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The news: Morgan Stanley said Alphabet, Amazon (AMZN) and Meta are among the stocks that are best positioned to capture long-term gains from maturing artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. AI has the ability to "accelerate digital transformation, change consumer behavior and drive more durable multi-year digital growth," Morgan Stanley analysts wrote in a research note this week. Moreover, this "AI Effect" could create a $780 billion online advertising opportunity, with "GOOGL and META as the largest beneficiaries," according to Morgan Stanley. The Club take: The Morgan Stanley note is further validation of just how real the generative AI opportunity is. So, it's encouraging to see Morgan Stanley paint a positive picture about Apple in the near-to-medium term.

☆ Top 10 things the Club is watching in the stock market Friday
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Club holding Costco (COST) was a little disappointing Thursday evening, with an earnings beat overshadowed by some softer February trends. Analysts outline five "underappreciated catalysts" that they think will drive a re-rating of the Club holding in the next twelve months. 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 ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER .

☆ Exclusive: Microsoft set to win EU nod on Activision with licensing offer, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, March 2 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) is expected to secure EU antitrust approval for its $69 billion acquisition of Activision (ATVI.O) with its offer of licensing deals to rivals, three people familiar with the matter said, helping it to clear a major hurdle. In addition to the licensing deals for rivals, Microsoft may also have to offer other behavioural remedies to allay concerns of other parties than Sony, one of the people said. Activision shares, which jumped 1.8% in pre-market trading after the Reuters' story was published, were up 2.6% in late trade. Microsoft President Brad Smith last month said the U.S. software group was ready to offer rivals licensing deals to address antitrust concerns but it would not sell Activision's lucrative "Call of Duty" franchise. Microsoft said it was "committed to offering effective and easily enforceable solutions that address the European Commission's concerns."

☆ Exclusive: Microsoft's licensing offer likely to satisfy EU on Activision, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, March 2 (Reuters) - Microsoft's (MSFT.O) offer of licensing deals to rivals is likely to address EU antitrust concerns over its $69 billion acquisition of Activision (ATVI.O), three people familiar with the matter said, helping it to clear a major hurdle. The European Commission, which is scheduled to decide on the deal by April 25, is not expected to demand that Microsoft sell assets to win its approval, the people said. Microsoft President Brad Smith last month said the U.S. software group was ready to offer rivals licensing deals to address antitrust concerns but it would not sell Activision's lucrative "Call of Duty" franchise. Microsoft said it was "committed to offering effective and easily enforceable solutions that address the European Commission's concerns." Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Hugh Lawson, Elaine Hardcastle and Jane MerrimanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Exclusive: EU unlikely to demand asset sales in Microsoft, Activision deal, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, March 2 (Reuters) - Microsoft's (MSFT.O) readiness to offer licensing deals to rivals is likely to address EU antitrust concerns over its $69 billion acquisition of Activision (ATVI.O) without the need for asset sales, three people familiar with the matter said. The European Commission is not expected to demand that Microsoft sell assets to win its approval, the people said. Microsoft President Brad Smith last month said the U.S. software giant was ready to offer rivals licensing deals to address antitrust concerns but it would not sell Activision's lucrative "Call of Duty" franchise. Microsoft said it was "committed to offering effective and easily enforceable solutions that address the European Commission's concerns". Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Hugh Lawson, Elaine HardcastleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Exclusive: Events software vendor Cvent rebuffs $3.9 bln Blackstone bid-sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Milana Vinn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 24 (Reuters) - Cvent Holding Corp (CVT.O), a U.S. software provider that facilitates in-person and virtual meetings, has rejected a $3.9 billion acquisition offer from buyout firm Blackstone Inc (BX.N), people familiar with the matter said on Friday. Blackstone is taking a break from the negotiations after Cvent rejected its $8-per-share offer as too low, the sources said. Shares of Cvent, which is controlled by private equity firm Vista Equity Partners Management LLC, had ended trading on Thursday at $7.64. Cvent, Blackstone and Vista Equity declined to comment. Cvent shares have since dropped due to concerns that an economic slowdown, brought about by the U.S. Federal Reserve's higher interest rates to fight inflation, will lower demand for conferences and events that drive the company's business.

