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☆ White House asking Congress for $6 bln to extend internet subsidy program -official
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The White House says the program, overseen by the Federal Communications Commission and known as the Affordable Connectivity Program, helps current users save over $500 million per month on their internet bills. The $6 billion in additional government funding would extend the program through December 2024, the official said. "Congress should act swiftly to fund the Affordable Connectivity Program and prevent more than 21 million households from losing access to affordable, high-speed internet," said White House National Economic Council director Lael Brainard in a statement to Reuters. Internet service providers say there are about 27 million additional U.S. households that are eligible but are not yet enrolled. Verizon (VZ.N), Comcast (CMCSA.O) and AT&T (T.N) have all called for Congress to extend the program that could run out of money by March.

Persons: Mike Segar, Lael Brainard, David Shepardson Organizations: Sabey Data, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters Wednesday, Federal Communications Commission, Program, White, National Economic, Verizon, Comcast, Thomson Locations: Intergate.Manhattan, Manhattan, New York

☆ Consumer Reports finds more lead, cadmium in chocolate, urges change at Hershey
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Hershey's chocolates are pictured for sale on a store shelf in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S. July 19, 2017. The magazine said 16 of the 48 chocolate products from various makers that its scientists tested recently in seven categories - dark chocolate, milk chocolate, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and mixes for brownies, chocolate cake and hot chocolate - contained potentially harmful levels of lead, cadmium or both. The Consumer Reports testing followed its findings last December that 23 of 28 tested dark chocolate bars contained excessive lead or cadmium, including Hershey products sold under its own brand and the Lily's and Scharffen Berger brands. The magazine is again petitioning Hershey to reduce heavy metals in its chocolate. Consumer Reports food policy director Brian Ronholm said Hershey, as a "leading and popular brand," should commit to eliminating "dangerous levels" of heavy metals from its chocolate products, making them safer for consumers.

Persons: Carlo Allegri, Joe's, Scharffen Berger, Hershey, Brian Ronholm, Steve Voskuil, Voskuil, Christopher Gindlesperger, Jonathan Stempel, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Hershey Co, Nestle, Starbucks, YORK, Hershey, Consumer, Walmart, Target, National Confectioners Association, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City , New York, U.S, New York

The company posted a third-quarter operating income of 32 million euros ($34.1 million), its first quarterly profit since 2021, helped by a higher gross margin and lower marketing and personnel costs. "We believe moving forward, we should see pretty consistent growth in our operating income," its Chief Financial Officer Paul Vogel said. It forecast operating income of 37 million euros in the current quarter. Revenue rose 11% to 3.36 billion euros, beating estimates of 3.33 billion. Analysts were expecting a forecast of 232.4 million premium subscribers and revenue of 3.69 billion euros.

Persons: Eric Gaillard, Paul Vogel, Daniel Ek, Vogel, Supantha Mukherjee, Kirsten Donovan, Jan Harvey Organizations: Spotify, Cannes Lions International, Creativity, REUTERS, Companies, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Cannes, France, STOCKHOLM, LSEG, Stockholm

☆ Verizon raises free cash flow forecast as subscriber additions top estimates
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The company now expects annual free cash flow (FCF) to be higher than $18 billion, at least a $1 billion increase from its prior forecast. Its third-quarter FCF of $6.7 billion beat estimates by more than $1.3 billion, according to Visible Alpha. Shares of the New York-based telecom company, which has benefited from price increases and customers migrating to higher-tiered unlimited plans, rose more than 4% in premarket trading. Rival AT&T (T.N) raised its annual FCF forecast last week and trounced Wall Street estimates for subscriber additions. Verizon's revenue fell 2.6% to $33.3 billion in the three months to September, but was in-line with analysts' average estimate of $33.25 billion, according to LSEG data.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Samrhitha, Vinay Dwivedi Organizations: Verizon, REUTERS, U.S, Alpha, Wall, Mobile, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, York, Bengaluru

