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☆ How the Fed is using its multi-trillion-dollar balance sheet to fight inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Washington, DC CNN —The Fed’s fight against inflation is about to enter a new phase, but the central bank’s enormous balance sheet will continue to play a key role. The Fed also manages a multi-trillion-dollar balance sheet that accounts for trillions in government securities and lists how much currency is in circulation. For over a year now, the Fed has been steadily shrinking its balance sheet to help cool the economy. The Fed’s balance sheet is currently at around $7.9 trillion, down from its peak of $9 trillion in early 2022 right before the runoff. They also see alternative scenarios for the end of the balance sheet runoff if there isn’t a recession.

Persons: that’s, Lael Brainard, What’s, Wells, Jerome Powell, JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon, Jamie Dimon, Krystal Hur, Dimon —, Mr, Dimon, JPMorgan Chase, what’s, Estee Lauder, Kraft Heinz, Yum, Bausch, Eli Lilly, Molson Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, DC CNN, Congress, Fed, Wall Street, JPMorgan, JPMorgan Chase, CNN, HSBC, McDonald’s, China’s National Bureau of Statistics, Bank of Japan, Pfizer, Caterpillar, Marathon Petroleum, Sirius XM, Anheuser, Busch, BP, Chesapeake Energy, US Labor Department, Global, Board, CVS, GSK, Humana, Reuters, Apollo Global Management, Brands, Garmin, Cruise Line Holdings, Qualcomm, Airbnb, PayPal, MetLife, Aflac, AIG, Allstate, Prudential, P Global, Institute for Supply Management, Federal Reserve, ConocoPhillips, Starbucks, Duke Energy, Shopify, Ferrari, Marriott International, Moderna, Fox, Molson Coors, Hyatt, Apple, Motorola, Bank of England, Dominion Energy, Gartner, Restaurant Brands Locations: Washington, Treasuries, China’s, Mondelez, DoorDash, Avis, Shell, Cigna

☆ Meet the candidates in the running to replace James Gorman as Morgan Stanley's CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Hayley Cuccinello | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman plans to retire by May 2024, leaving big shoes to fill. AdvertisementAdvertisementSuccession has traditionally been a bloody sport on Wall Street with the losers leaving and taking their lieutenants with them. Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman, who plans to retire by May 2024, wants the buck the trend so the bank can hold onto all three candidates. "Wall Street has had a history of that not happening," said Gorman in a July earnings call. With Morgan Stanley at the top of its game, breaking up this well-oiled team could be disastrous.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, James Gorman, Ted Pick, Andy Saperstein, Dan Simkowitz, —, Gorman, Morgan, Ted, He's, Tony James, Morgan Stanley's, Pick, Simkowitz, Dodd, Frank, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Dan, Andy Saperstein Saperstein, Merrill Lynch, Bloomberg, Hayley Cuccinello Organizations: Service, Archegos Capital Management, Washington , D.C, Federal Reserve, Treasury, General Motors, AIG, Citigroup, McKinsey, Staten, Disney, Hamptons Locations: Washington ,, hcuccinello@insider.com

☆ Aviva shares jump 8% as Times cites takeover talk
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Aviva logo on a window at the company's head office in the City of London, Britain, March 7, 2019. REUTERS/Simon Dawson/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Shares in Aviva (AV.L) shot up almost 9% on Friday, after Britain's Times newspaper cited talk of a possible takeover of one of the UK's largest insurers by a foreign buyer. ($13.41 billion)The Times cited "chatter that refused to die down". Last month, Aviva said it had agreed to buy UK life insurance business of AIG (AIG.N) for 460 million pounds($563 million), in the largest acquisition to date by its CEO, Amanda Blanc. ($1 = 0.8201 pounds)Reporting by Joice Alves and Carolyn Cohn; Writing by Amanda Cooper; Editing by Dhara RanasingheOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Simon Dawson, Amanda Blanc, Joice Alves, Carolyn Cohn, Amanda Cooper, Dhara Organizations: Aviva, City of, REUTERS, Britain's Times, Reuters, AIG, Thomson Locations: City, City of London, Britain