☆ These companies stand to benefit from the A.I. 'tidal wave' overtaking Wall Street, Baird says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Since the launch of ChatGPT last year, analysts and tech enthusiasts can't seem to stop talking about artificial intelligence. But the Xbox maker is far from the only company poised to benefit from the AI "tidal wave" overtaking the investing community, according to Baird. The firm highlighted 50 artificial intelligence and machine learning stocks across sectors positioned to capitalize on AI mania in a Tuesday note to clients. For years, both companies have employed artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance their products. Software stocks Adobe and Salesforce also made the cut along with payrolls services company ADP .

☆ Microsoft's president to push Activision deal at EU hearing; Google, Nvidia also present
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Smith will lead a delegation of 18 senior executives, including Microsoft Gaming Chief Executive Officer Phil Spencer, while Activision will be represented by its CEO Robert Kotick according to a European Commission document seen by Reuters. Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google and chip designer and computing firm Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O), which has a gaming business, will also be taking part in the hearing, the EU document showed. "The European Commission asked for our views in the course of their inquiries into this issue. We will continue to cooperate in any processes, when requested, to ensure all views are considered," a Google spokesperson said. The European Games Developer Federation (EGDF), which has said the deal will allow Microsoft to challenge Apple (AAPL.O), Google and Tencent, is one of the participants.

☆ Thoma Bravo and Clearlake have posted negative returns for a major endowment, according to exclusive performance data. Middle-market firms have been much stronger.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The returns show losses from Thoma Bravo and Clearlake, though the funds are new and PE is a long game. Thoma Bravo and Clearlake Capital Group, two private-equity firms that have emerged as notably active investors in recent years, have posted early losses across some of their funds, according to investment returns from a major US endowment. UTIMCO invested $51.7 million in Clearlake's seventh flagship private equity fund, known as Clearlake Capital Partners VII, which closed with some $14 billion of commitments last May. Thoma Bravo declined to comment. Meanwhile, the data show high returns from CapRock Partners, Renovus Capital Partners, Serve Capital Partners, and LFM Capital, PE firms that target middle-market companies.

☆ Microsoft president says he has Activision licensing deal with Nvidia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Microsoft (MSFT.O) President Brad Smith said on Tuesday the U.S. software giant has agreed to a licensing deal that will bring Activision (ATVI.O) games to Nvidia's (NVDA.O) gaming platform and hoped that rival Sony (6758.T) will consider doing the same. Smith told a news conference he was now more optimistic of getting the Activision deal done after the Nvidia deal as well as a similar licensing deal with Nintendo (7974.T). Reporting by Foo Yun Chee Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine war shows urgency of military AI, Palantir CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Tosterling Stephanie Van Den Berg | Stephanie Van Den Berg | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMSTERDAM, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Ukraine's effective use of artificial intelligence (AI) to target Russian forces has pushed the technology onto the agenda of military and political leaders around the world, the CEO of U.S. software firm Palantir (PLTR.N) said on Wednesday. Speaking at the first international summit on responsible military use of AI, CEO Alex Karp said use of AI in war has moved from a "highly erudite ethics discussion" to a top concern since the start of the conflict in Ukraine. "This has now shifted to: your ability to identify the right technology and implement it will determine what happens on the battlefield," he said. "One of the major things we need to do in the West, is realise this lesson is completely understood by China and Russia." Karp has previously said that Planatir is "responsible for most of the targeting in Ukraine", with the company citing the examples of tanks and artillery.

