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☆ China's e-commerce discount race to the bottom puts incumbents under pressure
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Casey Hall | Thomson Reuters | Casey Has Reported On China'S Consumer Culture Her Base In Shanghai For More Than A Decade | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Discount e-commerce is set to dominate globally during the critical upcoming holiday shopping season in the West and Singles’ Day in China, analysts said. Platforms in China, the world’s largest e-commerce market, have recently described a “value-for-money battle” stoked by economic insecurity and a slower-than-expected retail recovery following the lifting of COVID-19 curbs late last year. “There was a clear vacuum for the discount retailer online experience ... Across the world, executives are now focusing on price pressures as discount online retailers gain increasing market share. In the West, the inflation driven consumer wants something cheaper because they're going through a moment of financial insecurity,” Ho said.

Persons: Florence Lo, ”, thrall, Sharon Gai, ” Humphrey Ho, Rui Ma, Trudy Dai, Alibaba, ” Ho, Casey Hall, Vanessa O'Connell, Aurora Ellis Organizations: PDD Holdings, REUTERS, Rights, West, Deal, Hylink, Amazon ., Tmall, Thomson Locations: China, Southeast Asia, North America, Europe, United States, Douyin, Canada, Australia, America, U.S, Amazon, Amazon . Indonesia

☆ Google is quietly handing out early demos of its GPT-4 rival called Gemini. Here's what we know so far about the upcoming AI model.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Google is preparing to launch its answer to rival OpenAI's GPT-4: Gemini. Gemini is a next-gen, multimodal AI model due for release later this year. The tech is a next-gen, multimodal AI model being worked on by a team of researchers pulled from Google's now-merged AI divisions DeepMind and Google Brain. Gemini is multimodalGoogle's Gemini is a multimodal AI, meaning it can process more than one type of data. Researchers behind the SemiAnalysis blog have also predicted that Google's Gemini would likely outperform GPT-4 because of Google's access to top-flight chips.

Persons: OpenAI's GPT, OpenAI's, Sam Altman, AlphaGo Gemini, Google's DeepMind, AlphaGo, Lee Sedol, ChatGPT, Demis Hassabis, DeepMind, Bard Organizations: Google, Service, OpenAI, AlphaGo, Wired Locations: Wall, Silicon, Google's

☆ Emily Glazer — Reporter at The Wall Street Journal
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Emily Glazer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Emily GlazerEmily Glazer is a reporter focusing on large public company CEOs, board members and corporate governance for The Wall Street Journal's corporate bureau in New York. Her stories often delve into companies going through major changes, such as CEO succession, board shakeups, regulatory investigations or structural shifts. She has covered the evolving role of business leaders impacted by the pandemic and Environmental, Social and Governance factors. Emily also contributes to the Journal’s Personal Board of Directors columns and CEO Council events. Emily has reported for Dow Jones since 2008 in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Persons: Emily Glazer Emily Glazer, Emily, Morgan Chase, Wells, George Polk, Gerald Loeb, Dow Jones Organizations: The, Social, Procter, Gamble, New York Press Club, News Media Alliance, Society of American Business, Facebook, Business, Beat, Public Service, Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University Locations: New York, Wells Fargo, Avon, Herbalife, San Francisco, Los Angeles

☆ Disney's top-selling merchandise line in Asia is this under-the-radar fluffy bear
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Duffy and Friends is Disney's top-selling franchise in Asia, having generated $500 million in revenue this year. Duffy, a fluffy bear, was introduced in 2002 with a back story linked to Mickey and Minnie. The revenues include sales from Shanghai Disney Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland, and the Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe back story for the fluffy bear involves Minnie Mouse hand-sewing the stuffed bear to accompany Mickey on a long sea voyage from Cape Cod. Both Duffy and LinaBell can be seen in a Disney video from September 2021, which shows the fluffy bear meeting his new fox friend.

