares of Kroger, which has inked a $25 billion deal to buy smaller rival Albertsons Companies Inc (ACI.N), climbed about 3% in premarket trading. Kroger forecast adjusted earnings per share of between $4.45 and $4.60 for fiscal 2023, while analysts on average expected a profit of $4.20 per share, according to Refinitiv IBES data. Still, the company projected same-store sales growth, excluding fuel, of 1% to 2% in fiscal 2023, below analysts' estimate of a 2.23% increase. Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The US dollar is at a crossroads
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Wall Street investors are reaching for their neck braces in preparation for yet another volatile swing in stock markets: A surging US dollar. What’s happening: The US dollar “finds itself at a significant crossroads yet again,” said Krosby. Don’t forget the debt ceiling: Another significant threat to the dollar is looming in Congress — the ongoing debt ceiling fight. “It would certainly undermine the role of the dollar as a reserve currency that is used in transactions all over the world. Initial claims have come in lower than expected in recent weeks and remain well below their pre-pandemic levels.

☆ Inflation takes a back seat to earnings next week as stocks look to bounce back
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Matthew J. Belvedere | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The latest Fed projection for the so-called terminal rate — the level where the rate hikes stop — was just over 5%. Before this past week, those intraday levels hadn't been seen since November 2022. ET: ISM Services Looking back January's hot reading on core PCE on Friday was the most influential economic number of the past week. In Club earnings this past week, Nvidia (NVDA) was certainly the highlight. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

☆ Analysis: To raise prices or not? Consumer goods makers weigh bets on buyer strength
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Jessica Dinapoli | Thomson Reuters | New York-Based Reporter Covering U.S. Consumer Products Spanning Paper Towels To Packaged Food | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But, there are small signs the pressure is easing, with U.S. consumer prices a month earlier declining for the first time in two-and-a-half years, due in part to gas prices. Price hikes - or halts - are set to take center stage at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York annual conference on Feb. 20 in Boca Raton, Florida. DIFFERENT PREDICTIONSAfter more than a year of consistent price hikes, some consumer goods makers such as Kraft Mac & Cheese manufacturer Kraft Heinz Co (KHC.O) are pressing pause as they weigh consumer demand for their items. Frozen pizza prices have risen about 14% in the last year, according to IRI data. "Retailers cannot truly push back on prices … if the company has an important brand," Bernstein analyst Bruno Monteyne said.

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoFeb 16 (Reuters) - Walmart Inc's (WMT.N) results on Tuesday will provide Wall Street with new details on what items American shoppers are buying as rising grocery prices squeeze their wallets. In December, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said "we do not like" that some suppliers were hinting at raising prices further in 2023. He warned that Walmart would allocate space to private and tertiary brands if prices got too high. KitKat maker Nestle on Thursday said further price hikes were necessary to offset commodity costs. Still, Wall Street expects Walmart sales and revenue to rise in 2023 as its shipping and logistics costs moderate, even as labor expenses go up.

☆ Stocks shrug off rates risk as U.S. consumers spend
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Equities - with the Nasdaq (.IXIC) up 15% so far this year - are clinging to the positives, while in interest rate markets investors are quickly ditching hopes for cuts later in 2023. Two-year Treasury yields , which also track short-term interest rate expectations, hit their highest since November at 4.703% overnight. S&P 500 futures rose 0.2%. Elsewhere the repricing of the interest rates outlook is putting an end to a couple months of selling of the dollar in currency markets. The U.S. dollar index is eying a third weekly gain in a row - the longest streak since September, when the index was galloping towards a 20-year high.

The stores that Kroger and Albertsons may sell could be worth more than $1 billion, the sources said. Kroger and Albertsons will choose to proceed with the spin-off if they are unable to strike a deal with a potential buyer. Kroger, Albertsons and the FTC declined to comment. Haggen filed for bankruptcy months later and blamed the deal with Albertsons for its demise. Albertsons then agreed to buy many of the Haggen stores back for $300 million.

"Because the consumer is now under more pressure, and Walmart is under pressure, that sets up a dynamic where there's probably not a lot of pricing going forward." The clout Walmart holds over suppliers also means that Walmart would likely get the lowest percentage of any price hikes manufacturers implement, according to investors who track the company. In 2018, Walmart pulled Campbell Soup Co's (CPB.N) products during the key winter season over a dispute over prices and shelf space promotion. At the time, Tesco labeled Heinz's price hikes as "unjustifiable." After raising prices four times in 2022, he said, Clorox doesn't "have any additional plans" to hike prices this year.

