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☆ Jim Cramer's top 10 things to watch in the stock market Monday: OPEC+ surprise, Macy's lift, Tesla miss
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

How are we approaching the market week ahead? I also explained that we are indeed in a bull market, but that things could get a bit rocky from here. Analyst Matthew Boss also increased his price target by a buck to $29, citing favorable risk-to-reward setup at current stock price. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade.

This week, a reader's husband doesn't think the cost of a gym membership is a good use of money. The main extra we are fighting about right now is a gym membership. This shared responsibility often means shared debt, shared costs, shared sacrifice, and shared indulgences. But what shared finances don't necessitate are shared financial priorities — even if it might be easier when they align. Your husband's part of this compromise will mean making the commitment now to celebrate your last credit card payment by purchasing a gym membership for you at a nicer gym.

☆ MLB roundup: Aaron Judge homers in Yankees' opening win
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Houston had its modern-day record of 10 consecutive Opening Day wins snapped. Orioles 10, Red Sox 9Adley Rutschman's 5-for-5 Opening Day helped Baltimore to a win over host Boston. Mets 5, Marlins 3Brandon Nimmo's three RBIs backed Max Scherzer's quality start, leading New York to an Opening Day victory over Miami. Twins 2, Royals 0Pablo Lopez and four relievers combined on an Opening Day two-hitter as visiting Minnesota blanked Kansas City. It was O'Neill's fourth consecutive Opening Day with a homer, tying a major league record.

The lobbying comes amid a sustained effort by TikTok to play down fears raised by lawmakers who want to ban the app, which has 150 million monthly active users in the U.S. She defended the work of TikTok's team in Washington and said the company is trying to address lawmakers' privacy and safety concerns. At the furthest end of the extreme is the legislation from Hawley and Buck that simply seeks to ban TikTok outright by directing the president to block transactions with ByteDance. Hawley has not eased his campaign to ban TikTok. But after, "our phones were ringing off the hook," with the majority of callers voicing opposition to a TikTok ban.

☆ The dollar slipped this quarter after surging in 2022. Its struggles could be a sign of things to come.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The dollar slipped around 1% this quarter on the prospect the Federal Reserve may be close to ending interest-rate increases. Analysts are warning that the greenback's losses could snowball over the rest of 2023. Sign up for our newsletter to get the inside scoop on what traders are talking about — delivered daily to your inbox. "Nowhere have we seen interest-rate expectations pared back as much as the US, not among major central banks anyway," OANDA analyst Craig Erlam told Insider. "That change in interest-rate expectations has driven yields much lower which has, in turn, hit the dollar and if they don't bounce back, it could do more," he added.

☆ It's not easy being a bicyclist in the US. Better infrastructure could help.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Eliza Relman | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Advocates are asking for more funding for bike safety measures, in addition to e-bike tax credits. The best way to address biking safety concerns, advocates say, is to build better bike infrastructure, including a robust system of bike lanes. If passed, the law wouldn't directly address the most pressing safety and infrastructure concerns facing bicyclists, but advocates say it could help. At the same time, this growing community of new bicyclists would likely demand better bike lanes and other infrastructure. Ultimately, advocates say it's about return on investment: More bikes, and better bike infrastructure, could lead to big savings for commuters and a rethinking of how everyone navigates their landscape.

☆ The Fed Passes the Buck on Bank Failures
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

One certainty in politics is that the Federal Reserve will never accept responsibility for any financial problem. Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr played that self-exoneration game on Tuesday before the Senate as he blamed bankers and Congress for Silicon Valley Bank’s failure. No one disputes that bankers failed to hedge the risk posed by rising interest rates to asset prices and deposits. What Mr. Barr didn’t say is that the Fed’s historic monetary mistake created the incentives for the bank blunders. The Fed fueled the fantastic deposit growth at SVB and other banks with its prolonged quantitative easing and zero interest-rate policy that caused banks to pile into longer-term, higher-yielding assets.

☆ Another cultish cost-saving formula gets off-track
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Jeffrey Goldfarb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Despite its multiple interpretations and approaches, success is widely gauged by a railway’s operating ratio, a simple measure of how much it spends to make a buck. Union Pacific’s peers improved similarly, indicative of the antiquated ways the industry had been deploying resources. Union Pacific also found itself unable to bring back enough furloughed workers in areas where they were most needed. “In a significant departure from the railroad industry's recent past, we deliberately moved away from a singular focus on operating ratio,” he told lawmakers. “If we wanted to drive [operating ratio] lower over time, we could,” the board wrote in a letter to shareholders in late 2021.

