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☆ Premarket stocks: How oil and gas companies think about their shareholders
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Two days later, a report found that the soaring energy prices could push 141 million people worldwide into extreme poverty. High prices have swelled profits for energy companies, leaving them flush with cash. Commitment to shareholders has certainly helped bolster stock prices — the S&P 500 ended 2022 down nearly 20%, while the energy sector grew by about 60%. And how do companies navigate appeasing shareholders who want immediate profit while also thinking about ways to invest in sustainable energy? GDP, inflation and retail earnings: What investors are watching this week▸ Investors have a busy week of new data readings ahead of them.

☆ The most expensive home in the Caribbean just listed for $200 million – take a look inside
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Ray Parisi | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

It's located on the small private island of Mustique, which lies in the southern Caribbean nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Last year, Mustique's largest transaction was recorded at about $35 million, according to de Mallet Morgan. Here's a closer look at the most expensive home to ever hit the market in the Caribbean. The Bali Cottages house four more guest bedrooms and surround the estate's third swimming pool. De Mallet Morgan said the estate is currently operated by 18 staff.

☆ Investors and techies gather in San Francisco to bathe in generative A.I. hype sparked by ChatGPT
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

They were there to discuss the latest craze capturing the attention of the tech world: generative artificial intelligence. The underlying AI software powering ChatGPT, a kind of machine-learning technology known as a "large language model," isn't new. As Bessemer Venture Partners' Sameer Dholakia told audience members, generative AI could change "the lives of billions of people." Blackwell credits OpenAI and ChatGPT with showing people what's possible with generative AI, shining a spotlight on the industry at large. But for one day in San Francisco, generative AI was more than just a tool.

☆ Buy these 12 stocks to profit from higher-than-expected price growth, according to an inflation fund manager who beat 96% of his competitors last year
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Top fund manager Simon Lack shared 12 top stocks to buy while inflation remains hot. The news confirmed what Simon Lack, a 37-year market veteran who runs a leading inflation fund, has long suspected: that price growth will remain an issue for investors throughout 2023 — and possibly beyond. If high inflation is the new normal, the Fed will struggle to achieve its goal of stabilizing prices, Lack said — at least not without causing a recession. His Rational Inflation Growth Fund (IGOAX) finished in the top 4% of its category in 2022 after beating its index by 14 percentage points, according to Morningstar. By contrast, his fund goes on offense by owning stocks in sectors that benefit from high prices.

☆ Some FedEx employees say layoffs are wrecking morale and chipping away at the famous loyalty that Fred Smith built
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Some insiders see the layoffs as a failure of leadership and fear a lasting shift in FedEx culture. But now, some also question if the company Smith built is changing for good. "The erosion just kept happening," said one former FedEx who left the company in the last year. Inside the company, employees are doing the back-of-the-envelope calculations on the cuts still to come — Subramaniam promised $4 billion and cuts this fiscal year. "There is still that emphasis that people are first at FedEx," said a 15-year FedEx veteran who left last year.

☆ A.I. ETFs are rallying this year as ChatGPT hysteria heats up. What to know before jumping in
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Anything with the words "artificial intelligence" is keeping Wall Street buzzing in 2023. So far this year, AI-focused funds such as the iShares Robotics & Artificial Intelligence Multisector and the ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics , are higher by about 19% each. Take the the Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence fund, with about $1.6 billion in assets under management, that's up more than 16% this year. BOTZ YTD mountain Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF's performance in 2023 C3.ai is the largest holding in the First Trust Nasdaq Artificial Intelligence and Robotics fund, according to Morningstar. But investors also get telecommunications company Ciena , optical equipment maker Topcon and defense technology company QinetiQ.

☆ Factbox: Tech firms, Wall Street titans lead job cuts in corporate America
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File PhotoFeb 8 (Reuters) - Big Tech firms and Wall Street titans are leading a string of layoffs across corporate America as companies look to rein in costs to ride out a global economic downturn. Here are some of the job cuts by major American companies announced in recent weeks. TECHNOLOGY, MEDIA AND TELECOM SECTORIBM Corp (IBM.N):The software and consulting firm said it will lay off 3,900 employees. read moreMicrosoft Corp (MSFT.O):The U.S. tech giant said it would cut 10,000 jobs by the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2023. MANUFACTURING SECTOR3M Co (MMM.N):The industrial conglomerate said it would cut 2,500 manufacturing jobs after reporting a lower profit.

☆ 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.

One of the really interesting questions here – this will be fascinating – the core of linear TV is sports rights. When you look at the size and scope of the linear TV business, it's huge. Patrick T. Fallon | Afp | Getty ImagesByron Allen, Entertainment Studios founder and CEO: I think linear TV will exist for a very, very long time. Simmons: I believe Apple, out of nowhere, will start making their own awesome televisions that have Apple TV embedded in them. We are witnessing early stages of this dynamic with deals like "NFL Sunday Ticket" on YouTube and the MLS deal with Apple TV.