☆ Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Meta, Ford, Wingstop, American Express and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Bank of America initiates Wingstop as buy Bank of America said shares of the wing restaurant company are attractive. " Bank of America downgrades Carrier to underperform from neutral Bank of America said it sees residential headwinds. "We are initiating on the Alternative Asset Management sector with a Market Overweight rating. Deutsche Bank initiates AIG as buy Deutsche Bank initiated the insurance company with a buy and says shares are de-risked. Bank of America reiterates American Express as a top pick Bank of America said the credit card company is its favorite idea in the sector. "

Persons: Stifel, Wedbush, Morgan Stanley, Ford, CARR, Parker, ITW, Raymond James downgrades Clorox, Raymond James, CLX, Johnson, Wolfe, Bernstein, Chubb Organizations: BMO, Sinclair, Oculis, Citizens, CIT Group, Bank, JPMorgan, Barclays, Meta, Bank of America, Ford, General Motors, GM, UAW, of America, Nvidia, ISI, RBC, Johnson, Pharma, KKR, Alternative, Management, Asset Management, CART, Deutsche Bank, AIG, Citi, O'Reilly Automotive, O'Reilly, American Express Locations: CY24, U.S

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey's Supreme Court is expected to consider whether an Atlantic City casino can get payouts from business interruption insurance for losses during the COVID-19 outbreak, potentially providing guidance for policyholders nationwide regarding the scope of coverage for pandemic-related losses. Three insurers — AIG Specialty Insurance Co., American Guarantee & Liability Insurance Co. and Interstate Fire & Casualty Co. — largely denied coverage to the casino, saying it did not suffer direct physical loss or damage because of the virus. Last year, the Supreme Court agreed to resolve some questions regarding the case. United Policyholders, an advocacy group for insurance customers, urges the justices in a friend-of-the-court brief to rule in favor of the casino. “The ruling sought by the (insurers) here would curtail coverage for millions of New Jersey policyholders,” it wrote.

Persons: —, Phil Murphy, United, Wayne Parry Organizations: Atlantic, AIG Specialty Insurance, Insurance, New Jersey policyholders, Supreme, New, New Jersey Gov Locations: TRENTON, N.J, Atlantic City, California, Los Angeles, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, www.twitter.com

☆ Aviva agrees to buy AIG's UK protection business for $563 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A pedestrians walks past the Aviva logo outside the company head office in the city of London, Britain March 7, 2019. REUTERS/Simon Dawson/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 25 (Reuters) - British insurer Aviva (AV.L) said on Monday it had agreed to acquire the UK protection business of AIG (AIG.N) for 460 million pounds ($563 million). Aviva said it would buy the unit - known as AIG Life UK - from Corebridge Financial, Inc (CRBG.N), a New York-listed subsidiary of AIG. The transaction will add 1.3 million individual protection customers and 1.4 million group protection members, Aviva said, with the deal expected to close in the first half of 2024, subject to regulatory approvals. The deal would represent around a 5 percentage point cut to Aviva's group solvency II cover ratio, the company said.

Persons: Simon Dawson, Amanda Blanc, Iain Withers, Louise Heavens Organizations: Aviva, REUTERS, AIG, AIG Life, Corebridge, Inc, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, British, New York

☆ Aviva to buy AIG's UK life insurance business for $563 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Iain Withers | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A pedestrians walks past the Aviva logo outside the company head office in the city of London, Britain March 7, 2019. REUTERS/Simon Dawson/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Aviva (AV.L) said on Monday it had agreed to buy the UK life insurance business of AIG (AIG.N) for 460 million pounds ($563 million), in the largest acquisition to date by the British insurer's CEO Amanda Blanc. Aviva said it would buy the unit - known as AIG Life UK - from Corebridge Financial, Inc (CRBG.N), a New York-listed company majority-owned by AIG. Corebridge was formed in 2021 when AIG spun off its life and retirement business and sold a portion of the company to Blackstone for $2.2 billion. AIG took Corebridge public in September last year, in a share offering that raised $1.7 billion.

