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☆ A busier movie calendar will lead to a 15% jump in box office sales, JPMorgan predicts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Slow and steady will win the race at the box office this year, according to JPMorgan analyst David Karnovsky. The first is tied to the depressed state of the box office last year . However, if additional movies are released, here's where there could be upside to his box office forecast. DIS 3M mountain Disney shares have gotten a boost from a proxy battle, but box office gains could be ahead. Paramount's "Top Gun: Maverick" topped the box office charts last year, while NBC Universal had new films in the Jurassic Park and Minions franchises.

☆ In leaked audio, Cheddar bosses address newsroom burnout and outline their goals, but offer no concrete solutions for declining morale and ongoing exits
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Insider obtained leaked audio of an hour-long all-hands meeting at Cheddar News. Leadership also addressed employees' concerns about the state of the company, including under-staffing, burnout, and a recent wave of departures. Three more staffers have either exited Cheddar's newsroom or are imminently on the way out this week, Insider has learned. A spokesperson for Altice USA offered no comment. Are you an insider at Cheddar News or Altice USA?

☆ Google's most cutting-edge moonshot lab is refocusing on actually making money
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Matt Weinberger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

I'm Matt Weinberger, deputy editor of Insider's tech analysis team, filling in for my colleague Diamond Naga Siu for the next few days. It's yet another sign that the tech industry is very different than it was even a year ago. A moonshot in the foot for Google: Insider's Hugh Langley reports that Google's X Development is scaling back from its pioneering, famously envelope-pushing roots as a tech research lab. Instead, it'll focus on initiatives that actually make money for Google and its parent company Alphabet. Read Insider's in-depth review of the newest model of the iPad Pro, released in late 2022.

☆ Everything you need to know about the M&A market for 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

After a long, cold dealmaking season, insiders are hoping to the market begin to thaw this year. So Insider's Carter Johnson spoke to six M&A bankers about what to expect this year. And while it's true sellers could always try and wait out the market, there's no gurantee of when things can get better. Click here to read more about what to keep an eye out for in the M&A market this year. This is what we know about the man some once considered to be a potential successor to CEO James Gorman.

☆ Inside the turmoil at Cheddar News, where an editorial 'identity crisis' and misfired social media strategy divided the newsroom and drove staffers to the exits
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Reed Alexander | Elaine Low | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

16 insiders described unrest and discord partly fueled by the site's revamped social media strategy. Malaspina's plan was for Cheddar to look and feel like a social media platform and to position its stars as influencers. Concerns inside Cheddar intensified when Malaspina, a newcomer to journalism, refocused its coverage on social media content. Multiple segments and even an entire show — "Trending" at 7 p.m. — centered on social media trends and TikTok challenges. It's very troubling to think that news professionals would inflate or distort their social media followings.

☆ No more Newsy: The streaming and broadcast network rebrands as Scripps News under Warren Buffett-backed E.W. Scripps
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Streaming and broadcast news network Newsy is being scrapped and rebranded as Scripps News. Parent company E.W. Bellini is a San Francisco-based reporter for Newsy, the 14-year-old streaming news platform owned by E.W. Scripps News is also absorbing scores of executives from a national desk that fed the company's 61 local stations. Its local stations pulled in $208 million in ad revenue thanks to the midterm elections.

☆ Guide to investing in 2023: This year's weaknesses could turn into next year's strengths
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Many are resigned to the expectation that the Federal Reserve's aggressive tightening campaign will result in a recession sometime in 2023. That means investors should brace themselves for a rough start to 2023 , reports CNBC's Patti Domm . Still, some of 2022's weaknesses could turn into 2023's strengths. To best equip readers for these situations and more, CNBC Pro has talked to top investors , analysts and market strategists . Your guide to emerging market investing in 2023

☆ It's not just tech. Consumer and communications stocks aided in $10 trillion market wipeout
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Scott Schnipper | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Most of the decline came in S & P 500 stocks, which lost a combined $8.2 trillion. Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, Tesla, Meta Platforms and Nvidia lost a combined $4.95 trillion in market capitalization in 2022. Of those seven megacaps, losses ranged from Amazon's plunging market value of $844 billion to Nvidia's decline of $388 billion. Broken down by the S & P 500's 11 major industry groups, information technology's market value slid $3.49 trillion in 2022, trailed by consumer discretionary stocks, dominated by Amazon, Tesla, Home Depot, Nike, Lowe's and Target, at $1.91 trillion. Silverblatt used the S & P U.S. Broad Market Index, consisting of roughly 2,500 stocks, to measure the total market decline of $10 trillion.

☆ Health-care stocks are looking good for 2023 and not just because the sector is a 'safe haven'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Investors looking for cover this year would have done well if they sought a safe haven in large-cap pharmaceutical stocks, a trend that is likely to continue into 2023. The Inflation Reduction Act provided some clarity around drug pricing that should help health-care stocks. The average price target, according to FactSet, is $62, or nearly 40% above the stock's closing price on Tuesday. Gene therapies in focus Investors will be closely watching the progress of several gene therapies, according to Phipps. "Yes, these are expensive therapies," Phipps said.

