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☆ Block shares jump on better-than-expected first-quarter results
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Earnings per share: 85 cents adjusted vs. 72 cents adjusted that was expected85 cents adjusted vs. 72 cents adjusted that was expected Revenue: $5.97 billion vs. $5.82 billion expectedBlock posted $2.09 billion in gross profit, up 22% from a year ago. Analysts tend to focus on gross profit as a more accurate measurement of the company's core transactional businesses. The Cash App business, which is the company's popular mobile payment platform, reported $1.26 billion in gross profit, a 25% year-over-year jump. Bitcoin, said bitcoin will ultimately help Block "serve more people around the world faster." He added that going forward, Block will be investing 10% of its gross profit from bitcoin products into purchases of bitcoin for investment.

Persons: Block, Jack Dorsey, Afterpay, Dorsey, Amrita Ahuja, Bitcoin, bitcoin Organizations: Twitter, CNBC

☆ Jack Dorsey’s payments company, Block, is building its own bitcoin mining system
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Jack Dorsey says that his payments company, Block (formerly Square), is expanding its bitcoin mining ambitions from designing chips to developing a full bitcoin mining system. "Building on these insights and pursuant to our goal of supporting mining decentralization, we plan to offer both a standalone mining chip as well as a full mining system of our own design." "Mining isn't accessible to everyone," Dorsey wrote when Block first entered the business of building mining hardware in 2021. "Bitcoin mining should be as easy as plugging a rig into a power source. The company was light on the details in this latest announcement, but Dorsey posted in 2021 that the company was considering a "bitcoin mining system based on custom silicon."

Persons: Jack Dorsey, We've, Dorsey, Block, Thomas Templeton Organizations: Mining Locations: China, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia

☆ Who are OpenAI's new board members as Sam Altman returns?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attends the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 16, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria Acquire Licensing RightsNov 22 (Reuters) - ChatGPT-maker OpenAI on Tuesday said it reached an agreement for Sam Altman to return as CEO days after his ouster, and also agreed in principle to partly reconstitute the board of directors that had dismissed him. Bret Taylor, formerly co-CEO of Salesforce and Larry Summers, former U.S. Treasury Secretary, along with Quora CEO and current director Adam D'Angelo will be part of the board, OpenAI said. Here's what we know about them:* Taylor, 43, is an American computer programmer and entrepreneur, who is also a board member at Shopify (SHOP.TO). Taylor will chair the OpenAI board* Summers, 68, is an American economist who has served as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from 1999 to 2001* A professor at Charles W Eliot University, Summers is also President Emeritus at Harvard* Summers is also on the board of Jack Dorsey's Block Inc (SQ.N) and Skillsoft Corp (SKIL.N)* D'Angelo, 39, is an American internet entrepreneur, best known as founder of California-based social question-and-answer website and online knowledge market Quora* A Computer Science graduate, D'Angelo was previously CTO of Facebook for nearly two years till June 2008(Sources: TechCrunch, Reuters reporting and LinkedIn)Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Nivedita BhattacharjeeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sam Altman, Carlos Barria, OpenAI, Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, Adam D'Angelo, Taylor, Charles, Summers, Jack Dorsey's, D'Angelo, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, U.S . Treasury, Quora, Treasury, Charles W Eliot University, Harvard, Skillsoft Corp, Science, Facebook, Thomson Locations: Asia, San Francisco , California, U.S, American, Shopify, California, Bengaluru

U.S. oversight of Big Tech financial services is fragmented. The CFPB rule would toughen up supervision, requiring Big Tech to comply with its rules on privacy protections, executives' conduct and unfair and deceptive practices. Without regulatory scrutiny, they could leverage their growing dominance of consumer payments to capture other services like lending and card issuing, analysts said. 'LEG UP'Representatives for Big Tech have accused the CFPB of trying to protect traditional lenders. While Big Tech companies have deep pockets and plenty of resources to handle the new scrutiny, the rule could limit how they use and protect consumer data.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Rohit Chopra, Todd Phillips, Dodd, Frank, It's, Paige Pidano Paridon, Chopra, John Coleman, Hannah Lang, Stephen Nellis, Michelle Price, Richard Chang Organizations: Apple, REUTERS, Wall, Big Tech, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Google, Georgia State University, PayPal, Federal, McKinsey, Bank, BPI, Banks, Representatives, Big, Herrington, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington

☆ Cramer's lightning round: Archer Aviation is 'way too speculative for me'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | In Kevinstankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon SolarEdge's year-to-date stock performance. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Arbor Realty's year-to-date stock performance. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Liberty Media's year-to-date stock performance. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Square-parent Block's year-to-date stock performance. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Becton Dickinson's year-to-date stock performance.