A 0.25 mg injection pen of Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy is shown in this photo illustration in Oslo, Norway, September 1, 2023. REUTERS/Victoria Klesty/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON/NEW YORK, Oct 23 (Reuters) - The growth in demand for appetite suppressing anti-obesity drugs like Novo Nordisk's (NOVOb.CO) Wegovy presents opportunities for food manufacturers and the market's initially downbeat reaction may be overdone, investors say. Still, the stock market impact left some food manufacturers "trembling," said John Plassard, senior investment specialist at Nestle investor Mirabaud Group. The uptake in appetite suppressing drugs seems to be a U.S.-led dynamic, said My Nguyen, research analyst at Legal & General Investment Management America. "Elsewhere, trends such as wealthier, more mobile middle classes in emerging countries can support shifts towards snacking and convenience foods."

Persons: Victoria Klesty, Richard Saldanha, Wegovy, Kiran Aziz, Mark Schneider, John Plassard, Brian Frank, Frank, Nguyen, Richa Naidu, Matt Scuffham, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Walmart, Nestle, Aviva, Novo Nordisk, EY, Industry, Health Sciences, Wellness, Mirabaud, Tyson Foods, Arcos Dorados, Legal, General Investment Management America, Germany's, Investments, Unilever, Coca Cola, Thomson Locations: Oslo, Norway, Victoria, United States, Denmark, Germany, Arda, Ural, U.S

☆ Vista Equity Partners to buy EngageSmart for $4 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Oct 23 (Reuters) - Payments software vendor EngageSmart (ESMT.N) said on Monday it would be taken private by Vista Equity Partners for about $4 billion, marking the latest buyout deal in the technology sector. Shares of EngageSmart rose more than 11% in trading before the bell. Under the terms of the deal, shareholders in EngageSmart will receive $23.00 per share in cash. The offer represents a premium of nearly 23% to the stock's closing price on Oct. 4, a day before Reuters reported that private equity firm General Atlantic, which owns a 52% stake, was exploring a sale of the company. Reporting by Samrhitha Arunasalam in Bengaluru; Editing by Dhanya Ann ThoppilOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Samrhitha, Dhanya Ann Thoppil Organizations: Vista Equity Partners, Reuters, Atlantic, Thomson Locations: EngageSmart, Bengaluru

"Airbus remains committed to providing the U.S. Air Force and our warfighters with the most modern and capable tanker on the market," an Airbus spokesperson said. The Air Force has sought to replace hundreds of Eisenhower-era KC-135 tankers in three lots. "Lockheed Martin has decided not to respond to the U.S. Air Force's KC-135 fleet recapitalization Request for Information," Lockheed spokesperson Stephanie Stinn said in a statement. A Lockheed-Airbus victory would have landed Airbus its first aircraft contract with the U.S. Air Force after attempting to penetrate the U.S. defense market for two decades. In 2011, Boeing won the first of the three-phase procurement to replace the Air Force's aging tanker fleet, securing a contract for 179 KC-46s.

Persons: Cheney Orr, Eisenhower, Lockheed Martin, Stephanie Stinn, Lockheed's, Valerie Insinna, Mike Stone, Chizu Organizations: Lockheed, Association of, United States Army, Global, REUTERS, Rights, Lockheed Martin Corp, U.S . Air, KC, Air Force, Airbus, U.S . Air Force, The Air Force, Boeing, U.S . Air Force's KC, Pegasus, Refueling, recapitalization, Air, Thomson Locations: Huntsville , Alabama, U.S, Alabama, Georgia, Washington

☆ Major US Muslim group moves annual gala after threats at Virginia hotel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the Marriott Crystal Gateway hotel (MAR.O) in Arlington, Virginia, which has hosted its gathering for more than 10 years, told the group it had received threats. "Anonymous callers have threatened to plant bombs in the hotel's parking garage, kill specific hotel staff in their homes, and storm the hotel in a repeat of the Jan. 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol if the events moved forward," CAIR said Thursday night. Marriott did not confirm specific threats. "Please join ZOA in calling Marriott to demand that they cancel this dangerous CAIR event," the ZOA said in an "action alert" on Thursday. On Thursday, the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, a second advocacy group, said the Hilton hotel (HLT.N) in Houston had abruptly canceled its booking for an annual conference on Oct. 27-29.