Persons: Duffy, Mickey, Minnie, Mel, LinaBell, there's Organizations: Service, Disney, Shanghai Disney Resort, Tokyo Disney Resort, Walt Disney World, Shanghai, Shanghai Daily Locations: Asia, China, Wall, Silicon, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Japan, Orlando , Florida, Cape Cod

☆ Here's a rapid-fire update on all 35 stocks in the Club's portfolio, including a new buy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | In Kevinstankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Here's a rapid-fire update on all stocks in Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust, the portfolio we use for the CNBC Investing Club. But for investors who haven't bought into its steep pullback, it's reasonable to buy some shares at current levels around $146.50 each. Unless you believe inflation is going to keep raging, making Microsoft's price-to-earnings multiple too high, then this stock is a buy. Nvidia (NVDA): Investors who don't own Nvidia yet should use its recent weakness to start a position, Jim said. Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD): We decided to buy additional Pioneer shares Thursday as the stock fell more than 2%.

Persons: Jim Cramer's, Jim, Amazon, he's, could've, We're, Jefferies, it's, we'd, Dupont De Nemours, That's, Dupont, Danaher, Bob Iger, Estee Lauder, haven't, Locker, Marry Dillon, Leqembi, Eli Lilly's donanemab, Vimal Kapur, Eli Lilly, Mark Zuckerberg, Morgan Stanley, Morgan, we're, James Gorman, Oracle, Safra Catz, Elliott, Stanley Black, Decker, TJ Maxx, Wells Fargo, Wells, Wynn, Jim Cramer Rob Kim Organizations: Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust, CNBC, Club, Apple, Web Services, Broadcom, Google, Bausch Health, Health, Caterpillar, Costco Wholesale, Costco, Coterra Energy, Coterra, Emerson, National Instruments, Ford, United Auto Workers, GE Healthcare, Honeywell International, Honeywell, Linde, LIN, Mounjaro, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, Oracle, Palo Alto Networks, Procter & Gamble, Natural Resources, Starbucks, Constellation Brands, Constellation, Elliott Management, TJX, Marshalls, Wynn Resorts, WYNN Locations: China, India, Dupont, Emerson, Meta, Beijing, HomeGoods

☆ Microsoft Windows boss Panos Panay left for Amazon after cuts and canceled products in his unit, insiders say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Microsoft Chief Product Officer Panos Panay is leaving for Amazon after the company made budget and staff cuts, canceled products in his division, and amid discussions about a reorganization in his unit, insiders say. Microsoft, Panay, and Amazon did not comment. During nearly 20 years at Microsoft, Panay was notably in charge of the team that developed the Surface hardware business. Windows licensing and the unit's hardware underperformed relative to the company's financial projections, insiders say, and Microsoft responded by dramatically scaling back Panay's division. At Microsoft, insiders say Panay was known as a demanding leader and expected "white glove service" on everything, meaning a premium experience with extra care and attention to detail.

Persons: Panos Panay, Dave Limp, Alexa, Kristy Schmidt, Charlie Bell, Rajesh Jha, Satya Nadella, Microsoft's Organizations: Microsoft, Amazon, Bloomberg, Reuters Locations: Panay, New York

☆ Instacart's biggest IPO twist: Tech trying to go public as a value stock
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Tim Mullaney | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

At the top of the latest IPO price range, the enterprise value would be 16x EBITDA. The right valuation for Instacart depends on where the ultimate rate of sales growth falls, Einhorn said. Including the cash on the company's balance sheet, that values Instacart at about three times EBITDA – way below DoorDash's valuation. Even that would value the company at only seven times 2025 EBITDA, and about 14 times EBITDA from the last four quarters, still a sharp discount to DoorDash. So in a twist few would have predicted in 2020 or 2021, Instacart is trying to go public as a value stock, carefully managed to wring the best results from potentially modest growth.

Persons: Instacart, –, Einhorn, Matt Einhorn, Mark Mahaney, DoorDash, Nicholas Cauley, Cauley, Covid, Nick Giovanni, Giovanni, EBITDA Organizations: Renaissance Capital, San Francisco, ISI, Walmart, Kroger, Aldi, Omicron, Gross Locations: DoorDash, EBITDA, York

☆ Behind Warren Buffett's $100 billion-plus bet on Apple and the iPhone
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The new iPhone 15 is about to hit the stores, and Apple CEO Tim Cook might have already sent one to his most important investor — Warren Buffett. He bought Apple shares after realizing how devoted people are to its phones, and its unique ability to keep consumers spending within the Apple ecosystem. His return has been well over $100 billion on paper, making Apple Buffett's best investment over the past decade. "Our railroad is a very good business, but it's not remotely as good as Apple's business," Buffett said at the Berkshire shareholder meeting in May . The billionaire investor has called Apple Berkshire's "third-largest business," after its insurance and railroad holdings.