Persons: Archer Aviation's, I've, Arbor, We're, Philip Morris International's, Philip Morris, Becton, Becton Dickinson Organizations: Archer Aviation, SolarEdge Technologies, Arbor Realty Trust, Liberty, Philip Morris International

☆ Courts force people to download Covenant Eyes, the porn blocker used by Mike Johnson. Even the app's CEO says they shouldn't.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Katherine Long | Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Rep. Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House, uses an anti-porn app called Covenant Eyes. Johnson lauded Covenant Eyes at a Christian convention last year, according to a clip of the event shared on social media. That's despite the fact that Covenant Eyes shouldn't be used in a legal setting, its CEO Ron DeHaas told Insider. AdvertisementAdvertisementOn Apple devices, Covenant Eyes isn't allowed to take random screenshots of anything except the user's activity in Safari or the Covenant Eyes app itself because , according to the terms of service listed in Apple's App Store. He also declined to share how Covenant Eyes trained its AI algorithm, saying that was also "proprietary."

Persons: Mike Johnson, —, Johnson, That's, Ron DeHaas, DeHaas, Josh Duggar, he'd, Sarah McDonald, Yotam Ophir, Ophir, Michael Holm, Holm didn't, Insider's, Holm Organizations: Service, Apple, Wired, Penn View Bible Institute, Roman Catholic Archdiocese, University of Buffalo, Christian Locations: Eastern Washington, Ohio, Tennessee, Indiana, Colorado, Washington, Montana, Pennsylvania, New Orleans

☆ Block shares soar as Street lauds strong 2024 forecast, buyback plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Block Inc logo is seen displayed in this illustration taken, April 10, 2023. If premarket gains hold, the company could add nearly $5 billion to its market value, based on the stock's last trading price of $51.85, according to Reuters calculations. It took some analysts by surprise as it alluded to an increased focus on keeping expenses under control. The company would create an "absolute cap on the number of people we have...held firm at 12,000 people" until gains in the business outpaced headcount growth, CEO Jack Dorsey said. Block's initial plan to repurchase $1 billion worth of shares also raised investor spirits, as Dorsey said the buybacks would offset some dilution from share-based compensation to employees.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Block, Jack Dorsey, tsin Huang, Dorsey, Niket, Shinjini Organizations: REUTERS, PayPal Holdings, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Block Inc's Square enters Canadian pot market with Jane Technologies as partner
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Sourasis Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo for Square, Inc. is seen on the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., August 3, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly Acquire Licensing RightsSept 20 (Reuters) - Square, a unit of fintech company Block Inc (SQ.N), said on Wednesday it would enter the Canadian cannabis market through a partnership with e-commerce platform Jane Technologies. Those who sign-up with Square for payments systems in physical stores would also be able to use Jane's platform for selling their products online, the companies said. Jane had entered Canada by partnering pot firm High Tide (HITI.V) in 2021. Rosenfeld said when regulations would allow for it, Jane is prepared to move this partnership beyond Canadian borders.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, —, Jack Dorsey, Jane, Roshan Jhunja, Socrates Rosenfeld, Rosenfeld, Sourasis Bose, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: Inc, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Block Inc, Jane Technologies, Twitter, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S, Ontario, Canada, Bengaluru

(Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures inched higher on Tuesday ahead of a Federal Reserve monetary policy meeting and as investors awaited grocery delivery app Instacart’s Nasdaq debut to assess a potential recovery in the IPO market. FILE PHOTO: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., August 29, 2023. Arm Holdings last week had a stellar market debut, raising hopes of a bounce back in the initial public offering (IPO) market. Investors will closely monitor the Fed’s quarterly report on economic projections to gauge participating members’ longer-term policy outlook. While most of the key data releases on inflation are out, investors will keep an eye on U.S. housing data for August, due at 8:30 a.m.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, ”, Matthew Morgan, Alyssa Henry Organizations: Reuters, Federal, Nasdaq, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Inc, Arm Holdings, Fed, Jupiter Asset, Traders, Dow e, Block, CVS Health Corp, ISI, Intel Locations: New York City, U.S, “

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urged allied defense leaders Tuesday to “dig deep" and provide more air defense systems for Ukraine, to help the country block increasing barrages of Russian missiles. “Air defense is saving lives,” Austin said as he opened the meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein air base in Germany. “So I urge this group to continue to dig deep on ground-based air defense for Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian leaders have repeatedly pushed for the longer-distance weapons. The Ramstein meeting also marks Milley's final session as U.S. joint chiefs chairman.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, ” Austin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Bill Blair, Austin, Joe Biden, Kevin McCarthy, “, —, Mark Milley, Milley, Rob Bauer Organizations: RAMSTEIN AIR, —, Ukraine Defense Contact, Ramstein, enrage, The Army Tactical Missile, Abrams, U.S . Defense, Washington , D.C, Republican, Nations, ” Military, Joint Chiefs of Staff, NATO Locations: Germany, Ukraine, U.S, enrage Moscow, Europe, Washington ,, Netherlands, Ramstein

☆ CEO of Block's Square business Alyssa Henry to leave company
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Sept 18 (Reuters) - The CEO of Square, a unit of fintech company Block Inc (SQ.N), will leave the company, according to a regulatory filing on Monday. Alyssa Henry will leave the company on Oct. 2. Reporting by Pritam Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak DasguptaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alyssa Henry, Pritam Biswas, Shounak Dasgupta Organizations: Block Inc, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Panera Bread slashes dozens of popular menu items, including kids meals, from certain stores as the chain tries to simplify operations
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Panera Bread, which plans to go public, has axed dozens of menu items in select stores. Items on the chopping block include expensive menu items like the steak and white cheddar sandwich. Panera Bread said the move is a test to simplify operations. Panera Bread said the simplified menu is a test. The citrus Asian crunch salad with chicken, priced at $14.69, has also been removed from test stores.

Persons: Bread, Panera Bread Organizations: Service, Deloitte Locations: Wall, Silicon, Orange , California

☆ Dorsey-led Block raises 2023 earnings outlook after Q2 beats estimates
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Nupur Anand | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The company reported net revenue of $5.53 billion in the three months ended June, compared with $4.4 billion a year ago, beating Refinitiv estimates. The fintech, which offers merchant payment services and an app that lets people trade cryptocurrency, said gross profit in the quarter rose 27% to come in at $1.87 billion. It also revised its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization outlook for 2023 to $1.5 billion up from an earlier forecast of $1.3 billion. Cash App, the company’s mainstay online payments service, increased gross profit by 37% to $968 million, while its Square business reported gross profit of $888 million, up 18% from last year. On an adjusted basis, Block earned 39 cents in the second-quarter, beating analysts' estimates of 36 cents, according to Refinitiv IBES data.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Jack Dorsey, Dorsey, Block, Nupur Anand, Jonathan Oatis, Susan Heavey, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: New York

☆ Dorsey-led Block reports rise in second-quarter revenue
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Block Inc logo is seen displayed in this illustration taken, April 10, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationNEW YORK, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Block Inc (SQ.N) reported a rise in second-quarter revenue on Thursday as payment volumes at the fintech giant led by Jack Dorsey held up against a tough economic backdrop. The company reported net revenue of $5.53 billion in the three months ended June, compared with $4.4 billion a year ago. Reporting by Nupur Anand in New York; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Jack Dorsey, Nupur Anand, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: New York

