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☆ Wyndham board deems Choice Hotels' new offer "a step backwards"
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A screen displays the logo for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc. at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., June 5, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - U.S. budget hotel operator Wyndham Hotels and Resorts (WH.N) said on Tuesday a new letter from Choice Hotels (CHH.N) "represents a step backwards" and the terms outlined are not in the best interests of Wyndham or its shareholders. Choice had made a $7.8 billion cash-and-stock acquisition offer worth $49.50 in cash and 0.324 shares of its common stock for each share of Wyndham. It said it first approached Wyndham in April with an $80 per share offer, which it later bumped up to $85 and then to $90 per share. A potential merger would have married Choice Hotels' brands such as Econo Lodge, Quality Inn and Clarion with Wyndham's Days Inn and Travelodge, offering inflation-hit customers a wide choice of affordable hotels.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Wyndham, Patrick Pacious, Stephen Holmes, Pacious, Kannaki, Shailesh Organizations: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Wyndham Hotels, Resorts, Choice, Wyndham, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Clarion, Bengaluru

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsNov 20 (Reuters) - OpenAI's board of directors approached rival Anthropic's CEO about replacing chief Sam Altman and potentially merging the two AI startups, according to two people briefed on the matter. The news, reported earlier by The Information on Monday, follows various reported calls to find Altman's successor days after OpenAI's board ousted him. OpenAI declined to comment and board member Adam D'Angelo did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On Sunday the board offered ex-Twitch CEO Emmett Shear to be its interim chief, who accepted. By Monday, nearly all of the startup's more than 700 employees threatened to quit, including one of its executives on OpenAI's now four-person board.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, OpenAI's, OpenAI, Adam D'Angelo, Emmett Shear, Altman, Anthropic, Claude, Jeffrey Dastin, Urvi, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Sunday, Microsoft, OpenAI, Google, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, Bengaluru

☆ Broadcom plans to close $69 billion VMWare deal on Wednesday
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] 3D printed clouds and figurines are seen in front of the VMware cloud service logo in this illustration taken February 8, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - Broadcom (AVGO.O) said it planned to close its $69 billion acquisition of cloud computing firm VMWare (VMW.N) on Wednesday, wrapping up one of the biggest takeover deals in the technology industry that was closely scrutinized by regulators globally. Some investors in the companies had feared about the outcome of the deal after reports said last month that rising Sino-U.S. tensions could lead China's regulator to scuttle the deal. Broadcom shares were down more than 1%, while VMware was down 4.6%. The deal was previously expected to close by Nov. 26.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Biden, Bernstein, Zaheer Kachwala, Mary Varghese, Siu, Anil D'Silva, Shounak Organizations: VMware, REUTERS, Broadcom, VMWare, Thomson Locations: China, U.S, Beijing, Washington, Bengaluru, Hong Kong

☆ Best Buy sees steeper decline in annual comparable sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A Best Buy store is seen in Niles, Illinois near Chicago, September 23, 2013. REUTERS/Jim Young/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - Best Buy (BBY.N) said on Tuesday it expects a steeper drop in full-year comparable sales, anticipating shoppers to remain selective in purchases of big-ticket items like electronics and home appliances despite elevated holiday season promotions. The company's shares, down nearly 15% this year, fell 2.4% in premarket trading after a miss on third-quarter revenue estimates. The top U.S. electronics retailer now expects annual comparable sales to decline in the range of 6.0% to 7.5%, compared with its prior range of a 4.5% to 6.0% drop. Total revenue fell to $9.76 billion in the third quarter ended Oct. 28 from about $10.59 billion a year earlier and compared with LSEG estimates of $9.90 billion.