Persons: Tim Cook, — Warren Buffett, Buffett, Ted Weschler, Todd Combs, Ben Graham, Cook, buybacks Buffett, repurchases, Apple's Organizations: Apple, Oracle, New, Wall, CNBC Locations: Berkshire, Omaha

Career civil servants include professional staff across the government who stay on when the presidency changes hands. Portraying federal employees as unaccountable bureaucrats, the Trump team has argued that removing job protections for those who have any influence over policymaking is justified because it is too difficult to fire them. Critics saw the move as a throwback to the corrupt 19th-century patronage system, when all federal jobs were partisan spoils rather than based on merit. Congress ended that system with a series of civil-service laws dating back to the Pendleton Act of 1883. Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, described Schedule F as “the most profound undermining of the civil service in our lifetimes.”

Persons: Trump, —, Critics, Everett Kelley Organizations: Trump, American Federation of Government Employees Locations: Pendleton

☆ Johnson & Johnson is getting rid of its script logo after more than 130 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Johnson & Johnson is signing off on a new logo. The health care giant said Thursday that it will replace the well-known signature script it has used since 1887 with a modern look that reflects its sharpened focus on pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Johnson & Johnson itself narrowed its focus to pharmaceuticals and medical devices. The signature logo was "one of the longest-used company emblems in the world," J&J declared in a 2017 website post. "Because it's easier, it almost even draws your attention to it," said Ries, who wasn't involved in the logo change.

Persons: Johnson, James Wood, Vanessa Broadhurst, J, Laura Ries, Ries, wasn't

Johnson & Johnson is signing off on a new logo. Johnson & Johnson itself narrowed its focus to pharmaceuticals and medical devices. The signature logo was “one of the longest-used company emblems in the world,” J&J declared in a 2017 website post. “Everyone washed their baby with Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo,” she said. New Brunswick, New Jersey-based J&J also will rename its Janssen pharmaceutical segment, changing it to Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine.

Persons: Johnson, James Wood, ”, Vanessa Broadhurst, ” J, J, Laura Ries, Ries, wasn't Organizations: Janssen, Johnson Innovative Medicine, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: New Brunswick , New Jersey

☆ Johnson & Johnson is replacing its iconic logo
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —Johnson & Johnson is replacing its instantly recognizable logo that’s been in use for 135 years. Although it’s a big change, shoppers likely won’t notice it since the cursive logo will still be used on its consumer products, like Band-Aid and Tylenol. Johnson & Johnson recently split into two companies — one focused on medical devices and medications and the other on consumer health products, which operates under a brand called Kenvue. The name Kenvue reflects J&J’s desire for the new consumer company identity to take a backseat to well-known brands. Still, ditching the signature J&J logo marks an end of era since the company once stated that its “one of the longest-used company emblems in the world.” The new logo will roll out over time on J&J’s medical equipment and pharmaceutical products.

Persons: New York CNN — Johnson, Johnson, James Wood Johnson, Kenvue Organizations: New, New York CNN, Unilever, Procter, Gamble Locations: New York

☆ Corporate defaults jump, highest August monthly tally since 2009 - S&P
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The S&P Global logo is displayed on its offices in the financial district in New York City, U.S., December 13, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 13 (Reuters) - The number of new corporate defaults globally reached 16 in August, the highest August monthly number since 2009, S&P said in a report released on Wednesday, the latest sign that corporate stress is building. While defaults tend to slow down during the summer, last month's number was well above the 8.6 average for August seen in previous years. This brought the global corporate default tally to 107, with most of the defaults coming from Europe and the United States. Sector-wise, media and entertainment accounted for one third of defaults in the United States and 25% of the total defaults in August, while the consumer products sector was the most hit in Europe, S&P noted.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Chiara Elisei, Dhara Ranasinghe Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Europe, United States, America

Reuters GraphicsReuters spoke to four shareholders that have launched activist campaigns who said that some big consumer goods companies are ripe for executive changes after failing to impress. Reuters GraphicsMany large consumer goods companies generally hold low levels of debt and are cash generative, said André Medeiros, managing director and Alvarez & Marsal's EMEA consumer and retail leader. 'ADVOCATING FOR MANAGEMENT CHANGE'Gianluca Ferrari, founding partner of investor Clearway Capital, said his firm had some consumer companies on its radar but declined to name them. He did not identify specific executives nor disclose the nature of his work with consumer companies. In October, Reuters reported that Peltz had approached former CEOs of consumer goods companies as candidates for the Unilever top job.

