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☆ Microsoft Signs ‘Call of Duty’ Pact With Nintendo as Activision Deal Faces Scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Sarah E. Needleman | Kim Mackrael | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The deal would give Nintendo access to new ‘Call of Duty’ games on the same day Microsoft’s Xbox system does. Microsoft Corp. has signed a pact to give Nintendo Co. access to “Call of Duty” games for a decade if its $75 billion deal to buy the game’s developer, Activision Blizzard Inc., gets approved, part of the software maker’s efforts to relieve regulators’ concerns about the transaction. In a tweet Tuesday, Microsoft Vice Chairman and President Brad Smith said the commitment with Nintendo, first proposed late last year, is now solidified. It means that Nintendo would gain access to new “Call of Duty” games the same day as they appear on Microsoft’s Xbox system.

☆ Microsoft's president to push Activision deal at EU hearing; Google, Nvidia also present
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Smith will lead a delegation of 18 senior executives, including Microsoft Gaming Chief Executive Officer Phil Spencer, while Activision will be represented by its CEO Robert Kotick according to a European Commission document seen by Reuters. Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google and chip designer and computing firm Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O), which has a gaming business, will also be taking part in the hearing, the EU document showed. "The European Commission asked for our views in the course of their inquiries into this issue. We will continue to cooperate in any processes, when requested, to ensure all views are considered," a Google spokesperson said. The European Games Developer Federation (EGDF), which has said the deal will allow Microsoft to challenge Apple (AAPL.O), Google and Tencent, is one of the participants.

☆ Microsoft Signs ‘Call of Duty’ Pacts With Nintendo and Nvidia as Activision Deal Faces Scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Sarah E. Needleman | Kim Mackrael | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The deal would give Nintendo access to new ‘Call of Duty’ games on the same day Microsoft’s Xbox system does. Microsoft Corp. signed pacts to give Nintendo Co. and Nvidia Corp. access to “Call of Duty” games for a decade if its $75 billion deal to buy the game’s developer, Activision Blizzard Inc., gets approved, part of the software maker’s efforts to relieve regulators’ concerns about the transaction. In a tweet Tuesday, Microsoft Vice Chairman and President Brad Smith said the commitment with Nintendo, first proposed late last year, is now solidified. It means that Nintendo would gain access to new “Call of Duty” games the same day they appear on Microsoft’s Xbox system.

☆ Microsoft President Brad Smith says it's a 'good day for gamers' after Nintendo, Nvidia deals
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailMicrosoft President Brad Smith says it's a 'good day for gamers' after Nintendo, Nvidia dealsMicrosoft President Brad Smith speaks to CNBC's Arjun Kharpal following a meeting with European Union officials on Tuesday, as his company tries to convince regulators that its planned $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard will be good for competition.

Microsoft logo is seen on a smartphone placed on displayed Activision Blizzard logo in this illustration taken January 18, 2022. BRUSSELS — Microsoft said Tuesday it will bring its Xbox PC games to Nvidia's cloud gaming service. Microsoft President Brad Smith said at a press conference that, effective immediately, its Xbox games will be available on Nvidia's GeForce Now cloud games service. Smith said if the Activision deal closes, it will bring all Activision Blizzard titles to GeForce Now. The commission is also concerned that it could give Microsoft an unfair edge in the nascent area of cloud gaming.

☆ Microsoft president says he has Activision licensing deal with Nvidia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Microsoft (MSFT.O) President Brad Smith said on Tuesday the U.S. software giant has agreed to a licensing deal that will bring Activision (ATVI.O) games to Nvidia's (NVDA.O) gaming platform and hoped that rival Sony (6758.T) will consider doing the same. Smith told a news conference he was now more optimistic of getting the Activision deal done after the Nvidia deal as well as a similar licensing deal with Nintendo (7974.T). Reporting by Foo Yun Chee Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Microsoft enters 10-year agreement with Nintendo in fight to save Activision deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Gayle Harrington | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Microsoft announced it has agreed to partnerships with Nvidia and Nintendo as it tries to convince European Union officials to approve its $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard — the company behind the popular game franchise Call of Duty. Microsoft President Brad Smith had a closed-door meeting Tuesday with EU regulators and competitors in Brussels to address concerns that its acquisition of Activision Blizzard could hurt competition in the video game industry. The deal has also come under scrutiny from regulators in the United States and the United Kingdom. Microsoft (MSFT) said that it has entered into a 10-year partnership with Nvidia to bring Xbox PC games to Nvidia’s cloud gaming service. In a statement, the software giant said the partnership “resolves Nvidia’s concerns with Activision Blizzard.

