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☆ Here are Monday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Exxon, Crox, Meta, JPMorgan Chase, SoFi, DuPont & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Loop upgrades Meta to buy from hold Loop said it sees a "brighter revenue picture" for the social media giant. Morgan Stanley reiterates Exxon Mobil as overweight Morgan Stanley said it has "high confidence" in the oil and gas giant. We do think consensus estimates for 2023/24 remain too high but believe the buy-side is more aligned with our below-consensus views." Citi initiates AerCap as buy Citi said demand should remain attractive for the aviation leasing company. Deutsche Bank upgrades DuPont to buy from hold Deutsche said DuPoint is well positioned in an uncertain macro. "

☆ Amazon is the 500-pound gorilla in a room full of puppies when it comes to corporate buying of wind and solar power
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

In 2022, Amazon bought 10.9 gigawatts of clean power, making it the largest corporate buyer of renewable power in the world, according to data from the market research company BloombergNEF. It's also more than four times the amount of clean energy that the second-largest purchaser of clean power, Facebook parent company Meta , bought in 2022. Since 2019, Amazon has scaled from having one gigawatt of renewable energy to more than 20 gigawatts of publicly announced renewable power. Amazon is focused on building new wind and solar projects, Daitch told CNBC. But that's really more of a bridging solution and not our core strategy, which is around enabling new wind and solar projects," Daitch said.

☆ BNP only partly earns title of Europe’s JPMorgan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, May 3 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Bank investors and analysts often like to say that BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA) is the closest Europe has to a JPMorgan (JPM.N), the goliath of U.S. banking that just bought First Republic Bank (FRC.N). Compare that with Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE), whose deposits fell by 4.7% over the same period. JPMorgan will earn a 19% return on tangible equity this year, using Visible Alpha consensus data, which is good even for a U.S. bank. There’s no shame in losing to a bigger stateside rival on returns, but BNP also risks falling behind regional peers. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ The park with the most roller coasters in the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Forrest Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Impressive collections can be found in many parts of the world, but which park currently holds more roller coasters than any other? With a whopping 20 roller coasters, Six Flags Magic Mountain even rates a mention with Guinness World Records – helping the park justify its “Thrill Capital of the World” slogan. “I think there are a lot of great rides at Six Flags Magic Mountain.” he told CNN Travel recently. “But there are some other more fundamental reasons for why Six Flags Magic Mountain has so many roller coasters.”Location, prosperity and weather all played roles, he said. They’re fast, they’re twisty.”GoliathMartin Lewison said Goliath has the biggest drop of any traditional-style roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

☆ Katy Perry loses a trademark battle with a fashion designer called Katie Perry
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Pop singer Katy Perry lost a 15-year trademark battle with a clothing designer named Katie Perry. The "Teenage Dream" singer partially infringed the trademark of the designer's business. "This is a tale of two women, two teenage dreams and one name," the judge said in her ruling. The trademark battle spanned 15 years as the performer attempted to block the designer from registering the trademark and sought to stop her using it before dropping the move, Katie Perry claimed. The clothing designer registered her brand name Katie Perry in 2008, a year after she started selling clothes under that name.

☆ Katy Perry loses trademark fight with Australian fashion designer
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, April 28 (Reuters) - An Australian court has ruled that pop superstar Katy Perry infringed the trademark of a Sydney-based fashion designer who has sold her products locally under a label with her birth name "Katie Perry". The judge dismissed a bid by the popstar seeking to cancel the Katie Perry trademark. Taylor, whose birth name was Katie Perry, called the verdict a "David and Goliath" win for small businesses. Representatives of Katy Perry could not be immediately reached. The tussle between the popstar and the Australian fashion designer over the homophonous name began in 2008 when Taylor registered the "Katie Perry" brand in Australia.

