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☆ These vulnerable major stocks could be activists' next targets, according to Goldman
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Shareholder activism could continue its momentum this year, and a number of major companies could be popular targets, according to Goldman Sachs. "Sales growth has been the most important variable in determining an activist target, followed by EV/sales valuation." Goldman screened the Russell 3000 index for companies that may be susceptible to a campaign by an activist investor. Bath & Body Works could experience more action from activists this year, according to Goldman's screen. In the retail space, Goldman also predicts activists may target Best Buy , Burlington Stores and CarMax .

☆ Stocks making the biggest premarket moves: Tesla, IBM, American Express, KeyCorp and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

IBM — The tech stock rose more than 1% in premarket trading after the company reported an earnings beat. IBM posted adjusted earnings of $1.36 per share, compared to $1.26 per share as expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv. American Express — Shares dipped 1.3% after the payments company reported adjusted earnings per share of $2.40 for the first quarter, below StreetAccount's estimates of $2.66. F5 — The cloud-based software company's shares were down about 7% after a mixed second fiscal quarter earnings report. Analysts polled by FactSet had estimated 44 cents earnings per share and $1.79 billion in revenue.

PARIS, April 20 (Reuters) - Europe's flourishing luxury goods industry was under scrutiny on Thursday after European Union antitrust regulators inspected Gucci's Milan headquarters this week as part of an investigation spanning several countries and companies. Reuters reported on Wednesday that as part of the probe EU antitrust regulators were inspecting a facility of luxury goods company Gucci in Milan, one of the fashion capitals of the world. The inspection of the Gucci site was aimed at possible violations of the European Union's Article 101, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. The article prohibits agreements that restrict, prevent or distort competition within the EU and which have an effect on trade between EU member states. Kering (PRTP.PA), the French-listed owner of Gucci, late on Wednesday confirmed the inspection, adding that it was cooperating fully with the European Commission investigation into the industry.

☆ Luxury industry under scrutiny as EU targets Gucci and others
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, April 20 (Reuters) - Europe's flourishing luxury goods industry was under scrutiny on Thursday after European Union antitrust regulators started inspecting a Gucci facility in Milan as part of an investigation spanning several countries. The article prohibits agreements that restrict, prevent or distort competition within the EU and which have an effect on trade between EU member states. Kering (PRTP.PA), the French-listed owner of Gucci, late on Wednesday confirmed a Reuters report on the inspection, adding that it was cooperating fully with the European Commission investigation into the industry. Companies found guilty of breaking EU rules face fines of as much as 10% of their global turnover. The Commission said on Tuesday that the latest action was not related to other raids involving the fashion industry in the past two years.

☆ US existing home sales resume downward trend in March
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Last month's sales likely reflected some contracts signed in February, when mortgage rates started rising again after mostly decreasing in January. "Consumers appear to be very sensitive to changes in mortgage rates," said Lawrence Yun, the NAR's chief economist. "The week-to-week changes in mortgage rates are having a big impact." Home resales, which account for a big chunk of U.S. housing sales, tumbled 22.0% on a year-on-year basis in March. A survey on Monday showed the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market index climbed to a seven-month high in April.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Tesla, IBM, American Express, AT&T and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

American Express posted earnings per share of $2.40 for the first quarter, below an estimate of $2.66, per Refinitiv. On Wednesday, the casino and resort company posted a beat on first-quarter earnings. The decline comes a day after Zions missed earnings expectations in the first quarter. The company posted earnings of $2.73 per share on revenue of $7.97 billion. The downgrade comes ahead of the defense firm's first quarter earnings report, which is set to release April 25.

☆ Home sales fell in March, reversing gains
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington, DC CNN —US home sales fell in March, after a turnaround in February that followed a full year of declining home sales due to surging mortgage rates, according to a National Association of Realtors report released Thursday. Sales of existing homes in March — which include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops — dropped 2.4% from February. Mortgage rates remain volatile — so far this year average rates have ranged from 6.09% to 6.73%. “Home sales are trying to recover and are highly sensitive to changes in mortgage rates,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist. Many potential sellers feel “locked in” by their ultra-low existing mortgage rates that they bought or refinanced into over the past few years.