Persons: Kim Potter, Daunte Wright, Marriott, Greg Abbott, Hilton's, Hilton, Abbott, Joe Biden, Doina Chiacu, Julia Harte, Doyinsola, Chizu Nomiyama, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: National Guard, Minnesota, Islamic, Hennepin County Government Center, Islamic Relations, Marriott Crystal Gateway, U.S, Capitol, Crystal Gateway Marriott, Department, Hamas, Marriott, CAIR, Endowment, Middle East, Zionist Organization of America, U.S . Campaign, Palestinian Rights, Hilton, Texas, Thomson Locations: Hennepin County, Minneapolis , Minnesota, U.S, ARLINGTON , Virginia, Virginia, Arlington , Virginia, United States, Gaza, Israel, Houston, Texas, Illinois, Washington, New York

[1/5] A view of the residential apartments in Country Garden's Forest City development in Johor Bahru, Malaysia August 16, 2023. The group hired PJT Partners (PJT.N) as financial adviser to lead discussions with Country Garden, two people with knowledge of the matter said. Ratings agency Moody's said on Thursday it could downgrade Country Garden's (2007.HK) 'corporate family rating' if the recovery prospects for its creditors weaken further. Moody's said Country Garden's senior unsecured rating of C was already at the lowest of its rating scale. Country Garden and Frasers did not immediately respond for a request for comment on that sale.

Persons: Edgar Su, PJT, Moody's, Frasers, Houlihan Lokey, Sidley Austin, Yeung Kwok Keung, Yang Huiyan, Yeung, Yang, Cao Jianglin, Garden's, China Evergrande, Scott Murdoch, Xie Yu, Clare Jim, Anousha Sakoui, Liz Lee, Lewis Jackson, Kim Coghill, Christopher Cushing, Jamie Freed, Lincoln, Miral Fahmy, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS, HK, PJT Partners, Garden's, Australian Financial, Reuters, China International Capital Corporation, Finance, HSBC, China National Agricultural Development, SOE, Thomson Locations: Garden's, City, Johor Bahru, Malaysia, China HONG KONG, Garden's Australian, Melbourne, China, Shunde, Guangdong province, Sydney, Hong Kong, London, Beijing, Sydndey

Powell, however, added the economy's strength and continued tight labor markets could warrant further Federal Reserve interest rate increases. Third-quarter earnings for S&P 500 companies are now estimated to grow at 1.6% compared with expectations of a 2.2% increase last week, LSEG data showed. Yields on the 2-year note, which best reflects short-term interest rate expectations, fell , while that on the 10-year note edged higher to 4.9215%, near the 5% level last seen in 2007. Communications services (.SPLRCL) and information technology (.SPLRCT) led gains amongst the major S&P 500 sectors. On the earnings front, Blackstone (BX.N) slipped 6.0% as the world's largest private equity firm's third-quarter distributable earnings fell more than expected due to a decline in asset sales in its real estate business.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Jerome Powell, Powell's, CME's, Powell, Chris Zaccarelli, Russell Hackmann, Austan Goolsbee, Atlanta's Raphael Bostic, Philadelphia's Patrick Harker, Shubham Batra, Shashwat Chauhan, Dhanya Ann Thoppil, Saumyadeb Chakrabarty, Vinay Dwivedi Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Netflix, Dow, Nasdaq, Economic, of New, Traders, Independent, Alliance ., Hackmann Wealth Partners, Investors, Chicago Fed, Dow Jones, Communications, Blackstone, Lam Research, NYSE, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, of New York, United States, Britain, France, Bengaluru

