DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Morning Bid: Triple-A headache
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Four thousand U.S. dollars are counted out by a banker counting currency at a bank in Westminster, Colorado November 3, 2009. On Tuesday, Fitch became the second major agency, after Standard & Poor's in 2011, to strip the United States of its prized triple-A credit rating. Jefferies notes that, with two of the three major agencies listing U.S. debt at AA, U.S. bonds no longer count as AAA in some key indices. However, according to Jefferies, most investors have moved away from some of the stricter criteria around holding triple-A rated debt, given Germany is the only large issuer left with that rating. Chart shows that the U.S.'s long-term foreign currency rating was downgraded by Fitch to AA+ in 2023, following a similar move from S&P in 2011.

Persons: Rick Wilking, Amanda Cooper, Fitch, Jefferies, it's, Dupont Nemours, Kraft, Phillips, Ingersoll Rand, John Stonestreet Organizations: REUTERS, Standard, Capitol, Investors, Treasury, Moody's, Moody's Investors Service, U.S ., U.S, AA, AAA, CVS Health, Entergy, Kraft Heinz, Garmin, Brands, Bunge Ltd, Lincoln National, Occidental Petroleum, ETSY, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Atmos Energy, Equinix, Qualcomm, MGM Resorts, MetLife, Fitch, Reuters Graphics U.S, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Westminster , Colorado, U.S, United States, Aaa, Germany, Exelon, Albemarle, Occidental, Clorox

☆ Dollar teeters near one-year low; euro scales 17-month peak
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Rae Wee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FILE PHOTO: U.S. dollars are counted out by a banker counting currency at a bank in Westminster, Colorado November 3, 2009. “I think the dollar can stay under selling pressure,” said Carol Kong, a currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Money markets have largely priced in a 25-basis-point rate hike from the Fed at its policy meeting later this month, though see rates coming down as early as December. Conversely, investors expect the European Central Bank and the Bank of England to have further to go in their rate-hike cycle. Elsewhere, the Japanese yen rose marginally to 138.66 per dollar and remains more than 4% clear of a seven-month low it hit last month.

Persons: Rick Wilking, ”, Carol Kong, Ryota Abe, China’s, Khoon Goh Organizations: greenback, REUTERS, U.S, Federal Reserve, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, “, Fed, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Bank of Japan, SMBC, Reserve Bank of Australia’s, New Zealand, ANZ Locations: SINGAPORE, Westminster , Colorado, Asia

[1/2] U.S. dollars are counted out by a banker counting currency at a bank in Westminster, Colorado November 3, 2009. Markets are now focusing their attention on U.S. consumer prices data due out on Wednesday, which will provide more clarity on the progress the Fed has made in its fight against stubbornly high inflation. The pound has been rallying on a stronger economy and aggressive repricing of expectations for tighter BoE policy, according to Danske Bank FX analyst Kirstine Kundby-Nielsen. "There have been no signs of relief in the labour market data and markets continue to price in more. Given the rising inflation backdrop in Japan, the market is starting to become more wary that perhaps a policy tweak could come."

Persons: Rick Wilking, Shaun Osborne, Kirstine Kundby, That's, Kundby, Nielsen, Moh Siong Sim, Samuel Indyk, Rae Wee, Edmund Klamann, Alex Richardson, Chizu Organizations: REUTERS, Federal, Scotiabank . Markets, Sterling, Bank of England, Danske Bank, Nielsen, Swiss, greenback, Swiss National Bank, Singapore, Bank of Japan, New Zealand, Reserve Bank of New, Thomson Locations: Westminster , Colorado, U.S, Norwegian, Swedish, Swiss, Japan, Reserve Bank of New Zealand

U.S. interest rate expectations have been a key driver of the dollar since the Fed began its tightening cycle last year. A survey from the New York Federal Reserve on Monday showed waning near-term inflation expectations among Americans, who said last month they were expecting the weakest near-term inflation gains in just over two years. Sterling , meanwhile, hit a near 15-month high of $1.2913 after British wage growth hit a joint record high, heaping pressure on the Bank of England to tighten policy further to bring inflation under control. The pound has been rallying on a stronger economy and aggressive repricing of expectations for tighter BoE policy, according to Danske Bank FX analyst Kirstine Kundby-Nielsen. Elsewhere, the euro rose 0.1% to $1.1012, the Australian dollar steadied at $0.6680, while the New Zealand dollar fell 0.2% to $0.6198.

