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☆ Can AI answer your money questions? We put chatbots to the test
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Chris Taylor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

NEW YORK, April 13 (Reuters) - Face it, we could all use a little help with our money. So who better to ask for personal finance advice than a couple of the most powerful chatbots on the planet? Each has far more processing power than, say, any individual personal finance writer (ahem). That in mind, we asked our AI assistants-slash-overlords these classic personal finance questions:What is one great business idea? I couldn’t leave our new AI friends without asking a deeper question about money and its role in our existence.

April 4 (Reuters) - Federal appeals court judges on Tuesday appeared skeptical of 3M's (MMM.N) bid to use the bankruptcy of its subsidiary Aearo Technologies to shield itself from nearly 260,000 lawsuits over allegedly defective military-issue earplugs. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago to reverse a bankruptcy court order allowing the lawsuits to move forward against 3M, even though Aearo is bankrupt. Aearo and 3M said the bankruptcy process would facilitate a fair and comprehensive settlement with the plaintiffs. David Frederick, representing the plaintiffs, told the panel that 3M "contrived this bankruptcy to help itself, not Aearo or its creditors." The next-largest MDL, the Johnson & Johnson talc litigation, has 38,000 cases.

Nate was identified with tinnitus and now is one of more than 200,000 claimants suing 3M over its Combat Arms earplugs. To protect his hearing, Frei wore standard issue earplugs made by 3M . Plaintiffs claim 3M earplugs were "defective" and failed to protect against hearing loss and tinnitus. 3M's Combat Arms CAEv2 earplugs CNBCEach earplug had two ends: The green end was designed to block out all sound. 3M disagreed with those claims, telling CNBC: "The data support what 3M has maintained throughout this litigation: the Combat Arms Earplugs version two were safe and effective to use.

Lawrence Elbaum, co-head of law firm Vinson & Elkins' shareholder activism practice, said investors were looking for value-boosting strategies that do not require much funding in a difficult market. Deka Investment, which has around 367 billion euros ($392 billion) in assets under management and holds stakes in most major German corporations, has repeatedly called out German companies for structural weaknesses. Germany's blue-chip DAX 30 index (.GDAXI) put in the worst performance of any major European stock market in the past year, rising just 2%. Joe Kaeser, supervisory board chairman of Siemens Energy (ENR1n.DE), said the United States was much more advanced, and also more successful, in the field of shareholder activism. As CEO of conglomerate Siemens AG from 2013 until 2021, he engineered one of Germany's most successful corporate break-ups, separately listing Siemens Energy and Siemens Healthineers (SHLG.DE) and merging Siemens's wind unit with Spain's Gamesa.

☆ Premarket stocks: Share buybacks could beat last year's record $1.2 trillion
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Companies have announced about $175 billion worth of planned stock buybacks so far this year. This year will likely be the first with at least $1 trillion in completed S&P 500 company buybacks, said Howard Silverblatt at S&P Dow Jones Indices. ▸ GM (GM) just inked an exclusive deal for the hottest product in automaking: Semiconductors. The strong dollar is hurting multinationalsThe rip-roaring dollar cut deeply into the earnings of multinational companies selling their wares overseas last quarter. “We got hit with that.”McDonald’s (MCD) and 3M (MMM) also said in earnings reports that they were worried that the strong dollar would affect future sales.

☆ 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.

☆ DuPont expects strong second-half on boost from China's reopening
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Ankit Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 7 (Reuters) - DuPont de Nemours Inc (DD.N) on Tuesday projected results to improve in the second-half of the year from steadying consumer electronics demand, normalized inventory levels at customers and China's reopening. DuPont forecast annual sales of $12.30 billion to $12.90 billion, compared with estimates of $12.91 billion, according to Refinitiv IBES data. It expects full-year adjusted earnings between $3.50 and $4.00 per share, compared with estimates of $3.86. The price hikes helped DuPont post adjusted income of 89 cents per share in the fourth quarter, compared with estimates of 78 cents. California's attorney general last year sued DuPont, 3M (MMM.N) and several other companies over toxic "forever chemicals".

☆ EU considers ban on 'forever chemicals', urges search for alternatives
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Ludwig Burger | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"A ban on PFAS would reduce quantities of PFAS in the environment over the long term. Once the ban is in force, companies will be given between 18 months and 12 years to introduce alternatives to the more than 10,000 PFAS affected, depending on the availability of alternatives, according to the draft proposal. The FPP4EU group of 14 companies that make and use PFAS has said that finding alternatives is a long and difficult process. Within the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), two scientific committees for Risk Assessment and for Socio-Economic Analysis will now review whether the proposal to ban PFAS conforms with wider EU regulation of chemicals known as REACH, followed by a scientific evaluation and consultation with the industry. In August, the United States government said it will propose designating certain forever chemicals as hazardous substances under the U.S. Superfund programme.