Real internal growth (RIG) - or a measure of sales volumes - fell 0.6%, meeting expectations. "The ultimate catalyst for the stock's multiple to improve is going to be seeing that volume number going positive." Analysts had on average expected organic sales growth of 8.1%. Nestle confirmed its full-year outlook of organic sales growth between 7% and 8% and underlying trading operating profit margin between 17.0% and 17.5%. The drug's popularity has prompted concerns in the consumer and retail industry over whether food sales will be impacted.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Nestle, Mark Schneider, Schneider, Richard Saldanha, Maggi, Novo, Richa Naidu, Christopher Cushing, Jason Neely Organizations: Nestle, REUTERS, Gillette, Aviva, Novo Nordisk's, Walmart, Thomson Locations: Romont, Switzerland, Ukraine

Kit Kat chocolate-covered wafer bars manufactured by Nestle are seen in London, Britain, July 25, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Nestle (NESN.S) on Thursday said it has started work on products to "companion" weight loss drugs like Novo Nordisk's (NOVOb.CO) game-changing Wegovy, hoping to cash in on their growing popularity. "We're working already on a wide range of products that could serve as companion products," Schneider said during an earnings briefing, noting that some supplements can help with the "loss of lean muscle mass" and "rapid regain of weight". "The largest parts of our portfolio will not be affected" by this new breed of weight loss drugs, he said. Wegovy has been shown to help patients reduce body weight by around 15% when used along with exercise and lifestyle changes.

Persons: Kat, Hannah McKay, Mark Schneider, Nestle, Schneider, Wegovy, Richa Naidu, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Nestle, REUTERS, Walmart, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Swiss, United States, Norway, Denmark, Germany

☆ Corporate America weighs risks of the Ozempic effect
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Walmart (WMT.N) expects revenues from its health and wellness products to increase in the second half of the year, mainly due to the popularity of weight-loss drugs. PepsiCo (PEP.O) Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston has said the company is "not seeing any impact" yet from the popularity of weight-loss drugs. Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N), which makes glucose monitoring products, has said that the market was overestimating the impact to its sales from growing popularity of the drugs. Abbott CEO Robert Ford has said that diabetes patients could end up using glucose monitors with the weight-loss drugs in the long term. DRUG DISTRIBUTORSCencora (COR.N), formerly called AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health (CAH.N) and McKesson (MCK.N) have flagged potential boost to revenues this year owing to the growing demand for weight-loss drugs.

Persons: George Frey, Eli Lilly's, Hugh Johnston, Johnson, Joseph Wolk, Robert Ford, Bhanvi, Mrigank Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Pharmacy, REUTERS, Walmart, PepsiCo, Abbott Laboratories, Insulet Corp, Cardinal Health, Thomson Locations: Provo , Utah, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ AT&T lifts free cash flow target as subscriber additions top estimates
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The AT&T logo is pictured during the Forbes Forum 2017 in Mexico City, Mexico, September 18, 2017. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 19 (Reuters) - U.S. wireless carrier AT&T (T.N) raised its annual free cash flow forecast on Thursday as promotions and phone upgrades boosted subscriber additions that trounced third-quarter estimates, sending its shares up nearly 5% before the bell. The company expects free cash flow of about $16.5 billion in 2023, up from its prior forecast of $16 billion or higher. It added 468,000 net monthly bill-paying wireless phone subscribers in the third quarter, surpassing expectations for 398,200 additions, according to Factset. The company raised its forecast for full-year adjusted core earnings growth to more than 4%, from a prior view of 3% or more.

