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☆ Here are Tuesday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Tesla, Carvana, Nvidia, Netflix, Zoom, Meta & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Bank of America downgrades Constellation Energy to neutral from buy Bank of America downgraded the energy company mainly on valuation. " Raymond James reiterates Carvana as market perform Raymond James said it's cautious heading into Carvana earnings later this week. Bank of America reiterates Meta as buy Bank of America said it's bullish on the company's recently announced Meta Verified subscription service. " Bank of America reiterates Alphabet as buy Bank of America said it's standing by its buy rating despite the ChatGPT thread to Alphabet. Barclays reiterates Zoom as equal weight Barclays said expectations are low heading into Zoom earnings later this month.

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 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.

☆ Did investors learn nothing from last year’s market meltdown?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Shares of movie theater chain AMC (AMC) have soared nearly 65% so far in 2023, and AMC (AMC)’s companion preferred stock (which trades under the ticker APE as a nod to the nickname AMC (AMC) fans have given themselves on social media) has more than doubled. So did investors learn nothing from last year’s market meltdown? I don’t agree with this market rally in meme stocks,” said Erik Ristuben, chief investment strategist with Russell Investments. Another strategist agrees this recent rally for meme stocks and other speculative bets may not end well. If they’re upbeat about spending, that could keep the rally in consumer stocks going.

☆ 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 .

☆ Ex-Flint, Michigan, fire chief sues mayor, saying he was fired for refusing to cover up house fire that killed 2 children
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Minyvonne Burke | Minyvonne Burke Is A Senior Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Sniegocki and Zlotek said they found no one in the burning home and gave the “all clear” to other firefighters on the scene, the lawsuit said. Minutes later the boys were foundSniegocki and Zlotek, who resigned, could not be reached at phone numbers listed for them. The firefighters union, Neeley’s office and a city attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Sniegocki and Zlotek entered the house. Nine days after Neeley’s re-election on Nov. 8, the mayor fired him, according to the lawsuit.

☆ Premarket stocks: Bruised tech investors are hedging their bets
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —There are two certainties in today’s market: The tech sector has been beaten down and interest rates are higher. What’s happening: Investors are purchasing put options, a bearish bet that a stock will fall during a set period of time, on certain tech stocks at historic rates. The losses also created a booming market for investors who hold put option contracts that allow investors to sell shares of these stocks at a price higher than their current levels. Rising interest rates also dried up the easy money tech companies relied on to fuel big bets on future innovations, and cut into their sky-high valuations. Beyond that, the growing number of layoffs may also give certain tech companies some cover to take more severe steps to trim costs now than they may have otherwise done.

☆ 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.

☆ Oil funds and a Turkey ETF were 2022 market winners, but Russia and crypto tanked
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Oil stocks skyrocketed in 2022, so it’s no surprise funds that track the energy sector were Wall Street winners this year. The iShares MSCI Turkey exchange-traded fund had more than doubled as of December 19, according to data from Morningstar Direct. The Turkish economy has slowed recently as unemployment has risen, but the instability has not hurt Turkish stocks. Other US and international oil funds and ETFs were also at the top of Morningstar Direct’s list. (Morningstar Direct provided CNN Business with a ranking of the best and worst mutual funds and ETFs for 2022, excluding so-called leveraged funds that make outsized bets on stock market indexes.)

☆ Tech kept talent happy doling out stock during the boom. It's screwing investors in the bust.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Asia Martin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

As tech stock prices plunge, firms are granting new stocks to staff to keep compensation high. But as stock values tumble in the second half of 2022, investors are looking at the increase in stock-based compensation (SBC) as an issue. And tech companies have been issuing a lot of shares to not only attract new employees but hang on to their existing ones. Peloton granted more than 4 million stock options and 1.7 million RSUs in its fiscal year that ended in June 2021. "The drop in the stock price makes the expense, for lack of a better way to phrase it, a lot more expensive," he added.

Dow component (.DJI) Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (WBA.O) rose 1.9% after Cowen & Co upgraded the drug distributor stock, citing its healthcare services business push. Best Buy Co Inc (BBY.N) soared 9.4%, rising the most among S&P 500 (.SPX) components after forecasting a smaller-than-expected drop in annual sales. Energy (.SPNY) led gains among the 11 major S&P 500 sector indexes, bouncing off four-week lows by adding 2%. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 2.70-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and by a 1.12-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P index recorded 19 new 52-week highs and two new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 49 new highs and 122 new lows.