☆ Play ball - more quickly! New rules aim to speed MLB games
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Amy Tennery | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The new rule gives the pitcher 15 seconds in between pitches with the bases empty and 20 seconds with runners on base. Another major change - outlawing the shift - will allow for more hits, making games more exciting for fans. In 2003, the average time of a nine-inning game was two hours and 46 minutes, according to Elias Sports Bureau. An MLB memo obtained by Reuters last week showed the pitch clock was already having its intended effect. The average number of violations per game also dropped from 2.03 in the first week to 1.03 by mid-March.

With a glut still nagging the chip industry, Micron expects the deepest revenue drop since 2001. Micron shares in after hours trading rose about 2%. The company expects third-quarter revenue of $3.70 billion plus or minus $200 million, matching analysts' average estimate, according to Refinitiv data. Revenue for the second quarter fell by about 53% to $3.69 billion, compared with estimate of $3.71 billion. Net loss was $2.3 billion, compared with a profit of $2.26 billion a year earlier.

☆ Ready to remodel? Here are the home projects that will get you the best return on your investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The average homeowner shelled out $3,890 on renovations and remodeling in the past year alone, the report found. In some cases, they may get that money back when it's time to sell, but not all home renovations deliver the same return on investment. Overall, homeowners are getting just a 60% return on their renovation investments, according to the recently released 2023 Cost vs. Value report from Zonda Media, a housing market research and analytics firm. A minor kitchen remodel — like painting and updating the backsplash — did provide high returns, but major kitchen and bathroom remodels did not, the Zonda survey found. Even though both construction and financing costs are up, this decade could be "the golden age of remodeling," Tomalak said.

☆ 15 places to live that will save you money in inflationary America
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Ethan Dodd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Inflation is still high, even though the housing market has cooled some. From South Texas to South Dakota, here are 15 places with the lowest cost of living in America. The rankings and reviews site Niche just released its 2023 list of places with the lowest cost of living in America. However, the increased cost of living hasn't hit the country equally across the board. Here are the 15 lowest cost of living places in the United States, many of which are in South Texas.

☆ In the Hot Seat, TikTok CEO Channels a Silicon Valley Style Icon: Mark Zuckerberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Jacob Gallagher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew appeared before House lawmakers on Thursday to face questions about potential Chinese government influence on the popular social-media app. Mr. Chew’s armor for this inquest? A staid navy suit, pressed white shirt and finely patterned blue tie. The conservative, don’t-buck-the-boardroom combination made Mr. Chew look like so many execs recently grilled by Congress about security and safety, in business attire meant to engender trust—or at the very least express innocuity.

☆ Dollar slumps as banking crisis chips away at its haven status and makes further Fed rate hikes a coin flip
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US dollar has slipped 2% over five trading days as the banking crisis rattles investors. The collapse of SVB and Signature Bank may threaten the greenback's haven status, one analyst said. The buck's run of losses follows the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank earlier this month. The Fed shying away from hikes could also weigh on the dollar. Read more: The Fed's latest move confirms it's trying to thread the needle between cooling inflation and helping banks in turmoil

Asia-Pacific markets are headed for a fall on Thursday, following Wall Street reaction overnight after the U.S. Federal Reserve hiked rates by another 25 basis points. The central bank's kept its terminal rate forecast at 5.1%, which means that only one more rate hike is expected this year before rates peak. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.77%, and Japanese markets are set to follow in the same direction. The Nikkei futures contract in Chicago at 27,040, and its counterpart in Osaka at 27,010, compared to the Nikkei 225's last close at 27,466.61. However, the Hang Seng index looks set to buck the trend and open higher, with Hang Seng futures at 19,762 compared to the index's last close at 19,591.43.

☆ Work Travel Is Suddenly a Lot More Work
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Dawn Gilbertson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Booking a business trip today isn’t as simple as clicking “Buy” on your go-to airline and heading for the airport lounge. With ticket prices in the stratosphere and concern about the economy high, cost-conscious road warriors are cheating on their favorite airline, loyalty status be damned. Others are flying to alternative airports and renting a car, booking undesirable flights or driving to their destination. Companies are encouraging travelers to cram more meetings into a single trip to get more bang for their buck, or adding more parameters to their travel policies.

☆ Water’s big moment risks getting lost in the weeds
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Antony Currie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The latest is research published last Thursday by the Global Commission on the Economics of Water. The sum, though, is just $140 million, and the U.S. government’s International Development Finance Corporation is pouring in three-quarter of the proceeds. But there is a decent investment case for water without state or supranational support. Without them, water’s big moment risks getting lost in the weeds. Follow @AntonyMCurrie on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSThe United Nations 2023 Water Conference starts on March 22, World Water Day, in New York.