Persons: Edgard Garrido, Jamie Lumley, Samrhitha, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Forbes, REUTERS, AT, Revenue, U.S, Thomson Locations: Mexico City, Mexico, Bengaluru

☆ India's Tata Group mulls $1 bln infusion into super-app venture - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Tata Group is seen at a business meeting organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi March 23, 2009. REUTERS/Vijay Mathur/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsBENGALURU, Oct 19 (Reuters) - India's Tata Group is considering a $1 billion capital infusion into its super app Tata Neu to improve its digital business, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Tata may provide the capital in 2024, the report said, adding talks are ongoing and details of the deal could change. A super app combines multiple services onto one platform. Tata Neu was launched in April 2022 and offers products ranging from apparel to airline tickets, and aims to compete with a fast-growing market dominated by Amazon.com (AMZN.O) and Walmart's (WMT.N) Flipkart.

Persons: Vijay Mathur, Tata Neu, Ashna Teresa Britto, Sonia Cheema Organizations: Tata Group, Confederation of Indian Industry, REUTERS, Rights, India's Tata Group, Bloomberg, Tata, Reuters, Amazon.com, Thomson Locations: New Delhi

A construction site of residential buildings by Chinese developer Country Garden is pictured in Tianjin, China August 18, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY/LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - A major group of Country Garden (2007.HK) offshore bondholders has appointed PJT Partners (PJT.N) as financial advisors to lead discussions with the troubled Chinese property developer, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter. Bondholders have been seeking urgent talks with the company since it missed a $15 million coupon repayment on Wednesday, putting it at risk of default. Country Garden did not immediately respond to a request to comment made outside of business hours. Reporting Scott Murdoch in Sydney and Anousha Sakoui in London, editing by Karin StroheckerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, PJT, Scott Murdoch, Anousha, Karin Strohecker Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, PJT Partners, Thomson Locations: Tianjin, China, LONDON, HK, Sydney, London

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 26, 2023. Demand for safe-haven assets sent gold prices to a more than two-month high, up over 1%, while the U.S. dollar also strengthened. Stronger crude prices pushed energy stocks (.SPNY) 1% higher, while industrials (.SPLRCI) and materials (.SPLRCM) led the decline in major S&P 500 sectors. Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 3.90-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and by a 2.69-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P index recorded 11 new 52-week highs and 14 new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 20 new highs and 149 new lows.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Morgan Stanley, Joe Biden, Biden, Treasuries aren't, Brian Jacobsen, homebuilding, Chris Giamo, Morgan Stanley's, New York's John Williams, Christopher Waller, Michelle Bowman, Jerome Powell's, Patrick Harker, Ankika Biswas, Shashwat Chauhan, Sruthi Shankar, Arun Koyyur, Vinay Dwivedi Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Tuesday United Airlines, Dow, Nasdaq, U.S ., Annex Wealth Management, Federal Reserve, TD Bank, Abbott Laboratories, Consumer, Procter, Gamble, Tesla, Netflix, . Philadelphia Fed, Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, Nvidia, Biden, China . United Airlines Holdings, NYSE, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Israel, Gaza, New, China, Bengaluru

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 18 (Reuters) - Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N) said the market was overestimating the hit to sales of its glucose monitoring products from growing popularity of new diabetes drugs, adding the treatments could end up boosting sales of the medical device maker. The company's shares have dropped 16% this year, mainly on concerns that new GLP-1 diabetes drugs such as Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Eli Lilly's Mounjaro could eat into the sales of its continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices. Hurdles in health insurance reimbursement and pricing could, however, keep market growth for GLP-1 drugs limited to a small number of patients in the near term, Abbott CEO Robert Ford said on Wednesday. Third-quarter sales of FreeStyle Libre, Abbott's CGM device used by diabetes patients, jumped 30.5% to $1.4 billion, lifting Abbott's shares 3% in morning trade. The numbers helped Abbott's medical device sales that stood at $4.25 billion, beating analysts' estimates of $4.16 billion, according to LSEG data.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Nordisk's Ozempic, Eli Lilly's, Abbott, Robert Ford, Ford, Vijay Kumar, Pratik Jain, Leroy Leo, Anil D'Silva, Shounak Dasgupta, Shinjini Organizations: Abbott, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Abbott Laboratories, Nordisk's, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, GLP, Bengaluru

