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☆ Perfect Storm for Some Companies: Fewer Interest Deductions, Rising Rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Mark Maurer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +9 min

For some firms, the move shrank the amount of taxable income that can be offset by interest expenses. Higher interest rates generally lead to higher interest expenses tied to companies’ variable-rate debt, new borrowings and refinancings. The cap can hit companies’ cash flows immediately, though not necessarily their financial statements, due to timing differences in claiming the deductions. Aluminum maker and recycler Novelis plans to allocate less cash toward its venture-capital arm due to the higher interest expenses. Leveraged loans have variable rates that typically reset every one to three months, based on short-term interest rates.

☆ A flurry of earnings reports, Fed rate hike, signs of a bull market
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Earnings season continues next week, with Club holdings Linde (LIN), Emerson Electric (EMR) and Walt Disney (DIS) all set to report. Similarly, shares of Meta Platforms (META) have surged over 20% since CEO Mark Zuckerberg reassured investors Wednesday evening that 2023 would be the technology giant's "year of efficiency." The bull case is further supported by continued signs inflation is easing, a still-robust job market and the breadth of market-buying activity since the start of the year. Lastly on Wednesday, the Fed's Federal Open Market Committee raised the federal funds rate by 25 basis points, in line with expectations. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

☆ Earnings and Fed Chair Powell will again drive markets in the week ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Patti Domm | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

With few economic releases and the earnings season starting to wind down, an appearance by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell Tuesday could be among the newsiest events for markets in the week ahead. The Fed chair is speaking at the Economic Club of Washington D.C. at midday Tuesday. If he wanted to walk back anything, he could have done it then," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley. Economists said Friday's surprisingly strong jobs report should encourage the Fed to push forward with planned rate hikes. Earnings, earnings, earnings But there continues to be earnings news.

Some hedge funds, wealth managers, and asset managers are still hiring. Recruiters told us what roles are in demand and what skills can help you land them. Big-name hedge funds like Citadel, D. E. Shaw, and Millennium Management posted double digits in a year that many other investment managers would rather soon forget. Alternative asset managers, meanwhile, are hiring in the private-wealth-management businesses they've spent recent years building out. … if you're in or interested in wealth managementDespite the market downturn, wealth managers are in high demand.

☆ Asia markets rise following Wall Street's gains, Tokyo inflation notches up
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Wall Street analysts are divided on Tesla after the electric car company's latest quarterly results. While the move triggered a drop in used Tesla prices, they also supported demand for the vehicles. "Thus far in January we've seen the strongest orders year to date than ever in our history. "Importantly, Tesla commented that since it lowered prices it has seen the strongest orders year-to-date in its history, with orders running about 2X production. While the strong orders are promising, the analyst said the auto gross margins were too weak to overlook.

☆ Tesla's strong orders and weak margins in its latest earnings have analysts conflicted on the stock
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The company posted adjusted earnings of $1.19 per share, compared to expectations of $1.13 per share, according to Refinitiv estimates. We're currently seeing orders of almost twice the rate of production," Musk said during a call with analysts. While the strong orders are promising, the analyst said the auto gross margins were too weak to overlook. Still, he maintained a neutral rating on the firm following earnings, saying the outlook is balanced from here. Meanwhile, Bank of America's John Murphy reiterated a neutral rating, saying the operational and financial outlook for Tesla shares remains unchanged after earnings, and that the stock is "fairly valued."

Some hedge funds, wealth managers, and asset managers are still hiring. Layoffs across industries have been dominating headlines in January, and Wall Street has been no exception. Big-name hedge funds like Citadel, D. E. Shaw, and Millennium Management posted double digits in a year that many other investment managers would rather soon forget. Alternative asset managers, meanwhile, are hiring in the private-wealth-management businesses they've spent recent years building out. Emily Landon, the CEO of the Chicago-based headhunting firm The Crypto Recruiter, pointed to the job board Crypto Careers, which has over 2,400 openings.

☆ What had been a headwind in 2022 can be a tailwind in 2023, says AllianceBernstein's Tierney
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | 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 EmailWhat had been a headwind in 2022 can be a tailwind in 2023, says AllianceBernstein's TierneyJim Tierney, CIO of US concentrated growth at AllianceBernstein, joins 'The Exchange' to discuss the influence of the dollar on multinational companies, stock names to buy now and the tailwinds helping drive demand.

☆ Watch CNBC's full interview with AllianceBernstein's Jim Tierney
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | 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 EmailWatch CNBC's full interview with AllianceBernstein's Jim TierneyJim Tierney, CIO of U.S. concentrated growth at AllianceBernstein, joins 'The Exchange' to discuss the influence of the dollar on multinational companies, stock names to buy now, and the tailwinds helping drive demand.