☆ Time to buy the tech rally? Wall Street pros weigh in with their top stock picks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Investors are flocking back into tech, after shunning the sector for the better part of 2022 amid broad risk-off sentiment. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite has been the best-performing Wall Street index in 2023, having gained about 15.6% since the start of the year. This could be the rebound," Wang told CNBC's "Street Signs Asia" on Thursday. " Some 87% of analysts covering the stock rate it a "buy," according to FactSet data, and give it average upside of 10.3%. Christopher Crawford, managing partner at Crawford Fund Management, told CNBC's "Street Signs Asia" on Tuesday that his firm is overweight tech "for the first time in our 10-year history."

☆ Did investors learn nothing from last year’s market meltdown?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Shares of movie theater chain AMC (AMC) have soared nearly 65% so far in 2023, and AMC (AMC)’s companion preferred stock (which trades under the ticker APE as a nod to the nickname AMC (AMC) fans have given themselves on social media) has more than doubled. So did investors learn nothing from last year’s market meltdown? I don’t agree with this market rally in meme stocks,” said Erik Ristuben, chief investment strategist with Russell Investments. Another strategist agrees this recent rally for meme stocks and other speculative bets may not end well. If they’re upbeat about spending, that could keep the rally in consumer stocks going.

☆ Grammys 2023: A Beyoncé vs. Adele Rematch, and Everything Else You Need to Know
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Neil Shah | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Even among the many Grammy Awards shows with highly competitive races between artists, this year stands out. Consider all the questions fans have to pore over: Will it finally be Beyoncé’s year? If so, where does that leave Kendrick Lamar? Will Bad Bunny make history for Latin artists? Or will coveted prizes go to industry titans like Adele and Taylor Swift and insider picks such as ABBA and Coldplay?

☆ Despite big layoffs, it’s still a great time to work in tech, experts say: ‘I’ve seen bad job markets…this is not it’
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Mathur is one of the more than 70,000 employees at U.S.-based tech companies that have lost their jobs in mass job cuts over the past 12 months. However, despite the recent barrage of pink slips, experts say it's still a great time to be a technology worker. Nearly 80% of laid-off tech workers found new roles within three months of beginning their job search, according to a November 2022 ZipRecruiter survey. Elliott has noticed increased interest in smaller companies among the tech professionals he coaches following the latest round of layoffs. "Tech workers are changing the parameters around their job search," he says.

☆ Sen. Kyrsten Sinema pulls in cash from Wall Street, real estate titans as she mulls reelection bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Real estate and private equity leaders, who have long helped to fill Sinema's campaign coffers, contributed to a healthy cash haul for the senator in the final months of last year. At the lunch, Sinema discussed the incoming Congress and how the tight margins in both chambers could create gridlock, according to attendees. Sinema's campaign had already seen more than $2 million from the securities and investment industry since the 2018 election cycle. The Sinema campaign saw dozens of contributions totaling over $145,000 from people who work at Apollo Global Management, another giant private equity firm, since October. Suzanne Clark, CEO of the massive pro-business lobbying group U.S. Chamber of Commerce, also donated $1,000 to Sinema's campaign on Dec. 31, the new FEC filing shows.

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationFeb 1 (Reuters) - Match Group Inc (MTCH.O) said on Wednesday it would lay off about 8% of its workforce, a day after it forecast first-quarter revenue below Wall Street expectations. Shares of the Texas-based firm were down 7.8%, having lost 11% after the bell on Tuesday following its downbeat forecast. The dating company joins Big Tech firms and Wall Street titans in reducing staff as they strive to cut costs amid concerns of a recession. The workforce reductions at Match are in-line with staff cuts across the broader tech sector, Zino added. Reuters GraphicsMatch forecast first-quarter revenue between $790 million and $800 million on Tuesday, lower than analysts' estimates of $817.3 million, according to Refinitiv data.

☆ Premarket stocks: Will the Fed end the 2023 market rally?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

So will Fed Chair Jerome Powell dampen expectations and reiterate that the fight against inflation still has a way to go, or will the Fed show signs that they’re ready to ease up on rate hikes? Wall Street analysts also expect the Fed will stop hiking altogether by the spring. This will leave the market hanging on the future of how many rate hikes we will see.”He’s preparing for a volatile market reaction. But now, investors may be a bit too eager to end treatment, even as Fed officials warn that doing so would be premature. Stocks close out a jubilant JanuaryThe greatest comebacks of all time: Rocky Balboa, JNCO jeans, Apple and now… the US stock market.

☆ Tom Brady Retires: The Revised Edition
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Ben Shpigel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is retiring from football. His seven Super Bowl titles are more than any single organization has won. He was twice foiled in the Super Bowl by the New York Giants. Brady racked up yardage but Tampa Bay fired its offensive coordinator, Byron Leftwich. Look again, though, at the piercing final play from that game: A 30-yard Rams field goal, the ball snapped from the Tampa Bay 12-yard line.