☆ Tingo hires law firm to conduct independent review after Hindenburg's claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 8 (Reuters) - Tingo Group said on Thursday it had hired law firm White & Case LLP to conduct an independent review after short-seller Hindenburg Research earlier this week alleged that the fintech firm had "fabricated" its financials. The company, which has refuted the allegations of misrepresentation and tax delinquency outlined in the report, said it will make no further comment until the review was complete. "Prior to today's appointment of White & Case LLP, the Company had commenced its own review to confirm, among other things, the number of farmers on Tingo Mobile and the Nwassa platform, the relationships with its contracted cooperatives, the relationship with the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, and the Company's cash balances," Tingo said. The company is Hindenburg's fourth target this year, after Indian conglomerate Adani Group, Jack Dorsey-led Block Inc (SQ.N) and Carl Icahn's flagship Icahn Enterprises (IEP.O). Reporting by Mehnaz Yasmin in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini GanguliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dozy Mmobuosi's, Tingo, Jack Dorsey, Carl Icahn's, Mehnaz Yasmin, Shinjini Organizations: Tingo, White, Hindenburg, Case, Company, Tingo Mobile, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Adani Group, Inc, Icahn Enterprises, Thomson Locations: The New Jersey, Africa, Southeast Asia, Nigeria, Bengaluru

☆ Fintech Tingo's shares slump as short-seller Hindenburg takes aim
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 6 (Reuters) - Tingo Group (TIO.O) shares halved in value on Tuesday after short-seller Hindenburg Research criticized its founder and alleged that the fintech firm had "fabricated" its financials. Hindenburg also said Tingo was an "exceptionally obvious scam" and called out founder Dozy Mmobuosi's claims of having developed "the first mobile payment app in Nigeria". The New Jersey-based holding company, whose shares shed more than 59% to $1.04, operates in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Shares of IEP have erased a fifth of their value after Hindenburg accused the company of overvaluing its holdings and relying on a "Ponzi-like" structure to pay dividends. Conglomerate Adani's market value took a $100 billion hit after the short-seller accused it of improper use of offshore tax havens.

Persons: Hindenburg, Tingo, Dozy Mmobuosi's, Dozy Mmobuosi, Jack Dorsey, Carl Icahn's, Mehnaz Yasmin, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Tingo, Hindenburg Research, Reuters, Adani Group, Inc, Icahn Enterprises, Thomson Locations: Nigeria, New Jersey, Africa, Southeast Asia, Bengaluru

☆ Australia to regulate buy-now-pay-later sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, May 22 (Reuters) - The Australian government said on Monday it would introduce laws that will consider buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) services as a credit product in a bid to protect consumers in a largely unregulated industry. "Best way to do that is to legislate, to regulate as a credit product, so that we can manage some of the risks." But concerns about repayment have been rising as Australia battles high inflation, which now sits at near 30-year highs. Australia, home to about a dozen listed BNPL providers, has about 7 million active accounts that resulted in A$16 billion ($10.9 billion) of transactions in 2021-22, up 37%, data showed. ($1 = 1.4743 Australian dollars)Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Once known as Square, Block agreed in March 2021 to pay $306 million for an 87.5% stake in Tidal. The pension fund also said Dorsey, a co-founder of Block and Twitter, was Block's only top executive who supported the purchase, and bought Tidal because he and Jay-Z were friends. But in concluding that Block directors did not breach their fiduciary duties, McCormick said she could not "presume bad faith based on the merits of the deal alone." Jay-Z, the rapper and music mogul whose real name is Shawn Carter, joined San Francisco-based Block's board after the Tidal purchase and remains a director. The Delaware case was a derivative lawsuit that sought to have Block's directors or their insurers pay damages to the company for shareholders' benefit.

[1/2] Block Inc logo is seen displayed in this illustration taken, April 10, 2023. Shares of Block, formerly called Square, rose more than 4% in extended trading on Thursday. Prior to market close, its stock was down more than 10% from the beginning of this year. Block has denied the allegations and has said it would explore legal action against the short seller. Short sellers like Hindenburg typically sell borrowed securities and aim to buy these back at a lower price.

May 3 (Reuters) - Carl Icahn's empire took another hit on Wednesday when his holding company's shares plunged further in the aftermath of a critical report from short seller Hindenburg Research, bringing the valuation drop since the short seller attacked it to more than $6 billion. IEP shares hit an intraday low of $31.78 - their lowest in more than a decade. The company is now worth $11.5 billion, 35% less than its value on Monday before Hindenburg published its report. The Hindenburg report has wiped $7.5 billion off Icahn's fortune, leaving him with a net worth of $10.8 billion, according to Forbes. “There is a karmic quality to this short report that reinforces the notion of a circle of life and death," he tweeted on Tuesday.