☆ 'Insure against the worst': Goldman picks stocks for a soft — and hard — economic landing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Despite this challenging environment, Goldman Sachs remains optimistic and expects a "soft-landing" for the U.S. economy. 'Soft-landing' stock picks To capture the upside in a soft-landing scenario, the Wall Street bank said that investors should own stocks that can benefit from a decelerating inflation environment. What follows are the first four stocks named by Goldman Sachs in its "soft-landing portfolio." Goldman Sachs analysts expect an earnings-per-share growth of 5% for Tesla and 7% for Garmin over the next 12 months, compared to a 1% growth for the S & P 500. Goldman Sachs has previously predicted that the S & P 500 will finish the year at the same level it started —4,000 — representing a return of 0% for 2023.

Microsoft President Brad Smith told a news conference on Tuesday he was now more optimistic of getting the Activision acquisition done after the Nvidia deal and a similar arrangement with Nintendo Co Ltd (7974.T). Instead, Nvidia's 25 million customers will need to pay Nvidia for access to its cloud gaming platform and pay Microsoft for its games. Shares of Microsoft fell 2%, Nvidia dropped 3.4% and Activision fell 0.7% in a broadly lower market on Tuesday afternoon. Nvidia said it now supports the Xbox maker's bid to purchase Activision, but the deal could still be a hard sell with regulators. Smith said he hoped that rival Sony Group Corp (6758.T) will consider doing the same type of deal with Nvidia.

☆ Top 10 things the Club is watching in the stock market Thursday: PPI hot, stocks drop, Cisco pops
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The PPI data comes two days after a slightly hotter-than-expected consumer price index for last month. Cloud communications platform Twilio (TWLO) finally makes the pivot to emphasize profitability and the stock gets rewarded ... up 9% early Thursday. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade.

☆ Deutsche Bank upgrades Activision Blizzard, says video game stock can rally regardless of Microsoft deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Activision Blizzard can generate returns for shareholders regardless of if the Microsoft deal goes through, Deutsche Bank said. Analyst Benjamin Soff upgraded the gaming stock to buy from hold and raised his price target by $7 to $90. In 2022, Microsoft proposed buying the "Call of Duty" maker for $68.7 billion in cash. Despite headwinds to consumer spending, Soff expects health growth and predicts the company's 2023 releases will be commercially successful. Overall, Soff forecasted growth of 12% for net bookings and 17% for operating incomes in 2023.

☆ Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Tesla, Generac, Coinbase, Meta, Roku, Roblox & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Here are Thursday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Bernstein reiterates Tesla as underperform Bernstein said Tesla sharers remain overvalued. Loop reiterates Apple as buy Loop said it sees attractive iPhone revenue upside for Apple. Canaccord upgrades Generac to buy from hold Canaccord said it sees "storm clouds breaking" for shares of Generac. JPMorgan reiterates Roku as overweight JPMorgan said it's standing by shares of Roku after the company's earnings results on Wednesday. " Bernstein reiterates Meta as outperform Bernstein kept its outperform rating on the social media giant and says it likes the company's "clear cost takeout plan."

☆ The Rainmakers: Meet the 20 powerhouse bankers who orchestrated the biggest deals of 2022 and defied a down market
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Carter Johnson | Alex Morrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Insider partnered with the financial-data platform MergerLinks to identify 2022's top 20 bankers. The ranking is based on bankers who led the advisory process for the largest M&A in North America. Insider partnered with MergerLinks, a financial data service that tracks deals, to present the fourth edition of "The Rainmakers," the 20 M&A bankers who orchestrated the largest deals in North America in 2022. Just two of the top 20 bankers work at a non-bulge bracket; in 2021 and 2020, that figure was seven apiece. The list below is in ascending order of the total value of deals led in 2022.

☆ Keith Meister's Corvex Management bets on media companies, cuts big tech and biotech holdings
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Corvex Management increased its stakes in media-related companies while slashing technology and biotech investments, according to its latest quarterly 13F filing with the SEC. Crown Holdings was Meister's second-largest acquisition in the fourth quarter, when Corvex bought $74 million of shares. In November, billionaire Carl Icahn disclosed an 8.5% stake in the packaging company once known as Crown Cork & Seal. Corvex in the fourth quarter increased its position in Fomento Economico Mexicano , a Mexican multi-national retail and beverage company, by 9.5%, bringing the holding to almost $200 million. Corvex exited its positions in Amazon , JP Morgan Chase & Co . and Uber in the fourth quarter.