Persons: Rick Wilking, Shaun Osborne, Sterling, Kirstine Kundby, That's, Kundby, Nielsen, Moh Siong Sim, Samuel Indyk, Rae Wee, Shri Navaratnam, Edmund Klamann, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Federal, Fed, Scotiabank . Markets, New York Federal Reserve, Bank of England, Danske Bank, Nielsen, Singapore, Bank of Japan, New Zealand, Thomson Locations: Westminster , Colorado, U.S, . U.S, Japan, China's

☆ A monster rally in just 3 stocks has caused short sellers to lose $30 billion so far this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The strong rally in stocks this year has sparked big losses for short sellers, according to S3 Partners. These are the three stocks that sparked $30 billion in losses for short sellers, according to S3. In total, short sellers have seen $122.1 billion in mark-to-market losses in the first six months of the year, and just three stocks drove a total loss of $30 billion. These are the top 10 stocks that have driven the biggest losses for short sellers so far this year, according to S3 Partners. TeslaTesla launched its insurance product in 2019 Getty ImagesTicker: TSLAShort seller losses: $13.0 billionYear-to-date performance: 126.5%

Persons: —, Ihor Dusaniwsky, Dusaniwsky, it's, Lisa Su Steve Marcus, Microsoft Justin Sullivan, Nvidia Jensen Huang, Las Vegas Rick Wilking, Tesla Tesla Organizations: S3 Partners, Service, Partners Research, Partners, Nasdaq, Reuters, Broadcom Reuters, Palo Alto, Microsoft, Apple Apple, Nvidia, CES Locations: Las Vegas

☆ These were the top 10 performing stocks in the S&P 500 in the first half of 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

US stocks have surged in 2023, with the S&P 500 entering a new bull market after a difficult 2022. These were the top 10 performing S&P 500 stocks in the first half of 2023. Much of the gains have been driven by hype around artificial intelligence, but the top 10 performing stocks aren't only tech names. From home builder companies to cruise line operators, these were the top 10 performing S&P 500 stocks in the first half of 2023. Royal Caribbean CruisesThe Blaster, Royal Caribbean Cruise Ships Royal Caribbean PressTicker: RCLYear-to-date gain: 105.5%4.

Persons: —, Hussein Faleh, Jenn Austin, Lisa Su Steve Marcus, Tesla Tesla, Nvidia Jensen Huang, Rick Wilking Organizations: Service, Nasdaq, General Electric General Electric, GE, Cruise, Reuters, Palo Alto, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Ships Royal Caribbean Press, Carnival Corporation, Nvidia, CES Locations: Las Vegas , Nevada, U.S

☆ Retail investors are piling into these 10 stocks as a new bull market gets started
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Retail investors are returning to the stock market as a new bull market begins and sentiment improves. These are the top 10 stocks that have seen the heaviest buying pressure from retail investors over the past week. These are the top 10 stocks purchased by retail investors over the past week, according to Vanda Research. Advanced Micro DevicesAMD CEO Lisa Su Steve Marcus/ReutersTicker: AMDFive-day Net Retail Purchases: $203.5 millionYear-to-date performance: 92.7%3. Apple(Photo by Fernando Gutierrez-Juarez/picture alliance via Getty Images)Ticker: AAPLFive-day Net Retail Purchases: $385.9 millionYear-to-date performance: 39.8%1.