☆ Banks could become a sector of 'haves and have nots.' How the 'Halftime' Traders are preparing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"This is a classic example of a company that's gonna do well when all the other banks are not," Sethi said on CNBC's "Halftime Report." Shares of New York Community Bancorp surged more than 35% Monday, rebounding from losses of 11.3% and 14.6%, respectively, the past two weeks. The announcement made her think, "the game has changed for New York Community Bank." "One bank's loss is going to be another bank's gain, and that's exactly what this is." NYCB FRC,KRE 1M mountain New York Community Bancorp, First Republic and the KRE's past month

☆ Spring training roundup: Nats score 8 in ninth to beat Astros
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Blake Rutherford hit an RBI single, Cody Wilson -- who pinch-ran for Arcia -- hit a two-run double and Vargas singled home Wilson. The Yankees had 15 hits, led by Wilmer Difo (2-for-4, home run), Benjamin Cowles (homer) and Estevan Florial (2-for-4, three RBIs). Cardinals 16, Marlins 2Masyn Winn went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and Willson Contreras doubled and went 2-for-3 with three RBIs as St. Louis throttled Miami in Sarasota, Fla. The Cardinals collected 17 hits, with Dylan Carlson contributing two hits, two RBIs and two runs. The Marlins' Jerar Encarnacion went 2-for-3 with one RBI.

☆ Big banks to the rescue
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Goldman Sachs' decision to charge employees for coffee might not be that outrageous after all! The largest US banks — headlined by Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo — just pledged a total of $30 billion in deposits to First Republic Bank. As detailed in a release announcing the news, the 11 banks, which also included Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, believe the move "demonstrates their overall commitment to helping banks serve their customers and communities. I can't imagine the big banks looking to pull the rug out from First Republic four months from now, but this money was a deposit, not a donation. Read more about how big banks came to the rescue of First Republic with $30 billion in deposits.

☆ Amazon, Etsy, eBay, and Shopify sellers feel the squeeze of higher fees. Now they must get creative to stay profitable.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Etsy, eBay, Amazon, and Shopify have all raised fees for sellers in recent months. Amazon has also steadily raised fees for its Fulfillment by Amazon service since 2020. But he says things have gotten progressively more difficult in the last year as sales and traffic declined, inflation has squeezed his margins, and eBay has raised fees. Courtesy of Elizabeth MorganElizabeth Morgan, who sells handmade earrings on Etsy, said that she raised her prices by about 5% after Etsy raised fees last year. The Etsy fee hike has been more impactful, however.

CNBC Select asked Brian Walsh, a CFP and Senior Manager of Financial Planning at SoFi, to share some of his best tips for making travel more affordable. Plus, waiting too long could mean the more affordable hotel and vacation rental options fill up, leaving you stuck paying for pricey accommodations. Many travel rewards credit cards can make booking flights and hotels more affordable thanks to the large welcome bonuses they may offer. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card Learn More Information about the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication. Remaining flexible and using rewards points when booking your travel plans is key to significant savings.

☆ Want an annual investment return of up to 12%? This 'boring' strategy's the way to go, investor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"I know it sounds boring, but we do try and look at where we think things will be in three to five years' time. A discount rate is the rate of return used to discount future cash flows back to their present value. Desmond said the firm applies a discount rate of 8% across its portfolio, which remains constant across the entirety of a financial cycle. I think if you keep moving your discount rate around every day, your valuations get very, very sensitive and it can really just whipsaw you. Stick to the 'Steady Eddies' Desmond characterizes the firm's investment approach as "a bit boring."

Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Ken Buck, R-Colo., are seen during a House Judiciary Committee markup in Rayburn Building on Wednesday, May 8, 2019. The GOP also doesn't want to give the Biden administration more power and resources, House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told CNBC in a separate interview. "We just felt that Thomas Massie was a good fit with how we were structuring the Judiciary committee. While the tech companies may be spared costly new regulations that threatened to break them apart — for now — the industry may not be totally safe from scrutiny on Capitol Hill. Though it passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee and similar legislation advanced out of the House Judiciary Committee, it didn't get to the floor of either chamber for a vote.

☆ Student-loan borrowers just got an added layer of protection from schools that take advantage of them 'to make a quick buck'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

It will be using secret shoppers to identify misleading behavior that push students to take on debt. Findings from secret shopping will be used as evidence to support any investigation the department will conduct into a school that could be engaging in predatory behavior. "Secret shopping is another tool in FSA's toolbox as we expand our oversight work to hold predatory schools accountable," FSA Director Richard Cordray said in a statement. "Our focus—as always—is to ensure that students, borrowers, families, and taxpayers are not being preyed upon to make a quick buck." "Consequences for schools that violate these prohibitions could include the termination or limitation of a school's participation in the Department's federal student aid programs," Kristen Donoughue, FSA's chief enforcement officer, wrote in the blog.

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