☆ Newsmax Sees a Ratings Boost After Carlson’s Exit at Fox
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Michael M. Grynbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Newsmax, the niche conservative news channel that has long played David to Fox News’s Goliath, has seized on Tucker Carlson’s shock dismissal from its rival network and declared itself the true TV home for right-wing Americans. Viewership of Newsmax remains far below that of Fox News. But its audience at certain hours has doubled, and in some time slots tripled, in the immediate aftermath of Mr. Carlson’s exit — an abrupt spike that has turned heads in conservative circles and the cable news industry. On Monday evening, Eric Bolling’s 8 p.m. Newsmax program drew 531,000 viewers, according to Nielsen. On Tuesday, Mr. Bolling’s audience grew to 562,000 viewers, equal to about 80 percent of Anderson Cooper’s CNN viewership that evening.

☆ Goldman Prize winner 2023: Zambian who took on a UK mining giant and won
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Chilekwa Mumba Courtesy Goldman Environmental PrizeOn Monday, Mumba, 38, was awarded the 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa for his work for the community and setting legal precedent. The prize is awarded each year by The Goldman Environmental Foundation, with ceremonies in San Francisco and Washington, DC. CNN has contacted Vedanta and the Zambian state mining company for comments. The government, however, says that approved projects will follow environmental policies set by the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA). For Mumba, who now runs an orphanage in the Zambian capital Lusaka with his wife, the battle is far from over.

☆ Bank of America or Citi? Analysts say one stock is set to soar 50%
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Two of them were Citi and Bank of America , both of which exceeded forecasts on revenue and other metrics. Bank of America: 'Superior resiliency' Bank of America continues to demonstrate a "Goliath is Winning" theme, Wells Fargo said in an April 18 note. The bank's earnings came in at 94 cents per share, above Wall Street's estimate of 82 cents, according to Refinitiv. Wells Fargo gave Bank of America a price target of $45, or potential upside of nearly 50% from Wednesday's close. Wells Fargo gave Citi a price target of $62, or potential 24% upside from Wednesday's close — smaller than the upside it gave Bank of America.

☆ Who won the Fox-Dominion case? Lawyers and an obscure private-equity fund
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

That remains true in the case of Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems, which averted a trial with an 11th-hour deal Tuesday. Money aside, Fox had to acknowledge the court’s ruling that “certain claims about Dominion” that Fox perpetuated on-air were in fact false. The Neutral-to-Positive Winner: Dominion Voting SystemsFor more than two years, Dominion spent untold amounts of money building a defamation case against one of the most popular TV networks on the planet. Davida Brook, left, Justin Nelson, second from left, and Stephen Shackelford, attorneys for Dominion Voting Systems, exit the New Castle County Courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware, on Tuesday. But for a company that’s valued somewhere between $30 million and $80 million, it’s quite a deal.

☆ Universal Music Group calls AI music a ‘fraud,’ wants it banned from streaming platforms. Experts say it’s not that easy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Vanessa Yurkevich | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Universal Music Group — the music company representing superstars including Sting, The Weeknd, Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande — has a new Goliath to contend with: artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence, and specifically AI music, learns by either training on existing works on the internet or through a library of music given to the AI by humans. That could possibly threaten UMG’s deep library of music and artists that generate billions of dollars in revenue. “However, the training of generative AI using our artists’ music … begs the question as to which side of history all stakeholders in the music ecosystem want to be on.”The company said AI that uses artists’ music violates UMG’s agreements and copyright law. Grammy-winning DJ and producer David Guetta proved in February just how easy it is to create new music using AI.

☆ Rivals can feast on Credit Suisse client spoils
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Credit Suisse saw 110 billion Swiss francs flying out the door in the final quarter of 2022. These outflows were chiefly cash from wealthy clients and some deposits at Credit Suisse's Swiss bank unit. Those holding accounts at both Credit Suisse and UBS may dislike too much wealth concentration. And Credit Suisse is hardly incentivised to transfer securities swiftly. The minister said this was needed because Credit Suisse customers had again withdrawn money.