☆ Icahn's investment firm sinks further, down 40% since Hindenburg attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 3 (Reuters) - Shares of activist investor Carl Icahn's investment firm lost nearly a fifth of their value on Wednesday, adding to a 20% decline a day earlier following short seller Hindenburg Research's scathing attack on the company. Icahn Enterprises LP's (IEP.O) shares hit an intraday low of $31.78 - their lowest in more than a decade. Hindenburg accused the company of over-valuing its holdings and relying on a "Ponzi-like" structure to pay dividends. But Hindenburg has taken on several high-profile targets in recent months, including India's Adani Group and Jack Dorsey-led Block Inc (SQ.N). Since its release on Tuesday, the report has wiped $7.5 billion off Icahn's fortune, leaving him with a net worth of $10.8 billion, according to Forbes.

☆ Block investors may seek clarity on Cash App after Hindenburg report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Manya Saini | Thomson Reuters | Manya Saini Reports On Prominent Publicly Listed U.S. Financial Firms Including Wall Street S Biggest Banks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

May 3 (Reuters) - Jack Dorsey-led Block Inc's (SQ.N) first-quarter results will likely see investors zoom in on the payments firm's Cash App business following U.S. short-seller Hindenburg Research's allegations including inflated user count. Morgan Stanley analysts in April said that some bearish investors remain uncertain about the amount of gross profit that is generated by "potential illicit activity" on the Cash App platform. "Eventually, bears suspect a meaningful amount of gross profit might come under pressure if regulators crack down on Cash App, and also think this makes it hard to accept that Cash App can be a legitimate, trusted bank in the long-term," they added. Block has touted Cash App as an alternative to traditional banking services. Cash App reported 51 million monthly active customers as of Dec. 31, of which 44 million were verified.

☆ Icahn's investment firm sinks further, down 35% since Hindenburg attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Niket Nishant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 3 (Reuters) - Shares of activist investor Carl Icahn's investment firm lost nearly a fifth of their value on Wednesday, adding to a 20% decline a day earlier following short seller Hindenburg Research's scathing attack on the company. Icahn Enterprises LP's (IEP.O) shares hit an intraday low of $31.78 - their lowest in more than a decade. The stock has lost nearly 35% since the release of the report. Icahn owned about 85% of the investment firm, as of Feb. 22 this year. Since its release on Tuesday, the Hindenburg report has wiped $7.5 billion off Icahn's fortune, leaving him with a net worth of $10.8 billion, according to Forbes.

☆ Hindenburg takes on billionaire Icahn with latest short position
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 2 (Reuters) - Hindenburg Research said on Tuesday it has a short position in activist investor Carl Icahn-controlled energy-to-pharma conglomerate Icahn Enterprises (IEP.O), making it the latest in a string of recent high-profile targets of the U.S. short seller. Icahn Enterprises did not immediately respond to a request for comment and Reuters could not independently verify the claims the short-seller has made in its report. Hindenburg also claimed Icahn was operating a "ponzi-like economic structure," selling its units to new investors to support its dividend payouts. Based in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, Icahn Enterprises is one of the most successful activist investment firms and the chief investment vehicle of Icahn, who is known for his face-offs with several high-profile firms. As of last close, shares were down marginally this year, giving Icahn Enterprises a valuation of roughly $18 billion.

In a report published on Tuesday, Hindenburg accused IEP of overvaluing its holdings and relying on a "Ponzi-like" structure to pay dividends. The subsequent plunge in IEP shares wiped $2.9 billion off Icahn's net worth, leaving him with an estimated $14.7 billion, according to Forbes. NAV is a key gauge of a fund's performance, measuring the market value of securities held by the fund. Driving the frothiness in IEP's stock, Hindenburg argued, is its dividend yield of 15.8%, the highest of any U.S. large cap company by far. Hindenburg also offered examples it said showed IEP itself was valuing its holdings way above their market value.

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