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☆ U.S. abortion rights groups and law firms launch legal defense network
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Gabriella Borter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 22 (Reuters) - Major abortion rights organizations and private law firms have teamed up to provide legal counsel to patients and providers navigating the complicated patchwork of U.S. abortion laws, the groups said on Wednesday. The Supreme Court's June 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a nearly 50-year-old precedent that established federal abortion rights, has resulted in a dozen states banning abortion almost entirely. The group's launch comes a day after 20 Democratic governors announced they had formed an alliance to protect abortion rights and access within their states. Abortion rights supporters have been largely dissatisfied with the Democratic-led administration's response to the elimination of abortion access in large swaths of the country. Abortion providers and those supporting abortion patients can seek counsel through the network, while patients will be referred to a helpline already run by If/When/How, one of the network's advocacy partners.

Hidalgo, just outside Mexico City, is hundreds of miles from the border yet land and labor costs are lower. The United States and Canada have formally entered a trade dispute over Mexico's energy policy. It remains unclear exactly what Tesla's investment in Mexico will look like and what the company plans to produce in the country. Yet Mexico's capacity for a nearshoring boom has been held back by Lopez Obrador, particularly his energy policies, analysts said. Reporting by Diego Ore and Daina Beth Solomonin Mexico City Additional reporting by Kylie Madry in Mexico City Editing by Stephen Eisenhammer and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bird flu alarm drives world towards once-shunned vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Sybille De La Hamaide | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

"That's why every country in the world is worried about bird flu," French agriculture minister Marc Fesneau said. But the fear of trade restrictions remains centre stage for countries reluctant to vaccinate poultry against bird flu. Bird flu can also mutate rapidly and reduce the efficacy of vaccines while programmes are costly and time consuming, as shots often need to be administered individually. Ceva said it was using the mRNA technology used in some COVID shots for the first time in poultry vaccines. The global market for bird flu vaccines would be about 800 million to 1 billion doses per year, excluding China, said Sylvain Comte, corporate marketing director for poultry at Ceva.

The Federal Reserve's latest meeting minutes will be a key focal point for investors in the week ahead, as they seek clarity on the central bank's interest rate hiking path. Fed meeting minutes For Wall Street, there will be greater emphasis next week on the minutes from the Fed's latest meeting, which are set to be released Wednesday. Following some recent comments from central bank officials suggesting greater rate hikes ahead, investors will parse the meeting minutes for further signs of hawkishness. ET: Fed minutes 5:30 p.m. ET: Kansas City Fed Manufacturing Index (February) Earnings: Alibaba , Beyond Meat , Block , Booking Holdings , Warner Bros Discovery Friday 8:30 a.m.

☆ January CPI accelerates, but trend easing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Data for December was revised higher to show the CPI gaining 0.1% instead of the 0.1% fall as previously reported. “It's not going to necessarily influence the Federal Reserve one way or another. "You have a little bit of a negative reaction because these numbers are not going to take the pressure off the Federal Reserve. "The real issue is what is the Federal Reserve going to do, it's pretty widely expected that they're going to raise rates both at their March meeting as well as their May meeting. "There's not much there for the Federal Reserve to give them some sort of a justification for taking their foot off the brake and reducing interest rates."

☆ Bob Iger's Disney revamp could keep critic Peltz 'at bay'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 9 (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) CEO Bob Iger dazzled Wall Street on Wednesday with sweeping changes and billions of dollars in cost cuts, and some analysts are convinced that will be enough to sway its harshest critic - activist investor Nelson Peltz. Under the restructuring, Disney is cutting 7,000 jobs and reorganizing into three divisions - an entertainment unit encompassing film, television and streaming, a sports-focused ESPN unit and one with Disney parks, experiences and products. "Iger's early steps seem likely to keep Peltz at bay, which the company dearly wants. Peltz could have an opening if Disney slips up," said Barton Crockett, analyst at Rosenblatt Securities. "We are pleased that Disney is listening," a Trian spokesperson said.