Persons: Vanda, —, Microsoft Justin Sullivan, Mario Tama, Lisa Su Steve Marcus, Nvidia Jensen Huang, Rick Wilking, Fernando Gutierrez, Tesla Tesla, Michael Macor Organizations: Vanda Research, Service, Palantir, Retail, Microsoft, Verizon, Reuters, Nvidia, CES, Apple, Getty, Bloomberg, San Francisco Locations: Los Angeles , California, Las Vegas , Nevada, U.S

☆ These are the 10 best performing AI stocks so far this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The rise of ChatGPT has sparked a frenzy for artificial intelligence stocks in 2023. A "jaw-dropping" earnings report from Nvidia was the latest catalyst to send AI stocks soaring. These are the 10 top-performing artificial intelligence stocks so far in 2023. These are the 10 best-performing artificial intelligence-related stocks so far this year, as of Tuesday afternoon. C3.aiSOPA Images / Getty ImagesTicker: AIMarket Value: $3.2 billionYear-to-date gain: 260.8%

Persons: ChatGPT, —, Alphabet's Bard, It's, Microsoft Satya Nadella, Sean Gallup, Sundar, Synopsys Smith, Lisa Su Steve Marcus, Nvidia Jensen Huang, Las Vegas Rick Wilking Organizations: Nvidia, Service, Companies, Cadence Design Systems, Taiwan Semiconductor, World Semiconductor, Publishing, Getty, Microsoft, Google, Broadcom Reuters, Cadence, Marvell Technology, Marvell Technologies Smith, AMD, Reuters, CES Locations: China, Las Vegas

☆ High-stakes game of keeping secrets on Wall Street
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Citadel Securities' trading strategies? Look no further than a recently filed lawsuit by Citadel Securities against two former employees, per Bloomberg. The suit, which you can read here, alleges the former employees were building a competing high-frequency trading firm while still employed and used trade secrets gained while at Citadel Securities. Portofino told Bloomberg that the Citadel Securities lawsuit was "corporate bullying" and that it would defend itself. On the one hand, trading firms invest a lot of money — check out some salary ranges here — in developing these strategies.

☆ The insurance limit on your savings has become a hot global debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insures deposits up to $250,000 per person, per account, using a fund that banks pay into. “I don’t think that’s served us well.”Some argue the US deposit insurance limit should be 100 times higher. What is deposit insurance? Deposit insurance is aimed at calming fears, giving customers less reason to pull their cash out in a hurry. The debate over deposit insurance taps into bigger questions about the state’s role in private enterprise.

☆ How Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway can navigate the looming economic turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

First, let's check in with Warren Buffett. Warren Buffett REUTERS/Rick Wilking1. Few people would argue with you if you said Warren Buffett is the greatest investor of all time. Fewer still would challenge anyone who claimed Berkshire Hathaway was one of the most resilient companies of all time. Is there any other company or conglomerate better poised to navigate uncertainty than Berkshire Hathaway?

[1/3] Flowers decorate the fence around the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs where 26 people were killed a week earlier on Nov. 5, 2017, as the church opens to the public as a memorial to those killed, in Sutherland Springs, Texas, U.S. November 12, 2017. REUTERS/Rick Wilking/File PhotoCompanies The United States Department Of Justice FollowApril 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice reached a $144.5 million settlement with survivors and families of victims of the 2017 mass shooting at a Texas church that killed 26 people, for which a judge had found the Air Force primarily responsible. Wednesday's settlement with more than 75 plaintiffs requires approval by U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez in San Antonio. It would end the government's appeal of Rodriguez's order that it pay approximately $230 million over the Nov. 5, 2017 massacre by former Air Force airman Devin Patrick Kelley at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. "No words or amount of money can diminish the immense tragedy of the mass shooting in Sutherland Springs," Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in a statement.

☆ Factbox: Warren Buffett's investments in financial firms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc, pauses while playing bridge as part of the company annual meeting weekend in Omaha, Nebraska U.S. May 6, 2018. Here is history on Buffett's involvement with banks and current holdings in his investment portfolio. The investment gave Berkshire preferred stock that paid a 10% along with warrants to pay $5 billion for 43.5 million Goldman shares at $115 each. Berkshire has financial services investments in other countries. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York Editing by Nick ZieminskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. lawmakers to examine merits of higher bank deposit insurance cap
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] Signs explaining Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and other banking policies are shown on the counter of a bank in Westminster, Colorado November 3, 2009. "I think that lifting the FDIC insurance cap is a good move," Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, said on CBS's "Face The Nation" program, referring to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's current $250,000 limit per depositor. During the financial crisis that erupted in 2008, the FDIC temporarily backstopped all deposits to safeguard smaller banks. Pressure on midsized and smaller banks from deposit outflows continued on Friday despite a move by several large banks to deposit $30 billion into First Republic Bank (FRC.N), an institution rocked by the failure of Silicon Valley Bank (SIVB.O) and Signature Bank (SBNY.O). McHenry said he wanted to examine the trade-offs of higher deposit insurance limits, "the moral hazard of having more risk taking in the financial sector, and also the impact it would have on community banks."