Persons: Danone's, Emmanuel Faber, David Samra, Samra, Alvarez, Marsal, André Medeiros, Nelson Peltz, Artisan's Samra, We're, Peltz, Heinz, Gianluca Ferrari, Ferrari, Clearway, Glanbia, Faber, Bluebell, Nicolas Ceron, Ceron, underperformance, Kraft Heinz, KHC.O, Andrew Hayes, Russell Reynolds, John Long, Korn, Long, Alan Jope departure's, Unilever's, Graeme Pitkethly, Hein Schumacher, Heinz's, Bill Johnson, Nelson, Richa Naidu, Matt Scuffham, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Artisan Partners, Reuters, Danone, Evian, Unilever, Consumer Products, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters Graphics, Marsal's EMEA, Billionaire, Artisan, Cadbury Schweppes, Heinz, Trian, Bluebell Capital, shareholders, Bluebell, Diageo, Russell Reynolds Associates, Thomson Locations: York, H.J, Frankfurt, Western Europe, North America

☆ America is in a factory boom again. Even a recession may not bring it down this time
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

A few days before Biden’s speech in Maine, the Fed approved raising interest rates to their highest level in more than 22 years, continuing an aggressive inflation-busting campaign. Customers are also being pinched with higher interest rates,” a food, beverage and tobacco products manufacturer told the ISM in its August survey. “When we built our first building, interest rates were around 14% or so, and that was in the early ’80s,” she said. “We’ve seen some plans go on hold or on a slower burn until those companies see what happens with interest rates and the economy,” he said. Recession or not, the bull case for US manufacturing has the industry — and Biden — in a good mood.

Persons: Kathie Leonard, Leonard, —, ”, ” Leonard, Joe Biden, “, ’ ” Leonard, Biden, Charles Krupa, Paul Krugman, Goldman Sachs, It’s, Scott Paul, Paul, it’s, Auburn Manufacturing’s Leonard, “ we’ve, Julianna Keeling, Lou Pektor, “ We’ve, Jennifer Harris, bode Organizations: DC CNN, Maine Department of Economic, Community Development, Auburn Manufacturing, CNN, Auburn Manufacturing Inc, AP, Commerce Department, Fed, P Global, Institute for Supply Management, Alliance for American Manufacturing, PMI, ISM, Labor Department, Auburn, Manufacturers, Fed Companies, National Economic Council, National Security Council Locations: Washington, Maine, Portland, Auburn , Maine, United States, Pointe, Lehigh

☆ Disney's wildest ride: Iger, Chapek and the making of an epic succession mess
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +88 min

Iger told Chapek that he lived for those "two-shower days," according to people familiar with the conversation. In January 2020, Iger told Chapek the plan was back on. During his 27 years at the company, Chapek had only attended one annual meeting — as a guest in the audience. Bob Iger, Disney CEO, during a CNBC interview, Feb. 9, 2023. WATCH: Disney CEO Bob Iger's exclusive July 2023 CNBC interviewTake the 'A'During Chapek's tenure as CEO, Disney lost more than a quarter of its market value.

