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☆ Premarket stocks: Here's why you should always wait for the earnings call
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

We’re currently in the thick of fourth quarter earnings reports, but traders don’t seem to care about how companies fared during the final months of 2022. These slowdowns have been partially factored into stock prices, he said, “but not necessarily in full.”The upside: Market reaction appears to go both ways. Gas prices are surging this month. Gas prices are rocketing higher. Why are gas prices jumping?

☆ Jobs report to give clues about where economy is headed
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Investors will get another clue when the January jobs report is released on Friday. Economists predict that 185,000 jobs were added last month, a slowdown from the gain of 223,000 jobs in December and 263,000 in November. A further deceleration in the labor market would likely please the Fed, as it would show that last year’s rate hikes are successfully taking some air out of the economy. Along those lines, average hourly earnings, a measure of wages that is also part of the monthly jobs report, are expected to increase 4.3% year-over year. So far, tech earnings season is not off to an inspiring start, with Microsoft (MSFT), Intel (INTC) and IBM (IBM) all reporting weak results.

☆ AmEx forecasts upbeat full-year profit on buoyant spending trends
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Manya Saini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Even as decades-high inflation pressures household budgets, American Express has remained so far insulated from feeling a dent as the company's affluent customer base refused to dial down on their spending. Shares of American Express were up more than 5% in premarket trading. Even so, American Express Chief Financial Officer Jeff Campbell told Reuters that the company continues to remain optimistic about travel recovery going forward. "We had a very strong quarter with travel across borders and national travel and feel really good about the trends there." Provisions for credit losses were $1.03 billion in the reported quarter, compared with $53 million a year ago.

☆ H&M highlights fast-fashion gloom as luxury takes hit in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Shares in H&M, the world's No. 2 fashion retailer, fell as much as 6% in early trade after quarterly operating profit sank to 821 million Swedish crowns ($79.7 million) from 6.26 billion a year earlier. Zara has outperformed rivals after selling higher-priced garments and enticing shoppers who might have otherwise spent money at luxury stores. Disappointment over the impact of the China disruptions on its margins caused a record-breaking run in LVMH shares to briefly halt on Friday. The luxury industry is nevertheless expected to be one of the biggest winners from the loosening of restrictions that kept shoppers out of stores in China for months.

☆ Gas prices have surged 40 cents in a month
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

But something unusual is happening this year: Gas prices are rocketing higher. Although that’s a far cry from the record of $5.02 a gallon last June, gas prices have increased by 12 cents in the past week and 40 cents in the past month. AAA says some states have experienced much bigger gains over the past month, including Colorado (95 cents), Georgia (68 cents), Delaware (63 cents), Florida (60 cents) and Ohio (59 cents). That helps explain why gas prices in Colorado have surged by nearly $1 a gallon over the past month. Oil prices bounce off lowsBeyond the refinery problems, oil prices have crept higher, helping to drive prices at the pump northward.

☆ Lumber soars 13% as the housing market shows signs of a rebound for the first time in a year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Lumber futures soared 13% on Friday as the housing market finally shows some signs of life. The essential building commodity is up 21% since encouraging housing market data was released earlier this week, and is up 37% year-to-date. Lumber had been pummeled throughout 2022, falling 67% as soaring mortgage rates weighed on the housing market considerably. And that decline in mortgage rates has helped breathe some life into the housing market, with mortgage application volume jumping 7% last week. While we do expect a near-term slowdown in housing (a primary driver of lumber demand), in our opinion long-term fundamentals remain strong for housing demand," Domain's Scott Reaves told Insider in an email.

LITTLETON, Colo. Jan 25 (Reuters) - The world's top thermal coal exporter shocked global markets a year ago by temporarily banning coal exports to protect domestic power producers, sending coal prices soaring and kicking off an historically volatile year for coal and other power fuels. For 2022 as a whole, total Indonesian thermal coal exports hit 448.5 million tonnes, a record sum that was 56 million tonnes (14.4%) larger than 2021's total, ship tracking data from Kpler shows. However, there are several factors in play in 2023 that may lift demand for Indonesian coal over the coming months. The planned implementation of energy product sanctions on Russia by the European Union this year is another factor likely to support global coal demand. India's tight domestic coal stockpiles are another bullish factor supporting Indonesia's coal export potential.

☆ Jim Cramer's top 10 things to watch in the market Thursday: GDP beat, Tesla records, Macao recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Credit Suisse cuts price target on Club holding to $285 per share from $365. On the Tesla earnings call, Musk also defends his ownership of Twitte r. Says he's not worried about Tesla brand and reputation due to his political tweets. LVS price target raised to $65 from $53. Oppenheimer out with a hilarious Alphabet (GOOGL) price target cut to $130 per share from $135; keeps outperform (buy) rating. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N) dropped 0.4% after forecasting annual profit below estimates, while Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) fell 1.3% as it warned that a surge in China COVID-19 cases could dent the first half sales in 2023. General Electric Co (GE.N) fell 0.2% on a disappointing profit forecast for the year, despite topping quarterly earnings estimates. Big Tech earnings could also determine whether renewed enthusiasm for growth stocks will be sustained. Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) is scheduled to report quarterly earnings after the bell. Analysts now see fourth-quarter earnings for S&P 500 companies dropping 2.9% year-on-year, according to Refinitiv data.

