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As investors bet on a milder inflation outlook, the MSCI World Equity index (.MIWD00000PUS) rose to its highest so far this year. BOND YIELD BOUNCEU.S. government bond yields bounced back slightly on Friday after sharp declines earlier in the week. The two-year U.S. Treasury yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations, was up 10.6 bps at 4.717%. "Getting the 3% (inflation reading) is one thing, getting back to 2% is going to be a much harder task," Villamin said. LOWER DOLLAR HOLDSThe dollar hovered near a 15-month low on Friday and was set for its biggest weekly decline since November after softening U.S. inflation data.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Germany's DAX, Michele Morganti, Morganti, Norman Villamin, We're, Villamin, Brent, Lawrence Delevingne, Elizabeth Howcroft, Jan Harvey, Nick Macfie Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, U.S . Federal Reserve, Wednesday U.S, JPMorgan Chase, UnitedHealth, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Generali Investments, Treasury, Brent, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Rome, Libya, Nigeria, Boston, London

☆ UnitedHealth Lifts Earnings Outlook as Premiums Rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Dean Seal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/unitedhealth-unh-q2-earnings-report-2023-2361e546

Persons: Dow Jones

SummaryCompanies JPMorgan, Wells Fargo up as Q2 profit rises on higher interest incomeUnitedHealth rises on Q2 profit beatFutures mixed: Dow adds 0.33%, S&P up 0.02%, Nasdaq slips 0.12%July 14 (Reuters) - The S&P 500 and Dow futures rose on Friday as JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo commenced second-quarter earnings for big U.S. banks on a strong note. UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N) gained 3.6% after the health insurer reported a quarterly profit above analysts' estimates, as the industry bellwether's expenses came in lower than feared. Overall earnings for the S&P 500 constituents are seen dropping 6.4% in the second quarter, according to Refinitiv data released at the start of the earnings season. The earnings are expected to feed into a strong rally in recent days. ET, Dow e-minis were up 114 points, or 0.33%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 1 points, or 0.02%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 19.5 points, or 0.12%.

Persons: Wells, Dow, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Christopher Waller, bullish, Morgan, Johann M Cherian, Saumyadeb Chakrabarty Organizations: JPMorgan, Nasdaq, Dow, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, BlackRock, Federal, of Michigan, Dow e, Microsoft, UBS, Activision, Thomson Locations: Wells Fargo, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ More Americans Seek Mental-Health Care, UnitedHealth Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Anna Wilde Mathews | Dean Seal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Dow Jones

UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N) jumped 7.2% after the health insurer's quarterly profit beat analysts' average estimate, as the industry bellwether's expenses came in lower than feared. Wells Fargo (WFC.N) gained 0.8% after reporting a 57% rise in quarterly profit. Citigroup (C.N) fell 2.9% after the lender's quarterly profit tumbled 36% as weakness in its trading business blunted gains in its personal banking and wealth management unit. The S&P 500 banks index (.SPXBK) shed 0.8%, erasing early gains. Of the 30 companies in the S&P 500 index that have reported earnings to date, 80% beat analysts' expectations, as per Refinitiv Data.

Persons: Wells, JPMorgan Chase, First Republic Bank . Wells Fargo, Banks, They've, Robert Pavlik, bullish, Morgan, Johann M Cherian, Saumyadeb Chakrabarty, Sriraj, Maju Samuel, Vinay Dwivedi Organizations: JPMorgan, Dow, Nasdaq, Wall Street, UnitedHealth, JPMorgan Chase, Rivals, First Republic Bank . Wells, Dakota Wealth, Citigroup, BlackRock, Dow Jones, Microsoft, UBS, Nvidia, NYSE, Thomson Locations: Wells Fargo, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ 3 health-care stocks are in the headlines. How the news impacts our investments
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | In Kevinstankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

In April, alongside its first-quarter results, J & J raised its full-year sales guidance by about $1 billion and its earnings-per-share outlook by 15 cents. Clearing this overhang would help reduce the discount at which J & J shares to pharmaceutical peers, the firm said. The Club's take: JPMorgan's thinking on J & J aligns quite closely with our own. The dark cloud of talc lawsuits continues to keep a lid on J & J's stock price. Joaquin Duato, chief executive officer of Johnson & Johnson, at the company's headquarters in New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S., on Thursday, April 21, 2022.