Persons: Elham, Bob Iger, Bob Chapek, Iger, wasn't, Chapek, Michael Eisner, —, who's, he's, Clint Eastwood, Eastwood, Arthur Bochner, Jackie Hart, Kareem Daniel, Chapek —, Eisner, Michael Ovitz, Ovitz, Bob, Disney's, Kevin Mayer, Mayer, Bryan van der Beek, he'd, Tom Staggs, Staggs, Staggs —, Steve Jobs, cajoled Ike Perlmutter, George Lucas, Rupert Murdoch, Iger's, Susan Arnold, Arnold, Peter Rice, David Paul Morris, Rice, CNBC's Julia Boorstin, Mark Parker, Mary Barra, Michael Froman, Willow, Parker, John Donahoe, Roy Disney, Walt Disney, Stanley Gold, David A, CNBC Eisner, Big Bob, Little Bob, Christine McCarthy, Patrick T, He'd, McCarthy, Iger —, Coronavirus, Gavin Newsom, Michael Kovac, curtly, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Ben Smith, Smith, Disney, Randy Shropshire, Agnes Chu, Ricky Strauss, Chu, Strauss, Kevin Feige, Kathleen Kennedy, Who's, Alan Bergman, Bergman, Bob Kyncl, Daniel —, Iger didn't, Daniel rankled, Daniel, Chapek didn't, James Pitaro, Jesse Grant, CNBC Chapek, Jimmy Pitaro, Zenia Mucha, didn't, Mucha, Barbara Walters, Charles Eshelman, Scarlett Johansson, Scarlett Johansson —, Florence Pugh, Natasha, Yelena, " Johansson, Bryan Lourd, Johansson, Lourd, Steven Spielberg, Al Michaels, David Muir, Robin Roberts, Michael Strahan, Spielberg, Geoff Morrell, Alan Braverman, Alan Horn, Jayne Parker, Bochner, Claire Lee, Paul Richardson, Josh D'Amaro, Ron DeSantis, Morrell, Disney Animation —, George Floyd, Reba Saldanha, Reuters Chapek, DeSantis, Nicholas Maldonado, Octavio Jones, Chapek she'd, we're, " Morrell, CNN's Chris Wallace, Kristina Schake, John Skipper, Daniel steamrolled, Latondra Newton, Newton, Charles Krupa, Pitaro, NBCUniversal's Peacock, Dana Walden, Thomas Murphy, Josh Kushner, Privately, Schake, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Michelle Obama's, David Dee Delgado, Kara Swisher, hadn't, Netflix's, overhiring, McCarthy hadn't, Safra Catz, Kareem, DMED, Horacio Gutierrez, Justin Warbrooke, Alexia Quadrani, Bryan Castellani, Michael Buckner, Quadrani, Lindsay Lohan, Winnie, Nelson Peltz, Catz, Donald Trump's, they'd, Walden, Gutierrez, D'Amaro, Rich Polk, Walden he'd, Iger she'd, Mickey Mouse, Mark Rightmire, haven't, Indiana Jones, Halle Bailey, Ariel, Hamilton Faber, Rich Greenfield, Bob Iger's, — Mayer, McCarthy —, doesn't, they'll Organizations: Disney, Marvel, CNBC, Bloomberg, Getty, Walt Disney, Indiana University, Michigan State University, Shanghai Disney, Man, Hong Kong Disneyland, Walt Disney Parks, Resorts, Pixar, Fox, Chapek, Nike, General, Mastercard, Foreign Relations, University of Pennsylvania, Grogan, Disney's, Fallon, ABC, ESPN, ABC News, California Gov, New York Times, Disney confidants, Hollywood, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Walt Disney Television, Walt Disney Studios, Hulu, HBO Max, Walt Disney Company, YouTube, Companies, Netflix, Apple, Disney Media, Entertainment, Stanford, Rights, Junior, petulant, Filmmagic, Brunswick Group, Covid, CAA, onetime Defense Department, Century Fox, Human, Florida Gov, Republican, Disney Animation, Reuters, Human Rights, HRC, Walt Disney World, Employees, American Foundation for Equal Rights, AP, Amazon Prime, Paramount, South Pacific, Capital Cities, Dow Jones, CVS, Kingdom, Variety, Trian Partners, Charter Communications, U.S, Comcast, Charter's, MediaNews, Orange, Allen, Co, Candle Media, Advisors Locations: Burbank , California, Midwestern, Brentwood, Los Angeles, Westlake Village, Iger, Hammond , Indiana, Shanghai, China, Hong, Fox, Willow Bay, Raleigh , North Carolina, Orlando, U.S, Hulu, Iger's Brentwood, coronavirus, Brunswick, Hollywood, Hawaii, Disney's, Marvel's, Anaheim , California, Montana, Florida, Rye , New Hampshire, Chapek, Hong Kong, California, missteps, South, DMED, Burbank, New York, India, Atlantic, Sun Valley , Idaho, America

☆ Apple buying Disney would be a storybook ending for Iger, but fairy tales aren't real
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs became Disney's largest individual shareholder after Disney acquired Pixar, then owned by Jobs, for $7.4 billion in 2006. The deal also gave Jobs a seat on the Disney board and fostered a close friendship between Jobs and Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger. Buying Disney wouldn't even classify as a bet-the-company transaction. Still, it's not clear Apple would have any interest in buying Disney. On one hand, buying Disney would supercharge those fledging businesses, which could help with Apple device churn while growing subscription revenue.

