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☆ Microsoft stock pops after it announces $30 per month A.I. subscription for Microsoft 365
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Microsoft shares rose as much as 5.8% Tuesday after the company announced a new artificial intelligence subscription service for Microsoft 365. The company will charge users an additional $30 per month for the use of generative AI with tools such as Teams, Excel and Word. Adding on the subscription to Copilot, a generative AI assistant that works across Microsoft 365 programs, could increase monthly prices for enterprise customers as much as 83%. The updates come as the race to offer consumer-driven generative AI tools heats up among tech giants such as Microsoft, Google, IBM and more. The company also announced a significant update to Bing Chat, its AI chatbot, on Tuesday: visual search.

Persons: It's, Bing Organizations: Microsoft, Google, IBM, Goodyear, General Motors

☆ Barbie is all the buzz this summer — and retailers hope it will make cautious consumers spend
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Bloomingdale's is just one of the retailers and brands trying to tap into Barbie buzz. With a splash of hot pink, retailers hope to chase away the summer doldrums and inflation blues. About half of Aldo's Barbie collection sold out in the first week. So far, the Barbie merchandise is "selling incredibly well" and appealing to customers across generations, said Frank Berman, the department store's chief marketing officer. Gap has sold out of some of its popular Barbie items, including rectangular pink sunglasses.

Persons: Bloomingdale's, Barbie, Aldo, Brand, Daianara Grullon Amalfitano, Aldo's, Aldo Macy's, Frank Berman, Berman, it's, Ken, Circana, Margot Robbie's, Oliver Chen, Cowen, Chen, Susan Fournier, Barbie isn't, Fournier Organizations: Warner Bros, Mattel, Companies, NPD Group, IRI, Unit, Walmart, Target, Amazon Prime, Consumers, Adobe Analytics, Aqua Locations: Manhattan, Lexington Ave, U.S, Boston, New York City

The S & P 500 surged more than 15% to start the year, marking its biggest first-half gain since 2019 — when it jumped more than 17%. As of Wednesday, the S & P 500 is trading at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 19.3 — near the highest since April 2022. CNBC Pro screened the S & P 500 for stocks with the lowest forward PE ratio relative to their sector average. United Airlines also made the list with the lowest relative valuation among industrials. The automaker trades at a relative forward multiple of 0.21 — the lowest among consumer discretionary names.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Adam Jonas, Michael Bloom Organizations: CNBC Pro, United Airlines, General Motors, GM

The S & P 500 rose 8.3% in the second quarter to extended its 2023 advance to 15.9%. Here's a closer look at the Club's best and worst performers in the first half of 2023, starting with the four winningest stocks. West Texas Intermediate crude ended the second quarter under $71 per barrel, about $10 below where it started the year. Humana (HUM) dropped 12.7% in the first half of 2023, rounding out the bottom-four Club stocks between January and June. The common denominator among the worst-performing Club stocks is a bit less obvious than with the winners.

Persons: It's, Dow, Here's, Mark Zuckerberg, Palo, Lisa Su, —, Eli Lilly, Locker, Foot Locker's, Estee Lauder, Estee, Halliburton haven't, encouragingly, Halliburton, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Jen, Hsun Huang, Huang, Andrej Sokolow Organizations: Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Nvidia, FactSet, Meta, Investors, Facebook, Networks, Palo Alto Networks, Alto, AMD, Devices, Palo, would've, The, HAL, Halliburton, West Texas, Coterra, Humana, Disney, DIS, CNBC, Consumer, Audi, Getty Locations: China, Meta, Palo, Palo Alto, Las Vegas, USA

The S & P 500 is up nearly 14% year to date, putting it on track for its best first-half performance since 2021. In fact, three of the best-performing S & P 500 stocks in the first half rode the wave more than most: Nvidia , Meta Platforms and Tesla . All three stocks have at least doubled year to date, with Nvidia leading the way. The chipmaker is up more than 180% in 2023, while Meta and Tesla are up 137% and 107%, respectively. Nvidia has quickly become an AI darling on Wall Street, with many analysts calling it the best way to gain exposure to the burgeoning trend due to its chips.

