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Gautam Adani, India’s second-richest person, has been charged by U.S. federal prosecutors with fraud on accusations that he and several alleged co-conspirators sought to pay $250 million in alleged bribes to Indian officials. The defendants then “lied about the bribery scheme as they sought to raise capital from U.S. and international investors.”The scheme, according to prosecutors, occurred between 2020 and 2024. Gautam Adani, worth approximately $70 billion according to Forbes, heads the Adani Group, an industrial conglomerate that holds stakes in logistics and energy units. The findings from the short-seller, Hindenburg Research, caused Adani Group shares to tumble — but they ended up recovering following a favorable ruling related to the allegations by India’s Supreme Court. Adani has also received direct support from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, something India’s opposition party has highlighted.

Persons: Gautam Adani, India’s, Attorney Breon Peace, “, Adani’s, Sagar, Forbes, Adani, Narendra Modi, ” Hindenburg, ” Organizations: Attorney’s, “, Attorney, Securities, Exchange Commission, Group, Adani, SEC, Green Energy Ltd, Hindenburg, Adani Group, India’s, Indian Locations: U.S, Brooklyn, United States

Big retailers’ fortunes are diverging as the holiday shopping season gets underway. On Wednesday, Target cited “lingering softness in discretionary categories” as a top factor in its disappointing third-quarter sales, as many budget-conscious shoppers continue to focus on necessities. It’s the latest sign that discounts will be the driving force this holiday season, as they’ve been for much of this year. “We’re starting to get back to normal here.”U.S. retail sales rose 0.4% overall in October, federal data showed last month, beating analysts’ forecasts. In the meantime, the steady expansion of e-commerce looks set to continue this holiday season.

Persons: ”, Brad Thomas, they’ve, TJ Maxx, John David Rainey, “ We’re, “ They’re, they’re, ” Thomas, Matthew Shay, TransUnion, Neil Saunders, Saunders, Helene, Milton, who’ve, ” Saunders Organizations: Target, Walmart, KeyBanc, Marshalls, CNBC, “, National Retail Federation, GlobalData, NBC

Target reported earnings Wednesday that came in far below Wall Street's expectations, something the big-box retailer attributed to slower-than-expected demand. The company announced profits that missed forecasts by 20%, its widest miss in two years. Broader stock trading did not immediately react, however, as Wall Street awaits earnings from chipmaker Nvidia, which has helped power the market higher throughout the year. Target's report comes a day after rival Walmart reported earnings and revenues that beat expectations. “We’re expecting this holiday period to be very consistent with that,” Walmart Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey told CNBC.

Persons: Brian Cornell, Michael Fiddelke, “ We’re, John David Rainey, “ They’re Organizations: Target, Nvidia, Walmart, CNBC

But one thing is missing from the storied British carmaker Jaguar's new rebrand: cars. In a press release accompanying its rebrand, Jaguar's chief creative officer, Sir Gerry McGovern, explained the thinking behind the rollout. Jaguar sold fewer than 67,000 cars in the entire world last year, approximately half the number it sold in the fiscal year incorporating the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. In response to other X users asking why the ad didn’t feature any cars, Jaguar’s X account responded, “The story is unfolding. That ethos is seen in our new brand identity today and will be further revealed over the coming months.

Persons: Bud Light's, Lulu Cheng Meservey, grads, Sir Gerry McGovern, Adrian Mardell, ”, Rawdon Glober Organizations: Rostra, Jaguar, Art, Rover, Tata Motors Locations: U.S, Art Basel, India

Instagram users will soon be able to manually reset the recommendation algorithm that determines what they see in their feeds. “We want to make sure everyone on Instagram — especially teens — has safe, positive, age-appropriate experiences and feels the time they’re spending on Instagram is valuable,” the company said. A mock-up from Meta showing a new feature that allows people to reset their content recommendations. This summer, Instagram announced it would automatically put teens into separate private accounts with increased controls and restrictions. Instagram users can already partially control their recommendation algorithm through a widget that allows them to market content as “interested” or “not interested.” In February, said it had stopped recommending political content altogether.

Persons: Instagram, —, “, personalize, ” Instagram, Meta, ” Organizations: Facebook, Meta

The U.S. auto safety regulator has opened two new probes into potential defects related to Ford vehicles. ODI said it had received three complaints about the retractors in model year 2019-2020 Ford Expeditions. "The complaints allege hearing a loud sound immediately followed by the seat belt rapidly tightening," the release states. ODI says Ford already issued a recall related to this issue, but that the Expeditions, as well as potential issues affecting model year 2018-2019 Lincoln Navigator vehicles, were not included in it. A spokesman for Ford said in an email the company was working with NHTSA to support its investigations.