☆ Norway's gigantic sovereign wealth fund loses a record $164 billion, citing 'very unusual' year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Norway's sovereign wealth fund was established in the 1990s to invest the surplus revenues of the country's oil and gas sector. Norway's sovereign wealth fund on Tuesday reported a record loss of 1.64 trillion Norwegian kroner ($164 billion) for the whole of 2022, citing "very unusual" market conditions. The $1.3 trillion fund was established in the 1990s to invest the surplus revenues of Norway's oil and gas sector. Norway's vast North Sea oil and gas reserves are the bedrock of the fund's wealth. Indeed, the country's skyrocketing fossil fuel revenues amid Russia's war in Ukraine have prompted an impassioned debate about international justice.

☆ Payments firm PayPal to lay off 7% of its workforce to cut costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Manya Saini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 31 (Reuters) - PayPal Holdings Inc (PYPL.O) said on Tuesday it is planning to cut 7% of its workforce, or about 2,000 employees, the latest in a list of fintech firms to be hit by the economic slowdown. The payments firm also joins Big Tech firms and Wall Street titans, which are executing layoffs across corporate America as companies look to rein in costs to ride out the downturn. Shares of the payments firm, which lost about 60% of their value last year, were up about 2% in afternoon trading. "Similar to other tech companies, PayPal is seeking to position itself financially and strategically, bracing for an economic slowdown," said Moshe Katri, analyst at Wedbush. In November, PayPal had cut its annual revenue growth forecast in anticipation of a broader economic downturn and said it did not expect much growth in its U.S. e-commerce business in the holiday quarter.

☆ Bitcoin and other cryptos slump as the Fed gets ready to raise interest rates again
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Crypto markets are slipping as the two-day meeting of the Federal Reserve kicks off. A blockchain exec broke down how crypto markets are thinking about this week's expected rate hike. Ethereum is flat ahead of the central bank meeting, trading at $1,585. Recent economic data points indicate that high inflation is easing, giving the central bank room to pull back on monetary tightening. "Any movement ahead of the Fed meeting is mere correlation," Jeremy Epstein, CMO of smart contract platform Radix, told Insider.

☆ Drugmaker Amgen lays off 300 U.S. employees
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Jan 30 (Reuters) - Drugmaker Amgen Inc (AMGN.O) said on Monday that it let go about 300 U.S. employees or about 1.2% of its total workforce, citing recent organizational changes to its commercial team. The company had about 24,200 staff members in over 50 countries, as of December 31, 2021, according to its latest annual regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Big Tech firms and Wall Street titans have led a string of layoffs across corporate America in recent weeks. Amgen's move to trim its workforce shows how rapid interest rate hikes and a fading boom in demand post pandemic has begun to weigh on the healthcare sector. Reporting by Bhanvi Satija in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 5 things to know before the stock market opens Monday, January 30
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Mike Calia | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

This week it will run into some big tests, given the earnings schedule dominated by big tech names (more on that below) and the Federal Reserve's next moves. Here's a look at the earnings week ahead: Tuesday: General Motors McDonald's UPS Pfizer Spotify Snap AMDWednesday: Peloton MetaThursday: Apple Alphabet Amazon Ford Starbucks Qualcomm3. Renault aims to cut Nissan stakeRenault and Nissan automobile logos are pictured during the Brussels Motor Show on January 9, 2020 in Brussels. France's Renault and Japan's Nissan have agreed to restructure their agreement, which they struck in 1999. The overall health and size of its business allows it to mix things up and try new things.

Jan 30 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever. It looks like a quiet start to the week in Asia on Monday, but don't be fooled - it may be the calm before the storm. The MSCI Asia ex-Japan index is at a nine-month high and up more than 30% from the October low. It has risen in 11 of the last 13 weeks and is on course for a monthly gain of 11%. China reopens after the Lunar New Year holiday, so trading volumes in Asia will return to something resembling normal.

But add a candidate representing the Bernie Sanders wing of the party, Ro Khanna, and a living legend who got her start with the Black Panthers and would become the only Black woman in the Senate, Barbara Lee — now you're talking about a California Senate race for the ages. Reaching voters isn’t easy in California, with a population approaching 40 million and a land mass bigger than that of many countries. But the race will affect the future of the Democratic Party, both in California and beyond. “An appointment would be a way to make sure that this country has the essential voice of a Black woman,” Allison said. And I don’t see and I don’t understand why it isn’t happening.”Meanwhile, as Lee watches Feinstein, Bernieworld is watching Lee.

☆ Norway’s fossil fuel bonanza stokes impassioned debate about how best to spend its ‘war profits’
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

It has ignited an impassioned debate about international justice, with many questioning whether it is fair for Norway to rake in record oil and gas revenues at the expense of others' misfortune. Norway's Finance Ministry expects the state's revenues from oil and gas sales to climb to 1.38 trillion Norwegian krone ($131 billion) this year. "They are war profits," Lars-Henrik Paarup Michelsen, director of the Norwegian Climate Foundation think tank, told CNBC via telephone. Oil companies are getting richer and richer, but we don't see that money — and who is really paying for this? The so-called Government Pension Fund Global, among the world's largest sovereign wealth funds, was established in the 1990s to invest the surplus revenues of Norway's oil and gas sector.

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