☆ India's HDFC is in fine shape for its big deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HDFC Bank’s (HDBK.NS) net interest income rose 20% year-on-year in the three months to March. The $116 billion financier’s mix of deposits points to some niggles. As interest rates rise, savers tend to move idle funds from low-yielding checking accounts to fixed deposits, where money is locked up for a specific period against juicier interest rates. For now, the hotly watched net interest margin, unchanged at 4.3% for the last nine months, is holding up. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Wells Fargo fared less favorably, down 0.3%, and regional banks including Zions (ZION.O) and First Republic (FRC.N) fell. Net interest income, a measure of how much a bank earns from lending, surged 49% to $20.8 billion. Meanwhile, Wells Fargo set aside $1.21 billion in the quarter to cover for potential loan losses, compared to a release of $787 million a year earlier. "While most consumers remain resilient, we've seen some consumer financial health trends gradually weakening from a year ago," Mike Santomassimo, Wells Fargo finance chief, told analysts. More banking results are due over the coming week, including Bank of America (BAC.N) and Goldman Sachs (GS.N) on Tuesday and Morgan Stanley (MS.N) on Wednesday.

[1/2] Signage is seen at the JPMorgan Chase & Co. New York Head Quarters in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., June 30, 2022. While the crisis is not over yet, CEO Jamie Dimon said he expected the tumult from bank failures in March to eventually pass. The U.S. consumer and the economy remain robust, Dimon said, while cautioning that the banking crisis could turn lenders more conservative and impact consumer spending. "However, the storm clouds that we have been monitoring for the past year remain on the horizon, and the banking industry turmoil adds to these risks." It is expected to remain flat for the rest of 2023, the executives said.

[1/2] The Citigroup Inc (Citi) logo is seen at the SIBOS banking and financial conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada October 19, 2017. First-quarter 2023 earnings from JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N), Citigroup Inc (C.N) and Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N) beat Wall Street expectations on Friday as consumer and corporate spending held up in the face of rate rises, although all three saw signs of a slowdown and made provisions accordingly. Net interest income, a measure of how much a bank earns from lending, surged 49% to $20.8 billion. Meanwhile, Wells Fargo set aside $1.21 billion in the quarter to cover for potential loan losses, compared to a release of $787 million a year earlier. "While most consumers remain resilient, we've seen some consumer financial health trends gradually weakening from a year ago," Mike Santomassimo, Wells Fargo finance chief, told analysts.

☆ What JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon, BlackRock's Larry Fink, and other Wall Street CEOs are saying about the impact of the banking crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Carter Johnson | Rebecca Ungarino | Hayley Cuccinello | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

JPMorgan, BlackRock, Wells Fargo, and Citi reported earnings Friday. Top execs described their response to the banking crisis — and future opportunities. The message was clear, wrote Wells Fargo bank analyst Mike Mayo in a note to clients Friday. Quarterly earnings calls held with research analysts marked an opportunity for Wall Street's biggest executives to face questions about the impact of the March banking crisis on their firms' bottom lines. Here's what the leaders of JPMorgan, BlackRock, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup had to say about SVB.

☆ Gen Z loves the same brand that teens have loved for over a decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Nike also remains the preferred apparel brand, according to the semiannual Piper Sandler survey. Twice a year, Piper Sandler surveys teenagers, now part of Gen Z, on brand preferences. And among upper-income female teenagers, Lululemon earned the top spot, being the preferred brand of 14% of respondents. Among upper-income males surveyed, Nike was the top clothing brand of 50% of those surveyed. For the most recent edition of the survey, Piper Sandler polled teenagers in 47 states.

☆ JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon warns banking crisis will be felt for ‘years to come’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —The banking crisis triggered by the recent collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank is not over yet and will ripple through the economy for years to come, said JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon on Tuesday. He said that SVB’s high Interest rate exposure and large amount of uninsured deposits were already well-known to both regulators and to the marketplace at large. Current regulations, he argued, could actually lull banks into complacency without actually addressing real system-wide banking issues. Lawmakers in Congress, including Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, have suggested that new legislation meant to regulate banks is in the works. But, wrote Dimon, “the debate should not always be about more or less regulation but about what mix of regulations will keep America’s banking system the best in the world.”