Persons: Johnson, Eli Lilly, J, Wells, Wells Fargo, Eli Lilly's, —, Eisai, Biogen, Bloomberg, we've, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Joaquin Duato, Amir Hamia Organizations: Johnson, JPMorgan, pharma, U.S ., Humana, UnitedHealth, Bloomberg, U.S, Mayo Clinic, Club, GE Healthcare, CNBC, Getty, & $ Locations: U.S, California, Wells Fargo, Rochester , Minnesota, New Brunswick , New Jersey

☆ 3 things to pay attention to in the markets this coming week
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

The consumer price index (CPI) report — which calculates the average change over time in prices that shoppers pay for goods and services — drops Wednesday. On Thursday, the producer price index (PPI) is out and will show the change in selling prices received by producers of goods and services. ET: Consumer Price Index After the bell: MillerKnoll (MLKN) Thursday, July 13 8:30 a.m. The consumer price index (CPI) report — which calculates the average change over time in prices that shoppers pay for goods and services — drops Wednesday. ET: Consumer Price IndexAfter the bell: MillerKnoll (MLKN) Thursday, July 13 8:30 a.m.

Persons: Stocks, Wells Fargo, We'll, Jim Cramer, Jeff Marks, Helen of Troy, HELE, Wells, ERIC, Jim Cramer's, Jim Organizations: Federal Reserve, PPI, Delta, DAL, PepsiCo, Conagra Brands, Delta Air Lines, JPMorgan, Citigroup, UnitedHealth, Ericsson, Jim Cramer's Charitable, CNBC, Anadolu Agency, Getty Locations: China, Wells, Wells Fargo, Red, Ras Behar, Egypt

☆ Top 10 things to watch in the stock market Friday including a jobs shocker
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Paramount (PARA) downgraded to underperform from peer perform (sell from hold), with a $14 price target by Wolfe Research. Wells Fargo reiterates Club name Disney (DIS) as a Signature Pick with a $147 price target but cuts its earnings-per-share (EPS) estimates. Morgan Stanley raises its price target on Ford (F) to $16 from $14 and General Motors to $41 from $38 on higher earnings estimates. Ferrari (RACE) remains Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas' Top Pick as he raises his RACE price target to $340 from $310. MoffettNathanson raises its price target on card companies: Mastercard (MA) to $490 from $460 and Visa (V) to $320 from $290.

Persons: Nonfarm, Bond, Leqembi, fave Eli Lilly, donanemab, Eli Lilly, Baird, downgrades Wells, Wolfe, Morgan Stanley, Wells, JPMorgan downgrades, Elon Musk's, Mark Zuckerberg's, Ferrari, Adam Jonas, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim Organizations: FDA, Medicare, Medicaid Services, fave, Costco, Food, U.S, Wolfe Research, downgrades, JPMorgan, WFC, Humana, Dow, Meta, Paramount, Disney, Ford, Motors, Mastercard, Jim Cramer's Charitable, CNBC Locations: United States, downgrades Wells Fargo

The S & P 500 rose 8.3% in the second quarter to extended its 2023 advance to 15.9%. Here's a closer look at the Club's best and worst performers in the first half of 2023, starting with the four winningest stocks. West Texas Intermediate crude ended the second quarter under $71 per barrel, about $10 below where it started the year. Humana (HUM) dropped 12.7% in the first half of 2023, rounding out the bottom-four Club stocks between January and June. The common denominator among the worst-performing Club stocks is a bit less obvious than with the winners.

Persons: It's, Dow, Here's, Mark Zuckerberg, Palo, Lisa Su, —, Eli Lilly, Locker, Foot Locker's, Estee Lauder, Estee, Halliburton haven't, encouragingly, Halliburton, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Jen, Hsun Huang, Huang, Andrej Sokolow Organizations: Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Nvidia, FactSet, Meta, Investors, Facebook, Networks, Palo Alto Networks, Alto, AMD, Devices, Palo, would've, The, HAL, Halliburton, West Texas, Coterra, Humana, Disney, DIS, CNBC, Consumer, Audi, Getty Locations: China, Meta, Palo, Palo Alto, Las Vegas, USA

☆ UnitedHealth bags Amedisys for $3.3 bln as home health firm scraps Option deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 26 (Reuters) - Home health and hospice caregiver Amedisys (AMED.O) on Monday agreed to a $3.3 billion sweetened cash offer from UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N) and scrapped an all-stock deal with Option Care Health (OPCH.O). Meanwhile, Option Care said it was "disappointed" with the cancellation of the deal and will get $106 million from Amedisys as per its May agreement. Option Care shares rose 3% in early trading, while those of Amedisys and UnitedHealth were largely flat. Option Care investors had largely disapproved of its deal for Amedisys as they believed the company was capable of recording strong growth on its own. Its shares had slumped 14% in May due to the Amedisys deal, but rose nearly 10% this month after UnitedHealth entered the race.