Persons: Ford, America's, Jim Farley Organizations: U.S, Ford, Traffic Safety Administration, Ford Broncos, Ford Mavericks, Ford Expeditions, Lincoln, NHTSA

Attorneys for X Corp., the firm established by Elon Musk to take over Twitter, filed a notice of appearance on Thursday in the bankruptcy case of Alex Jones and his Infowars platform. The new owners of satirical news site The Onion had been declared the successful bidders for Jones’ controversial platform, alongside families of the Sandy Hook massacre victims. Musk has allowed Infowars to broadcast on X while Infowars’ fate is in limbo. Jones has used Infowars as a platform to promote conspiracy theories, far-right ideologies and misinformation. Jones’ bankruptcy stems from his obligation to pay $1.5 billion in damages to families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims, who filed defamation lawsuits over his false claims that the massacre was a hoax.

Persons: Elon Musk, Alex Jones, Jones, Sandy, ”, Christopher M, Lopez, Mother Jones, Donald Trump, Musk, Ben Collins —, ” Collins, Infowars Organizations: X Corp, Elon, Twitter, Bloomberg, Sandy Hook Elementary, NBC Locations: Texas

Jake Paul unanimously defeated Mike Tyson Friday night in Arlington, Texas, after fighting a marquee bout on Netflix. “Yeah, definitely a bit,” Paul said during the post-fight press conference after being asked if he went easy on Tyson. “I wanted to give the fans a show, but I didn’t want to hurt someone that didn’t need to be hurt.”Mike Tyson and Jake Paul in Arlington, Texas, Nov. 15, 2024. Originally slated for this summer, the clash was postponed in May after Tyson suffered a medical setback. "I don’t care what people have to say," Paul said after the event.

Persons: Jake Paul, Mike Tyson, ” Paul, “, Timothy A, Clary, Tyson, hadn't, someone’s, Paul, Tyson's Organizations: Netflix, Getty, Paul’s, Texas Locations: Arlington , Texas, AFP, Brooklyn

Ford Motor Company has agreed to pay $165 million, the second-largest auto penalty ever issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, to settle charges it failed to comply with federal recall requirements. “The total civil penalty amount of $165 million is second only to the Takata airbag consent order in the agency’s 54-year history,” the NHTSA said in a statement. The Ford penalty stems from a multi-year investigation into the automaker's handling of defective rollover safety cameras on a number of its models, including its popular F-150 trucks and Explorer SUVs. In a statement, Ford said it disagreed with NHTSA's findings but that it was pleased to administratively settle the dispute with the regulator. Power's "initial quality" report earlier this year as a sign the company is making progress on addressing those issues.

Persons: Ford, Sophie Shulman, ” Ford, Jim Farley, Farley Organizations: Ford Motor Company, National, Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, Ford, Barclays Locations: J.D

For Brandon Mintz, it was the text messages and calls that started rolling in from friends and colleagues asking how high bitcoin prices could go. Strategic reserve could set off 'bitcoin space race'Under this idea, the U.S. would establish a “strategic bitcoin reserve,” like the ones it already maintains for gold and oil. A day later, Trump echoed the strategic reserve idea, though did not put a specific figure on it. On Nov. 6, Lummis posted on X in all-caps, “WE ARE GOING TO BUILD A STRATEGIC BITCOIN RESERVE,” alongside two American flags. For crypto supporters, a strategic bitcoin reserve would send a signal to markets and countries alike about the digital token’s value.

Persons: Brandon Mintz, Lee Bratcher, Donald Trump’s, Bratcher, ”, Trump’s, ’, Mintz, ” Mintz, they’ve, ‘, Ric Edelman, ” Edelman, JP Richardson, Trump, Nicholas Percoco, ” Percoco, —, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Human Services —, Sen, Cynthia Lummis, Lummis, David Bailey, Michael Terpin, “, ” Terpin, He’s Organizations: American Blockchain, Republican, Texas Blockchain, NBC News, FBI, Trump, Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Edelman Financial Services, Liberty, Strategic, Bitcoin Conference, Department of Health, Human Services, Social Security, BTC Inc, Bitcoin Locations: Texas, Dallas, Bitcoin, bitcoin, U.S, Nashville

☆ Inside Microsoft's struggles with Copilot
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +23 min

In September 2023, Microsoft's famously soft-spoken CEO, Satya Nadella, unveiled the company's flagship AI product, Copilot, with sweeping fanfare. Some of Microsoft's own employees and executives are privately concerned that Copilot won't be able to deliver on its ambitions. Copilot's struggles have created an opening for Microsoft's rivals, some of whom have seized on the opportunity to promote their own agendas. "Now, when Joe Blow logs into an account and kicks off Copilot, they can see everything," said one Microsoft employee familiar with customer complaints. As complaints and questions over Copilot mount, so does the pressure to justify Microsoft's unprecedented level of spending on AI.