☆ U.S. military members suing 3M seek dismissal of subsidiary's bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Dietrich Knauth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Feb 3 (Reuters) - Current and former U.S. military members suing 3M over allegedly defective military earplugs have asked a U.S. judge to dismiss 3M subsidiary Aearo Technologies' bankruptcy, accusing the company of using bankruptcy to shield itself from litigation, which has grown into the largest mass tort in U.S. history. 3M Co (MMM.N) faces more than 230,000 lawsuits accusing it of selling defective earplugs that caused hearing loss for U.S. military members. The company has sought to settle those lawsuits through Aearo's bankruptcy. Now the servicemembers suing want Graham to go a step further and end Aearo's bankruptcy entirely. The committee representing the servicemembers in bankruptcy court said in Thursday's filing that the LTL decision "knocks the props out from under these cases and requires their dismissal."

Jan 30 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Monday shot down Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ.N) attempt to offload tens of thousands of lawsuits over its talc products into bankruptcy court. The appeals court ruling revives those lawsuits. Monday's decision by the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia dismissed the bankruptcy filed by the J&J subsidiary in 2021. The appeals court decision could force companies considering the strategy to more carefully consider its risks, two legal experts said. The Texas two-step has garnered criticism from Democratic lawmakers in Washington, and inspired proposed legislation that would severely restrict the practice.

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☆ Looking beyond FAANG: Here's how the Club portfolio lines up with the Dow's workhorse stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Think most of the stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the kind of stocks Warren Buffett loves to own for Berkshire Hathaway ." But in the near term, we still favor stocks of companies that are the backbone of the real economy. Dow Inc (DOW): The materials company we own in the portfolio is industrial gas giant Linde (LIN). 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 NYSE, which is owned by Intercontinental Exchange Inc (ICE.N), said a "system issue" prevented the opening auctions in a subset of its listed securities. The stocks began trading without an opening print, causing erroneous prices that the exchange said will be declared null and void. NYSE ended the day with a normal market close and expected a regular open on Wednesday, Blaugrund added. The NYSE-listed stocks trade on all 16 U.S. stock exchanges, which use the NYSE's prices. In March 2018, the NYSE was the first exchange fined under Reg SCI.

CNN —The US could be approaching a 2011-style debt ceiling market meltdown, but worried investors shouldn’t abandon ship, Wall Street analysts say. That means that if Congress doesn’t raise the debt ceiling by then, the US could default on its debt. But lawmakers remain in a deadlock about whether to lift their self-imposed borrowing limit: Democrats want Congress to pass a debt ceiling increase without conditions but Republican leadership says that any debt limit increase should be accompanied by spending cuts. Wall Street’s response: A debt ceiling meltdown creates serious risk for investors. Even if the debt ceiling debates are resolved, it’s not a bad idea to have some money invested abroad just in case of upheaval.

☆ NYSE says manual error triggered major trading glitch
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The glitch, which occurred on Tuesday, impacted stocks of major companies including 3M (MMM.N), Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N) and Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N). The NYSE, owned by Intercontinental Exchange Inc (ICE.N), said it began trading in 2,824 securities without an opening auction, which led to erroneous prices, with nearly 4,341 trades in 251 securities "busted", or nullified. The exchange also said it had erroneously triggered a sell short restriction (SSR) on about 80 securities on Tuesday. That could potentially lead to volatile trading on Wednesday but it was "nothing investors have to worry about", Stovall added. Reporting by Niket Nishant and Johann M Cherian in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Jim Cramer's top 8 things to watch in the market Wednesday: Microsoft, 3M, Boeing earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Lots of price target cuts by Wall Street analysts, but they largely keep their buy ratings. Baird keeps Danaher (DHR) at an overweight (buy) rating but cuts price target to $309 per share from $321. Barclays raises price target on SLB (SLB) to $74 per share from $62. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER .

