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☆ Treasury Secretary Yellen says U.S. debt load is in 'reasonable place' if it remains at this level
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday said the swelling national debt is manageable as long as it stays around where it is relative to the rest of the economy. In a CNBC interview, Yellen also noted that high interest rates are adding to the burden as the U.S. manages its massive $34.7 trillion debt load. "The way I look at it is that we should be looking at the real interest cost of the debt. The public share of the national debt as a share of GDP is running at about 97% but is expected to soon top 100% at current spending rates. "Americans are clearly very concerned about the cost of living, and dressing the high cost of living remains a top economic priority for the president," Yellen said at a luncheon with the Economic Club of New York.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Yellen, CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin, That's, Joe Biden's Organizations: CNBC, Congressional, Federal Reserve, Economic, of New Locations: U.S, of New York

The markets and Fed diverge againThe bull market rally is continuing to run on Thursday. The S&P 500 is poised to set yet another record, as investors see inflation in retreat — even if Fed policymakers don’t quite see it that way. The gulf between investors and the central bank is widening again. That makes the Fed more hawkish than other central banks, especially those in Europe, that are expected to trim borrowing costs several times this year. He reiterated that inflation remained above the central bank’s 2 percent target and that U.S. households’ spending power had diminished over the past two years.

Persons: Jay Powell, ” Organizations: Fed Locations: Europe

☆ France's Macron says he won't quit if his party loses in snap election vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-12 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin (not shown), in Paris on May 23, 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday affirmed that he would not step down if his party suffers in the recently called snap elections for France's Parliament. The snap election is a gamble for Macron, who has characterized the race as a choice for the French people between nationalism and demagoguery or liberal values and a strong, united European Union. The European Parliament election results indicated waning enthusiasm among voters for the EU, which analysts say surfaced at least in part due to rising frustration over issues like immigration, living costs and crime. France's right-wing National Rally (NR) party won a historic 31.37% of the French vote for the European Parliament, more than double the 14.6% won by Macron's Renaissance party.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin, Macron, Gabriel Attal Organizations: France's, CNBC, Sunday, French, Union, EU, Macron's Locations: Paris, France, Germany, Austria, Europe, it's, France's

☆ 26North founder Josh Harris on the power of hiring great people
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via Email26North founder Josh Harris on the power of hiring great peopleJosh Harris paid a record $6.05 billion to add the NFL's Washington Commanders to his firm's sports portfolio, which already included the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers, the NHL's New Jersey Devils and Crystal Palace of the English Premier League. The deal brought hope to one of the NFL's most storied teams and tortured fan bases. They hope Harris' track record in sports and as a successful hedge fund manager will put a winning team on the field and make the price Harris paid look like a real bargain. He joins CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin from the 2024 CEO Council Summit in Washington D.C. to discuss his leadership style and much more.

Persons: Josh Harris, Harris, Andrew Ross Sorkin Organizations: NBA's Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, English Premier League, Summit Locations: Washington

A.I., the Apple wayAfter months of anticipation, Apple finally introduced its plan to infuse its products with artificial intelligence: Meet Apple Intelligence, which weaves the technology into core features of iPhones, iPads and Macs. But while the tech giant announced a slew of new features, the announcement reflected a very Apple-like cautious approach to A.I. Yes, the company will add OpenAI’s ChatGPT to Siri — but it’s leaving the door open for adding other chatbots. It all suggests that Apple is hedging its bets (or is simply behind its rivals), while slowly ramping up what A.I. iPhone users will be able to direct queries to the latest version of ChatGPT if Siri can’t handle them on its own.

Persons: Siri —, OpenAI, Siri can’t Organizations: Apple, Apple Intelligence, Worldwide

Apple tries to close the A.I. leaders, like Nvidia and Microsoft, have soared since OpenAI introduced ChatGPT in November 2022. Big Tech C.E.O.s have fallen over themselves to show they are in the race. But Apple hasn’t yet introduced a new A.I. (The New York Times has sued OpenAI and Microsoft over use of copyrighted articles related to A.I.

Persons: Apple, Tim Cook, Apple’s, OpenAI Organizations: Apple’s Worldwide, Apple, Nvidia, Microsoft, Big Tech, Wall Street Journal, New York Times Locations: China

antitrust fight is comingNvidia has joined the $3 trillion valuation club as a blistering A.I. rally has turned it into the world’s second-most valuable company behind Microsoft. and Justice Department are set to proceed with antitrust investigations against the duo, and OpenAI, writes The Times’s David McCabe. is already looking into Microsoft, according to The Wall Street Journal, over how the company structured a deal with the start-up Inflection AI to avoid scrutiny. In March, Microsoft hired almost all of the start-up’s staff and agreed to pay around $650 million to license its technology.