Persons: it's, Tesla, Goldman Sachs, Toshiya Hari, Mark Zuckerberg, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Federal Reserve, Nvidia, Meta, Street Journal Locations: U.S, China, NVDA

☆ Ford's electric future looks bright, as the automaker doubles down on batteries and cuts costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

As CEO Jim Farley continues to rein in costs, Ford is preparing to enact a new round of layoffs in the coming weeks, according to a Wall Street Journal report Thursday. Nonetheless, news of the potential layoffs come after Farley told Jim this week that Ford still needs bring down costs at its EV division. The company has estimated its EV costs are roughly $7 billion higher than its competitors. F 1M mountain Ford stock performance month-to-date. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

Persons: Jim Farley, Ford, Jim Cramer, Farley, Jim, We're, Jim Cramer's, Rebecca Cook Organizations: Ford, U.S, Wall, U.S . Energy Department, SK, Blue, SK —, EV, it's EV, CNBC, Ford Motor Co, Amperex Technology Locations: Korean, U.S, Marshall , Michigan, Romulus , Michigan

☆ How our retail stocks are battling a rise in theft — and why they are set up to win
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Many retailers are grappling with a rise in theft at their stores that is cutting into profits. Most losses were attributed to organized retail crime, employee theft and process-control failures. While theft is an industry-wide phenomenon, the shrink headwind appeared to have more of a material impact among discount retailers. Off-price retailer TJX Companies (TJX) also cited shrink as a headwind to gross margins in its latest results . At its stores, TJX has also made efforts to better secure expensive merchandise by putting it behind locked cases and using more innovative tagging.

Persons: —, hasn't, Jim Cramer's, Locker, Dana Telsey, TJX, Tom Nikic, Foot Locker, Nikic, Wedbush, Jim, Mary Dillon's, Rich Galanti, We've, Telsey, they're, Jim Cramer, Victor J Organizations: National Retail Federation, UBS, TJX Companies, Costco, Telsey Advisory, CNBC, TAG, Wedbush, Management, TJ Maxx, Blue, Bloomberg, Getty Locations: FL, New York, U.S

☆ Bernstein sees a $5 trillion opportunity in blockchains for financial markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

If financial incumbents want to be part of the modernization of financial markets, they need to adopt blockchains, according to Bernstein. Beyond tradeable assets like bitcoin, however, there's an opportunity over the next five years for financial firms in tokenizing real-world assets on blockchains, the firm said in a note this week. "Tokenization, we believe, will transform financial markets over the next decade," analyst Gautam Chhugani said in the Tuesday note. "We forecast ~$5 trillion of real-world financial assets will be tokenized on blockchains over the next 5 years." There is also a big opportunity for new business verticals in custody, trading, trade finance and enterprise consulting, Chhugani said.

Persons: Bernstein, Cryptocurrencies, there's, Gautam Chhugani, Chhugani, Hamilton Lane, Franklin Templeton, Michael Bloom Organizations: Investment, KKR, Securitize, JPMorgan Locations: tokenizing, stablecoins

Now, with AI booming in popularity, revenue growth rates in the sector are poised to bottom — ultimately allowing for an inevitable bounce. The scope of these cloud developments goes beyond Amazon, Alphabet and Microsoft, touching on other names inside and outside the portfolio. It comes as macroeconomic headwinds have led many enterprises to rein in spending, translating into slower revenue growth for all three cloud-computing units. Alphabet's Google Cloud sales grew 28% year-over-year to $7.45 billion in the three months ended March 31 , compared with 44% in the first quarter of 2022. Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer at Google LLC, speaks during the Google Cloud Next '19 event in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Tuesday, April 9, 2019.

Persons: There's, Salesforce, OpenAI, Embeddings, Amazon Piper Sandler, Piper Sandler, AMZN, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Sundar Pichai, Michael Short Organizations: Big Tech, Microsoft, Club, Nvidia, Web Services, Google, Clinic, Mayo Clinic, U.S, OpenAI, Government, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Defense Department, Defense Technical, Bloomberg, CNBC, Google LLC, Getty Locations: San Francisco , California, U.S

☆ 'Uber crowded' trades from professional investors are crushing the market, Jefferies says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Professional investors' high-conviction bets have paid off this year, significantly beating the S & P 500 , according to Jefferies. These stocks have led the market this year amid Wall Street's obsession with what investors consider safe earnings, and all things tied to artificial intelligence. Microsoft is another red-hot AI bet as the company recently expanded a multiyear, multibillion-dollar investment in ChatGPT maker OpenAI, marking the third phase of their partnership. Microsoft shares are up about 39% in 2023. The company recently increased its projections for income and net new recurring revenue from its Digital Media business for the full year.