☆ Home sales fell in March amid volatility in mortgage rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The weakness is likely due to a sharp jump in mortgage interest rates. With home prices still historically high, today's buyers are increasingly sensitive to even daily moves in mortgage rates. "Home sales are trying to recover and are highly sensitive to changes in mortgage rates," said Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the NAR. "This suggests that both existing home supply and demand will be sensitive to mortgage rate changes," added Hale. "High home prices and higher mortgage rates are clearly presenting challenges," Yun said on the first-time buyer share.

☆ Cathie Wood says Tesla could hit $2,000 by 2027 on robotaxi opportunity
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ark Invest's Cathie Wood said Thursday her EV darling Tesla could hit $2,000 in five years on the back of a robotaxi boom. The innovation investor updated her price target for the Elon Musk company to $2,000 by 2027, a whopping 1,127% increase from Tesla's Thursday close of $162.99. Wood believes the robotaxi opportunity could deliver $8 trillion to $10 trillion in revenue by 2030. The innovation investor said she wasn't fazed by Tesla's first quarter earnings that triggered a near 10% sell-off Thursday. Each one of them now presents the potential for robotaxi and robotaxi fleet," Wood said.

☆ A big macro issue is waiting to disrupt markets this summer that could cause the Fed to cut rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The debt ceiling debacle in Washington has the potential to upend the financial market and prompt the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates, Bank of America warned. The warning followed news that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. released his plan to raise the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion for about a year. "Any economic damage could potentially be offset by earlier and/or larger Fed rate cuts. It recently signaled one more rate hike in 2023, while saying rate cuts are not its base case. Bank of America's economists estimated that federal expenditures would fall by 5% of GDP per year if the debt limit is not lifted.

Gucci is part of French luxury goods group Kering (PRTP.PA). The European Commission said on Tuesday that antitrust regulators had raided companies in the fashion sector in several EU countries. The Commission, which acts as the competition enforcer in the 27-country EU, did not name the companies or the countries, in line with its policy. The European Commission declined to comment on Wednesday. Companies found guilty of breaching EU rules face fines of as much as 10% of their global turnover.

☆ Exclusive: German authors, performers call for tougher ChatGPT rules amid copyright concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, April 19 (Reuters) - Forty-two German associations and trade unions representing more than 140,000 authors and performers on Wednesday urged the European Union to beef up draft artificial intelligence rules as they singled out the threat to their copyright from ChatGPT. The letter underlined the growing worries about generative artificial intelligence (AI) such as ChatGPT which can mimic humans and create text and images based on prompts. "Generative AI needs to be at the centre of any meaningful AI market regulation," it said. The European Commission, which last year proposed AI rules, will in the coming months thrash out the final details with EU lawmakers and member states before the rules become legislation. The rules should be beefed up to regulate generative AI across the entire product cycle, especially on providers of foundation models, the groups said.

MILAN/BRUSSELS, April 19 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators and Italian tax police inspected a facility of luxury goods company Gucci as part of a European Union investigation spanning several countries and companies, two sources with knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday. Gucci is part of French luxury goods group Kering (PRTP.PA). The second source said other fashion companies outside the Kering group had been targeted by similar inspections. The European Commission said on Tuesday that antitrust regulators had raided companies in the fashion sector in several EU countries. The European Commission declined to comment on Wednesday.

☆ These 6 global stocks are 'Buffett-style' picks, according to Credit Suisse
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Warren Buffett 's Berkshire Hathaway raised its stakes in five Japan stocks — a good sign for investors in Japan, according to Credit Suisse. "This, together with Berkshire Hathaway's recent issuance of JPY bonds, has put the spotlight on value and quality investment opportunities in Japan," Credit Suisse said in a April 14 note. In light of those developments, Credit Suisse analysts said in the note that they've screened for stocks in Japan that are "Buffett-style picks" — that is, they have characteristics typical of Buffett's holdings. Value: Stocks with earnings yield in the top 25% of stocks the bank screened. They should also have above-median dividend yield, as well as above-median five-year dividend growth and next 12-month dividend growth.