☆ Proxy advisors urge shareholders to reject Ritchie Bros bid for IAA
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shareholders vote on March 14 on whether to approve the proposed deal. Ritchie Bros. said it "strongly disagree(s)" with the recommendations and urged shareholders to vote for the deal. The Ritchie Bros stock price climbed more than 5% in the first minutes of trading on Monday. The statement also said that Ritchie Bros. is committed to act in the best interest of all Ritchie Bros shareholders and build long-term value and drive superior shareholder returns. But a number of investors on both sides are pushing back on the deal, arguing it would distract Ritchie Bros from its core business and that it favors IAA shareholders without offering enough upside for RBA investors.

☆ Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has quietly stashed $90 billion into investments over the last 3 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Berkshire Hathaway's latest annual report illustrates that the company has deployed nearly $90 billion in investments since 2020. In 2020, Buffett and co. had spent a then-unprecedented $25 billion on stock buybacks, and set a new record of $27 billion in 2021. But even after all that, Berkshire still ended last year with $129 billion in cash and short-term investments. Fundstrat expects the stock market to see its strongest rally of the year soon. Avoiding a recession would actually be bad news for the stock market.

☆ Nvidia results show its growing lead in AI chip race
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Chavi Mehta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, shows the Drive Pegasus robotaxi AI computer at his keynote address at CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 7, 2018. AI has emerged as a bright spot for investments in the tech industry, whose slowing growth has led to widespread layoffs and a cutback on experimental bets. SPECIALIZED CHIPSGraphics processing units are designed to handle the specific kind of math involved in AI computing very efficiently, while generic central processing units (CPUs) from Intel can handle a broader range of computing tasks with less efficiency. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.O), whose shares also rose after Nvidia earnings on Wednesday, is the second-biggest player in the GPU industry, with a market share of roughly 20%. Nvidia's strength in the AI industry has also attracted the attention of venture capitalists and startups, which are investing billions of dollars and promising improvements such as lower electricity consumption.

[1/2] A family shops at the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market in Bentonville, Arkansas, June 4, 2015. REUTERS/Rick WilkingCompanies Walmart Inc FollowFeb 8 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Chicago has dismissed a proposed class action lawsuit accusing Walmart Inc (WMT.N) of deceiving shoppers by selling Fudge Mint cookies that lacked fudge and mint. Eugene DeMaso, of La Salle, Illinois, said packaging for the cookies sold under Walmart's Great Value label misled reasonable consumers because the cookies' "fudge" contained no milkfat and its "mint" contained no mint ingredients. Rowland also agreed with Walmart that "mint" promised a flavor, not actual mint. The lawsuit said Walmart's cookies sold for at least $1.89 for 10 ounces, and would have sold for less absent the alleged misleading representations.

☆ Berkshire Hathaway sells $44.9 mln of shares in China's BYD
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Rick Wilking/File PhotoFeb 2 (Reuters) - Berkshire Hathaway, the investment company owned by Warren Buffett, has sold 1.55 million Hong Kong-listed shares of electric vehicle maker BYD (002594.SZ) for HK$351.81 million ($44.85 million), a stock exchange filing showed. The sale lowered Berkshire's holdings in BYD's issued H-shares to 12.9% on Jan. 27, down from 13.04%, the filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange showed on Thursday. Berkshire, which started selling the BYD shares in late August, has accumulatively reduced its holding by more than a third. Buffett's company acquired 225 million BYD shares in 2008, giving it a 7.73% stake, equal to the 20.49% stake in H shares, according to BYD's annual report. ($1 = 7.8434 Hong Kong dollars)Reporting by Twinnie Siu and Zhang Yan; editing by Jason Neely Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Warren Buffett has made predictions about crypto, table tennis, and even his own death. Here are 12 forecasts and how they've turned out.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Berkshire HathawayA Berkshire Hathaway shareholder poses with a likeness of Berkshire CEO Warren Buffett at the shareholder's shopping day in Omaha, Nebraska May 1, 2015. REUTERS/Rick WilkingPrediction:"It is fitting that the visit of Halley's Comet coincided with this percentage gain: neither will be seen again in my lifetime," Buffett told Berkshire shareholders in 1985 after the conglomerate grew its net worth by 48.2%. He also predicted that the 23.2% compounded annual growth in the company's per-share book value that year was "another percentage that will not be repeated." Outcome:It took nearly 15 years for Buffett to prove himself wrong on the first count. Berkshire's net worth jumped by 48.3% in 1998, though that was largely because the company issued shares for acquisitions.