Persons: Jefferies, Bill Ackman, Stanley Druckenmiller, Dan Loeb Organizations: Big Tech, Microsoft, Meta, Google, Nvidia, Software, Adobe, Digital Media, Horizon Therapeutics

☆ Hedge funds piled into these A.I. stocks during the first quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Securities filings released this week signaled that many hedge funds also appear to be catching the AI bug. Betting on AI heavyweights Alphabet popped up as one of the most common AI plays among big investors in the first quarter. Microsoft bet billions on AI capabilities, funneling another multibillion-dollar investment in January into ChatGPT maker OpenAI. Beyond Alphabet and Microsoft Outside heavyweight giants Alphabet and Microsoft, many hedge funds beefed up other AI-related holdings in the first quarter. His Nvidia bet equaled roughly $1.4 billion at the end of March.

☆ Took a huge hit on taxes this year? How investors can avoid a hefty bill next year
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Darla Mercado | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Last year was a complex one for investors, as the sharp market decline seemingly left traders short of huge capital gains from dumping highly appreciated stocks. "It's counterintuitive to people: Why do I have a large capital gains distribution this year? Meanwhile, investments that you hold for more than a year are subject to long-term capital gains rates, which can be as high as 20%. This means you sell a losing position to offset capital gains elsewhere in the portfolio, thus reducing the tax hit. Meanwhile, in a traditional IRA, taxes are merely deferred, but withdrawals are subject to income taxes.

☆ Morgan Stanley says HSBC is a 'top pick' despite the bank's shareholder troubles
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

But Morgan Stanley is sticking to its bullish stance on the U.K.-based bank, calling HSBC its "top pick" in the sector. Morgan Stanley is looking past that noise. Morgan Stanley expects HSBC to deliver "accelerating" capital returns, with 50% of 202 earnings paid out in dividends and share buybacks amounting to $3 billion in 2023. Further out, we see not only the 50% dividend payouts, but annual share buybacks of $8 billion in 2024/25," according to Morgan Stanley. Shares of HSBC are up nearly 16% this year, but Morgan Stanley expects more upside ahead.

Welcome to CNBC Select's advice column, Getting Your Money Right , where financial advisor Kristin O'Keeffe Merrick will be answering your pressing money questions. I have yet to meet someone who likes tax season, but I can definitely help make it less painful for you. Every year when tax season comes around, I find that I am overwhelmed by what I need to do in order to prepare. Filing electronically is more efficient and helps you receive your money from the IRS much faster. All the best,KristinKristin O'Keeffe Merrick is a Financial Advisor and money expert at her family-run firm, O'Keeffe Financial Partners, located in Fairfield, NJ.

☆ 8 reasons why you need an EIN for your business and how to apply for one
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Lee Huffman | Elizabeth Gravier | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Below, CNBC Select explains how to apply for an EIN for your business and eight reasons why you need one. An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is a federal identification number for your business. These are a few of the most common reasons why you need to apply for an EIN. You cannot open a business bank account for most forms of business without an EIN.. You cannot open a business bank account for most forms of business without an EIN. Best small business resourcesOnce you have your EIN, it will be easier to separate personal and business expenses and take advantage of various small business resources, such as business credit cards, business checking accounts, business savings accounts, business loans and business expense trackers.

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

☆ Why we expect more cost cuts at Amazon after a solid fourth quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Bottom line All in all, this was a good quarter from Amazon, with beats across business segments. If Amazon takes the hammer to its expenses like Meta Platforms did Wednesday , we think the stock could trade much higher. This was related to Amazon closing down some Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go physical stores, though we appreciate Amazon shutting down stores that offer lower growth potential. First quarter outlook Amazon is generally conservative when providing financial guidance, but the outlook Thursday left more to be desired. An Amazon driver loads packages into a delivery van at an Amazon delivery station on November 28, 2022 in Alpharetta, Georgia.

☆ Latest Microsoft results show the tech giant is still a buy despite near-term pressures, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Microsoft may be facing some near-term pressures, but most analysts think the stock remains a buy at current levels. Radke has a buy rating on the stock, and raised his target price slightly to $282 from $280. His $300 price target represents more than 23% upside from Tuesday's closing price for the stock. Davidson's Gil Luria was especially bullish on Microsoft, saying that the tech giant "deserves a premium valuation relative to the market and its Pac4 comparables." He lowered his price target to $265 from $267.