☆ Schroders gets nod to set up China fund unit as Beijing speeds up approvals
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Schroders has obtained Chinese regulatory approval to set up a wholly-owned mutual fund unit in China, as Beijing accelerates opening up its giant financial sector to foreigners. Last month, U.S. asset manager Neuberger Berman celebrated the opening of its China retail fund business, while Fidelity International was granted a mutual fund licence in the country. Authorities have also recently allowed Canada's Manulife Financial Corp (MFC.TO) to take full control of its Chinese mutual fund venture. Setting up a wholly-owned retail fund business in China is testament to Schroder's long-term commitment to the country - a key component of the group's global strategy, the company said in a statement. China scrapped foreign ownership caps in its $3.7 trillion mutual fund industry in 2019, and BlackRock become the first foreign asset manager to open a fully-owned retail fund business in the country.

☆ Companies, Lenders Clash Over Loan Spreads in Switch From Libor
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Mark Maurer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

As part of the shift, companies typically propose changes to their loan agreements with lenders, adjusting for the price difference between SOFR and Libor. The adjustment of the credit spread adds basis points to the interest rate on a loan to make up for the fact that SOFR has traded lower than Libor. The difference between SOFR and Libor can be as much as 25 basis points for loans with maturities of five to seven years. There will likely be more disagreements over credit spread adjustments as companies stop using Libor prior to its end. “There’s no reason to burn bridges over a few basis points,” Mr. Kerschner said.

"I think that this is going to be the most contentious debt ceiling debate in memory," Winograd said. "It would suggest that there's some type of premium being allocated to bills in that space where the risk of the debt ceiling starts to grow," Norris said. Some investors also believe lawmakers will be able to reach a deal on raising the debt ceiling without severely unsettling markets. Edward Al Hussainy, senior interest rate and currency analyst at Columbia Threadneedle, thinks any debt ceiling tensions would eventually be resolved, calling the issue "a well rehearsed storyline." However, the heightened concerns about the debt ceiling are "an extra little justification on top" for the firm's positioning, Pride said.

Far from ignoring Lula's challenges to control the risks of this institutional shock, investors and analysts said however that the focus remains on fiscal issues when assessing the new government in the long term. If the new parameters are considered weak by the market, it could renew fears of fiscal dominance and prevent the BCB from easing." Discussions of the new fiscal framework are key under Lula's administration, after policymakers have highlighted inflationary risks arising from leftist President-elect's 168 billion reais ($32 billion) spending proposal to meet campaign promises. "The unsettled and deeply divided political environment and related high social tension keeps risk premia high and could undermine overall governability." (.JPMEGDBRAR)A mobilized opposition with the "potential to turn violent" is the main conclusion from Sunday's protests for the political risk advisory Eurasia Group.

☆ Some analysts see a buying opportunity in Tesla for 2023 despite persistent demand pressures
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Some Wall Street analysts see a buying opportunity in Tesla in 2023 — though others think the car maker's recent deliveries miss spells trouble for the electric vehicle maker. Kallo's $252 price target implies the stock can more than double from Friday's closing price of $123.18. The anayst reiterated a buy rating on Tesla, and maintained a $275 price target. Bernstein's Toni Sacconaghi also had an underperform rating on the stock, saying he expects that consensus estimates are too high, and that demand pressures will continue for Tesla. His $150 price target represents roughly 22% upside for shares of Tesla.

☆ AllianceBernstein Executive Helps Chart Firm’s Course Overseeing Finances and Operations
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Nina Trentmann | Alliancebernstein S Kate Burke | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Ms. Burke took on the responsibilities of chief financial officer this summer, after becoming the financial firm’s chief operations officer in July 2020. Kate Burke, CFO and COO of AllianceBernstein. Photo: AllianceBernsteinWSJ’s CFO Journal talked to Ms. Burke about her dual role, the outlook for the firm’s business and the impact of higher interest rates on markets. We are going to continue to look to the private markets, building out our alternatives, our private credit offerings. Ms. Burke: People still have pretty healthy balance sheets overall, but they’ve been impacted by inflation and so are less healthy than they were a year ago.

"The World Cup is an immense joy that revives us after suffering economic crisis for so long," Victorica said. "But soon we will have to fall back into reality and face the situations that weigh us down every day." "The World Cup gives us hope and the desire to believe," said Osvaldo Hassan, a 62-year-old merchant in Buenos Aires. World Cup wins can give a small boost to a country's economy in the months following, an academic paper from Britain's University of Surrey found, helping raise exports. Reporting by Rodrigo Campos in New York and Belen Liotti in Buenos Aires; Writing by Adam Jourdan; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Fed Rate Increases Upended Funding Markets in 2022. Here’s What CFOs Can Expect in 2023.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Nina Trentmann | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +9 min

Here’s a look at how different financing instruments fared in 2022 and what’s ahead for 2023. Activity in the convertible debt market has picked up in recent weeks. Still, there could be financing opportunities for deals in 2023 in the form of syndicated loans, bankers said. “CFOs have to be aware of that and focus on cash conversion and margins,” he said, pointing to the increase in financing costs. “We expect deals will continue to get done,” he said, adding that those could however come with more oversight from lenders.