Persons: David McCabe Organizations: Nvidia, Microsoft, Justice Department, Wall Street

Thursday is a big day for the European Central Bank. It is widely expected to lower interest rates by a quarter percentage point, its first cut since 2019 — and outpace the Fed in lowering borrowing costs. The big questions on our mind: Will Christine Lagarde, the central bank’s president, signal further cuts at its July and September meetings? The good news: Economists say the era of elevated rates around the world is coming to an end. But they add that sticky inflation will tie central bankers’ hands, limiting their ability to lower borrowing costs much.

Persons: Will Christine Lagarde, Holger Schmieding, DealBook Organizations: European Central Bank, Berenberg Bank Locations: Brussels

☆ 26North founder Josh Harris on owning an NFL team, private equity and the NFL
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via Email26North founder Josh Harris on owning an NFL team, private equity and the NFLCNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin reports on the highlights from his interview with 26North founder Josh Harris at the CNBC CEO Summit in Washington, DC.

Persons: Josh Harris, Andrew Ross Sorkin Organizations: NFL, CNBC, Summit Locations: Washington , DC

☆ Private equity investment in NFL teams is coming, Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris says
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Ian Thomas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"I think it may be leading to some rethink into the consideration of letting private equity, as an example, or institutional investors into the NFL." While U.S. pro sports leagues had prohibited private equity investors previously, they've largely softened their stances in recent years, aside from letting any firm be a controlling owner of a team. "We've got a lot of interest in the private equity space," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said at the league's spring meeting in May. "We are making real progress on potential private equity. Ross Sorkin asked Harris if allowing private equity investors into sports would have any negative impacts on the teams or the league's overarching strategy as those investors look toward an exit.

Persons: Harris, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Magic Johnson, Eric Schmidt, David Blitzer, Jeff Bezos, Dan Snyder, Apollo Global Management —, Josh Harris, David Tepper, Rob Walton, Mat Ishbia, Joe Tsai, Steve Cohen, We've, Roger Goodell, Goodell, Ross Sorkin, Stanley Kroenke, I've, Kroenke Organizations: NFL, CNBC, Summit, Washington , D.C, Blackstone Group, 76ers, Devils, Amazon, NBA's Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, Premier, Apollo Global Management, Washington Commanders, Carolina Panthers, Walmart, Denver Broncos, United Wholesale Mortgage, Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets, New York Mets, MLB, Guggenheim Baseball Management, Los Angeles Dodgers, U.S, PE, NBA, Los Angeles Rams Locations: Washington ,

☆ FTC Chair Lina Khan and DOJ's Jonathan Kanter on antitrust policy, monopolies and consumer impact
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFTC Chair Lina Khan and DOJ's Jonathan Kanter on antitrust policy, monopolies and consumer impactCNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin reports on the highlights from his interview with FTC Chair Lina Khan and Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Jonathan Kanter at the CNBC CEO Summit in Washington, DC.

Persons: Lina Khan, DOJ's Jonathan Kanter, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Antitrust Jonathan Kanter Organizations: Antitrust, CNBC, Summit Locations: Washington , DC

Betting on AckmanBill Ackman has gained new prominence in recent months for his outspoken presence on social media. But he has also made riches for his investors and himself — and now others are hoping he’ll continue to do so. His Pershing Square Capital Management has sold a 10 percent stake for just over $1 billion to an array of outside investors, giving the hedge fund a lofty valuation. The question is whether Ackman’s newfound fans on social media will follow him as he grows his empire, including through a new listed fund and, eventually, an I.P.O. That has bolstered Ackman’s paper worth to $8 billion, Bloomberg calculates, making him 333rd among the world’s wealthiest people.

Persons: Bill Ackman, —, he’ll, BTG, Marc Lasry, Doug Hirsch Organizations: Pershing, Capital Management, Arch Capital, Iconiq Investment Management, Bloomberg

MicroStrategy and its founder settle tax case for $40 millionThe attorney general for the District of Columbia has reached a $40 million settlement with the billionaire Bitcoin investor Michael Saylor and MicroStrategy, the software company he founded, over tax fraud, DealBook’s Lauren Hirsch is first to report. Officials say the agreement is the biggest-ever income tax fraud recovery in the district. The lawsuit accused Saylor of evading more than $25 million in income taxes. The attorney general sued the tech executive and MicroStrategy in 2022, saying he enlisted the company’s help to file fraudulent tax forms from 2005 through 2020. The lawsuit said Saylor and the company claimed that he lived in Virginia or Florida, states with significantly lower income tax rates.