☆ Abbott profit beats on strong sales of medical devices, diagnostics
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Abbott Laboratories logo is displayed on a screen at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., October 18, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 18 (Reuters) - Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N) on Wednesday tightened its profit forecast for the year after beating estimates for third-quarter earnings on strong demand for its medical devices and diagnostics products. The company is seeing a recovery in sales of its medical devices such as heart valve devices and pacemakers as more older people opt for surgeries that were put off due to the pandemic. Abbott posted a near 17% rise in quarterly sales of its medical devices to $4.25 billion, beating analysts' estimates of $4.16 billion. Excluding items, Abbott earned $1.14 per share, above analysts' estimates of $1.10 per share, according to LSEG data.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Abbott, Nordisk's Ozempic, Eli Lilly's, Mounjaro, Pratik Jain, Leroy Leo, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Abbott, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Abbott Laboratories, Libre, Nordisk's, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Bengaluru

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 26, 2023. On the earnings front, consumer goods maker Procter & Gamble (PG.N) edged up 0.2% after its quarterly sales topped market expectations. EV maker Tesla (TSLA.O) and streaming services company Netflix (NFLX.O) are scheduled to report quarterly results after market close. ET, Dow e-minis were down 93 points, or 0.27%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 18.5 points, or 0.42%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 88.25 points, or 0.58%. Travelers Companies (TRV.N) reported a 14% fall in quarterly profit.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Joe Biden, Morgan Stanley, New York's John Williams, Governors Christopher Waller, Michelle Bowman, Jerome Powell's, Powell, Patrick Harker, Neel Kashkari, Ankika Biswas, Shashwat Chauhan, Arun Koyyur, Vinay Dwivedi Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, United Airlines, Dow, Nasdaq, U.S, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Occidental Petroleum, Treasury, Procter, Gamble, Abbott Laboratories, Tesla, Netflix, Federal Reserve, Governors, Generale, Philadelphia Fed, Wall Street Journal, Minneapolis, Dow e, Nvidia, Biden, China . United Airlines Holdings, Rivals American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Interactive, Travelers Companies, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, United, Gaza, Israel, New, China, Bengaluru

☆ Amazon rolls out robotic system at Houston warehouse to speed up deliveries
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Amazon is seen at the company logistics center in Lauwin-Planque, northern France, November 15, 2022. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 18 (Reuters) - Amazon.com (AMZN.O) said on Wednesday it was using a robotic system at one of its Houston warehouses to improve inventory management and speed up deliveries, building on its years-long bet that automation will help boost sales and worker safety. The technology, called "Sequoia", brings together a series of systems including mobile robots and robotic arms. Amazon said Sequoia can help identify and store inventory 75% faster, while reducing the time to process orders at a warehouse by as much as 25%. The company said it would begin testing a bipedal robot called "Digit" from Agility Robotics, a startup backed by Amazon.

Persons: Pascal, Zaheer Kachwala, Shounak Dasgupta Organizations: REUTERS, Walmart, Agility Robotics, Amazon, Ford, Thomson Locations: Lauwin, France, Houston, Bengaluru

☆ Walmart-owned India's PhonePe revenue soars 77% in FY23
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Walmart-owned (WMT.N) PhonePe said on Wednesday its consolidated revenue for financial year 2023 surged 77%, as more customers used its platform to send and receive money in India's booming digital payments market. The company's loss before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation on a standalone basis widened to 17.55 billion rupees ($210.8 million) from 16.12 billion rupees a year ago, PhonePe said in a statement. Consolidated revenue grew to 29.14 billion rupees from 16.46 billion rupees a year ago. PhonePe, which has more than 490 million registered users, had a near 51% share of the value of transactions on India's instant money transfer system, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), as of March end. ($1 = 83.2420 Indian rupees)Reporting by Rama Venkat in Bengaluru; Editing by Dhanya Ann ThoppilOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: PhonePe, Rama Venkat, Dhanya Ann Thoppil Organizations: Walmart, Atlantic, Tiger Global, Thomson Locations: BENGALURU, India, Singapore, Bengaluru