Persons: Simon Dawson, Amanda Blanc, Blanc, Peter Zaffino, Corebridge, Iain Withers, Louise Heavens Organizations: Aviva, REUTERS, AIG, British, AIG Life, Corebridge, Inc, RBC, Blackstone, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, New York, Singapore, United States

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Persons: Marriott, you'll, you've, Regis, Marriott Bonvoy, you'd, You'll, Read Organizations: Marriott, Marriott Bonvoy, American Express, Ritz, Carlton, TSA, Global, TSA PreCheck, Cell, New Hampshire Insurance Company, AIG Company Locations: Marriott Bonvoy, U.S, Marriott, St

☆ These stocks could break out to new highs if the Fed is viewed as market-friendly
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Some stocks that were trading near 52-week highs before the Fed decision could now ride the coattails of the latest interest rate decision and move higher. Boston Scientific's previous 52-week high stood at $54.99 . Meanwhile, credit card giant Mastercard is well within striking range of a new 52-week high, with shares only 1.21% away from the benchmark. Some stocks that were trading near 52-week highs before the Fed decision could now ride the coattails of the latest interest rate decision and move higher. Consensus analyst estimates forecast a 10.4% rally to Arch Capital stock.

Persons: yearend, Jerome Powell, Drew Angerer, Baker Hughes Organizations: Fed, Federal, CNBC, CNBC Pro Stock, Boston Scientific, Boston Scientific's, Boston, Mastercard, Arch Capital, Arch Capital Group, . Federal, Federal Reserve, Washington , D.C, Getty, Capital Group, AIG American International Group, Amphenol, Bunge, Boston Scientific Corp, Design Systems, Everest Group, Emerson Electric Co, HAL Halliburton, ICE, Exchange, Jacobs Solutions, Mckesson, E Corp, Services, Constellation Brands, Targa Resources Corp, Visa Locations: Washington ,

☆ A top-12% portfolio manager over the last 5 years shares how he finds unloved stocks trading at massive discounts — and 6 of the top opportunities in markets right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Value investing can be challenging, humbling, and even lonely, as fund manager Sam Peters has learned over the last three decades. Markets are usually efficient, Peters acknowledged, meaning that stocks usually trade near their fair value. Thanks to this method, Peters' portfolio often has an unconventional combination of companies that offers diversification with the potential to compound abnormally large returns over time. Peters added: "I think we're going to be in a higher nominal rate environment, higher inflation environment, higher rate environment. Such a setup would favor value stocks over their growth peers, Peters said.

Persons: Sam Peters, Peters, he's, Morningstar, it's, we're, Johnson, They're, ROE, there's, Noble, Toby Rice Organizations: Trust Fund, Healthcare, Johnson, UnitedHealth, Insurance, International Group, AIG, Trust Locations: financials

☆ Lessor AerCap agrees settlement over Aeroflot jets stranded in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Conor Humphries | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Before last year's invasion of Ukraine, Russia was a major market for aircraft lessors, which bought jets from Boeing (BA.N) and Airbus (AIR.PA) and leased them to Russian airlines. Aeroflot said in a statement that ownership of 18 aircraft and five engines had transferred to NSK following settlement with AerCap. AerCap filed a $3.5 billion London lawsuit last year against AIG and Lloyd's over 141 aircraft and 29 aircraft engines it owned that were on lease to Russian airlines. AerCap said settlement discussions were ongoing with respect to claims under the insurance policies of several other Russian airlines. AerCap in March said it had been approached by Russian airlines and their insurance companies about possible settlements for the stranded planes.