SummarySummary Companies Best Buy up, sees smaller annual sales dropMedtronic down, lowers FY profit outlookTesla attempts to recoup losses post slumpFutures up: Dow 0.44%, S&P 0.49%, Nasdaq 0.40%Nov 22 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes were set to open higher on Tuesday, with gains in shares of Walgreens and Best Buy helping investors assuage worries around the economic fallout of stricter COVID-19 curbs in China. Leading gains among S&P 500 (.SPX) components trading before the bell, Best Buy Co Inc (BBY.N) jumped 9.1% after forecasting a smaller-than-expected drop in annual sales ahead of the crucial holiday season. Dow component (.DJI) Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (WBA.O) rose 1.7% after Cowen & Co upgraded the drug distributor stock, citing its healthcare services business push. ET, Dow e-minis were up 148 points, or 0.44%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 19.25 points, or 0.49%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 46 points, or 0.4%. Analysts expect thin trading volumes as markets will be shut on Thursday for Thanksgiving holiday and will remain open for half day on Friday.

☆ Zoom shares down 90% from peak as pandemic boom fades
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 22 (Reuters) - Shares of Zoom Video Communications Inc (ZM.O) have tumbled about 90% from their pandemic peak in October 2020 as the former investor darling struggles to adjust to a post-COVID world. The stock was down 9% in premarket trading on Tuesday after the company cut its annual sales forecast and posted its slowest quarterly growth, prompting at least six brokerages to cut their price targets. Reuters Graphics"Zoom has a fundamental flaw - it has needed to spend heavily to keep hold of market share. Spending to cling onto, rather than grow, market share is never a good place to be and was a sign of trouble ahead," Hargreaves Lansdown equity analyst Sophie Lund-Yates said. Competition from Microsoft's Teams and Salesforce's Slack has blunt its edgeReporting by Chavi Mehta and Aditya Soni in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Best Buy, Dick's Sporting, Abercrombie & Fitch and others
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Peter Schacknow | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Check out the companies making headlines before the bell:Best Buy (BBY) – Best Buy rallied 7% in the premarket after its third-quarter results beat analyst estimates. Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS) – The sporting goods retailer reported better-than-expected third-quarter profit and revenue and an unexpected increase in comparable store sales. Dick's initially surged more than 7% in premarket trading before it dipped negative. Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) – Abercrombie & Fitch soared 12.8% in premarket action after reporting an unexpected quarterly profit and beating Street revenue forecasts. Dell Technologies (DELL) – Dell fell 1.6% in premarket trading amid a weaker-than-expected current quarter revenue forecast.

☆ What Cramer is watching Tuesday — Nasdaq tough year, seasonal oil strength, P&G looking good
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Citi lowers DVN price target by $2 pe share to $78; keeps buy rating. Piper Sandler cuts Club holding Amazon (AMZN) price target to $119 per share from $125. Honeywell (HON), also a Club stock, is an underappreciated tech franchise, JPMorgan says. Zoom Video (ZM) catches multiple price target cuts on Wall Street. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

☆ Zoom cuts annual revenue forecast on slow online business
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Tiyashi Datta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 21 (Reuters) - Zoom Video Communications Inc (ZM.O) on Monday lowered its annual revenue forecast, as the video-conferencing platform expects a hit from declining online business. Zoom chief financial officer Kelly Steckelberg said during a post-earnings call that the company's online business would decline nearly 8% during the year. The easing of pandemic-related restrictions across the world is also weighing on its business as people started spending less time online. Zoom now expects annual revenue to be between $4.37 billion and $4.38 billion, compared with an earlier outlook of $4.39 billion and $4.40 billion. On an adjusted basis, the pandemic winner earned $1.07 per share during the quarter, compared with estimates of 84 cents, according to Refinitiv data.