☆ Wall Street falls on rate hike worries
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Johann M Cherian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Money market participants are now betting the U.S. central bank's benchmark rate to rise above 5% in May before peaking to 5.18% by July, levels that officials have backed vociferously. Of all the S&P 500 companies that have reported quarterly earnings, 69% of them have beaten expectations, according to Refinitiv. Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N) rose 0.7% on upbeat earnings expectations for the year. Declining issues outnumbered advancers for a 1.86-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and a 2.05-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P index recorded eight new 52-week highs and two new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 56 new highs and 18 new lows.

☆ Retail investors flock to small-cap AI firms as Big Tech battles for share
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Medha Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 7 (Reuters) - Retail investors are piling into small-cap firms that employ artificial intelligence amid intensifying competition between tech titans Google parent Alphabet and Microsoft to secure leadership in the next big driver of growth. The $3-billion AI software firm C3.ai was the fifth most actively traded on Fidelity's platform for small investors on Monday, while drawing record daily retail inflows worth $31.4 million, as per Vanda Research. "Small-cap firms have AI as a much larger part of their business than the larger ones," said Matthew Tuttle, chief executive officer of Tuttle Capital Management on the reason behind retail investors' focus on the smaller firms. SoundHound AI (SOUN.O), which offers a voice AI platform services, and Thailand's security firm Guardforce AI (GFAI.O) have more than doubled so far this year, while analytics firm BigBear.ai gained nine-fold in value. Google-owner Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) on Monday said it would launch a chatbot service Bard and more artificial intelligence for its search engine as well as developers.

[1/2] A street sign for Wall Street is seen outside the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, New York, U.S., July 19, 2021. Money market participants see the Fed's terminal rate to settle above 5% by May followed by rate cuts in September. More than 69% of the S&P 500 firms have reported results above expectations, according to Refinitiv. Overall, analysts still expect quarterly earnings of S&P 500 firms declining 2.8%. All of the 11 major S&P 500 indexes were in the red with the real-estate sector (.SPLRCR) slumping 1.5%.

☆ Earnings and Fed Chair Powell will again drive markets in the week ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Patti Domm | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

With few economic releases and the earnings season starting to wind down, an appearance by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell Tuesday could be among the newsiest events for markets in the week ahead. The Fed chair is speaking at the Economic Club of Washington D.C. at midday Tuesday. If he wanted to walk back anything, he could have done it then," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley. Economists said Friday's surprisingly strong jobs report should encourage the Fed to push forward with planned rate hikes. Earnings, earnings, earnings But there continues to be earnings news.

☆ As stocks surge, some chart signals have been looking better despite lingering risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Patti Domm | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell triggered a surge in stocks when he spoke Wednesday , taking the S & P 500 into a new range. Redler expects a near term peak for the S & P 500 could be around 4,200-4,220. The S & P 500 and Nasdaq were both higher Thursday, as the 10-year Treasury yield continued its slide to a low of 3.35%. He's watching the growing number of three-month highs in the Russell 1000 and S & P 600 , which are now outpacing the new highs in the S & P 500. The VIX is based on puts and calls in the S & P 500.

WASHINGTON — One of the men charged with assaulting Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick on Jan. 6 was sentenced to over 6 years in prison on Friday. His co-defendant, George Tanios, who bought the spray and handed it to Khater, was also sentenced, to time served. Sicknick died a day after being assaulted, but prosecutors declined to charge the two men with his death. As part of his sentencing, Tanios will be on probation for one year and will be required to participate in 100 hours of community service. Garza filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Tanios, Khater and former President Donald Trump earlier this month.

☆ Jan. 6 Rioter Gets More Than Six Years in Prison for Pepper-Spray Attack on Officers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Jan Wolfe | C. Ryan Barber | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—A former Pennsylvania smoothie-shop owner was sentenced Friday to more than six years in prison for deploying pepper spray on police officers defending the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, including Brian Sicknick , who died the following day of what an official autopsy determined were natural causes. U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan imposed the 80-month sentence on Julian Khater at the end of an emotional court hearing attended by Mr. Sicknick’s family and dozens of police officers, several of whom watched live video of the proceeding from a separate courtroom opened to accommodate the large turnout.