Persons: BOE, Denis Balibouse, AerCap, lessors, Conor Humphries, Gleb Stolyarov, Kirstin Ridley, Jason Neely, David Evans, Peter Graff Organizations: Airbus, Russian, Aeroflot, REUTERS, DUBLIN, NSK, Rossiya, Boeing, U.S . Treasury, Commerce, AIG, SMBC Aviation, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Geneva, Switzerland, Russia, Ukraine, Ireland, Moscow, NSK, AerCap, EU

A view of a damaged house after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar Key, Florida, U.S., August 31, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello Acquire Licensing RightsAug 31 (Reuters) - Florida-only insurers such as Citizens Property Insurance anticipate fewer losses from Hurricane Idalia than from previous storms in the state, even as industry experts expect further insurer pullback from the market. "This certainly will not help with ongoing challenges to Florida's insurance market, but it could have been a lot worse," said Steve Bowen, chief science officer at reinsurer broker Gallagher Re. The top 10 U.S. homeowners insurers such as State Farm and Allstate Corp (ALL.N) average only about 4.1% of their premiums in Florida, Moody's said. Reuters GraphicsThe exit of insurers from Florida comes amid a broader pullback from the market, including from reinsurers, according to an Aug. 24 Fitch report.

Persons: Hurricane Idalia, Marco Bello, Ian, Idalia, Moody's, Steve Bowen, Gallagher, Fitch, Noor Zainab Hussain, Manya, Matt Tracy, Shinjini Ganguli, Megan Davies, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Property Insurance, Hurricane, Reuters, Citizens, UBS, Insurance Information Institute, Gallagher Re, Farmers Insurance, Bankers Insurance, Lexington Insurance, AIG, Farmers, Bankers, Farm, Allstate Corp, Insurance, Institute, Manya Saini, Thomson Locations: Cedar Key , Florida, U.S, Florida, Florida's, Coast, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, Idalia, USA, Lexington, reinsurers, South Carolina, Bengaluru, Washington

A vehicle drives on a flooded road after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia, in Cedar Key, Florida, U.S., August 30, 2023. Hurricane Idalia plowed into Florida's Gulf Coast with fierce winds, torrential rains and pounding surf before weakening but turning its fury on southeastern Georgia, where floodwaters trapped some residents in their homes. At about $10 billion, Idalia would cost insurers less than 10 of the costliest hurricanes to hit the United States. Higher reinsurance rates can affect the premiums that insurers charge their customers. FLORIDA PAINFlorida has a large number of very small, thinly capitalized insurers, insurance experts have said.

Persons: Hurricane Idalia, Julio Cesar Chavez, Thomas Hayes, Gallagher Re, Michael Peltier, Berkshire Hathaway, Ajit Jain, Noor Zainab Hussain, Manya, Chibuike Oguh, Jon Stempel, Devika Syamnath, Megan Davies, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: REUTERS, Hurricane, UBS, Global, Great, Great Hill Capital, Farmers Insurance, Bankers Insurance, Lexington Insurance, AIG, Farmers, Florida Office, Insurance, Bankers, Property Insurance Corp, Property Insurance, Berkshire, Manya Saini, Thomson Locations: Cedar Key , Florida, U.S, Florida, Coast, Georgia, United States, Ukraine, California, Great Hill, New York, FLORIDA, USA, Lexington, Berkshire, Bengaluru, Chibuike

☆ Factbox: Stocks to watch as Hurricane Idalia makes landfall in Florida
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Hurricane Idalia hits Florida's west coast in a composite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) GOES-East weather satellite August 30, 2023. NOAA/Handout REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Millions of Florida residents evacuated to higher ground after Hurricane Idalia, an "extremely dangerous" Category 3 storm, made landfall on Wednesday at the state's Gulf Coast. Idalia was forecast to unleash destructive winds and torrential downpours that will cause coastal flooding up to 16 feet (5 m) deep. An early news briefing by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was interrupted for a few seconds by a power cut. Shares of NextEra Energy (NEE.N), which owns the Florida Power & Light Company, the state's largest utility, was little changed at $67.51.