☆ Buyout barons reach deep into their bags of tricks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Jonathan Guilford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

NEW YORK, Feb 15 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Debt necessity is proving to be the mother of private equity invention. With the cheap borrowing that fueled record-breaking years of leveraged buyouts gone, firms are digging deeper into their bags of tricks. Private equity firm Silver Lake, which bought a stake alongside the IPO, said it might take control. Besides putting private equity firms into weaker negotiating positions, the competing incentives also threaten conflicts of interest with limited partners. ...THERE’S A WAYIf the U.S. Federal Reserve avoids engineering a recession, private equity should be able to revert to its tried-and-true formula soon enough.

☆ Microsoft to defend Activision deal at EU hearing on Feb. 21
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Microsoft (MSFT.O) will make a last-ditch effort to defend its $69 billion bid for "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O) in front of EU and national antitrust officials at a closed hearing on Feb. 21, the U.S. software company said on Tuesday. The company asked for the hearing after receiving a statement of objections from the European Commission warning about the possible anti-competitive effects of the deal. A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the oral hearing. Microsoft is expected to offer remedies after the hearing. Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

But the year-over-year price drops for goods have been helping pull overall inflation measures lower, the data compiled by the U.S. software company showed. "Current demand levels are driving retailers to hold prices down and continue to clear out excess inventory," Brown said. New CPI data is scheduled to be released next week, with economists expecting it to show another slowdown. The CEA study tried to isolate the pace of wage growth only in the sectors referred to by Powell, and concluded that it is slowing fast. Wage growth for production workers and supervisors "have both eased substantially."

☆ These innovation stocks owned by Cathie Wood have double-digit upside, according to analysts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Cathie Wood just scored her best month ever as her innovation stocks staged a big comeback, and some of her darlings still have double-digit upside ahead, according to Wall Street analysts. Wood's flagship Ark Innovation ETF (ARKK) jumped 27.8% in January alone, notching its strongest month since its inception in 2014 . We looked at companies with at least five analysts covering them, and these names below all have more than 10% upside in the next 12 months, according to FactSet. Wall Street analysts are most bullish on Ginkgo Bioworks , seeing the stock rally more than 140% in the next 12 months. Other biotech names in the space that analysts love are Verve Therapeutics , CRISPR Therapeutics , Beam Therapeutics and Twist Bioscience.

☆ The generative AI boom is bringing San Francisco’s tech scene roaring back to life
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Techies fled from San Francisco during the pandemic, and its resurgence stalled for a while. It's just south of Japantown, mere blocks from San Francisco City Hall, and north of the Mission District. Someone even said it would be "irresponsible" to not work on generative AI in San Francisco. There aren't any skeptics in the space yet, and the majority of generative AI investments land in the Bay Area. Email dsiu@insider.com or tweet @diamondnagasiu) Edited by Matt Weinberger (tweet @gamoid) in San Francisco and Hallam Bullock (tweet @hallam_bullock) in London.

☆ Goldman Sachs names tech stocks with a 'strong runway' for growth — giving one upside of nearly 70%
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

One corner of tech, software, might be seeing "limited appetite" from the market, according to Goldman Sachs. Goldman analysts forecast in a Jan. 23 note that the earnings per share (EPS) growth of software stocks may outpace the broader S & P 500 index this year. It gave Datadog a "buy" rating and a price target of $128, or an upside of nearly 70%. Software stocks were an investor favorite during the pandemic, but their popularity waned as economies reopened. Nevertheless, the tech sub-sector remains a key part of several long-term secular trends, such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

☆ ChatGPT creator OpenAI might be training its AI technology to replace some software engineers, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

OpenAI has quietly hired hundreds of international contractors to help train its AI tech, according to Semafor. Some are teaching software engineering to AI, potentially paving the way to replace some human coders. The engineer told Semafor he thinks the company wants to feed the training data into its AI technology. OpenAI is also the owner of the buzzy AI chatbot, ChatGPT. Software engineering might be added to the list next.