Persons: Will Apple, Steve Jobs, Bob Iger, Iger, Jobs, Steve, Steve —, it's, Apple, Apple hasn't, that's Organizations: Apple, Beats Electronics, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Disney, Pixar, Jobs, ESPN

[1/2] A view shows packets of snacks on the shelves inside a Haldiram's restaurant in Mumbai, India, September 6, 2023. Tata Consumer shares surged and closed nearly 4% higher in Mumbai trade after Reuters reported news of the talks. The potential acquisition represents an exciting opportunity for Tata, the person said, adding: "Tata (Consumer) is seen as a tea company. A spokesperson for Tata Consumer Products said it "does not comment on market speculation". The $10 billion valuation sought by Haldiram's for the deal translates to 6.6 times its annual revenue of $1.5 billion, sources said.

Persons: Sriram, Tata, Mukesh Ambani's, Tetley, Haldiram's, Krishan Kumar Chutani, Bain, Ankur Bisen, Manohar Lal Agrawal, Aditya Kalra, Chris Thomas, Edwina Gibbs, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: REUTERS, India Tata, Tata, Pepsi, Bain Capital, Tata Consumer Products, Starbucks, Tata Consumer, Reuters, Haldiram's, Euromonitor International, Tata Group, CNBC TV18, Bikaji Foods, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, MUMBAI, DELHI, Singapore, United States, Bikaji

☆ These 'dividend aristocrats' are also stock buyback leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

So-called dividend aristocrats are typically defined as companies that have raised their per-share payout every year for at least 25 years. Wolfe strategist Chris Senyek said in a note to clients Wednesday that some of those aristocrats also score highly on another quality indicator — net stock buybacks. "We've found Consistent Buybacks (companies with a net share count decline for at least 10 consecutive years) and Dividend Aristocrats (25 years of consistent dividend growth) to be the top performing cash usage themes over the past 20+ years. And of the 22 analysts who cover the stock, 12 have hold ratings and one has a sell, according to Refinitiv. The Invesco BuyBack Achievers ETF (PKW) , which buys companies that have reduced their share count by more than 5% over the past year, is up about 9.8% year to date.

Persons: Wolfe, Chris Senyek, We've, Senyek, Lowe's, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Wolfe Research, Colgate, Palmolive, Companies Locations: U.S

☆ This income play can yield more than 5%, without a ton of risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Corporate bond yields have been a boon for income investors. For many, investment-grade corporate debt is the sweet spot right now, and still has yields that haven't been seen in years. Investment-grade bonds are rated Baa or above by Moody's or BBB and above by S & P and Fitch. "You could get to 5% to 6% type of yield numbers, without taking much credit risk, without taking much duration risk." "There should be lower spread volatility compared to other [corporate bond] sectors such as high yield, floating rate loans and emerging markets as well," he said.

Persons: haven't, Vishy Tirupattur, Morgan Stanley, Fitch, Tirupattur, Marc Kremer, Franklin, Michael Kessler, I'm, Kessler, He's, Morgan Stanley's Tirupattur, Franklin Templeton's Kremer, Kremer, CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Federal Reserve, UBS, Investment, Franklin Templeton, Franklin Investment Grade Corporate, Albion Financial, Treasury Locations: financials, U.S

☆ Warren Buffett, who turns 93, is at the top of his game as he pushes Berkshire Hathaway to new heights
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Berkshire shares have roared back to an all-time high on record operating profit, making it the biggest non-tech company by market capitalization. Warren Buffett took control of Berkshire Hathaway in 1965, and nearly six decades later as the "Oracle of Omaha" turned 93 Wednesday, his conglomerate is stronger today than it's ever been. Buffett likens the iPhone maker to a consumer products company and has said he is also attracted to its big buyback programs. "It's groundbreaking in the sense that I'm not aware of any prominent investor, hedge manager investing in Japan," Kass said. They touched on every top-of-mind topic for investors from the banking crisis to recession risks and even crypto.