Persons: Idalia, Ron DeSantis, Kinder Morgan, Owens Corning's, Chibuike Oguh, Lance Tupper, Marguerita Choy Organizations: National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Handout REUTERS, Florida, NextEra Energy, Florida Power & Light Company, Duke Energy, Generac Holdings, Chevron, Universal Insurance Holdings, Allstate Corporation, American International, Home, Lowe's, Thomson Locations: Florida, Gulf Coast, Idalia, Georgia, South Carolina, U.S, Gulf, Mexico, New York

☆ Factbox: Stocks to watch as Idalia makes landfall in Florida
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Electric power transmission pylon miniatures and Nextera Energy logo are seen in this illustration taken, December 9, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Florida is bracing for Tropical Storm Idalia as it intensifies into a major hurricane on Monday before making landfall on the state's Gulf Coast by Wednesday morning. About 20 million Floridians are under hurricane and tropical storm watches, and authorities have begun issuing evacuation orders. Shares of NextEra Energy Inc (NEE.N), which owns the Florida Power & Light Company, the state's largest utility, was little changed at $68.06, up 0.154%. Reporting by Chibuike Oguh in New York; editing by Lance Tupper and Nick ZieminskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Idalia, Here's, Ron DeSantis, –, Owens Corning, Chibuike Oguh, Lance Tupper, Nick Zieminski Organizations: REUTERS, Simpson, National Hurricane Center, POWER Florida, NextEra Energy Inc, Florida Power & Light Company, Duke Energy Corp, Generac Holdings, Universal Insurance Holdings, Allstate Corporation, American International, Home, Lowe's, Thomson Locations: Florida, Coast, Big, New York

☆ Stocks to watch as Idalia makes landfall in Florida
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Florida is bracing for Tropical Storm Idalia as it intensifies into a major hurricane on Monday before making landfall on the state's Gulf Coast by Wednesday morning. Idalia is predicted to transform into a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale when it makes landfall in northern Florida's Big Bend area, where the panhandle transitions into the peninsula, the National Hurricane Center said. About 20 million Floridians are under hurricane and tropical storm watches, and authorities have begun issuing evacuation orders. Shares of NextEra Energy Inc (NEE.N), which owns the Florida Power & Light Company, the state's largest utility, was little changed at $68.06, up 0.154%. Duke Energy Corp (DUK.N) said on Monday it is mobilizing approximately 4,500 people - power line technicians, vegetation workers, damage assessors and support personnel – to respond to power outages as Idalia reaches Florida.

☆ Women’s Open: Charley Hull slams protestors after interruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —English golfer Charley Hull has criticized protestors who interrupted the final round of the Women’s Open on Sunday. In a video titled “Let’s Crash AIG Women’s Open,” Ekō called on users to tweet at AIG to protest the construction of the “disastrous” East African crude oil pipeline (EACOP). A spokesperson for Ekō told CNN on Monday that the group was not involved in the protest at the tournament. Andrew Redington/Getty ImagesHaving finished three shots adrift of Allisen Corpuz at the US Women’s Open in July, she has now recorded runner-up performances at three of the five flagship events, and at least tied-seventh at the other two. “I feel that I have come close twice in the two biggest majors, the US Open and the Women’s Open, so I really feel like next year is my time to win one.”

Persons: Charley Hull, Hull, Lilia Vu, …, Ekō, Andrew Redington, ”, “, Hull’s caddie Adam Woodward, ” Woodward, Matt Taylor, Vu, Corpuz, ” Hull Organizations: CNN, Walton Heath Golf Club, Surrey Police, Twitter, AIG, AIG Women’s, Reuters, Getty, Telegraph, France’s, Financial Times, Chevron, Hull, US, Sky Sports Locations: Tadworth, England, EACOP, Uganda, Tanzania

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☆ Insurer AIG profit beats estimates on gains in life and retirement unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoAug 1 (Reuters) - American International Group (AIG.N) exceeded second-quarter profit expectations on Tuesday, driven by growth at its life and retirement unit and lower-than-expected catastrophe losses in what was a very expensive quarter for the industry. AIG, one of the world's biggest commercial insurers, said net premiums written in its general insurance arm for the quarter ended June grew 10% to $7.5 billion. AIG's life and retirement unit saw a 42% jump in premiums and deposits, partly helped by record sales in fixed index annuities. AIG's general insurance accident year combined ratio was 88%, compared with 88.5%, a year earlier. The metric excludes catastrophe losses and a ratio below 100 signifies that the insurer earns more from premiums than it pays out in claims.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Mawar, Gallagher, Noor Zainab Hussain Organizations: AIG, REUTERS, American International, Companies, Thomson Locations: New, New York, Guam, United States, Bengaluru