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., August 15, 2023. A rise in U.S. Treasury yields, with the 10-year yields up at 4.813%, pressured megacaps Apple (AAPL.O), Microsoft (MSFT.O), Alphabet (GOOGL.O) and Amazon.com (AMZN.O), dragging them down between 0.1% and 0.5%. Bank of America (BAC.N) gained 3.1%, boosting the S&P 500 (.SPX) as it joined rivals in earning more from interest payments by its customers, while investment banking and trading fared better than expected. Economy-sensitive energy (.SPNY) and materials stocks (.SPLRCM) led gains amongst the major S&P 500 sectors, while information technology (.SPLRCT) lagged behind. Dollar Tree (DLTR.O) rose 4.4% after Goldman Sachs upgraded the discount retail chain's shares to "buy" from "neutral".

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Goldman Sachs, megacaps, Sam Stovall, Thomas Barkin, Biden, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Lockheed Martin, Ankika Biswas, Shashwat Chauhan, Vinay Dwivedi Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Companies, Biden, Dow, Nasdaq, Treasury, megacaps Apple, Microsoft, CFRA Research, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Bank of America, Semiconductor, Dow Jones, Israel, Washington, VMware, NYSE, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, China, megacaps ., Philadelphia, Bengaluru

Meanwhile, parents and experts say schools neglect students with math disabilities like dyscalculia, which affects up to 7% of the population and often coexists with dyslexia. Learning struggles for some may be due to dyscalculia or other math learning disabilities, yet few teachers report their students have been screened for dyscalculia. Experts say learning the most effective methods for teaching students with math disabilities could strengthen math instruction for all students. Part of the problem is that teachers don’t receive the training needed to work with children with math disabilities. “It’s pretty rare for undergraduate degrees or even master’s degrees to focus on math learning disabilities with any level of breadth, depth, quality or rigor,” said Amelia Malone, director of research and innovation at the National Center for Learning Disabilities.

Persons: Laura Jackson, ” Jackson, Jackson, ’ ” Jackson, “ There’s, Karen Wilson, it’s, ”, Sandra Elliott, Young, dyscalculia, that’s, Lynn Fuchs, don’t, “, Amelia Malone, Heather Brand, —, Malone, screeners, “ It’s Organizations: Associated Press, Christian Science Monitor, Dallas Morning News, Idaho Education, Courier, The Seattle Times, ___ Nationwide, ”, dyscalculia, Teachers, Vanderbilt University ., National Center for Learning, National Center for Learning Disabilities, New, Carnegie Corporation of New, AP Locations: Idaho, South Carolina, ”, U.S, Seattle, Virginia, New York City, Carnegie Corporation of New York

REUTERS/Cheney Orr/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 17 (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) reported higher third-quarter revenue on Tuesday, as geopolitical tensions fueled sustained demand for its military equipment. Lockheed's weapons, such as the guided multiple launch rocket system and Javelin anti-tank missiles, made in conjunction with defense company RTX (RTX.N), have proven critical to Ukraine's war efforts. Revenue at the Missiles and Fire Control unit, which makes the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, was $2.94 billion, up 3.8% from a year earlier. Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed posted a net income of $6.73 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 24, compared with $6.71 per share a year earlier. Quarterly net sales rose around 1.78% to $16.88 billion.

Persons: Cheney Orr, Lockheed Martin, LMT.N, restocking, Frank St John, Pratyush Thakur, Mike Stone, Krishna Chandra Organizations: Lockheed, Association of, United States Army, Global, REUTERS, Reuters, Missiles, Control, High Mobility Artillery, Thomson Locations: Huntsville , Alabama, U.S, Ukraine, Bethesda , Maryland, Bengaluru, Washington

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