☆ Top 10 things the Club is watching in the stock market Wednesday: Retail sales up, stocks dip, Airbnb soars
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Retail sales for January came in higher than expected. Remember, retail sales are not adjusted for inflation, which of course remains elevated but growing at a slower rate in recent months. Earnings per share (EPS) of 48 cents versus 25 cents expected. Kraft Heinz (KHC) EPS beats: 85 cents versus 78 cents expected. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

☆ Saudi Arabia's PIF says U.S. stocks value falls nearly $6 billion in fourth quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Yousef Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

That was equivalent to roughly 5.6% of Lucid shares, according to calculations based on Refinitiv data. PIF's stake in Lucid, despite increasing, nearly halved in value to $7.57 billion at the end of December from $14.18 billion three months earlier, the filing showed. Shares of Lucid, which plans to build its first overseas factory in Saudi Arabia, were down 51% in the fourth quarter. PIF, at the centre of Saudi Arabia's ambitious plans to diversify the economy away from oil, invested over $1 billion in Lucid in 2018. The value of PIF's stake in Uber fell by nearly $129 million, the filing showed.

☆ Here are Warren Buffett's latest moves to the Berkshire Hathaway stock portfolio
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Omaha-based conglomerate slashed its shares in Bank of New York Mellon by 60% in the fourth quarter to a bet worth $1.1 billion. Meanwhile, it also cut its US Bancorp stake by 90% to $291 million by the end of 2022. The filing reflects moves made in the fourth quarter and holdings as of the end of 2022. The chip stock gained nearly 9% in the fourth quarter, but the rebound in the new year was even more dramatic with shares up over 30% year to date. Meanwhile, Buffett's Chevron stake dipped marginally last quarter, worth $29.3 billion at the end of the fourth quarter, the filing showed.

Buffett's company bought another 20.8 million Apple shares worth $3.2 billion, raising its stake to 5.8%, according to the filing. Shares in Apple have surged nearly 18% this year. Berkshire shrunk its stake in BNY Mellon by roughly 60%, to 25.1 million shares. At current prices, the divestment is worth nearly $2 billion. The number of shares Berkshire holds fell 12.3%, to 52.7 million.

☆ Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway slashed 3 big stock bets last quarter - and topped up its huge Apple stake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway made striking changes to its stock portfolio last quarter. The famed investor's company cut its stake in Taiwan Semiconductor — which it only established in the third quarter of last year — by 86% to 8.3 million shares. Buffett's conglomerate also pared its US Bancorp stake by 91% to fewer than 7 million shares, worth just under $300 million at the end of December. Similarly, it sliced its BNY Mellon position by about 60% to 25 million shares, worth $1.1 billion at year end. Berkshire didn't add any new names to its US stock portfolio last quarter, nor did it eliminate any holdings.

☆ Microsoft to defend Activision deal at EU hearing on Feb. 21
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Microsoft (MSFT.O) will make a last-ditch effort to defend its $69 billion bid for "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O) in front of EU and national antitrust officials at a closed hearing on Feb. 21, the U.S. software company said on Tuesday. The company asked for the hearing after receiving a statement of objections from the European Commission warning about the possible anti-competitive effects of the deal. A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the oral hearing. Microsoft is expected to offer remedies after the hearing. Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Final Trades: CVS, Alphabet, Activision & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFinal Trades: CVS, Alphabet, Activision & moreThe "Halftime Report" traders give their top picks to watch for the second half.

☆ Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Exxon, Disney, Tesla, Apple, Affirm, Ulta, Alphabet & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Baird downgrades Bunge to neutral from outperform Baird downgraded the agribusiness and food company's after its disappointing earnings report on Wednesday. JPMorgan reiterates Uber as a top pick JPMorgan says it's sticking with the stock after its "strong" earnings report on Wednesday. Goldman Sachs reiterates Exxon as buy Goldman says it's sticking with its buy rating on shares of Exxon. Bank of America reiterates Apple as neutral Bank of America says Apple Services are at risk for further deceleration. Oppenheimer reiterates Ulta as outperform Oppenheimer says the bull case still has legs" for Ulta.

☆ Microsoft Deal With Activision Would Harm Gamers, U.K. Regulator Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Sarah E. Needleman | Kim Mackrael | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

U.K. antitrust regulators said the proposed $75 billion acquisition of gaming giant Activision Blizzard Inc. by Microsoft Corp. would further consolidate what it called Microsoft’s strong position in cloud gaming and said a combination would hurt U.K. gamers, delivering another regulatory hurdle to the deal in a big global gaming marketplace. The country’s Competition and Markets Authority said it would ask both companies to propose ways to ease its concerns and set a final decision about whether to let the deal proceed for late April.

☆ Brent Thill explains why he has a buy rating on Microsoft
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailBrent Thill explains why he has a buy rating on MicrosoftBrent Thill, Jefferies managing director, joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss his thoughts on the Microsoft and Activision deal and more.

☆ Britain says Microsoft's Activision deal could harm gamers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Britain's antitrust regulator said on Wednesday its in-depth probe had found that Xbox maker Microsoft's (MSFT.O) $69-billion purchase of "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O) raised competition concerns about cloud and console gaming. Reporting by Paul Sandle and Aby Jose Koilparambil; editing by Michael HoldenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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