Persons: Michael Saylor, DealBook’s Lauren Hirsch, Saylor Organizations: District of Columbia Locations: It’s, Virginia, Florida

Instead, Wall Street and Silicon Valley money is flowing into his re-election campaign following the ruling. “This verdict will have less than zero impact on my support,” Omeed Malik, the president of 1789 Capital and a co-host of a Trump fund-raiser last night at the Pierre hotel, told Bloomberg. “I haven’t heard anybody who gives a …,” he told CNBC of the conviction, using an expletive. Some big Silicon Valley names are doubling down. One who did is Shaun Maguire, a partner at Sequoia Capital, who gave $300,000 to the Trump campaign after the ruling, even though he acknowledged the decision could cost him friends and hurt business.

Persons: Donald Trump, ” Omeed Malik, Andy Sabin, ”, Biden, Bill Ackman, Trump, David Sacks, Shaun Maguire Organizations: Republican, Pierre, Bloomberg, CNBC, Trump, Sequoia Capital Locations: Silicon, San Francisco

☆ France is aiming to become a global AI superpower — but not without help from U.S. Big Tech
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

AI everywhere at Viva TechAt Viva Tech, AI was everywhere. France boasts a strong AI research and development ecosystem, home to key facilities like the Facebook AI Research center from Meta and Google's AI research hub in Paris, as well as leading universities. He referred to H's mammoth funding round as an example of the momentum surrounding French AI right now. watch nowLevy said roughly 40% of the tech demos at Viva Tech were AI. He said that Google's recently introduced Gemma AI, a lightweight, open-source model, was developed heavily at the U.S. internet giant's Paris AI hub.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Yoan Valat, Eric Schmidt, Porte, Bruno Le Maire, CNBC's Arjun Kharpal, Le Maire, Etienne Grass, Capgemini, Imran Ghory, Ghory, CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin, Macron, Mistral, Yann LeCun, James Manyika, Google's, Maurice Levy, Karen Tso, Levy, Google's Manyika, Gemma AI Organizations: Afp, Getty, PARIS —, Viva Technology, Microsoft, Viva Tech, L'Oreal, Porte de, Facebook, CNBC, Blossom, Meta, Google, Paris, Groupe, U.S, Innovation Locations: Elysee, Paris, France, PARIS — France, China, Europe, Meta, French, U.S, Israel, Dealroom

Trump and Musk’s growing courtshipFor much of President Biden’s time in the White House, his relations with Elon Musk have been tense. They may be about to plunge to a new low after Biden’s re-election campaign hit out at reports that Donald Trump could make Musk an adviser if the Republican were to win in November. The president’s campaign sees mileage in targeting Trump’s ties to moguls. Musk and Trump met in March at the billionaire investor’s Palm Beach, Fla., estate, where the advisory role discussions took place. Peltz and Musk have also briefed Trump on a plan to invest in a project to prevent the possibility of voter fraud.

Persons: Trump, Biden’s, Elon Musk, Donald Trump, ” James Singer, DealBook, he’s, Musk, David Sacks, Peter Thiel, Steven Mnuchin, Rupert Murdoch, Nelson Peltz, hasn’t, Don Lemon, “ Let’s, ”, Biden, Tesla Organizations: Elon, Republican, Wall Street, Trump, Los Locations: Los Angeles, Palm Beach, Fla

Another mega oil dealBullish predictions for $100 crude oil may not have come to fruition, but that hasn’t stopped the deal frenzy in the fossil fuel sector. The latest: The Houston-based company ConocoPhillips has agreed to acquire its smaller rival, Marathon Oil, in an all-stock deal that values the company at $22.5 billion, including debt. The news comes a day after Hess shareholders approved Chevron’s $53 billion takeover in a contentious vote. The oil majors have pulled off some of the biggest deals in the past year despite tough regulatory scrutiny from the Biden administration and volatility in the oil market. Still, the U.S. giants are sitting on record profits, giving them the firepower to acquire smaller drillers with operations in the oil-rich Permian Basin and in the Gulf of Mexico.

Persons: hasn’t, Hess, Biden Organizations: ConocoPhillips, Marathon Oil Locations: Houston, U.S, Gulf of Mexico

Big Oil’s big climate showdownMonths of tensions between oil majors and activist investors could reach a boiling point at the annual meetings of Exxon Mobil and Chevron Wednesday, as the U.S. giants pump record levels of crude and sit on bumper profits. Activists’ efforts to pressure Big Oil to clean up its polluting ways are faltering. Last week, climate change protests rocked Shell’s annual meeting in London. Exxon could face an even fiercer battle this week — not only with the activist investors it is suing, but from powerful institutional investors as well. They include Norway’s huge sovereign wealth fund, and CalPERS, the California pension fund, both of which strongly oppose Exxon’s attempt to quiet some of its most vocal climate critics.