Persons: Jim Young, Corie Barry, Savyata Mishra, Sriraj Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Niles , Illinois, Chicago, Bengaluru

☆ Kohl's misses quarterly sales estimates as customers cut back spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Kohl’s label is seen on a shopping cart in a Kohl’s department store in the Brooklyn borough of New York, U.S., January 25, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - Kohl's on Tuesday posted a bigger than expected drop in quarterly sales, as customers spent less dollars at its department stores amid persistently high inflation. Its comparable sales decreased by 5.5% in the third quarter, compared with analysts' estimate for a 3% fall, according to LSEG data. Inventories were down 13% in the quarter, the third straight quarter of decline. Reporting by Granth Vanaik in Bengaluru; Editing by Milla NissiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Kohl's, Granth, Milla Nissi Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Brooklyn, New York, U.S, Falls , Wisconsin, Bengaluru

☆ Medical device maker Medtronic raises fiscal 2024 profit view
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Medtronic Plc logo is seen displayed in this illustration taken, April 10, 2023. Medtronic joins medical device makers including Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N) and Boston Scientific(BSX.N) that have benefited from soaring demand for non-urgent surgeries. It now expects profit to be between $5.13 per share and $5.19 per share for the fiscal year 2024, above the range of $5.08 per share to $5.16 per share expected previously. On an adjusted basis, the Dublin-based company reported a profit of $1.25 per share for the second quarter, above analysts' average estimate of $1.18 per share, according to LSEG data. Reporting by Khushi Mandowara and Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja DesaiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Medtronic, Khushi Mandowara, Christy Santhosh, Pooja Desai Organizations: REUTERS, Abbott, Abbott Laboratories, Boston, Thomson Locations: Dublin, Bengaluru

☆ Lowe's sees steeper drop in annual comparable sales on weak demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shoppers load a box of merchandise into a truck after visiting a Lowe's hardware store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. November 4, 2020. REUTERS/Mark Makela/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - Lowe's Cos (LOW.N) on Tuesday projected a bigger drop in annual comparable sales than previously expected and trimmed its profit forecast as inflation-hit consumers cut back spending on home-improvement projects, sending its shares down 6%. Lowe's saw a "greater-than-expected pullback in DIY discretionary spending, particularly in bigger ticket categories" in the third quarter, CEO Marvin Ellison said. The company reported a 7.4% drop in same-store sales for the three months ended Nov. 3, compared with analysts' average estimate of a 5% drop, according to LSEG IBES data. Lowe's now expects full-year comparable sales to decline 5%, compared with its prior outlook for a 2% to 4% drop.

Persons: Mark Makela, Cos, Lowe's, Marvin Ellison, Deborah Sophia, Anil D'Silva Organizations: REUTERS, Home, Thomson Locations: Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, U.S, Lowe's, Placer.ai, Bengaluru

☆ Las Vegas hospitality unions ratify 5-year contract with Caesars
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Caesars Palace Las Vegas Hotel and Casino is seen on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. February 26, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 20 (Reuters) - Unions representing hospitality workers in Las Vegas said on Monday that thousands of members employed at Caesars Entertainment (CZR.O) have voted to ratify a new five-year contract. loadingThe Culinary Workers and Bartenders Unions had earlier this month reached a tentative deal with Caesars for a "historic" new contract for 10,000 employees. The unions had also reached agreements with Wynn Resorts (WYNN.O) and MGM Resorts International (MGM.N), the ratification votes for which are due in the next few days. The casinos reached the agreement with the unions just in time before the strike on Nov. 10, which had threatened to shut down the Las Vegas Strip.

Persons: Darrin Zammit Lupi, Baranjot Kaur, Nivedita Bhattacharjee Organizations: Las, REUTERS, Caesars Entertainment, Culinary Workers, Bartenders, Caesars, Wynn Resorts, MGM Resorts International, Thomson Locations: Las Vegas , Nevada, U.S, Las Vegas, Bengaluru

The deal to acquire investment firm Carlyle's (CG.O) 28% holding in the burger chain's China business, which also includes its stores in Hong Kong and Macau, will see McDonald's stake rise to 48%. Since 2017, the number of McDonald's stores in China has doubled to 5,500 and the country has become its second-largest market. McDonald's made an unsolicited offer for Carlyle's stake in the China operations in recent weeks and the deal was struck quickly, said the sources. Reuters reported in August that Trustar Capital was planning to raise a continuation fund that would allow the Chinese private equity firm to sell down its stake in McDonald's China. In contrast to McDonald's, U.S. meat and processed food maker Tyson Foods (TSN.N) plans to sell its China poultry business, sources have said.