☆ How the dollar's sharp reversal could be an unexpected positive for these companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Patti Domm | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

But with the dollar's stunning reversal since then, some companies should conversely start to catch a currency break and potentially see upside surprises. In the fourth quarter, because of the sophisticated hedging strategies from companies, they may not get the full benefit of the dollar's decline. Johnson & Johnson, for instance, said fourth quarter sales fell, in part because of the negative impact from currency translation. 3M said fourth quarter sales were 5% lower than they would have been were it not for the stronger dollar. Sacconaghi said the market has typically rewarded tech companies' "currency beats."

S&P Global's Flash U.S. Composite Output Index last month rose to 46.6, below a reading of 50 where growth begins. Companies reported soft demand amid still high inflation that remains a headwind to customer spending, the report showed. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed slightly lower after bellwethers including 3M (MMM.N), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N), Verizon (VZ.N) and GE (GE.N) reported mixed results. The Dow rose as Traveler Cos (TRV.N), American Express (AXP.N) and JPMorgan Chase provided almost half its gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) rose 0.31%, the S&P 500 (.SPX) lost 0.07% and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) dropped 0.27%.

☆ S&P 500 ends slightly down after mixed earnings, opening glitch
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Stephen Culp | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Nasdaq joined the S&P 500 in negative territory, while the Dow ended modestly higher. Fourth quarter earnings season is in full swing, with 72 of the companies in the S&P 500 having reported. On aggregate, analysts now expect S&P 500 earnings 2.9% below the year-ago quarter, down from the 1.6% year-on-year decline seen on Jan. 1, per Refinitiv. Among the 11 major sectors of the S&P 500, industrials suffered the biggest loss. The S&P 500 posted 26 new 52-week highs and 10 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 77 new highs and 22 new lows.

The NYSE, which is owned by Intercontinental Exchange Inc (ICE.N), said it was still investigating and that traders may want to consider filing for erroneous trade claims. "Obviously, there were a lot of stocks that had major issues," said Joe Saluzzi, co-manager of trading at Themis Trading in Chatham, New Jersey. Saluzzi said there was "zero failure tolerance" among traders for glitches at the key open and close of trading. The NYSE-listed stocks trade on all 16 U.S. stock exchanges, which use the NYSE's prices. In March 2018, the NYSE was the first exchange fined under Reg SCI.

☆ Wall Street totters after mixed earnings, trade halt glitch
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Stephen Culp | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

More than 80 stocks were affected by the glitch, which caused wide swings in opening prices in stocks, including Walmart Inc (WMT.N) and Nike Inc (NKE.N). Fourth quarter earnings season is in full swing, with 72 of the companies in the S&P 500 having reported. On aggregate, analysts now expect S&P 500 earnings 2.9% below the year-ago quarter, down from the 1.6% year-on-year decline seen on Jan. 1, per Refinitiv. Among the 11 major sectors of the S&P 500, industrials was down the most. The S&P 500 posted 27 new 52-week highs and 10 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 69 new highs and 21 new lows.

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.

Industrial conglomerate 3M Co (MMM.N) fell 5.9%, leading the decliners among Dow components after reporting a fall in quarterly profit. General Electric Co (GE.N) fell 1.1% 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. "In the near-term, the answer seemingly lies with tech earnings ... longer-term, if we do experience a Fed pivot this year, then would anticipate a strong, positive buying impulse for tech," JPMorgan analysts wrote in a client note. Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) is scheduled to report quarterly earnings after the bell.

Industrial conglomerate 3M Co (MMM.N) fell 4.7%, leading the decliners among Dow components in premarket trading, after reporting a fall in quarterly profit. General Electric Co (GE.N) rose 2.2% as it topped quarterly profit estimates, boosted by strong demand for its engines and after-market services. Wall Street's main indexes started the earnings-heavy week on solid ground amid renewed appetite for growth stocks following a battering last year. Shares of Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), which is scheduled to report quarterly earnings after the bell, were flat. Big Tech earnings could also determine whether renewed enthusiasm for growth stocks will be sustained.

☆ 3M to cut 2,500 jobs as demand weakens, profit drops
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 24 (Reuters) - 3M Co (MMM.N) said on Tuesday it would cut 2,500 manufacturing jobs after reporting a lower profit, as the U.S. industrial conglomerate faces a demand slowdown in its unit that sells products including notebooks, air purifiers and respirators. Additionally, a cut back from U.S. retailers dealing with elevated inventory levels also dampened demand. "As demand weakened, we adjusted manufacturing output and controlled costs, which enabled us to improve inventory levels," he added. Excluding items, the company reported a profit of $2.28 per share compared to $2.45 per share a year earlier. Reporting by Aishwarya Nair in Bengaluru Editing by Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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