☆ Ron DeSantis has a 12-point lead over Donald Trump in a potential 2024 New Hampshire primary matchup: poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ron DeSantis leads Donald Trump in the critical early-voting state of New Hampshire, according to a UNH poll. The survey showed DeSantis leading Trump 42% to 30%, with many GOP voters desiring a fresh face. Trump on Saturday will visit New Hampshire and South Carolina as he seeks to stake his claim to the GOP nomination. Ron DeSantis of Florida in the early-voting state of New Hampshire, according to a new poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire. In what could be a highly competitive presidential primary, likely New Hampshire Republican voters in the survey preferred DeSantis over Trump by a 12-point margin — 42% to 30%, respectively.

☆ Two to be sentenced for roles in Jan. 6 attack on U.S. Capitol police officer
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Two men will be sentenced on Friday for their roles in the pepper-spray assault of a U.S. Capitol police officer who died the day after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, whose family are asking the judge to impose the harshest possible penalty on his attackers. Sicknick died of a stroke the next day. Thousands of Donald Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol that day in an attempt to overturn his election loss. Khater and Tanios are two of the more than 950 people who have been charged in connection with the assault on the Capitol. Four participants died during the chaos and five police officers, including Sicknick, died afterward, some by suicide.

☆ Stocks may face an inflection point in the week ahead as the Fed meets and Apple posts earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Patti Domm | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

The Fed's meeting Tuesday and Wednesday comes amid a flood of corporate earnings reports, with about 20% of the S & P 500 reporting that week. The most important day for earnings is Thursday, when Apple , Alphabet and Amazon report after the bell. The Nasdaq Composite was up 11% for the month as of Friday afternoon, well ahead of the 6.2% gain in the S & P 500. Traders have been watching the S & P 500 edge closer to the key threshold of 4,100 , its high from December. AAPL 1Y line apple Apple is also important because of the signals it can send about the strength of the consumer, supply chains and China's reopening.

About a quarter of the S&P 500 companies have reported earnings so far, of which 69% have beaten analysts' estimates, according to Refinitiv data as of Thursday. Both companies were among the biggest boosts to the S&P 500 (.SPX) and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI). Seven of the 11 major S&P 500 sectors edged higher with the consumer discretionary sector (.SPLRCD) surging 1.4%. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 1.32-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and by a 1.37-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P index recorded 12 new 52-week highs and no new low, while the Nasdaq recorded 43 new highs and 21 new lows.

☆ Maryland Gov. Wes Moore Gives Democrats Full Control Over State’s Government
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Scott Calvert | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore will preside over a new Democratic trifecta—control of the state’s House of Delegates, Senate and governor’s office. BALTIMORE— Wes Moore , the new governor of Maryland, said he wants to fast-track a minimum-wage increase, replenish the ranks of short-handed state agencies and boost education funding in the heavily Democratic state, which for the past eight years was led by a highly popular Republican. Mr. Moore, a 44-year-old Democrat, has been a Rhodes scholar, an Army officer deployed to Afghanistan, a Wall Street banker, a bestselling author and the chief executive of an antipoverty foundation. Mr. Hogan left office with a 77% approval rating and the backing of 81% of Democratic voters, which Maryland pollster Patrick Gonzales, a Democrat, attributed at least in part to Mr. Hogan’s relatively moderate political profile and personal connection with voters.

☆ Apple is looking for a top sales executive to spearhead a giant advertising push in sports and streaming. Here are 16 execs who could score the job.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Claire Atkinson | Lucia Moses | Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Netflix also conducted a search before hiring two Snap executives, Jeremi Gorman and Peter Naylor, to lead its new ads business. XandrLesser, a longtime digital ad executive, has extensive experience working on issues around the future of digital marketing. McDonald has a ton of other digital ad sales and publishing experience. She helped launch Modi Media, ad buying giant GroupM's addressable TV business, before joining TV adtech startup Cadent. UnivisionValentino runs Disney's digital ad business as EVP, client and brand solutions.