The cedi has lost more than 50% of its value this year , pushing up the cost of Ghana's external debt. Interest payments alone absorb between 70 and 100% of the government's revenuesHOW BIG IS GHANA'S DEBT? Ghana's public debt was 467.4 billion cedis ($37.4 billion) in September, of which 42% was domestic debt, according to the most recent central bank figures released last month. Ghana's debt-to-GDPWHO OWNS GHANA'S DEBT? The fund is yet to comment on Ghana's debt sustainability or domestic bond exchange plans.

☆ SocGen’s BNP envy carries a cost
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It mimics BNP Paribas’s (BNPP.PA) deal with European peer Exane, which the French group took over last year. SocGen research analysts cover around 500 mostly European stocks, according to JPMorgan, compared with AllianceBernstein’s more international coverage of roughly 800 companies. Second, the venture makes the French bank’s equities business less reliant on derivatives and structured products, which led to heavy losses in 2020. Trading cash equities and selling research typically chews up much less capital and leads to fewer blow-ups. And the wider equities trading business is increasingly dominated by larger players, especially U.S. banks.

☆ Retailer TJX Names New CFO as Sales Decline
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | Colin Kellaher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Mr. Klinger, who joined TJX in 2000, currently serves as executive vice president and corporate controller. U.S. comparable-store sales, which exclude e-commerce sites, fell 2%, driven by a 16% drop in comparable sales for the U.S. homegoods business. For the 2023 fiscal year, TJX forecasts U.S. comparable-store sales to fall 1% to 2%. TJX in August projected a full year decline in U.S. same-store sales of 2% to 3%. This is because they’ve withheld key metrics such as the figures for comparable-store sales, since they weren’t meaningful as a result of store closures brought on by the pandemic, she said.

☆ These mutual funds are planning to hit investors with capital gains distributions. How to decide the right move for you
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

There may be some pain ahead for mutual fund investors in the form of capital gains taxes. "That means funds that have suffered steep falls this year could still distribute capital gains to investors," Welch said. John Hancock will pay double-digit capital gains distributions on several of its funds. Almost a dozen Nuveen funds will make 5% to 10% capital gains distributions, while twice that number of T. Rowe price funds will pay out between 4% and 21%. Passively managed funds may have distributions but they tend to be smaller than actively managed funds, Benz pointed out.

☆ Tenbagger stocks that Wall Street believes can keep the big returns going
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Wall Street expects these "tenbagger" stocks that enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past decade to continue their big gains. The term was first coined by legendary investor Peter Lynch, an avid baseball fan who compared a stock's growth prospects to two home runs and a double in the sport. With that in mind, CNBC Pro searched for tenbagger stocks from the past decade that analysts believe will continue to make outsized gains. What's more, they have a 2022 estimated earnings per share growth rate of more than 20%, and an estimated annual long-term EPS growth rate of more than 20%. Its 2022 earnings per share growth estimate is 66%, while its annual long-term share growth is forecasted to be 26%.

☆ Bond ETFs are hitting the market at a historic pace in 2022 as investors hunt for income
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Jesse Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The spate of new launches comes as cash floods into fixed income products. "On one hand, it helps explain the dual-edged pain for 60/40 portfolios this year, but the -17% decline now has bond ETFs offering realistic yields as an equity alternative. This helps explain the continued surge to Treasury ETFs, which again led our category workbook with +$12 Bn [last week] and over +$110 Bn YTD," Sohn added. Holly Framsted, the director of ETFs at Capital Group, said the firm is not trying to time the market with its launches but does believe there is an underserved demand for actively managed bond ETFs. Capital Group launched three more fixed income ETFs, including funds focused on municipal bonds and short duration bonds, last week.

☆ Meta investors reportedly 'got more disgusted' with Mark Zuckerberg's metaverse plans after he doubled down in the company's earnings
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Meta shareholders are becoming frustrated with Mark Zuckerberg's plans, Financial Times reported. Investors expressed their anger in meetings with Meta executives over the past week, per FT.Meta's shares plunged after its quarterly earnings report showed Zuckerberg was doubling down. Last week, Meta shares plummeted 24% after the company missed earnings targets and Zuckerberg said he intents to spend billions more on the metaverse project in the coming year. Investors have expressed their ire and frustration in meetings with Meta executives, including some with Zuckerberg over the past week, FT reported. Financial Times' recent report came after another investor published an open letter ahead of the company's quarterly earnings report, saying Meta has "lost the confidence of investors."

☆ Central banks need to focus on beating inflation before worrying about growth: AllianceBernstein
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | 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 EmailCentral banks need to focus on beating inflation before worrying about growth: AllianceBernsteinBrad Gibson of the investment management firm says concerns about growth are justified, but central banks are in a tough environment and have to focus on tackling inflation first.

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