☆ Morning Bid: August cools Wall St stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

China's factory underperformance stood out once again and underlined its struggling recovery - perhaps the main driver of stalling industrial activity everywhere. With markets increasingly impatient at the patchy and underwhelming economic stimulus plans seen from Beijing so far, China stocks fell back (.CSI300), bucking Tuesday's wider Asia stocks rally. Sterling and UK stocks (.FTMC) fell back. Ride-hailing giant Uber's stock rose more than 2% before the bell and ahead of its earnings report. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Mike Dolan, underperformance, Austan Goolsbee, Goolbee, Stanley Black, Decker, Zimmer Biomet, Revvity, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Federal Reserve, U.S ., Chicago Fed, Bank of England, Sterling, AMD, Caterpillar, Big Pharma, Pfizer, Merck, Ride, HSBC, BP, Uber, Prudential Financial, AIG, Starbucks, Molson Coors, Boston Properties, Caesars Entertainment, Illinois Tool, Natural Resources, Energy, Devon Energy, Gartner, Allstate, Paycom Software, Electronic, WEC, Rockwell, Public Service Enterprise, P Global, Dallas Fed, Chicago Federal, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, Wall, Beijing, China, Asia, ., Marathon, Eaton, Altria, Marriott, Illinois, Progressive

☆ On tap this week: Jobs report plus 10 key earnings. Here's what we want to see
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +18 min

All three major averages advanced for the week, powered by strong mega-cap earnings and favorable inflation data. Looking to next week, earnings season enters its second half with the last of our mega-caps — Apple (AAPL) and Amazon (AMZN) — set to report on Thursday. We'll get a better read on the employment picture on Wednesday with the ADP report and then, more importantly, on Friday's nonfarm payrolls report for July. Thursday after the close brings us to the main events of the week: Earnings from Apple and Amazon. For those looking to review first quarter performance ahead of these releases, be sure to keep our first-quarter earnings report card handy.