☆ Wells Fargo ordered to pay $3.7 billion for past scandals. Here's why we see it as a positive
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Wells Fargo will pay a $1.7 billion civil penalty and more than $2 billion to the "over 16 million affected consumer accounts," the CFPB said. Wells Fargo has already paid out some of that $2 billion, the bank told Jim Cramer. Wells Fargo has long made clear it was being investigated by the CFPB, so Tuesday's announcement wasn't a complete shock. Shares of Wells Fargo dropped roughly 2% to just under $41 each. However, Wells Fargo had already reserved, or set aside, more than half of that.

☆ U.S. confirms fifth Takata air bag inflator death in 2022, urges owners to get repairs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A recalled Takata air bag inflator is seen just before being removed from a Jeep in Boulder, Colorado United States July 20, 2017. REUTERS/Rick WilkingWASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - U.S. auto safety regulators confirmed a fifth Takata air bag inflator crash death in 2022 and reiterated urgent calls for owners to get repairs. Chrysler-parent Stellantis (STLA.MI) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said they had confirmed a third Takata air bag inflator death. In November, Stellantis urged owners of 276,000 older U.S. vehicles to immediately stop driving after the crash death reports, but just 2,000 owners have gotten repairs since then. Also in November, NHTSA confirmed a new death due to a defective Takata air bag inflator in a 2006 Ford (F.N) Ranger pickup.

[1/3] Customers are seen inside the Express store in Broomfield, Colorado August 28, 2013. At risk are retailers' margins during the critical holiday shopping season and their efforts to be the go-to location for trendy fashions. Shopper demand has put a strain on apparel retailers throughout the year, boosting inventories and forcing retailers including Gap, Victoria's Secret and Kohl's, to slash prices. Deals since October and over Thanksgiving weekend were up in both frequency and discounting depth, including from clothing retailers, according to research from Jane Hali & Associates. Express' third-quarter margins are expected to fall to 29.7% from 33.22% a year earlier, according to analysts' estimates on Refinitiv.

☆ Secret 9/11 memo reveals Bush rewriting the history of the 9/11 attacks and the warnings he'd tuned out
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

The ten members of the 9/11 Commission got to ask him and Vice President Dick Cheney any question they wanted about the September 11th attacks. What the new memo makes clear is that the White House's lack of urgency in facing down the domestic Al Qaeda threat wasn't all that complicated. Fortunately for Bush, the 9/11 Commission Report was careful not to point the finger directly at the sitting president. Still, when set beside the newly declassified memo, their official version of history as described by the 9/11 Commission Report feels incomplete, and sanitized. On the question of whether Al Qaeda came up during the August 17 briefing, Morell said he did not remember.

☆ Top Wall Street analysts say buy these stocks during a market downturn
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Tipranks.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

This means investors need to shift their focus toward longer-term prospects instead of fixating on near-term gyrations in the market. See below for five stocks picked by Wall Street's top pros, according to TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their previous performance. However, after the company posted its quarterly results, Susquehanna analyst Christopher Rolland noticed that Nvidia is "getting back on track." This prompted him to reiterate a buy rating on the stock and raise the price target to $185 from $180. (See Marvell Stock Chart on TipRanks) Looking beyond the quarter, Rolland sees several upsides to Marvell.

Search resuls for: "Wilking"

25 mentions found