☆ Sony's gaming chief met EU's Vestager on Microsoft's Activision deal -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Sony's gaming chief Jim Ryan met EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager on Wednesday to discuss Microsoft's (MSFT.O) $69 billion bid for "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O), a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Microsoft is looking to Activision to help it compete better with leaders Tencent (0700.HK) and Sony (6758.T). The person declined to provide details of the discussion between Ryan and Vestager. The European Commission, which is scheduled to rule on the deal by April 11, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has sued to block the deal while UK regulators have also expressed concerns.

☆ Tech drags European stocks lower on earnings jitters
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Ankika Biswas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The pan-European STOXX 600 (.STOXX) fell 0.3%, heading lower for a second day with technology (.SX8P) and telecom (.SX8P) declining the most. "The weak outlook painted by Microsoft is weighing on the wider tech sector," said Michael Hewson, chief markets analyst at CMC Markets in London. European stocks came under pressure on Tuesday, as an improvement in economic activity spurred speculation that the European Central Bank (ECB) might have more room to raise interest rates to tackle inflation. Boosting UK stocks, EasyJet PLC (EZJ.L) jumped 10.6% after projecting it would beat current market expectations for 2023 and deliver a full-year profit. Reporting by Ankika Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Stock futures are little changed as Wall Street looks to build on back-to-back gains
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Jesse Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Stock futures were largely flat on Monday evening as investors looked to continue a strong start to the week during a busy stretch of corporate earnings. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures were each lower by less than 0.1%. The muted move in futures comes after a solid start to the week on Wall Street. The gains have come despite an underwhelming start to earnings season and more signs that the U.S. economy is slowing. On Tuesday, General Electric, Johnson & Johnson and Verizon are among the key companies reporting earnings before the bell.

☆ Cramer on the astonishing rise of offensive stocks — and what could come next
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

When I went over about 1,000 stocks this weekend, I was astonished to see that the stocks with the strongest charts were those in the most offensive categories. Not even a weaker U.S. dollar has meant anything to brace these stocks from a further fall. There's one group, though, that's just plain hard to call, and that's tech. (See here for a full list of the stocks in Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

☆ Morgan Stanley upgrades this under-the-radar software stock poised to survive IT budget cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Budget cuts loom in the IT industry, but software stock PagerDuty is well situated to come out unscathed, according to Morgan Stanley. "Strong unit economics, highly ratable sub revenue and market leadership in an important category provide the backdrop for a strong pivot to profitability," Singh wrote. "At ~4x CY24 sales, we think shares undervalue PagerDuty's ability to sustain 20% growth, expand margins and generate" free cash flows. Software stocks face a difficult setup as companies look to trim IT budgets in a slowing growth environment. Despite these headwinds, Singh expects PagerDuty's growth to persist given its stable subscription model and move up from a predominant focus on small-to-medium-sized businesses.

☆ Davos 2023: Palantir CEO predicts hiring while preparing for economic slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Jeffrey Dastin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Palantir Technologies Inc (PLTR.N) is still looking to grow its headcount even as it scrutinizes its spending and confronts economic uncertainty, its chief executive told Reuters. Economists surveyed by the World Economic Forum largely expect a recession this year. Asked about potential cuts, Karp said Palantir was doing well in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada while evaluating spend in slower markets. The top cloud providers are Amazon (AMZN.O), Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Google (GOOGL.O), though Karp said his company is "cloud agnostic." Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin in Davos, Switzerland; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Microsoft faces EU antitrust warning over Activision deal - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Microsoft (MSFT.O) is likely to receive an EU antitrust warning about its $69 billion bid for "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O), people familiar with the matter said, that could pose another challenge to completing the deal. The European Commission is readying a charge sheet known as a statement of objections setting out its concerns about the deal which will be sent to Microsoft in the coming weeks, the people said. The EU antitrust watchdog, which has set an April 11 deadline for its decision on the deal, declined to comment. U.S. and UK regulators, however, have voiced concerns, with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission going to court to block the deal. Microsoft was expected to offer remedies to EU regulators in an attempt to avert a statement of charge and shorten the regulatory process, other sources familiar with the matter told Reuters in November.

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