Persons: We'll, that's, Stanley Black, Decker, Emerson, Bausch, Leggett, Platt, SIRI, Ares, COLM, PERI, Kraft Heinz, Phillips, Ferrari N.V, Johnson, Robinson, COOK, BUD, Kellogg, Papa, Pitney Bowes, Parker, Trimble, Ziff Davis, Nonfarm, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Apple Tim Cook, Kevin Dietsch Organizations: Nasdaq, Dow, Federal Reserve, Federal, ISM Manufacturing, Services PMI, Investors, Caterpillar, Devices, Starbucks, Natural Resources, AMD, Management, Emerson Electric and, Humana, Bausch Health, Apple, Microsoft, Resource Partners, AerCap Holdings, CNA Financial Corp, CNA, Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Bank, SJW, Hutchison China MediTech, Camtek Ltd, Silvercrest Asset Management, Loews Corp, Oxford Lane Capital Corp, Banco Santander, Silicom Ltd, SuperCom Ltd, Arista Networks, Avis Budget Group, Diamondback Energy, Lattice Semiconductor Corp, Republic Services, Yum China Holdings, Western Digital Corp, Power Systems, Tenet Healthcare Corp, Vornado Realty, BioMarin Pharmaceutical, PetMed, SBA Communications Corporation, Brixmor, Snack Foods Corp, Cushman & Wakefield, Sanmina Corporation, TFI, PMI, Cruise Line Holdings Ltd, Uber Technologies, Pfizer, Enterprise Products Partners, Merck, JetBlue Airways Corporation, Allegro MicroSystems, Altria, SunPower Corp, SiriusXM Holdings, Molson Coors Beverage, Marriott International, Toyota Motor Corp, BP, SYSCO Corp, Marathon Petroleum Corp, Ares Management, Equitrans Midstream Corporation, Game Technology, Illinois Tool, IDEXX Laboratories, Rockwell Automation, Packaging International Corp, Gartner, Zebra Technologies Corp, IQVIA Holdings, Oshkosh Corporation, Leidos Holdings, Eaton Corp, yte Corp, Lear Corp, Starbucks Corp, Devon Energy Corp, SolarEdge Technologies, Lumen Technologies, Virgin Galactic Holdings, Caesars Entertainment, VF Corp, Sciences Corp, Paycom, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Suncor Energy, Holdings, Chesapeake Energy Corp, Boston Properties, American International Group, AIG, Allstate Corp, Aspen Technology, Electronic Arts, EA, Flowserve Corporation, Denny's, Corp, Prudential Financial, Store, Ternium S.A, Vimeo, Emerson, Lomb, CVS Health, Generac Holdings, Cameco Corp, Perion Network Ltd, Builders, Carlyle Group, Scorpio, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd, Rithm Capital Corp, AeroSystems Holdings, Vertiv Holdings Co, Johnson Controls, CDW Corp, DuPont, Brands Holdings, Scotts Miracle, Gro, SMG, Brands, Allegheny Technologies, AmerisourceBergen Corporation, ABC, Real Estate Corporation, Adient plc, Editas, Garmin Ltd, WWE, Bunge Ltd, Criteo S.A, PayPal, QUALCOMM, Occidental Petroleum Corp, Apache Corp, Albemarle Corp, MGM Resorts International, MGM, Marathon Oil Corp, Joby Aviation, Industrial, CF Industries Holdings, Goodyear Tire &, Realty ome Corp, Metlife, Pacific Biosciences of, Rush Street Interactive, Zillow, JFrog Ltd, Herbalife Nutrition Ltd, Simon Property Group, McKesson Corp, Storage, Cerus Corporation, GXO Logistics, MAX Holdings, Health, Anheuser, Busch InBev, Warner Bros ., Cheniere Energy, ConocoPhillips, Hasbro, CIGNA Corp, Lantheus Holdings, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Fiverr International, Air Products & Chemicals, TopBuild Corp, EPAM Systems, Lightspeed Commerce, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, Cummins, CMI, Slair Corporation, Starwood Property Trust, Vulcan, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, New Energy Corp, Cedar Fair Entertainment, Intellia Therapeutics, Lending, Privia Health, Dickinson, Chimera Investment, CIM, Hyatt Hotels Corp, Lion Electric, LEV, Deluxe Corp, Murphy Oil Corp, PBF Energy, Papa John's, Targa Resources Corp, Wix.com Ltd, Apollo Global Management, LLC, Butterfly, Sempra Energy, Aptiv PLC, Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, Canada Goose Holdings, Hannifin Corporation, WESCO International, WCC, Arrow Electronics, Constellation Energy Group, Midstream Partners, Coinbase, Petroleo Brasileiro SA Petrobras, Gilead Sciences, Opendoor Technologies, Booking Holdings, Atlassian Corporation, International, Redfin Corporation, Motorola Solutions, Monster Beverage Corporation, Consolidated Edison, Rocket Companies, Apple Hospitality, Cirrus, Resources, Universal Display Corporation, Chesapeake Utilities Corp, Social, Defense, Security Solutions, Post Holdings, Tandem Diabetes Care, Nikola Corporation, Magna International, Dominion Energy, ACM Research, Frontier Communications, Brookfield Renewable Partners, inTEST Corporation, American Pipeline, TELUS International, XPO Logistics, Fluor Corp, Gray Television, Cboe, LyondellBasell Industries, Twist Bioscience, Global, Jim Cramer's Charitable, CNBC, Allen & Company Sun Valley, Getty Locations: U.S, China, India, Oxford, Chile, Illinois, Columbia, Pacific, Pacific Biosciences of California, Southern, PBI, Gilead, Sun Valley , Idaho

☆ AXA’s XL cleanup would be logical, if belated
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The boss of $66 billion AXA (AXAF.PA) bought XL Group back in 2018 to beef up its position insuring against storms and other catastrophes. AXA XL’s reinsurance arm, about 10% of group revenues, also drove pricing up 7% last year. Based on AIG’s (AIG.N) recent sale of its reinsurance arm Validus Re, which was done at 1.4 times book value, XL’s reinsurance unit might be valued at around $2.8 billion. The extra cash may help placate investors that never much liked the deal, given that the contribution to earnings from XL should now be more stable. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Thomas Buberl, Aimee Donnellan, George Hay, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, AXA, XL Group, XL, Twitter, Thomson Locations: U.S, China