Persons: Microsoft's, Satya Nadella, Gartner, Copilot, it'll, Copilot's, Marc Benioff, Benioff, Goldman Sachs, Marc Andreessen, Andreessen Horowitz, Ethan Miller, Jared Spataro, Spataro, —, Joe Blow, Joe, Nadella, Gary Marcus, Marcus, Wile, Coyote, Brontë, Judson Althoff, Jason Zander, Zander, We've, OpenAI, Tasos Katopodis, Steve Jobs Organizations: Microsoft, Venture, Getty, Goldman, BI, Fortune, Excel, Lumen Technologies, Honeywell, Gartner, Wall Street, Initiative, Department of Homeland Security, Employees, San Francisco, Software, Apple, Jobs Locations: Microsoft's, Copilot, New York City

Price growth ticked higher in October as voters began casting ballots in a presidential election in which economic concerns played a big role. The consumer price index climbed to 2.6% last month since the same time last year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. Stock futures turned higher, while traders bid up the price of government bonds. All-important shelter costs rose 0.4% from September to October, accounting for over half the monthly gains, the BLS said. Over the past four years, consumer prices have cumulatively increased about 20%, with the costs of many other goods and services rising even faster.

Persons: That's, Joe Biden’s, ” Kathy Jones, Charles Schwab, ”, Donald Trump, Trump, Jerome Powell Organizations: of Labor Statistics, BLS, Charles, Charles Schwab Center, Financial Research, ” Voters, White House, Trump, Investors, Adobe, National Retail Federation, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Citi Locations: —

The price of bitcoin hit an all-time high this weekend, a rally that started shortly after Donald Trump was declared the winner of the 2024 election. From March to November, the price has been mostly confined to a range of $50,000 to $70,000. Trump's election has been heralded by some as a positive sign for the prices of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Investors may also be responding to fears of inflation resurfacing under Trump, after months of price increases settling in at a more subdued pace. Robinhood, the app-based trading platform that allows for crypto trades, was also set to hit an all-time high.

Persons: Donald Trump, That's, bitcoin, Trump, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, Noelle Acheson, Robinhood Organizations: Securities and Exchange, Trump Locations: U.S, Coinbase

Many Americans have been holding back from jumping into the housing market in the hopes that mortgage rates will decline. The average 30-year mortgage rate has been above 6% for two years — and is likely to stay above that level for the foreseeable future, experts say. “Sixes are the new normal,” said Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist at Bright MLS, a mortgage listing services group, referring to 6% mortgage rates. It’s really not going to be impacting mortgage rates at all.”Mortgage rates work differently. When demand for those increases, mortgage rates tend to fall.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, ”, Lisa Sturtevant, Brian Rehling, Trump, Mike Fratantoni, ” Fratantoni, Helene, ” Samuel Tombs, Tombs, Sturtevant, “ It’s Organizations: Federal, Bright MLS, Federal Reserve, Wells, Investment Institute, ”, U.S, Mortgage, Association, “, National Association of Realtors, Pantheon, NBC

Tesla returned to the $1 trillion club Friday, after its stock surged in the days following Donald Trump's presidential election victory. The new valuation also increases Tesla CEO Elon Musk's net worth to some $300 billion, according to Forbes — increasing his net worth as the world's richest person by more than $30 billion. Through his rocket company SpaceX, Musk has been the beneficiary of billions in government contracts over the past decade. Tesla's 13-figure valuation puts it among the ranks of Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Google-parent Alphabet, Amazon and Facebook-parent Meta. Tesla previously hit $1 trillion in 2021.