Persons: Amedisys, UnitedHealth, William Blair, Matt Larew, Leroy Leo, Saumyadeb Chakrabarty, Arun Koyyur Organizations: UnitedHealth, Care, LHC, Amedisys, Thomson Locations: Amedisys, Bengaluru

☆ Pickleball is bad news for health insurance stocks, UBS says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A sport that is making many older Americans more active could be backfiring for health insurance companies, according to UBS. Pickleball is a tennis-adjacent sport that has exploded in popularity since the Covid-19 pandemic, attracting millions of new players and celebrity investors . "After analyzing the growth in pickleball as well as the nature and frequency of related injuries, we conducted a bottom-up analysis of medical costs. In total, we estimate $250-500 mn of medical costs directly attributable to pickleball and see potential for greater medical costs indirectly linked to pickleball," the note said. All said, we estimate that pickleball medical costs could be driving 5-10% of the unexpected medical cost trend this year," the note said.

Persons: Andrew Mok, Goldman Sachs, Mok, UNH, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: UBS, Pickleball, Insurance, Medicare Locations: pickleball, UnitedHealth, Friday's

☆ Humana joins UnitedHealth in flagging cost hit from rising surgeries
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 16 (Reuters) - Health insurer Humana Inc (HUM.N) joined larger rival UnitedHealth (UNH.N) in warning of a jump in medical costs this year due to higher-than-expected demand for surgeries and other medical procedures. Humana on Friday also pointed to elevated demand for outpatient surgeries and dental services, as well as strong inpatient demand in recent weeks, a trend it said was diverging from historical seasonality patterns. The health insurer generated more than 80% of its premiums and services revenue in 2022 from offering government-backed Medicare plans. UnitedHealth had flagged higher costs earlier this week following an increase in surgeries among older adults, wiping out billions in the market capitalization of health insurers including Humana. On the flip side, the rise in medical procedures is expected to help hospital operators and medical device makers, especially those in the orthopedic space.

Persons: UnitedHealth, Leroy Leo, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Humana Inc, Humana, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

The 8-1 ruling, written by liberal Justice Elena Kagan, upheld a lower court's decision to allow the Justice Department to toss a lawsuit against a UnitedHealth Group Inc (UNH.N) unit by a former employee named Jesse Polansky who accused it of wrongdoing. Polansky had sought to bar the department from dismissing whistleblower lawsuits filed under the False Claims Act in instances in which the government initially declined to exercise its right to take over the cases. Whistleblower cases brought under the False Claims Act resulted in $48.2 billion in recoveries from 1987 to 2021, according to Justice Department data. The Justice Department sought dismissal of Polansky's lawsuit in 2019, citing concerns including the "tremendous" burden of requests for the government to produce documents. The Supreme Court on June 1 ruled in another whistleblowers case involving the False Claims Act.

Persons: Department's, Elena Kagan, Jesse Polansky, Polansky, Polansky's, Kagan, Clarence Thomas, Donald Trump's, Nate Raymond, John Kruzel, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Supreme, Justice Department, Circuit, Health Resources, Conservative, Department, U.S . Chamber, Commerce, Republican, The Justice, Thomson Locations: Philadelphia, Boston, Washington

☆ 'You have to be ready for a sell-off,' Cramer says of this highly overbought market
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | In Kevinstankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Every weekday the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer holds a "Morning Meeting" livestream at 10:20 a.m. Be ready for a sell-off Stick with Ford Don't invest based on fear 1. Be ready for a sell-off U.S. stocks rose Friday, adding to strong weekly performances for all three major Wall Street benchmarks. 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 .

Persons: Jim Cramer, Ford, We're, Jim, Ford Jim, he's, Tesla, Jim Farley, Jim Cramer's Organizations: CNBC, Nasdaq, Dow, Linde, LIN, Ford, Wall Street, UnitedHealth, Humana, Medicare Locations: Detroit

☆ Investing Club meeting recap: Booking profits remains the prudent thing to do as Wall Street's rally powers on
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | In Kevinstankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Every weekday the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer holds a "Morning Meeting" livestream at 10:20 a.m. Nevertheless, investors seem to be reacting positively Thursday, with Emerson shares up more than 2% in early trading. 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 . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB.