But COVID-19 vaccine sales exceeded diminished expectations and demand for cancer drug Darzalex helped drive the fourth-quarter profit beat. The company reported $689 million in quarterly COVID-19 vaccine sales from outside the United States. J&J said it expects U.S. sales of Stelara to be flat to lower in 2023 due to competition from less expensive biosimilars in certain regions. It forecast adjusted 2023 earnings of $10.45 to $10.65 per share, above analysts' estimates of $10.35. Excluding items, J&J earned $2.35 per share for the quarter, topping analysts' estimates by 12 cents, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

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☆ Argentina and Brazil are discussing plans for a common currency — analysts can scarcely believe it
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Argentina President Alberto Fernandez (R) and Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (L) greet each other after signing a series of agreements during a news conference in Buenos Aires. Argentina and Brazil, the two largest economies in South America, are in early talks to create a common currency, as part of a coordinated bid to reduce reliance on the U.S. dollar. Speaking on his first international visit since taking office, Lula said that the currency would initially be designed for trade and transactions between Brazil and Argentina. Brazil's Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said that the adoption of a common currency was not designed to replace the Brazilian real and the Argentine peso. "Developing and implementing a common South American currency is, therefore, pie in the sky."

☆ I've paid off $163,000 in student-loan debt and still haven't made a dent in what I owe. I just want to work normal hours and spend time with my family.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Jen Glantz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

For more than 10 years, she's worked 60 hours a week to pay off her student-loan debt. By the time I was 26 years old and starting my career, I had $175,000 of student-loan debt. While this helped organize my loan payments, it didn't bring down the interest rate or change the amount that I owed. I was able to apply for it every year and it's helped me make my federal student-loan payments a little more manageable. Both driving and student-loan debt can cause catastrophic damage if not handled properly.

The scarcity principle drove many people to buy way too much dry pasta at the start of the pandemic. Scarcity principleThe scarcity principle is technically an economic principle, but it explains a crucial aspect of consumer behavior that leads to overspending. Consumers are more likely to buy items that they perceive as dwindling in supply. Retailers will use the scarcity principle to convince consumers to purchase items by emphasizing dwindling supplies or limited-time offers. It becomes preferable to "gain" free shipping by adding more items to your cart than to "lose" money on shipping.

Amazon, Microsoft, and Google announced layoffs of a total of 40,000 employees this week. Tech companies embarked on a massive hiring spree as the Covid-era made their products the backbone of the world's remote-working offices. The era of tech companies spending like rock stars is overOver the last decade Big Tech companies spent money "like 1980's rock stars," wrote Dan Ives, managing director at the investment firm Wedbush . On the other end, tech companies may look much different this decade as they did in the last. As companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft cut costs, they'll find ways to operate leaner, and their stock prices will stabilize.

☆ I borrowed $50,000 to pay for college 10 years ago — now I owe double. The interest fees are screwing everyone over.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Lisa Sass, 31, took out $50,000 in private student loans to pay for college. At 31 years old, I never thought I'd be nearly $100,000 in debt — and that's just for student loans. Paying half allows me to afford living expenses and other bills, but my student-loan payments only cover the interest. I still owe $95,576 in loans, and it sucks that private loans were left out of President Joe Biden's forgiveness program. I think loans need to get repaid, but I don't think interest rates should be as high as they are.

☆ A former equities trader who now invests in real estate full-time and cash flows $45,000 per month explains why 'the risk-reward is much more attractive on real estate than stocks'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

He believes that real estate is much better from a risk-reward standpoint than stocks. With real estate, there are four ways to make money, including cash flow and levered appreciation. "And I'm supremely confident that real estate is much better from a risk-reward standpoint than stocks. And he's only doubled down on the investment, he added: More than 80% of his current net worth is invested in real estate. Plus, he manages two funds that invest in commercial real estate, both of which he owns a piece of.

☆ Twitter auctions off blue bird memorabilia, pricey furniture
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A neon Twitter bird for $35,000, anyone? On the day he took over Twitter last fall, he walked in to the San Francisco company’s headquarters carrying a sink. The items fetching the highest bids, besides the neon bird, include a plain Twitter bird statue at over $30,000 and a planter sculpture of the “@” symbol. Professional kitchen equipment, meanwhile, is going for tens of thousands of dollars. Twitter, which no longer has a media relations department, did not immediately respond to a message for comment Wednesday.