Persons: Tesla, Donald Trump's, Elon, Forbes —, Musk, Trump Organizations: Forbes, Trump, SpaceX, Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Facebook

Fed Chair Jay Powell said Thursday that he would not resign if president-elect Donald Trump asked him to. Asked whether he would step down amid chatter that Trump's advisors had suggested he do so, Powell replied, "No." Trump himself nominated Powell as Federal Reserve chairman in 2017 in his first administration. Powell made the comments during his regularly scheduled remarks following the release of the Federal Open Market Committee's latest statement on interest rate policy. Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Persons: Jay Powell, Donald Trump, Powell, Trump, readying, ” Trump, Scott Bessent, Kevin Warsh Organizations: Federal, Trump, Bloomberg, Chicago Economic, Reuters, CNN, NBC News, CNBC

Trump and the GOP have denied the tariffs would be inflationary, pointing to Trump’s success in imposing tariffs in his first term without reigniting inflation. Yet those tariffs, at $300 billion on selected Chinese goods, were much more targeted than the $3 trillion worth of blanket tariffs Trump is now expected to propose. And the inflationary environment is different now, too: During Trump’s first term, inflation only briefly ever climbed above 2%. It was Trump who appointed Powell to lead the Federal Reserve in his first term. But Trump has signaled a willingness this year to abandon the long-running principle of maintaining the Fed as an independent body.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Trump’s, Trump, ’ Anna Kelly, David Seif, Jerome Powell, Powell, ” Trump, ” Seif, Seif Organizations: Federal, Wall, Federal Reserve, Nomura Holdings, Trump, GOP, Republican National Committee, Nomura, Fed, Bloomberg, Chicago Economic, Reuters Locations: China

Leading the way was Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG), the company that owns the Truth Social media platform. Shares of Tesla, the electric automaker owned by Elon Musk, also saw a sizable gain — up 12%. Finally, the price of bitcoin saw an increase of 6.5%, briefly touching an all-time-high of more than $75,000. Trump served as keynote speaker at this year's annual Bitcoin conference in Nashville. Trump has generally pledged to extend or enact major tax cuts while loosening regulations, something that the business community is set to embrace.

Persons: Donald Trump —, Trump, Elon Musk, Musk, Kamala Harris, Isaac Boltansky Organizations: Trump Media, Technology, Social, TMTG, Tesla, Elon, Democratic, Trump Locations: Nashville

Major stock indexes soared Wednesday morning in the wake of Donald Trump's decisive victory in Tuesday's presidential election. The last time the Dow, which represents larger, more established firms, saw a 1,000-point jump in a single day was November 2022. NBC News is projecting that Trump will finish with 276 Electoral College votes in his defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent. Trump has promised to extend or enact sweeping tax cuts and deregulatory policies that are widely supported across the business community. That represents market pushback on one of Trump's key policy planks: A weaker dollar that would support U.S. exports.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Kamala Harris, Trump, David Bahnsen, Wells, Russell, Isaac Boltansky, Boltansky Organizations: Nasdaq, Dow Jones Industrial, Dow, NBC, Trump, Electoral, Democratic, Senate, Bahnsen, JPMorgan, Bank of America, U.S Locations: Wells Fargo, BTIG, U.S

Bernie Marcus, the co-founder of Home Depot who became a billionaire philanthropist and GOP donor, has died at the age of 95. "The entire Home Depot family is deeply saddened by the death of our co-founder Bernie Marcus," the company said. Born to Russian-Jewish immigrants in 1929, Marcus grew up in Newark, New Jersey, according to a biography shared by Home Depot. According to Forbes, Marcus had a net worth of about $11 billion at the time of his death. A longtime booster of Atlanta civic projects, Marcus donated $250 million to help build the Georgia Aquarium, among the largest in the world.

Persons: Bernie Marcus, Bernie, He’s, Marcus ’, Marcus, Arthur Blank, Ken Langone, Forbes, Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Trump Organizations: Home Depot, CNN, Rutgers University, Atlanta Falcons, NASDAQ, Georgia Aquarium, Florida Gov, Wisconsin Gov Locations: Russian, Newark , New Jersey, Atlanta, Florida, United States