The Labor Department's report showed a surprise fall in U.S. weekly jobless claims, highlighting labor market resilience in a higher interest rate environment. "There's virtually no signs of any weakness in the labor market and that's one of the things the Fed's been leaning against to keep rates higher for longer." The S&P 500 (.SPX) and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) are now headed for their third straight day of declines. Shares of both the companies fell around 2%, and were among the top drags to the benchmark S&P 500 and Nasdaq (.IXIC) indexes. Industrial (.SPLRCI) and consumer discretionary stocks (.SPLRCD) were among the leading decliners on the S&P 500, down 1.5% and 1.7%, respectively.

☆ On his last day as governor, Larry Hogan said Ron DeSantis' 2024 presidential run could be stifled by his 'terrible job' of reaching out to swing voters
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Governor Larry Hogan told CNN that Governor Ron DeSantis lacks broad appeal. Hogan said DeSantis was "too focused on the base." Hogan also told CNN that he was still unsure whether or not he would run for president. —The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) January 17, 2023Tapper then asked Hogan about whether or not he would run for president. On Monday, Trump responded to the rumors of a DeSantis run, telling the conservative podcast "The Water Cooler" that if the governor were to run for president he would "handle that the way I handle things."

☆ Corporate profit reports in the week ahead could show whether there's an 'earnings recession'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Patti Domm | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Investors in the week ahead will focus on how much inflation and the slowing economy have chiseled away at corporate profits, as companies including Goldman Sachs , Netflix and Procter & Gamble report earnings. "This is going to be the start of the clock ticking on an earnings recession," said Amanda Agati, chief investment officer of PNC Asset Management Group. Economic recession talk heats up "There's never been a recession without an earnings recession since World War II," Agati said. Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley Financial, said this coming earnings week could be an important step towards assessing the health of corporate balance sheets. Week ahead calendar Monday Martin Luther King Jr. Day Markets closed Tuesday Earnings: Goldman Sachs , Morgan Stanley , Citizens Financial, United Airlines, Interactive Brokers 8:30 a.m.

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO, Jan 12 (Reuters) - U.S. airline operations returned to normal on Thursday even as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) continues to investigate pinpoint the cause of a computer outage that grounded flights nationally and to prevent it from happening again. "FAA operations are back to normal, and we are seeing no unusual delays or cancellations this morning," the FAA said in a tweet. More than 11,300 flights were delayed or canceled on Wednesday in the first national grounding of domestic traffic in about two decades. As of noon Thursday, 1,400 U.S. flights were delayed and 117 were canceled, according to FlightAware, a typical aviation day given current weather issues. Major carriers Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), United Airlines (UAL.O), American Airlines Group Inc (AAL.O) and Southwest Airlines (LUV.N) all were reporting normal operations on Thursday.

[1/2] Passengers wait for the resumption of flights at O’Hare International Airport after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had ordered airlines to pause all domestic departures due to a system outage, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., January 11, 2023. REUTERS/Jim VondruskaWASHINGTON/CHICAGO, Jan 12 (Reuters) - U.S. airlines said they expect operations to return to normal on Thursday as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) scrambles to pinpoint the cause of a computer outage that grounded flights nationally and to prevent it from happening again. More than 11,300 U.S. flights were delayed or cancelled on Wednesday, according to FlightAware, in the first national grounding of domestic traffic in about two decades. Major carriers such as Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), United Airlines (UAL.O) and Southwest Airlines (LUV.N) said they expected normal operations on Thursday. "The health of that agency and its ability to deliver on its mission really is important," he said in an interview.

Megacap growth stocks Apple Inc (AAPL.O), Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) gained over 2% each as U.S. Treasury yields declined. The highly awaited U.S. Labor Department's inflation report on Thursday is expected to show some moderation in year-on-year consumer prices in December. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners for a 4.45-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and a 2.54-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P index recorded 12 new 52-week highs and two new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 107 new highs and 18 new lows. Reporting by Shubham Batra, Amruta Khandekar and Ankika Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak DasguptaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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