Persons: David Kass, University of Maryland's Robert H, Buffett, Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, Greg Abel, Kass, Capital's Palihapitiya, Charlie Munger Organizations: University of Maryland's, Smith School of Business, Buffett, Berkshire, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Sumitomo Locations: Berkshire, Omaha, Japan

☆ How 'consent farms' turn one click on a website into an open invitation for spammers to blow up your phone with robocalls
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Spam phone calls have been annoying Americans for decades. Most people are on the Do Not Call list, but "consent farms" claim they sell a way around it. Farming consent from unwitting consumersKelly Pinn gets a lot of spam phone calls. Consent farms run rampantThe FTC and other regulators call websites like HealthInstantly.org "consent farms." On one side are affiliate marketers, who get paid to steer traffic to the farms' websites.

Persons: —, you've, Kelly Pinn, she's, Pinn, Ethan Preston, Chad Smanjak, ActiveProspect, Preston, He's, Smanjak, winky, Rob Seaver, Josh Gillon, Giulia Porter Organizations: Service, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, telemarketers, ActiveProspect Inc, LinkedIn, FTC, Smanjak, FCC, Urth, PACE Association, Viceroy Media Solutions, Flatiron Media, C4R Media Locations: Wall, Silicon, Austin, Orange County, Washington, Panama

The lawsuit, filed against Tesla by the passengers and Lee's estate, accuses Tesla of knowing that Autopilot and other safety systems were defective when it sold the car. Autopilot failed to brake, steer or do anything to avoid the collision, according to the lawsuit filed by Banner's wife. Tesla denied liability for both accidents, blamed driver error and said Autopilot is safe when monitored by humans. Tesla said in court documents that drivers must pay attention to the road and keep their hands on the steering wheel. "Elon Musk has acknowledged problems with the Tesla autopilot system not working properly," according to plaintiffs' documents.

Persons: Casey, Elon, Musk, Tesla, Micah Lee’s, Lee, Stephen Banner’s, Banner's, Reuters ’, Matthew Wansley, Bryant Walker Smith, Jonathan Michaels, we're, Christopher Moore, Adam, Nicklas, Gustafsson, Elon Musk, Richard Baverstock, Trey, Lytal, Dan Levine, Hyunjoo Jin, Peter Henderson, Grant McCool Organizations: Tesla, China International Consumer Products, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, Tesla Inc, Reuters, Cardozo School of Law, University of South, Thomson Locations: Haikou, Hainan province, China, California, Los Angeles, Florida, Miami, University of South Carolina, San Francisco

☆ Bob Barker, long-time US TV game show host, dies at age 99
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Bob Barker introduces the "Plinko" game segment during the taping of his final episode of the game show "The Price Is Right" in Los Angeles June 6, 2007. Barker died on Saturday morning of natural causes at his longtime Hollywood Hills, California, home, his publicist Roger Neal said. "No, I'm working," deadpanned Barker, known for his good-natured humor. In the film "Happy Gilmore," Barker played himself in a memorable scene in which he was playing in a golf pro-am tournament with Sandler's character, an excitable failed hockey player turned golfer. Even before his stint on that show wrapped up, Barker began hosting "The Price Is Right" on CBS.

Persons: Bob Barker, Fred Prouser, Barker, Happy Gilmore, Adam Sandler, Roger Neal, bray, deadpanned Barker, Sandler, Chuck Norris, Dorothy, Will Dunham, Paul Grant, Timothy Gardner, Bill Trott, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Hollywood, Sea, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Hartford Courant, Miss USA, Miss Universe, NBC, CBS, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles, Hollywood Hills , California, Sea Shepherd, U.S, Darrington , Washington

☆ No, you're not crazy. Pumpkin spice season is starting earlier this year, despite the ongoing sweltering heat.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Haley Tenore | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Data shows a 2,200% increase in pumpkin spice items for sale. On Wednesday, Starbucks announced that its fall lineup, which includes its famous pumpkin spice latte, will be released on Thursday, August 24. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the pumpkin spice latte's release. Over the past decade, the latest date Starbucks released the fall lineup was in 2015, when the lineup dropped on September 8. Competing coffee chain Dunkin' reintroduced its fall lineup on August 16.

Persons: Dunkin, Krispy, It's, it's, Samuel Adams Organizations: Service, Starbucks Locations: Wall, Silicon, America, Bath

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