Persons: Benoit Tessier, Chris Kempczinski, McDonald's, Carlyle, Trustar, Jim Sanderson, Reckitt, Kane Wu, Granth, Deborah Sophia, Roxanne Liu, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: REUTERS, HK, CITIC, Trustar, Northcoast Research, Reuters, Tyson Foods, Primavera Capital, Thomson Locations: Bretigny, Paris, France, China, Hong Kong, Macau, CITIC, U.S, McDonald's China, British, Bengaluru, Beijing

☆ Blackstone to close multi-strategy fund after assets drop nearly 90% - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Signage is seen outside the Blackstone Group headquarters in New York City, U.S., January 18, 2023. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - Blackstone (BX.N) plans to close a fund that exposes investors to a variety of hedge funds and trading strategies after assets fell almost 90% in four years, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. The US.-based asset manager told investors that Blackstone Diversified Multi-Strategy fund will close at the end of the year, the newspaper reported, citing Blackstone. The fund reported a 2% decline in returns from the beginning of 2020 until the end of last month, the report said, quoting investor documents. We are in talks with clients to move their capital to newer strategies that offer greater flexibility than the current structure allows," FT quoted Blackstone as saying.

Persons: Blackstone, Anirudh, Dhanya Ann Thoppil Organizations: Blackstone Group, REUTERS, Blackstone, Financial Times, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Bank Indonesia to maintain key rate at 6.00% until at least mid-2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Susobhan Sarkar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Bank Indonesia (BI) will leave its key policy rate unchanged at 6.00% on Thursday and likely keep it at that level until at least mid-2024, according to a Reuters poll of economists in which a few respondents still expected another rate hike. "Bank Indonesia is likely to keep rates unchanged this month. In a Nov. 14-20 Reuters poll, a strong majority of economists, 27 of 31, expected Indonesia's central bank to keep its benchmark key interest rate (IDCBRR=ECI) unchanged at 6.00% on Thursday. While 12 of 28 put the key rate at 6.00% at the end of June, five had a 6.25% forecast and three had 6.50%. "Our base case is for the first BI rate cut in Q3 2024 ...

Persons: Radhika Rao, Brian Lee Shun Rong, Susobhan Sarkar, Veronica Khongwir, Milounee Purohit, Paul Simao Organizations: Bank Indonesia, Bank, greenback, U.S . Federal, U.S ., DBS, Reuters, Maybank, Thomson Locations: BENGALURU, Asia's, Bank Indonesia

☆ India cancels bid process to hire valuer for IDBI Bank sale
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of IDBI Bank is seen on the facade of its headquarters in Mumbai, India, April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Niharika Kulkarni/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - The Indian government has cancelled the bidding process to hire an asset valuer for its planned IDBI Bank (IDBI.NS) share sale, according to a statement. The government will invite fresh bids to select a valuer for its stake in the lender, said a statement from the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management on Tuesday. India is looking to offload its 30.48% stake in IDBI Bank, while Life Insurance Corp (LIC) (LIFI.NS) of India will sell a 30.24% shareholding. Presently, the Indian government and LIC collectively own about 95% of IDBI Bank.