NEW YORK/LONDON, July 11 (Reuters) - One of the world's top insurers is mulling offloading its property reinsurance business in a bid to cut its exposure to natural disasters like hurricanes, according to three people familiar with the matter. Prices for U.S. property catastrophe reinsurance rose by as much as 50% at a key July 1 renewal date, broker Gallagher Re said in a recent report. AXA has been trying to reduce the exposure of its AXA XL property and casualty (P&C) division - which houses XL Re - in an effort to make earnings more predictable. This has caused the reinsurance business to shrink, with revenues dropping by nearly a third last year to $3.2 billion, according to AXA's 2022 accounts. In May, American International Group (AIG.N) agreed the sale of its reinsurance arm Validus Re for roughly $3 billion, or about 1.4 times the unit's book value.

Persons: Reinsurers, Hurricane Ian, Gallagher Re, David French, Pablo Mayo, Amy, Jo Crowley, Carolyn Cohn, Echo Wang, Silvia Aloisi, John O'Donnell, Conor Humphries Organizations: AXA SA, XL, Covea, AXA, AXA XL, American International, Fidelis Insurance Holdings, Reuters, Hamilton Insurance, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Thomson Locations: Bermuda, New York, London, Paris

☆ Man mixes risk and reward in private credit bet
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 6 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Man Group (EMG.L) is getting into the hot private credit market, by buying a majority stake in lender Varagon Capital Partners for $183 million. Private credit, which involves managers like Ares Management (ARES.N) or Blackstone (BX.N) making bilateral loans to mostly private equity buyouts, has been one of the hottest areas in fixed income. Low rates encouraged investors to hunt for yield, and has seen mainstream managers like T. Rowe Price (TROW.O)join the fray. They will be rewarded with further payments if they extend their commitments, and Man hopes to use its network to broaden Varagon’s investor base. Given private credit managers like Fortress have traded at more than double that multiple, it looks like a relatively savvy deal.

Persons: Rowe Price, Neil Unmack, Aimee Donnellan, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Man, Capital Partners, Ares Management, AIG, Fortress, Twitter, KKR, Thomson Locations: Varagon’s, China

☆ Let's set the table for the second half by reflecting on this year's hated bull market
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +18 min

You don't get the best first-half Nasdaq rally in 40 years simply because the Federal Reserve did this, or the yield curve in the bond market did that. It was almost as if it was prosaic to seek profits, like, "How dare you defy the teachings of the yield curve, you foolish soon-to-be- broke apostate." It was the second move, the second week of March, that told the second tale of the first half: the fall of Silicon Valley Bank. Here we had an out-of-nowhere collapse of a well-known seemingly well-run bank that ran afoul, again, of the yield curve. No company could rival Club stocks Apple (AAPL), Alphabet (GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN), Microsoft and Meta Platforms (META) — nice metamorphous there and Tesla , not a Club name.

Persons: William Jennings Bryan, Gandhi, Bud, Altman, Sam Altman, Jensen Huang, Jensen, mutt, Cezanne, Monet, Shakespeare's Henry IV, Carl Quintanilla, David Faber, da, Lisa's, Wendy's, Scylla, Charybdis, ChatGPT, haut, Morgan Stanley's Mike Wilson, aren't, They've, isn't, Goldman Sachs, Tesla, Didn't, Freddie, Lehman, Jerome Powell, We've, it's, Eli Lilly, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Mad Organizations: Nasdaq, Federal Reserve, Intel, The New York Times, Veterans, Club, Microsoft, Nvidia, Globe Theatre, Silicon Valley Bank, Fed, Apple, Meta, RCA, US Steel, Washington Mutual, AIG, IBM, Jim Cramer's Charitable, CNBC, NYSE Locations: America, Philadelphia, OpenAI, Oz, Queens, mull, Ithaca, Weimar, Silicon, Republic, Valley, Delray , Florida, Alleghany, China

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