Amazon has long viewed grocery as a key to unlock more consumer spending. Despite Amazon's large business from packaged food and other goods, it has yet to win significant market share in perishables, Jassy said. Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Securities, said Amazon has itself to blame, having drawn consumers to online shopping decades ago. "They are flushing money down a toilet pursuing Amazon Fresh stores" and thinking "they can brand a new concept and capture share from retailers who have been successful for decades." The company has a few dozen Amazon Fresh stores so far, Jassy said.

☆ Grocery consumers sue to block Kroger’s $25 bln buy of Albertsons
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Mike Scarcella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Kroger is the biggest grocer in the U.S. by revenue, and Albertsons is the second-largest supermarket chain. Nearly 5,000 grocery stores would be under one corporate umbrella if the deal, announced in October, goes through. A representative for Albertsons declined to comment on Friday, and a Kroger spokesperson did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Kroger operates stores under banners including Harris Teeter, Pay Less and King Soopers. U.S. antitrust law lets private consumers sue over proposed mergers and acquisitions, apart from any enforcement action brought by a state or federal agency policing competition laws.

☆ Instant View: India's Adani calls off $2.5 bln share sale
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, Feb 1 (Reuters) - India's Adani Enterprises (ADEL.NS) on Wednesday called off its $2.5 billion share sale, citing market conditions, a week after a U.S. short-seller's critical report unleashed a rout in the wider Adani Group's stocks. COMMENTARYDEVEN CHOKSEY, MANAGING DIRECTOR, KR CHOKSEY SHARES AND SECURITIES"In the given situation, when the entire environment has become negative, it is good that the share sale is withdrawn. GURMEET CHADHA, CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER AND MANAGEMENT PARTNER OF COMPLETE CIRCLE WEALTH"It was the right thing to do. It must have been a hard decision but it was the right thing to do. To go through this exercise of a share sale and to call it off raises more questions."

☆ Here are Monday's biggest analyst calls: Tesla, Meta, Qualcomm, Zoom, Apple, Costco, Wayfair & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Here are Monday's biggest Wall Street calls: MKM downgrades Zoom to neutral from buy MKM said it sees growth stalling for the video-conferencing company. Baird adds Tractor Supply as a fresh pick Baird named Tractor Supply as a fresh pick, noting it sees upside to estimates. Barclays downgrades Warner Music to equal weight from overweight Barclays said the music company's financial performance is too volatile. Jefferies naming Caterpillar a top pick Jefferies said it sees upside to estimates for shares of Caterpillar. Barclays downgrades Tapestry to equal weight from overweight Barclays said it's concerned about a "negative promotional inflection" for Tapestry .

☆ Washington court paves way for Albertsons' $4 bln dividend, declines to review case
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Mike Scarcella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Washington Supreme Court made the decision after a lower court judge refused last month to issue a preliminary injunction against the dividend. The Washington attorney general's office in November sued to block the dividend, arguing that it would weaken Albertsons before Kroger's $25 billion purchase. The merger proposal will be reviewed by the Federal Trade Commission, which polices merger and acquisition activity for compliance with antitrust law. In a statement, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said his office was "surprised and disappointed the Supreme Court decided not to hear this case." Chief executives of the two grocers in November defended the $25 billion proposed tie-up at a hearing before a U.S. congressional committee.

☆ Here are Tuesday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Tesla, Amazon, Alphabet, Chipotle, Microsoft & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Morgan Stanley downgrades Chipotle to equal weight from overweight Morgan Stanley said it's concerned about "traffic headwinds." Morgan Stanley upgrades Domino's to overweight from equal weight Morgan Stanley said Domino's is best positioned to handle a downturn. Morgan Stanley upgrades Church & Dwight to overweight from equal weight Morgan Stanley said it sees "fundamental inflection ahead." Morgan Stanley downgrades AutoNation to underweight from equal weight Morgan Stanley said it sees too many headwinds for shares of AutoNation right now. Morgan Stanley upgrades Kroger to equal weight from underweight Morgan Stanley said it sees more people eating at home.

☆ Walgreens removes purchase limits on children's fever medicines
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Jan 16 (Reuters) - Pharmacy chain Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (WBA.O) said on Monday it has removed online-only purchase limits for its over-the-counter pediatric fever-reducing products, as supply conditions improve. Pharmacy chains including CVS Health Corp (CVS.N) and Walgreens as well as U.S. grocer Kroger Co (KR.N) had last month limited purchases of children's pain and cold medicines at a time when the country was experiencing one of the worst flu seasons in a decade. Walgreens had put a limit of six over-the-counter pediatric fever reducer products per online transaction. Reporting by Arunima Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrea RicciOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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