Persons: Niharika Kulkarni, LIC, Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Nikunj Ohri, Matthew Lewis Organizations: IDBI, REUTERS, Bank, Department of Investment, Public Asset Management, Life Insurance, IDBI Bank, Thomson Locations: Mumbai, India, IDBI Bank, New Delhi, Bengaluru

☆ Morgan Stanley's Andy Saperstein diagnosed with cancer - memo
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Andy Saperstein, Co-Head of Wealth Management at Morgan Stanley, speaks during the Reuters Global Wealth Management Summit in New York City, New York, U.S., June 13, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - Morgan Stanley co-President Andy Saperstein has been diagnosed with cancer, he wrote in an internal memo seen by Reuters on Tuesday. In the email to staff, Saperstein said the news have been a shock. Saperstein, co-president that heads wealth and investment management, was considered to succeed CEO James Gorman earlier this year. Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andy Saperstein, Morgan Stanley, Brendan McDermid, Saperstein, James Gorman, Niket, Devika Organizations: Wealth Management, Reuters Global Wealth Management, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New York City , New York, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Gold rises on dollar weakness as focus turns to Fed minutes
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Brijesh Patel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The dollar languished near more than a 2-1/2-month low as investors expect U.S. interest rates to fall next year. A weaker dollar makes gold less expensive for other currency holders. Signs of slowing inflation in the United States has boosted expectations that the U.S. central bank was done raising interest rates. Lower interest rates decrease the opportunity cost of holding gold. Inflation is likely to remain "stubborn" and force the Fed to keep interest rates elevated for longer than investors anticipate, Richmond Fed president Thomas Barkin said.

Persons: Alexander Manzyuk, Edward Meir, CME's, Jerome Powell, It's, Meir, Thomas Barkin, Brijesh Patel, Sherry Jacob, Phillips Organizations: REUTERS, Treasury, Federal, Benchmark, Richmond Fed, Thomson Locations: Novosibirsk, Siberian, Russia, U.S, United States, Bengaluru

☆ OpenAI board, Altman in talks for return of former CEO - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 16, 2023. Talks are happening between Altman and at least one board member, Quora CEO Adam D'Angelo, the report said. Altman could return as a director on a transitional board and the talks also involve some investors of the artificial intelligence startup. But things appeared fluid, as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told media on Monday "irrespective of where Sam is, he's working with Microsoft" and that governance at OpenAI needed to change. Other than Quora's D'Angelo, OpenAI's four-person board consisted of Tasha McCauley, Helen Toner and OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever as of Friday.

Persons: Sam Altman, Carlos Barria, Altman, Adam D'Angelo, Greg Brockman, Satya Nadella, Sam, Brockman, Nadella, Emmett Shear, Quora's D'Angelo, OpenAI's, Tasha McCauley, Helen Toner, Ilya Sutskever, Akash Sriram, Chavi Mehta, Devika Syamnath, Arun Koyyur Organizations: OpenAI, Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, Microsoft, Bloomberg, CNBC, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Asia, San Francisco , California, U.S, OpenAI, Bengaluru

[1/2] Executives of Norwegian company Adevinta celebrate the firm’s first day of trading at the Oslo stock exchange, Norway April 10, 2019. The consortium, which include funds General Atlantic and TCV, have offered to pay Adevinta shareholders 115 crowns per share. The deal for Adevinta comes at a difficult time for dealmaking in Europe. It is part of a trend of transactions where private equity firms have weighed buying back public companies they previously owned or still own stakes in. Shareholders can receive cash, or a mix of cash and new shares in the emerging private entity.

Persons: Nerijus, Adevinta, Stefan Dziarski, Dipan Patel, Permira, Shivani Tanna, David Goodman, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Adevinta, REUTERS, Permira, Blackstone, eBay, Adevinta ASA, Atlantic, dealmaking, Thomson Locations: Oslo, Norway, Europe, Adevinta, Bengaluru

☆ Dest must be 'accountable', US coach says after red against Trinidad
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dest, 23, assisted Antonee Robinson's opening goal before being sent off in the 39th minute. Trinidad levelled minutes later, with Alvin Jones giving them the lead in the 57th minute. Berhalter said he does not want this situation to become a "witch hunt" and that Dest had apologised to the team. He's going to learn, he's going to grow. "It's something I have to learn from and it won't happen again!," Dest said.