United Airlines — The airline lost 0.9% in the premarket after it announced a net loss for the first quarter. The company reported $11.43 billion in revenue, slightly above the $11.42 billion estimated. The company posted earnings per share of $1.35, which fell below the $1.41 consensus estimate from analysts polled by Refinitiv. Ally Financial — The digital financial services company's shares were down 1.3% after its first quarter earnings and revenue missed Wall Street's expectations. The company reported adjusted earnings per share of $1.23, topping against a consensus estimate of $1.20 per share, according to FactSet.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Rivian, Western Alliance, Peloton and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Netflix posted a quarterly revenue of $8.16 billion, slightly below the $8.18 billion expectation per Refinitiv. Zion rose 4.3% ahead of its earnings report after the bell. Tesla — The electric vehicle maker pulled back 1 % ahead of its scheduled quarterly earnings after Wednesday's closing bell. CDW issued quarterly revenue guidance of $5.1 billion, which came out below the $5.58 billion consensus estimate from analysts surveyed by FactSet. Citizens Financial reported earnings per share of $1, falling short of analysts' expectations of $1.13, according to Refinitiv data.

☆ Exclusive: Vivendi set to win EU green light for Lagardere deal, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The logo of French media giant Vivendi is seen in Paris, France, January 31, 2022. REUTERS/Violeta Santos MouraBRUSSELS, April 19 (Reuters) - French media conglomerate Vivendi (VIV.PA) is set to win EU antitrust approval to buy Lagardere (LAGA.PA) after its offer to sell Editis and celebrity magazine Gala managed to address competition concerns, people with direct knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday. The European Commission, which is scheduled to decide on the deal by June 14, declined to comment. Vivendi, controlled by billionaire Vincent Bollore, announced the deal last year which would give it control of Lagardere's flagship weekly publications Journal du Dimanche (JDD) and Paris Match. Vivendi is now in talks to sell its publishing division Editis to billionaire Daniel Kretinsky after EU competition enforcers voiced concerns about Lagardere unit Hachette, the world's third-biggest publishing group.

☆ Real-Estate Agents Face a Reckoning As Housing Market, Home Sales Slow
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Just as the housing market goes through booms and busts, so do the ranks of real-estate agents. This has left real-estate agents fighting over a dwindling pool of listings. That makes the job of a local real-estate agent trickier and more nuanced than it was a year ago. "What makes a good real-estate agent and what makes a successful real-estate agent have almost no crossover." She joined a women's support group for real-estate agents on Facebook, where she found many others were experiencing similar challenges.

☆ Bill Nygren says bigger is better in financials, names Schwab as one of his favorites
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Oakmark Funds' Bill Nygren said he favors bigger banks in the financial sector, and the top value investor broke down why he particularly likes Charles Schwab. "I think bigger has been better in financials for a long time," Nygren said on CNBC's " Squawk on the Street. " Nygren, who owns Wells Fargo, Capital One, Bank of America and Schwab, believes larger banks are more insulated from these balance sheet issues. SCHW YTD mountain Schwab Nygren said he is especially bullish on Schwab because it's the lowest cost provider for wealth management services. The portfolio manager also noted that Schwab insiders have been active buyers of the stock in the past few weeks.