After leaving the workforce during the pandemic because she couldn’t find affordable child care, Longenecker said her family has been economizing. But her husband recently got a new job that pays more per hour and with lower health care costs. Her husband’s side gig has been “flourishing,” giving them steady monthly income and a glimpse of a future beyond waiting tables. Her monthly retirement income of around $7,600 is comfortable, but homeowners insurance, utilities and long-term care costs are weighing on her. Keys said Harris has put forth clearer economic policies, like her plan to offer first-time homebuyers $25,000 in downpayment assistance.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Harris, Stefanie Longenecker, Longenecker, she’s, I’m, they’re, ”, ” Longenecker, Stefany Serna, He’s, “ We’ve, ” Serna, Serna, “, Serna isn’t, Lucy Haverfield, ” Haverfield, Hurricane Milton, Helene, Milton, Trump, “ I’m, Nancy Breland, hasn’t, Breland, “ I’ve, Otis Keys, ” Keys, Keys, Becky Melvin, Trump’s “, multibillionaire Tesla, Elon Musk, —, Melvin Organizations: NBC, Biden, Pa ., Trump, YouTube, ” Times, Social, Social Security, UPS, Teamsters Locations: Palmyra, Pa, Palmyra , Pennsylvania, China, Coral Gables , Florida, Alva , Florida, Hurricane, Florida, Alva, Fla, Canada, Georgia, Dallas, Jacksonville, America, Jacksonville , Florida

Expect a “noisy” jobs report Friday that will be heavily affected by storms and a labor strike, economists say. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is forecast to report that the U.S. economy gained 110,000 jobs in October, with the unemployment rate unchanged at 4.1%. “Unfortunately, it won’t be easy to interpret the October jobs report,” Chris Waller, a member of the Fed’s Board of Governors, said earlier this month. At 4.1%, the unemployment rate is still historically low, while the rate of inflation has effectively returned to the Fed’s 2% annual target. “Without an increase in hiring, even moderate levels of job losses will likely cause the unemployment rate to pick up.”

Persons: ” Chris Waller, Helene, Milton, Jason Redmond, ”, Julia Pollak, Pollak, Biden Organizations: Labor Statistics, Boeing, Fed’s, of Governors, International Association of Machinists, Aerospace Workers, Getty, ZipRecruiter, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S . Department of Labor, Citi Locations: U.S, Tuesday’s, Seattle, AFP

“We have to reduce spending to live within our means,” Musk said. That gives Musk’s frankness about reductions — and his track record of making large, painful cuts at his own companies — added weight. The Trump campaign didn’t immediately comment but has previously said that the GOP agenda wouldn’t cause short-term economic hardship. There’s some skepticism on Wall Street that a new Trump administration could implement spending cuts on the scale Musk has proposed. “They’re both indicating they intend to maintain substantial deficits and elevated government spending, certainly compared with the strength of the economy,” Elliott said.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Elon Musk, ” Musk, Trump, Musk, “, ”, didn’t, Kamala’s, Geoff Orazem, Bob Elliott, ” Elliott, Steve Sosnick Organizations: Republican, GOP, SpaceX, Trump, Social Security, Trump’s, CNBC, FedScout, Funds, Interactive Locations: U.S, Trump, “

Despite a difficult quarter, McDonald’s looks resilient in the face of various pressures, analysts say — something the company shares with U.S. consumers overall. “The spotlight is always on McDonald’s because it’s so big” and something of a “bellwether,” she said. That spurred former President Donald Trump to sling fries this month at a Philadelphia-area McDonald’s in a photo op. Like many major brands, McDonald’s raked in big profits as the economy reopened from the pandemic. “The thing that McDonald’s had struggled with, and why I think we’re seeing kind of an inflection point, is a value proposition,” Senatore said.

Persons: McDonald’s, Mickey D’s, Chris Kempczinski, Kempczinski, Gordon Haskett, ” Kempczinski, Ravi Dhar, ”, Sara Senatore, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Mickey D’s ’, Senatore, they’d, —, Eric Thayer, ” Senatore, Sam Oches, Oches, ‘, “, Jim Salera, Stephens, Jack Kleinhenz, hasn’t, “ They’re, ” Oches Organizations: U.S, Yale University’s Center, Bank of America, Bloomberg, Getty, Coca, Walmart, Target, Walgreens, JetBlue, Democratic, National Retail, JPMorgan Locations: U.S, Philadelphia, Connecticut, Amazon

Target has joined other big-box retailers in rolling out Thanksgiving meals that it says will cost less than previous years' offerings. Among the bigger cost savings are turkey at $0.79 a pound, 20% lower than last year, Target said. Last week, Target said it will have lowered prices on some 10,000 items in 2024 amid slowing inflation. Walmart said its "inflation-free Thanksgiving meal" features 29 items serving eight people for less than $7 per person — a lower price point than last year's offering, it said. Aldi, the grocery giant, said its 10-person Thanksgiving meal, at less than $47, is priced below what a similar meal would have cost in 2019.

Persons: Target Organizations: Walmart, Aldi Locations: Minneapolis

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