Persons: Sergiño Dest, Andre Raymond, Scott Wachter, Gregg Berhalter, Sergino, Antonee Robinson's, Alvin Jones, that's, Berhalter, it's, Dest, he's, Instagram, Pearl Josephine Nazare, Robert Birsel Organizations: Men's National, Concacaf Quarterfinal, Q2, CONCACAF Nations League, America, Thomson Locations: Austin , Texas, USA, Trinidad, Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago, U.S, Austin, Trinidad . Dest, Bengaluru

SYDNEY, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Australasian pharmaceutical distributor EBOS Group (EBO.NZ) has shelved a A$3.75 billion ($2.4 billion) deal to buy Australian vet chain Greencross, sending its shares down 7% during early trade on Wednesday. EBOS was due to pay A$3.75 billion to acquire Greencross, and was set to raise about A$2 billion as early as Wednesday, said one of the sources who could not be named discussing confidential information. The capital raising and associated buyout was put on hold because of weaker than expected demand from EBOS investors, the second source said. TPG and Greencross did not immediately respond to a request for comment. U.S. private equity TPG bought Greencross in 2019 and delisted it from the ASX in a deal worth A$669 million.

Persons: EBOS, Greencross, Scott Murdoch, Marguerita Choy, Stephen Coates Organizations: SYDNEY, EBOS, TPG Capital, TPG, Greencross, City Farmers, Liontown Resources, Thomson Locations: Australia, New Zealand, Albemarle, Sydney, Bengaluru

☆ Eutelsat OneWeb gets Indian go-ahead for satellite broadband services
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Eutelsat (ETL.PA) subsidiary Eutelsat OneWeb said on Tuesday it had won approval from India's space regulator to launch commercial satellite broadband services in the country. Prime Minister Modi's government, which is heading for elections next year, is pushing the development of India's space industry. Investors poured $119 million into Indian space startups in 2022, up from a total of just $38 million in all the years up to 2017. In March, OneWeb partnered with Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to launch 36 satellites. Amazon's Project Kuiper (AMZN.O) has also been in talks with regulators to offer satellite broadband services in India, the Economic Times newspaper reported last month.

Persons: Eutelsat OneWeb, Modi's, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Eutelsat, Mittal's, Mittal, OneWeb, Elon Musk's Starlink, Nivedita, Kanjyik Ghosh, Alexander Smith Organizations: Mittal's Bharti Enterprises, Airtel, Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO, Reuters, Ambani's, Economic Times, Thomson Locations: BENGALURU, India, Bengaluru

☆ Australia's AI firm Appen mulls selling part or whole of business
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 21 (Reuters) - Australia's AI firm Appen (APX.AX) said Tuesday it is mulling the sale of a part or whole of its business. Appen, which was one of the world's largest AI training providers, has implemented a raft of cost-saving initiatives and has seen its executive team being entirely replaced over the last two years. The company on Tuesday announced an equity raise of A$30-million ($19.52 million), aimed at boosting its working capital. It also announced an additional $14 million of cost reduction, boosting its cost-saving initiatives this year to $60 million. ($1 = 1.5366 Australian dollars)Reporting by Nausheen Thusoo in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank DhaniwalaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Nausheen, Mrigank Organizations: Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Indians are spending big on travel, but most of that money isn't leaving the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The world famous Gateway of India monument in Mumbai, India was built during the 20th century to commemorate the visit of king George V and Queen Mary. India's travel landscape is changing as the country emerges as a powerhouse in the tourism sector. Their willingness to spend big while traveling is going, but research shows that most Indians are traveling domestically — not overseas. Indian travelers took 1.7 billion leisure trips in 2022 but most never left the country, and only about 1% traveled abroad, according to Booking.com and McKinsey. Here are the top 10 spots for Indians traveling within their own country, according to Booking.com and McKinsey.