☆ EU takes on United States, Asia with chip subsidy plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, April 18 (Reuters) - The European Union on Tuesday agreed a 43 billion euro ($47 billion) plan for its semiconductor industry in an attempt to catch up with the United States and Asia and start a green industrial revolution. The EU Chips Act, proposed by the European Commission last year and confirmed by Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton, aims to double the bloc's share of global chip output to 20% by 2030 and follows the U.S. CHIPS for America Act. "We need chips to power digital and green transitions or healthcare systems," Commission Vice-President Margrethe Vestager said in a tweet. Since the announcement of its chips subsidies plan last year, the EU has already attracted more than 100 billion euros in public and private investments, an EU official said. While the Commission had originally proposed funding only cutting-edge chip plants, EU governments and lawmakers have widened the scope to cover the whole value chain, including older chips and research and design facilities.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Southwest Airlines, Goldman Sachs, Bellus Health and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

PowerSchool Holdings – The educational technology stock added 3.5% after Goldman Sachs upgraded shares to buy from neutral. Bank of America – The bank stock was about flat even after the firm reported first-quarter earnings and revenue that topped expectations. Goldman Sachs – Shares slid 1.3% after Goldman Sachs reported first-quarter revenue of $12.22 billion, lower than the $12.79 billion forecasted by analysts polled by Refinitiv. The company reported adjusted earnings of $2.68 per share and revenue of $24.75 billion. Bellus Health, GSK – Bellus shares roughly doubled after GSK said it would acquire Canada-based biopharmaceutical company Bellus.

☆ EU proposes $1.2 bln plan to counter growing cybersecurity threats
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, April 18 (Reuters) - The European Commission on Tuesday announced a 1.1-billion-euro ($1.2 billion) plan to counter growing cybersecurity threats, underscoring mounting concerns about a series of high-profile hacking incidents. "The EU Cyber Solidarity Act will strengthen solidarity at Union level to better detect, prepare for and respond to significant or large-scale cybersecurity incidents, by creating a European Cybersecurity Shield and a comprehensive Cyber Emergency Mechanism," the EU executive said in a statement. The Cyber Emergency Mechanism will test entities in highly critical sectors such as healthcare, transport and energy for potential vulnerabilities. The plan also includes setting up a EU Cybersecurity Reserve consisting of incident response services which will intervene at the request of an EU country or institution in the event of a significant or large-scale cybersecurity incident. The Cyber Solidarity Act will require agreement from EU countries and European Parliament before it can become law.

☆ Black homeowners had the smallest wealth gains over the past decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Middle-income homeowners gained $122,100 in wealth, with homes appreciating 68% over the past decade, according to the report. The study considered a household low-income if it earned an income no greater than 80% of the area median income. Middle-income homeowners are those with incomes over than 80% of the area’s median income but less than 200%. Black homeowners experienced the smallest wealth gains among any other racial or ethnic group, accumulating $115,000 in wealth in the last decade. Along with the wealth gains accumulated over the past decade, homeowners also reduced their debt by 21%.

☆ These stocks could get a pop if they go in to S&P 500 index following rule change
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The change applies to the S & P Composite 1500 Index and its components, including the S & P 500 , the world's largest stock benchmark and the one with the widest following. It forces buying from every passive index fund manager whose fund tracks the S & P 500, S & P Midcap 400 or Smallcap 600, boosting the stock price in the short term. Evercore ISI is bullish on the prospect for inclusion in the S & P 500. Alternative asset managers Ares Management and Blackstone have also became eligible for S & P 500 inclusion. "Excluding BX from the S & P 500 has hurt the index's performance... and BX also yields a dividend that is ~2x the average S & P 500 company."

The size of subsidies under the EU Chips Act, which aims to tempt the world's top chipmakers to build factories in the bloc and double its share of global output to 20% by 2030, lags the $52 billion CHIPS for America Act. Taiwan accounts for more than 60% of global chip production and concerns are growing about heightened tensions between Taipei and Beijing. But Europe's relatively modest subsidies could put a brake on its ambition, said Richard Windsor of research company Radio Free Mobile. GOOD STARTThe EU Chips Act is a good start given the EU has little choice but to join the subsidy race, but the bloc should play to its chipmaking strengths, said Christopher Cytera, research fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis. Catching up on the chips race is more than just building factories and the Chips Act acknowledges this with its focus on developing skilled labour for the future, said Anielle Guedes, senior research analyst at IDC Technologies.

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