Persons: Jim Cramer, Emerson, UnitedHealth, —, it's, Humana, Jim Cramer's, Jim Organizations: CNBC, Humana, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Federal Reserve, Emerson, HSBC, Caterpillar, Credit Suisse Locations: New York City

Shortly after the opening bell Wednesday, we'll be buying 15 shares of Humana (HUM), at roughly $473 apiece. Following the trade, Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust will own 100 shares of HUM, increasing its weighting in the portfolio to 1.83%, from 1.56%. 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 . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB.

Persons: we'll, Jim Cramer's, Johnson, UNH, Jim Cramer, Jim, Owen Franken Organizations: Humana, Johnson, GE Healthcare Technologies, UnitedHealth, CNBC

REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo/File PhotoJune 14 (Reuters) - Health insurer stocks dropped sharply on Wednesday after UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N) said costs were on the rise for the largest U.S. healthcare provider by market value due to an increase in surgeries among older adults. Shares of industry bellwether UnitedHealth fell 7.3% to $455.11, wiping out roughly $42 billion from the company's market capitalization in the current trading session. Meanwhile, stocks of medical device makers and hospital operators rose, as increased frequency of surgeries mean more revenue for them. The company highlighted strong demand for hip and knee procedures at outpatient centers, as well as for home health services and behavioral services. Elevance Health (ELV.N), CVS Health Corp (CVS.N), Centene Corp (CNC.N) and Cigna Group (CI.N) fell between 6% and 7.5%.

Persons: Mike Blake, bellwether, UnitedHealth, Jefferies, Brian Tanquilut, Zimmer Biomet, Leroy Leo, Bhanvi, Manas Mishra, Shinjini Organizations: REUTERS, UnitedHealth, Medicare, Humana Inc, Reuters Graphics, Elevance, CVS Health Corp, Centene Corp, Cigna, Elevance Health Inc, CVS, Healthcare, Tenet Healthcare, Stryker, Thomson Locations: Santa Ana , California, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Here’s our Monthly Meeting rapid-fire update on all 35 stocks in the Club’s portfolio
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | In Kevinstankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

Here's a rapid-fire update on all 35 stocks in Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust, the portfolio we use for the CNBC Investing Club. In fact, he named Disney as the best Club stock to gift to a young grandchild. CEO Jim Farley's focus on only making profitable cars and trucks will be put to the test in the current quarter. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB.

Persons: Jim Cramer's, Jim, Apple's, there's, Bausch, Estee Lauder, Fabrizio Freda, Berenberg, he's, Jim Farley's, Ford, Locker, Foot Locker's, Mary Dillon's, Patience, we're, Vimal Kapur, Johnson, J, Eli Lilly, Eli Lilly's, Mark Zuckerberg, Morgan Stanley, We're, James Gorman, enabler, aren't, Scott Sheffield, Coterra, PXD, Jim said, Stanley Black, Decker, TJ Maxx, Wells Fargo, Charlie Scharf's, Scharf, Wells, Wynn, Jim Cramer, Jim Cramer Rob Kim Organizations: Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust, CNBC, Club, Apple, Devices, AMD, Nvidia, Amazon Web Services, Bausch Health, Caterpillar, Costco Wholesale, Costco, Humana, Coterra Energy, Disney, Emerson, Emerson Electric, National Instruments, Ford, Management, GE Healthcare, Halliburton, HAL, Honeywell, Johnson, Linde, LIN, Meta, underwriters, Cava, Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks, Natural Resources, Procter & Gamble, Constellation Brands, Modelo Especial, U.S, TJX, Marshalls, Home Goods, Wynn Resorts, WYNN, Starbucks, Las, Jim Cramer's Charitable Locations: Asia, China, California, Mounjaro, Palo, Wells, Las Vegas, Macao