☆ Few stores closed in 2022. UBS says get ready for that to change in 2023, starting with department stores
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

After a record number of store closures in 2020, retailers have shuttered far fewer doors over the last two years, but that may be about to change, especially for department stores, according to UBS. He also said that he believes the lack of store closures has made it harder for retailers to grow sales. Compares got tougher in 2Q22 as the industry lapped the big store closures. Our view is tough compares remain a reason Department Store sales will remain under pressure in the 1H23." Instead, he said, many store closures that would have occurred in 2021 or 2022 were accelerated by the pandemic.

☆ The surprise lettuce crisis cost Olive Garden's owner as much as $5 million in 3 months
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Olive Garden has lost nearly $5 million in the space of three months, its parent firm's chief financial officer said. At its quarterly analyst call for its fiscal Q2 2023, Darden Restaurants chief financial officer Raj Vennam estimated that issues with lettuce production cost between $4 million to $5 million. Darden has faced mounting costs this year, with Vennam saying costs are up 20% for chicken and dairy year on year. The hit from rising prices for lettuce — a bedrock of Olive Garden's never-ending salad — was a shock. It was, call it, $4 million to $5 million impact in the quarter, that's meaningful," Vennam said.

☆ A lettuce production problem cost Olive Garden owner millions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —High lettuce costs are coming for Olive Garden’s never-ending salad. Olive Garden's parent company said high lettuce costs had a $4-$5 million impact in the quarter ending November 27. But the lettuce prices were “a big surprise.”California crop diseaseCrop disease in California, where much of the country’s lettuce is grown, has hit lettuce supply and forced prices to rise. The crop virus in addition to the geographical shift “was the perfect recipe for really historically high prices,” he said. High lettuce prices are hitting consumers in the grocery store, as well.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Netflix, Lululemon, DocuSign and more
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Check out the companies making the biggest moves midday:Lululemon — Shares of Lululemon fell 12% after the athletic apparel company gave a weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter outlook. Broadcom — Broadcom gained 3.1% after giving an upbeat revenue forecast and reporting better-than-expected quarterly results after the bell Thursday. Netflix — Netflix gained 5% after being named a "best idea" for 2023 by Cowen and being upgraded by Wells Fargo to overweight from equal weight. DocuSign — Shares of DocuSign jumped 16% after the electronic signature company posted upbeat quarterly results. Bath & Body Works — Shares of Bath & Body Works gained rose 2.1% after activist investor Dan Loeb boosted his stake in the retailer.

☆ A strong China open for 'Avatar' lays the ground for a film stock rally, Morgan Stanley says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Chinese audiences appear eager to see Disney's "Avatar: The Way of Water," according to initial ticket sales ahead of the film's Dec. 16 opening. In 2009, China accounted for only $910 million in ticket sales, but 10 years later its box office receipts swelled to $8 billion. Stage set for box office recovery Morgan Stanley's Xu expects China's box office to rebound 50% in 2023, to Rmb51 billion, with the assumption that China's reopening gains momentum in the spring. In China, there is a "rich slate of blockbuster films" ready to come to theaters, Xu said. With this in mind, Xu raised her price targets for IMAX China, Ali Pictures, Wanda Film , Enlight and China Film.

☆ Uber Eats report reveals wild delivery cravings for 2022 – from Choco Taco to celery juice. Here are the wackiest trends and requests.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Uber Eats noted this uber-specific delivery request from a butter fanatic: "Hi there. This is going to sound insane, but would you be so kind and put a disturbing amount of butter on my grilled cheese? Like, you're going to need the Red Cross Emergency Rapid Response team on site and provide me with astronaut diapers — just in case." Double cheddar and tomato jam grilled cheese. Maren Caruso/Laura Werlin

☆ Kroger's stock is a solid bet, with or without the Albertsons' deal, Bernstein says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Analyst Dean Rosenblum said he's bullish on Kroger without the deal, seeing 25% potential upside for the stock from Tuesday's close. Although the grocery market is highly fragmented, Kroger and Albertsons are two of its biggest players. Says 90% chance the deal will close Rosenblum said he has "pretty high-conviction" that the deal will close, based on his research. Once the deal closes, Albertsons shares should be worth about $27, based on the deal price, net a special dividend the company plans to pay as part of the transaction. The bigger picture Beyond the strategic reasons for the Kroger-Albertsons deal, Rosenblum also sees reasons to be optimistic about both grocery and home improvement sectors.

☆ Three pharmaceutical stocks were last week's top performers — and analysts gave one 40% upside
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Global stocks rose last week, tracking U.S. stocks as Wall Street's major indexes closed with weekly gains. The MSCI World index was up about 1% over the week, and all three U.S. indexes also set weekly gains , with the Nasdaq posting the largest increase. Pharmaceutical stocks had a good week, with three — Horizon Therapeutics , Catalent and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals — making big gains. Of all three, Catalent got the highest upside (40%) from analysts — getting a buy rating from 56% of those covering the stock. U.S. media and internet company IAC was one top weekly performer, with the highest upside given by analysts — at 60%.