☆ Premarket stocks: What the OPEC cuts mean for Putin and Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

OPEC+ was formed in 2016 to coordinate and regulate oil production and stabilize global oil prices. What it means for Putin: OPEC+’s decision to cut oil production could have big implications for Russia. After Russia invaded Ukraine last year, the United States and United Kingdom immediately stopped purchasing oil from the country. Higher-priced oil could help Russia pay for its war on Ukraine and also boosts revenue in Saudi Arabia. Current regulations, Dimon argued, could actually lull banks into complacency without actually addressing real system-wide banking issues.

☆ UBS could see big gains after forced Credit Suisse merger. Big U.S. banks may also be winners, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

UBS ' acquisition of Credit Suisse could lead to big gains for the Swiss bank. UBS agreed to buy Credit Suisse for 3 billion Swiss francs, or around $3.2 billion, in a forced deal announced Sunday. As part of the deal, Credit Suisse shareholders receive 1 UBS share for every 22.48 Credit Suisse shares they hold. But Barclays analyst Amit Goel wasn't so sure, cutting his view on European banks to neutral from positive on Monday. Wells Fargo's Mike Mayo, meanwhile, sees opportunity for U.S. banks coming out of the UBS takeover of Credit Suisse.

☆ Wells Fargo upgrades JPMorgan Chase, says 'Goliath is winning' as uncertainty grows around banking
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Hakyung Kim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

JPMorgan Chase is a source of strength during an uncertain time for the banking sector, according to Wells Fargo. Analyst Mike Mayo also raised his price target to $155 from $148, which implies 16% upside from Friday's close price. "JPM epitomizes our theme of 'Goliath is Winning,'" Mayo wrote in a client note on Monday. Mayo added that, since the 2008 financial crisis, JPMorgan Chase has effectively taken de-risking measures. JPMorgan shares were down more than 2% on Monday during premarket hours, as the broader banking sector took a hit.

☆ Here are Monday's biggest analyst calls: Apple ,Tesla, First Republic, Roku, Sunrun, JPMorgan Chase & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +19 min

Baird upgrades Truist to outperform from neutral Baird said it sees an attractive risk/reward for the regional bank. "Regional bank risk/reward trade-off improving, and we would get more aggressive on the regional bank side, upgrading TFC to Outperform." Bank of America reiterates Alphabet as buy Bank of America said it's bullish on Alphabet's entry into AI. Bank of America reiterates Roku as buy Bank of America said it's standing by the stock in the wake of the Silicon Valley Bank collapse. "Regional bank risk/reward trade-off improving, and we would get more aggressive on the regional bank side, upgrading TFC to Outperform."

☆ Traveling for March Madness? Where to Eat, Shop and Go Nuts in 6 Key Cities
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Valerie Stivers | Hank Zona | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

HOOPLA DREAMS At Mustang Harry’s in New York, there’s nothing like a cheerleading squad to get patrons in the spirit. MARCH MADNESS is upon us. For those who don’t follow college b-ball or live on earth, the term describes the adrenaline-fueled excitement of the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament, which runs from March 14 to April 3 and the NCAA Women’s Basketball tournament that goes from March 15 to April 2. Arguably the single biggest show in sports, March Madness trounces the Super Bowl by virtue of being played over multiple nights. Basketball purists love college games for the passionate young players and the David-versus-Goliath upsets that open a floodgate of cheers and tears.

☆ Adidas' new CEO came out swinging during his first press conference, calling out Nike's lack of innovation and defending the three stripes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Danni Santana | Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

He stood up for Adidas' performance innovation pipeline while taking a shot at NikeAdidas is always compared to its larger rival Nike. But Gulden took issue with criticisms that Adidas is not innovating enough in its performance business. The Yeezy business is not coming backAdidas has not made a decision on what to do with its stockpile of Yeezys. Given Lorenzo's popularity, the underperformance of the Ivy Park line, and the end of Adidas' Yeezy business, Lorenzo could give the company a needed spark. Gulden took the stage Wednesday in front of a backdrop that featured Jesse Owens and Muhammad Ali, two sports icons and former Adidas athletes.

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