☆ UnitedHealth falls on warning of higher medical costs, drags down rivals
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Leroy Leo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The warning also dragged down shares of rival health insurers that largely benefited from delayed non-urgent surgeries such as hip and knee replacements and hospital staffing shortages that had further led to fewer procedures. UnitedHealth, at a Goldman Sachs healthcare conference, highlighted elevated demand for outpatient medical procedures, particularly related to knees and hips, from patients in Medicare health plans meant for those aged 65 and above. UnitedHealth also expects its full-year medical loss ratio at the upper end of its forecast. UnitedHealth's 18.51 forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio - a common benchmark for valuing stocks - is higher than rival Cigna Corp's (CI.N) 10.29 and CVS Health Corp (CVS.N) 8.26. Shares of Humana Inc (HUM.N) fell 7%, while Elevance Health and CVS Health Corp's (CVS.N) fell more than 3% each in premarket trading.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Tim Noel, UnitedHealth, Julie Utterback, Cigna Corp's, Leroy Leo, Shinjini Organizations: UnitedHealth, Goldman, CVS Health Corp, Humana Inc, Elevance, CVS Health, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ UnitedHealth offers over $3 bln for home health firm Amedisys
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Leroy Leo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 5 (Reuters) - UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N) on Monday made a surprise $3.26 billion all-cash offer to acquire Amedisys Inc (AMED.O), pitting itself against another healthcare company set to buy the home health and hospice care firm. UnitedHealth, through its Optum unit, offered to pay $100 per share in cash, just a month after Amedisys agreed to be bought by Option Care Health Inc (OPCH.O) for $97.38 per share in an all-stock deal. If Optum's offer is accepted by Amedisys, the deal will expand UnitedHealth's presence in home healthcare that it bolstered this year through a $5.4 billion deal to buy Amedisys' rival, LHC Group. Several analysts raised concerns that a UnitedHealth deal would likely face scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission, given UnitedHealth's home health presence. Amedisys' board has not yet determined whether Optum's offer is superior to Option Health's and is currently in exploratory discussions with the UnitedHealth unit.

Persons: Amedisys, Jefferies, Brian Tanquilut, Oppenheimer, Michael Wiederhorn, Leroy Leo, Shounak Dasgupta, Shinjini Organizations: UnitedHealth, Amedisys Inc, Care Health Inc, LHC, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Care, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ US FTC expands probe into pharmacy benefit managers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said it had sought information from two privately held companies that negotiate drug rebates on behalf of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) as part of its probe into how PBMs affect pricing of prescription drugs. The two companies, Zinc Health Services and Ascent Health Services, are group purchasing organizations, that negotiate after-market discounts or rebates with drug manufacturers on behalf of PBMs and hold the contracts that govern those rebates. Zinc Health negotiates rebates for CVS Health Corp (CVS.N) and Ascent Health for Cigna Group's (CI.N) Express Scripts unit and Prime Therapeutics, which is a privately held PBM, the FTC said on Wednesday. PBMs act as middlemen and negotiate rebates and fees with drug manufacturers, create lists of medications that are covered by insurance, and reimburse pharmacies for patients' prescriptions. Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru Editing by Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Both sides blame each other for high drug prices. Senator Bernie Sanders, who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, is a fierce critic of both industries and will likely grill the executives. Optum Rx CEO Heather Cianfrocco will say manufacturers alone set the drug prices and abuse patent protections to stifle competition, her written testimony shows. Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi all said in March they were cutting list prices by more than 70% for some insulin products. Uninsured people often have to pay full list prices, an average of $900 a month, forcing many to ration or skip doses.

☆ Polls: Where is Trump polling today?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Harry Enten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Trump is polling, on average, north of 50% in national polls of likely GOP primary voters. There are very few candidates, of either party, in nonincumbent races who were near or north of 50% in the national primary polls this early on. Trump has now opened up a 20-point advantage in the latest UNH survey among likely GOP primary voters. Of course, if it was solely the polls where Trump was ahead, that might be one thing. It will take something big to knock him off his perch at the top of the Republican polls.

While the Dow Jones Industrial Average 's year-to-date move into the red on Thursday may signal more choppy, range-bound trading ahead, technical analysts say they don't think it's an omen for new multi-year lows. Chart experts say the closely followed blue-chip Dow Jones average could test long-term moving averages. .DJI YTD mountain The Dow Failing to hold above its 200-day moving average of 32,707 could mean more downside ahead for the 30-stock average, said JC O'Hara, chief technical strategist at Roth MKM. "On average the stocks have an aggregated [earnings] surprise of nearly +10%, but the stocks are not being rewarded," O'Hara said of earnings season for Dow stocks thus far. Now, the Dow is the only one of the three in the red on the year as investors favor growth stocks over value.

☆ Insurer Humana lifts profit view as medical costs drop in govt plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 26 (Reuters) - Humana Inc (HUM.N) raised its annual adjusted profit forecast on Wednesday after lower medical costs in the firm's government-backed health insurance business helped it beat profit estimates for the first quarter. That has driven increased investor scrutiny into whether one-time items are helping lower medical costs artificially, hurting shares of rivals UnitedHealth (UNH.N) and Elevance (ELV.N) earlier this month despite both beating profit estimates. Medicare Advantage is its main business of government-backed health insurance for the elderly or those with certain disabilities. The impact of its exit from the commercial business was not included in adjusted figures for the quarter, Humana said. Its adjusted profit came in at $9.38 per share, beating estimates of $9.27.

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