Persons: Vivienne Walt Organizations: Exxon Mobil, Chevron, DealBook, Exxon Locations: U.S, London, Dutch, Norway’s, California

: That college sports association just agreed to a $2.8 billion class-action settlement that, if approved by a judge in California, would pay student athletes after a century of deeming them amateurs. and its member institutions allowing athletes to make money from sports programs that have made millions for their schools. Starting in the fall of 2025, schools could have about $20 million a year to pay their student athletes. payments, giving student athletes a big stream of revenue. And in March, the Dartmouth men’s basketball team voted to unionize, adding potentially more pressure on universities to pay athletes.

Persons: It’s Organizations: Dartmouth men’s Locations: California, Southeastern, Atlantic Coast ,

The Haley rationale for backing TrumpAfter months of speculation, Nikki Haley said — in her first appearance since dropping out of the Republican presidential primary — that she would vote for Donald Trump, the man against whom she waged a sometimes scathing campaign. But it may provide cover to prominent donors like Ken Griffin who in recent weeks has suggested that he might come in from the cold and donate to Trump. Deep-pocketed Republicans flocked to Haley during the primary. “I think she is just what we need right now,” Langone said on Fox News. “What Trump put this country through the last three months of his presidency was disgraceful.”But donors are rethinking their aversion to Trump, who handily beat Haley and other rivals and is now leading President Biden in some polls.

Persons: Haley, Nikki Haley, —, Donald Trump, Ken Griffin, Griffin, Paul Singer, Henry Kravis, Barry Sternlicht, Cliff Asness, Stanley Druckenmiller, Ken Langone, Reid Hoffman, wasn’t Trump, Nikki, ” Sternlicht, ” Langone, Trump, Biden, White, Israel Organizations: Trump, Republican, PAC, Elliott Management, KKR, Starwood Capital, AQR Capital Management, Democratic, LinkedIn, Times, Fox News Locations: Gaza

☆ French President Emmanuel Macron: It's impossible to fix climate change without engaging with China
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFrench President Emmanuel Macron: It's impossible to fix climate change without engaging with ChinaCNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin sits down with French President Emmanuel Macron for an exclusive interview on how to balance advances in AI with the workforce, rising geopolitical tensions, and the economy.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, China CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin Locations: China

☆ CNBC exclusive: French President Emmanuel Macron on AI, geopolitics and the economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailCNBC exclusive: French President Emmanuel Macron on AI, geopolitics and the economyCNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin sits down with French President Emmanuel Macron for an exclusive interview on how to balance advances in AI with the workforce, rising geopolitical tensions and the economy.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Andrew Ross Sorkin Organizations: CNBC, French

"We need much more European big players, and I think Mistral AI can be one of them," Macron said of France's leading AI company. Macron also praised H, the newly launched French AI startup that announced this week it had raised a massive $220 million from its initial round of financing. He compared allowing American tech giants to operate under U.S. regulations while in Europe, to allowing a French bank in the United States to ignore American banking regulations. When it comes to China, however, Macron implied that he thought some U.S. tech regulations had gone too far. "Look, I think China is a competitor when you speak about trade, innovation and economy.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin Organizations: France —, Microsoft, CNBC, European, EU Artificial Intelligence, European Union, Google, TikTok Locations: PARIS, France, France — Europe, China, United States, U.S, Paris, Mistral, Europe, Washington, Brussels

☆ French President Macron: The U.S. has a very important role to play in decarbonizing its economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFrench President Macron: The U.S. has a very important role to play in decarbonizing its economyCNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin sits down with French President Emmanuel Macron for an exclusive interview on how to balance advances in AI with the workforce, rising geopolitical tensions, and the economy.

Persons: Macron, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Emmanuel Macron Locations: decarbonizing

All eyes on NvidiaDespite concerns about stubbornly high inflation, elevated interest rates and ballooning U.S. debt, the S&P 500 is trading at a record on Wednesday, having soared 27 percent over the past year. Among the factors driving the rally, few are bigger than the boom in stocks tied to artificial intelligence — and the biggest of all of those is Nvidia. Investors have high hopes for Nvidia’s earnings on Wednesday. Expect a torrent of trading when the chip maker reports results for its fiscal first quarter after market close. A year ago, Nvidia’s stock jumped more than 24 percent after it posted knockout earnings.

Organizations: Nvidia, Investors

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