Persons: George V, Queen Mary, McKinsey Organizations: McKinsey, McKinsey Mumbai, CNBC Locations: India, Mumbai, McKinsey ., Delhi Bengaluru Mumbai Chennai Pune Hyderabad, Jaipur Kochi Kolkata, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi

☆ Jeff Bezos expected to sell more Amazon shares worth $1 billion - CNBC
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos speaks during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, November 2, 2021. Paul Ellis/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - Amazon.com (AMZN.O) founder Jeff Bezos is expected to offload more of his stake in the company on Tuesday after selling shares worth about $240 million last week, CNBC reported, citing a source. Bezos may sell as many as 8 million to 10 million shares, amounting to more than $1 billion, the report said. A representative for Bezos did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment and neither did Amazon, whose shares were trading 2.5% lower on Tuesday. After stepping down as Amazon's CEO, Bezos has been liquidating his shares in the e-commerce behemoth to fund his space venture Blue Origin.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Paul Ellis, Bezos, Blue, Zaheer Kachwala, Devika Organizations: Amazon, Change, CNBC, Thomson Locations: Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, Miami, Seattle, Canaveral, Bengaluru

☆ Best Buy flags weakening consumer demand heading into holiday shopping season
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Savyata Mishra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Jim Young/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - Top U.S. electronics retailer Best Buy (BBY.N) on Tuesday forecast a bigger decline in annual comparable sales and pointed to "difficult to predict" consumer demand, days ahead of Black Friday that signals the start of the holiday shopping season. "In the more recent macro environment, consumer demand has been even more uneven and difficult to predict," CEO Corie Barry said in a statement. Retailers from Lowe's (LOW.N) to Walmart (WMT.N) have warned of cautious consumer spending as the holiday shopping season gets underway. U.S. holiday sales this year are expected to grow at a slower pace, according to data from the National Retail Federation. Best Buy's third-quarter revenue fell 8.2% to $9 billion in the U.S. as demand fell again across appliances, home theater, computing and mobile phones, signaling that higher discounts failed to entice shoppers.

Persons: Jim Young, Corie Barry, Steven Zaccone, Savyata Mishra, Sriraj Organizations: REUTERS, Lowe's, Walmart, National Retail Federation, Citi, Thomson Locations: Niles , Illinois, Chicago, U.S, comparables, Bengaluru

Money market traders are betting September's hike was the last, with almost 90 basis points of rate cuts priced by the end of 2024. European shares underperforming their U.S. counterparts was a common expectation amongst the survey's European respondents as the robust American economy looks more likely to achieve a 'soft landing' than Europe. European shares are much cheaper than those in the U.S., possibly reflecting the worse economic outlook. The STOXX Europe 600 trades at over 12 times 12-month forward earnings, a 35.6% discount to the S&P 500 (.SPX). "Still, as the broader economic slowdown takes hold of the continent's markets, we expect to see a rather challenging second half of 2024."

Persons: Chris Beauchamp, Thomas Monteiro, Germany's DAX, Fiona Cincotta, Cincotta, Investing.com's Monteiro, Monteiro, Samuel Indyk, Danilo Masoni, Pranoy Krishna, Rahul Trivedi, Sarupya Ganguly, Jason Neely Organizations: IG, European Central Bank, ECB, Investing.com, FTSE, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: Europe, Germany, riskier, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ S&P 500 to see small gain in 2024 as US economic risks rise - Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Caroline Valetkevitch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The S&P 500 is up about 18% for 2023 to date. WFII sees the S&P 500 ending next year between 4,600 and 4,800. Geopolitical problems are among other risks to the market heading into 2024, strategists said, with investors closely watching the war between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza. Overall S&P 500 earnings growth for 2023 is estimated at 2.3% after a weak first half of the year, according to LSEG data. The S&P 500 index's forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio is now at 19.1, up from 17 at the end of 2022 and its long-term average of about 16, based on LSEG data.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Paul Christopher, WFII, CME's, Goldman, Tim Ghriskey, Ingalls & Snyder, Dow, Caroline Valetkevitch, Chuck Mikolajczak, Sinead Carew, Stephen Culp, Pranoy Krishna, Rahul Trivedi, Sarupya Ganguly, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Reuters, Wall, Federal, Wells, Wells Fargo Investment Institute, U.S, Ingalls &, Dow, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Wells Fargo, Israel, Gaza, New York, Monday's, Bengaluru

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