Brent <LCOc1> futures fell 94 cents, or 1.1%, to settle at $84.98 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 70 cents, or 0.9%, to settle at 79.48. Markets at first reacted positively to U.S. data, which showed retail sales and manufacturing production declined more than forecast in December, on hopes the Fed would now ease up on interest rate hikes. Supporting oil prices early in the session, China reported economic data that beat forecasts after the country started rolling back its zero-COVID policy in early December. Rystad said the losses were at about 500,000 barrels per day and that India and China remain key buyers of Russian crude.

Summary China's reopening set to drive record 2023 oil demand -IEAChinese oil demand to rebound in 2023 -OPECRecord U.S. shale oil output seen in Feb -EIAAPI reports due at 4.30 p.m. ET (2130 GMT)LONDON, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Wednesday to their highest since early December on optimism that the lifting of China's strict COVID-19 curbs will lead to a fuel demand recovery in the world's top oil importer. China's economic growth slowed sharply to 3% in 2022, missing the official target of "around 5.5%" and marking its second-worst performance since 1976. Analysts polled by Reuters see 2023 growth rebounding to 4.9%. But OPEC kept its 2023 global demand growth forecast unchanged.

☆ China's COVID-19 reopening set to push 2023 oil demand to new high -IEA
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Noah Browning | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Two wild cards dominate the 2023 oil market outlook: Russia and China," the Paris-based energy watchdog said in its monthly oil report. "Russian supply slows under the full impact of sanctions (while) China will drive nearly half this global demand growth even as the shape and speed of its reopening remains uncertain." World total oil demandWeak industrial activity and mild weather helped cut oil demand by nearly a million barrels per day in the OECD developed countries in the last quarter of 2022. Demand/supply balance"The preeminent driver of 2023 GDP and oil demand growth will be the timing and pace of China’s post-lockdown recovery," the IEA said. Russia's oil exports increased by just under 5% last year, the IEA said on Wednesday, though prices were far lower.

Brent futures rose 72 cents, or 0.8%, to $86.64 a barrel by 11:46 a.m. EST (1646 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 94 cents, or 1.2%, to $81.12. But the data still beat analysts' forecasts after China started rolling back its zero-COVID policy in early December. The lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in China is set to boost global oil demand to a record high this year, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), while price cap sanctions on Russia could dent supply. A report showing U.S. retail sales fell more than expected in December provided some counterintuitive support for oil prices. A weaker dollar can boost demand for oil, as dollar-denominated commodities become cheaper for holders of other currencies.

☆ Wall Street sees big gains ahead in these industrial stocks, even with a recession on the horizon
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Conventional wisdom says to steer clear of industrial stocks heading into a recession, in anticipation of sputtering economic growth and factory production. But even in the face of a looming downturn this year, Wall Street still expects a host of industrial companies to weather the turmoil, and sees strong gains in the months ahead. XLI YTD mountain The XLI is up more than 2% this year Industrial stocks outperformed last year and continue to fare well in 2023. Delta shares could see the greatest upside of the three, with the consensus target implying a 32% potential rally in the shares. Auxiliary power equipment maker Generac also made the list, with the average price target suggesting shares stand to gain as much as 20%.

☆ China’s Covid reopening set to push 2023 oil demand to new high, IEA says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in China is set to boost global oil demand this year to a new record high, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Wednesday, while price cap sanctions on Russia could dent supply. "Two wild cards dominate the 2023 oil market outlook: Russia and China," the Paris-based energy watchdog said in its monthly oil report. "Russian supply slows under the full impact of sanctions (while) China will drive nearly half this global demand growth even as the shape and speed of its reopening remains uncertain." Weak industrial activity and mild weather helped cut oil demand by nearly a million barrels per day in the OECD developed countries in the last quarter of 2022. But despite possible but likely mild recessions in Europe and the United States, China's expected reopening is set to fuel rebounds in nearby Asian economies and see it take the lead from India as the world's leader in oil demand growth.

☆ Bank of America upgrades Vodafone, sees stock rising by nearly 50%
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Vodafone 's stock price hit a 25-year low this month — but sentiment may be turning around. Bank of America analysts upgraded the U.K. company's stock to "buy" on Thursday, saying they expect shares to rise by 42% to £1.31 ($1.60) over the next 12 months. VOD 5Y line Despite this optimism, BofA's analysts believe Vodafone will still need to cut dividends by 30% to keep the balance sheet sustainable. Vantage Towers , previously a wholly owned subsidiary of Vodafone, owns 68,000 sites and was spun off from Vodafone in July 2020. Vodafone's London-listed shares are seen rising by 32% to £1.22 over the next 12 months.

☆ I am a working mom who wants to ask to go down to 4 days a week. Will that kill my career?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Insider's latest work-advice column is about a mom who wants to go down to a four-day workweek. She worries she'll regret not spending enough time with her kids but also fears for her career. I feel like I'm missing my kids' lives and I don't want to have any regrets on my deathbed. I'm considering asking my boss if I can work four days a week. Strober suggests saying something like, "I know that you prioritize work over just about everything.

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