☆ Zoom cuts annual revenue forecast as video-conferencing service demand wanes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 21 (Reuters) - Zoom Video Communications Inc (ZM.O) on Monday lowered its annual revenue forecast amid waning demand for the video conferencing platform as pandemic restrictions ease and competition amps up. After recording blistering growth during the pandemic, Zoom, which competes with WeChat Work, Microsoft Teams (MSFT.O), Cisco (CSCO.O) WebEx and Slack, is facing a slowdown as red-hot inflation is dampening the spending power of customers. Zoom now expects annual revenue to be between $4.37 billion and $4.38 billion, compared with an earlier outlook of $4.39 billion and $4.40 billion. The company, however, raised its annual adjusted profit per share to between $3.91 and $3.94, compared with $3.66 to $3.69 forecast earlier. On an adjusted basis, the company earned $1.07 per share during the quarter, compared with estimates of 84 cents per share, according to Refinitiv data.

☆ Morning Bid: Bucking the trend
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

With an anxious look at China's worsening COVID surge, the U.S. dollar appears revitalized just as speculators turn against it for the first time this year. Peak interest rates, peak COVID, peak energy all get discussed as themes for 2023, along with recession risks, a return of bonds and a cresting of the supercharged dollar - which has already given back almost half its near 20% surge this year. With one eye on Federal Reserve meeting minutes later in the week, futures markets continue to nudge peak Fed rates next year further above the 5% level. Also anxious about the unfolding property bust, China's central bank and banking and insurance regulator said domestic banks should step up credit support for the economy. The dollar also got a lift from the widening crypto shock, with bitcoin falling back below $16,000 on Monday.

☆ Investors have very little to be thankful for in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Oil stocks have been huge winners this year, thanks to the spike in crude prices…which boosted sales and profits. For now, at least, energy investors are reaping the rewards. And there are also opportunities for investors looking for a little more risk…and potential reward. Finally, investors who’ve bet against the stock market also can give thanks for this year’s volatility. PC giants Dell (DELL) and HP (HPQ) also report results this week.

☆ The week in review, the week ahead — Nov. 18, 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

It certainly gave the market some pause in the back half of the week. Looking ahead, we remind members that markets will be closed on Thursday for Thanksgiving, and will close early at 1:00 p.m. Also Thursday, initial jobless claims for the week ending Nov. 12 came in at 222,000, a decrease of 4,000 from the prior week and below expectations of 228,000. Below are some other earnings reports and economic numbers to watch in the week ahead. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

☆ What Cramer is watching Friday — Fed plays good cop, bad cop and off-price retailers shine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Rival Ross Stores (ROST) gets multiple price target increases. Citi raises BJ's Wholesale (BJ) price target to $83 per share from $81 after earnings beat. Multiple price target raises on Club Bullpen name Palo Alto Networks (PANW). Barclays raises Applied Materials (AMAT) price target to $90 per share $80 but keeps neutral rating. Piper Sandler starts DraftKings (DKNG) with an overweight (buy) rating and a $21-per-share price target, which implies about 40% upside from Thursday's close.

☆ Sell pandemic darling Zoom Video before it falls even further, Citi says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

There's even more downside for telecommunications stock Zoom Video , according to Citi. Radke's new target implies downside of 17% from Tuesday's close. "ZM's post-COVID recovery, may continue to falter in Q3 as tightening IT budgets and a weaker macro outlook keep SMB new customer acquisitions low and churn elevated," Radke wrote in a Tuesday note. Shares of the one-time pandemic darling are down more than 50% this year after a rise in interest rates and inflation weighed on growth stocks. We forecast near flattish revenue growth next year with slight FCF growth," Radke wrote.

☆ Zoom calls will soon work in Teslas
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Tesla drivers will soon be able to take a video call directly from their vehicle’s touchscreen dashboard, Zoom announced Tuesday. The video call provider announced on Tuesday during its annual Zoom (ZM)topia conference, where it typically teases new features to support remote calls, that its software is coming to Tesla (TSLA)’s built-in infotainment center. In a pre-recorded demo video shown at the event, a Tesla (TSLA) driver is seen taking a Zoom (ZM) call while recharging her vehicle. The Zoom news comes as Tesla faces growing competition in the electric vehicle market from established automakers such as Volkswagen, Ford and General Motors. SpaceX, for example, banned its employees from using Zoom in April 2020 over “significant privacy and security concerns.”

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