☆ U.S. Inflation Reduction Act 'super aggressive,' Macron tells lawmakers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron addressed U.S. lawmakers from both political parties on Wednesday and pushed back over new American subsidies that are riling European leaders, according to a participant in a closed-door meeting. In a meeting with U.S. lawmakers at the Library of Congress, Macron said the act was "super aggressive" toward European companies, one participant told Reuters. [1/3] French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris hold a briefing during a visit to NASA headquarters in Washington, U.S., November 30, 2022. France joined the United States and several other nations in ruling out destructive, direct-ascent anti-satellite missile testing after Russia struck one of its own satellites in orbit last year, creating debris and drawing scorn from the United States and its allies. The United States, which last demonstrated such a missile in 2008, first announced its ban on the tests in April.

☆ Thanksgiving leftovers: What to do with all the food
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Casey Barber | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But it’s just as easy to chop up leftover Thanksgiving turkey and sneak it into non-holiday comfort food. Use leftover Thanksgiving turkey to make turkey black bean enchiladas. A lemony Dijon dressing can brighten a grain bowl made with holiday leftovers. Leftover stuffing mixed with eggs and a touch of broth or gravy are all you need to turn Thanksgiving stuffing into a savory next-day breakfast. If that kind of post-holiday meal suits you, make this Thanksgiving leftover pizza and savor the classic flavors on a slice rather than between bread.

☆ These discounted e-commerce stocks could be winners this holiday season. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The National Retail Federation expects holiday sales growth of about 6% to 8% over 2021 — about in line with inflation. Adobe Analytics is predicting U.S. online sales during November and December will grow 2.5% from last year. "The last few years, we actually saw an incredible amount of sales demand momentum, if you will, really early in the season." Her observations, which are based on data from hundreds of clients she works with, echo findings from Adobe Analytics, released Wednesday, that show a slow start to online sales in November. "I think [investors] should expect a continued commitment to sustainable growth and what we mean by that is sort of aggressive, ambitious growth coupled with expanding profitability," he said.

☆ Holiday shoppers aren’t in a rush. What that means for retail stocks
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

If you're a retailer, and it's the holiday season, the thing you most want consumers to feel is a sense of urgency. Unlike last year, holiday shoppers don't need to fear empty shelves at the store. Walmart said it saw more shoppers with incomes above $100,000 ring up items in its stores, drawn in by less expensive groceries. He suggests investors position themselves in discounters like Walmart or Family Dollar or in luxury stocks like RH or Lululemon . She explained that many shoppers perceive Target as a place where "you go in for two items and come out $150 later."

☆ The world is running out of fresh water. How to invest in the companies trying to prevent this crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Many operate in areas like filtration and desalination, testing and analytics or smart water networks that can help use water more efficiently. It also invests in water solutions companies like Danaher even if the share of their revenue from water-related businesses is below the 30% threshold the fund typically requires. Water metering also is important for conservation efforts, and companies in this space include Xylem , Badger Meter and Roper . As a pure-play water company, he expects it to take advantage of several industry trends. In the water quality space, Evoqua Water Technologies is a name RBC likes.

☆ New obesity drugs win support of doctors and insurers, which could lift these pharma names even higher
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

They are also increasingly being prescribed by doctors and covered by insurers – a win for patients and for investors. According to Novo Nordisk , the maker of weight-loss drug Wegovy, about 80% of anti-obesity medications are being covered by health insurers, Meacham said. Novo's semaglutide is branded Wegovy as a weight-loss treatment and Ozempic for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. When combined with lifestyle modifications, patients taking Wegovy can sustain a 15% weight loss , according to late-stage clinical trial data. Eli Lilly has a competing drug, Mounjaro, that uses both GLP-1 and a second incretin, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, or GIP.

The back half of the earnings season gets underway this week, with key companies across different sectors set to report. FactSet data shows that slightly more than 70% of the S & P 500 that have reported earnings have beaten earnings expectations. Tuesday Advanced Micro Devices is set to report earnings after the bell, followed by a conference call at 5 p.m. Wednesday Yum Brands is set to report earnings before the bell, with management holding a call at 8:15 a.m. EBay is set to report earnings after the bell, followed by a call at 5 p.m.

☆ Another day, another recent IPO exits the public market. How to pick who might be next
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The company, which is known for its customer experience tools, went public last November at $14 a share. Its stock stumbled on its opening day and shares never traded above $15.98, a high reached Nov. 17, 2021. With this deal, UserTesting becomes the latest recent IPO to go private. A number of tech companies were on the list as well, including Braze , a company that went public the same day as UserTesting. The UserTesting deal has been approved by the board, but is subject to a "go-shop" period that ends on Dec. 10.

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