☆ A simple reason why stocks are off to a good start: History shows the S&P rebounds after down years
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( John Melloy | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

There's a simple reason why sentiment is bullish in the market Tuesday with little fresh news or data for investors to evaluate: History shows the S & P 500 tends to bounce — often significantly — after down years. A look at the data since World War II shows when the S & P 500 declines more than 1% in a single year, it rebounds on average by 15% in the next year. Some investors think we could be in a similar period, where the Covid inflationary excesses need multiple years to be worked off. Plus, the market since the 1940s has never bottomed before an official recession hits . Many investors see the market unwinding to the lows again as an official recession takes hold this year.

☆ Oppenheimer downgrades Tesla, says Elon Musk's handling of Twitter could hurt electric vehicle maker
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk's handling of Twitter is damaging sentiment around Tesla , according to Oppenheimer. Analyst Colin Rusch downgraded shares of Tesla to perform from outperform, saying he can no longer separate coverage of the electric vehicle maker from Musk's controversial management of the social media platform. Tesla shares, which are notably volatile, are down 57% this year. However, the analyst expects that the ongoing negative headlines around Twitter could create a "negative feedback loop" that would hurt sales of Tesla vehicles. Tesla shares jumped 4% in the premarket.

☆ BlackRock unit tells investors it's time for a new portfolio playbook
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Work your cash; buy bonds Chaudhuri said it was time to rethink the role of bonds, as a higher-rate environment sees fixed income yields rise. BlackRock also said investors can earn income in the "comparative safety" of cash-like instruments through ultra-short duration securities. Reallocate away from growth stocks Growth stocks, such as Big Tech, were an investor favorite in an era of low rates. But this year, tech stocks have been among the worst-performing sectors . Live with inflation Inflation is set to stick around, given the continued strength coming from services and shelter, according to BlackRock.

☆ Holiday shoppers aren’t in a rush. What that means for retail stocks
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

If you're a retailer, and it's the holiday season, the thing you most want consumers to feel is a sense of urgency. Unlike last year, holiday shoppers don't need to fear empty shelves at the store. Walmart said it saw more shoppers with incomes above $100,000 ring up items in its stores, drawn in by less expensive groceries. He suggests investors position themselves in discounters like Walmart or Family Dollar or in luxury stocks like RH or Lululemon . She explained that many shoppers perceive Target as a place where "you go in for two items and come out $150 later."

☆ Want to play rising copper prices? Analysts give these 2 stocks more than 200% upside
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Copper is having a good month, with both prices and mining stocks trading well in the green. Benchmark copper prices on the London Metal Exchange jumped over 7% last week on hopes that Covid restrictions in China would soon be lifted, although prices have since pared gains. Still, falling inventories and fresh disruptions at the world's second-largest copper producer in Peru continue to support prices. Against this backdrop, CNBC Pro screened the Global X Copper Miners ETF on FactSet for stocks that analysts expect to outperform, using the following criteria: Upside to average price target of at least 15%. Analysts covering the stock put its upside at nearly 19%, and 77% give it a buy rating, according to FactSet.

☆ 'Tables have turned on FANG': Tech earnings wreck splits the stock market
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Patti Domm | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

This earnings season's tech wreck could continue to pressure the Nasdaq Composite, while other sectors may help broader indices deflect some of the pain. Amazon 's stock was hammered after the company missed estimates and gave a disappointing sales forecast for the current quarter . The two were members of FANG, a group of four favorite stocks that joined other Big Tech in carrying the market to highs before the bear market. Apple's report has been much anticipated by investors, since it is 7% of the S & P 500. "A favorable reaction could lift tech off its lows and help extend the relief rally in the S & P. A gap down would do the opposite."

☆ Deutsche Bank upgrades Humana for the same reasons we own this big 2022 winner
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

These so-called Star Ratings are designed to help consumers evaluate the quality of Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, according to the CMS . Humana stock was left for dead at the beginning of the year when it warned about Medicare Advantage growth. Humana is "poised to take market share" in Medicare Advantage this enrollment season. Furthermore, we believe Humana offers a superior Medicare Advantage package and represents new leadership in the health care industry. Earlier this month, Humana released the details of its newly expanded and enhanced Medicare Advantage plan offering.

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