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☆ Column: Australia's energy transition stalled by stubbornly high demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Sustained growth in Australia's electricity demand has in turn meant that power producers must continue to heavily rely on coal for electricity generation on top of recent additions in supply of renewable energy sources. Even so, electric vehicles accounted for only 5.1% of total Australian car sales in 2022, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Heating and cooling for homes and businesses is another major energy demand driver in Australia, and accounts for roughly 40% of total electricity use in the country. To alleviate any potential power shortages Australian utilities are expected to continue rolling out more renewable energy supply capacity, likely at an accelerating pace. However, Australian power producers look set to remain substantially reliant on coal for baseload electricity generation for years, if not decades, more.

Persons: Gavin Maguire Organizations: International Energy Agency, Australian Bureau of Statistics, European Union, EV, New South, RENEWABLES, South, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Australia, France, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, New Zealand, New South Wales, Oceania and Pacific, South Korea

☆ UBS names its 'best single stock ideas' in the U.S. right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Lucy Handley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Swiss bank UBS has revealed a list of "key investment ideas," selecting stocks based on factors such as market conditions, economic trends and government policy. "We focus on the equity asset class and highlight our best single stock ideas in the US tied to select messages," the bank's Chief Investment Office stated in a July 17 research note, adding that its ideas are updated monthly. It also chose wind energy company Xcel Energy , which it said is "well positioned to outperform the S & P Utilities index over the next 12 months." Green investment, infrastructure ideas "Green investment, decarbonization commitments, consumer sentiment, and regulation will continue to drive the case for investing sustainably," UBS said in the note, picking several stocks under the "go sustainable" theme. "The stock ideas listed under key investment ideas reflect current views as of publication," the bank stated.

Persons: Burger King, Carey, telco, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: UBS, Investment, Brands, Xcel Energy, TJX Companies, Air Products, NextEra Energy, Constellation Energy, U.S Locations: North America, China

☆ Apple is reportedly developing 'Apple GPT.' It's likely ChatGPT's next big competitor.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Apple is reportedly working on new artificial-intelligence tools, Bloomberg first reported. Some people at the company are dubbing the new chatbot "Apple GPT," Bloomberg said. Apple has finished working on a foundation for its large language models — the systems that power conversational AI tech — that it calls "Ajax," Bloomberg reported. It will affect every product and every service that we have," Apple CEO Cook said during a February earnings call. So far, Apple has integrated AI into features like "fall detection" found on some Apple Watch Models, and "crash detection" on specific Apple Devices — tools Cook has said are keeping people safe.

Persons: Bloomberg, OpenAI's, Google's Bard, Tim Cook, Cook, people's, Michael Gartenberg, Apple, Siri, laggard, Gartenberg Organizations: Apple, Bloomberg, Morning, Ajax, Google, Microsoft, Investors

☆ Stock futures are little changed Tuesday night in a holiday-shortened week: Live updates
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. stock futures were little changed on Tuesday night as Wall Street looks to resume a holiday-shortened week. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell by 33 points, or 0.1%. Stocks rose slightly during the shortened trading day, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average adding 10.87 points, or 0.03%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was the laggard, rising just 3.8%. Economists polled by Dow Jones are anticipating a rise of 0.6%, which would be greater than the 0.4% increase the previous month.

Persons: Stocks, We've, Carson Group's Ryan Detrick, CNBC's, Dow Jones, John Williams Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Dow Jones Industrial, Nasdaq, Markets, Dow Jones, Reserve, , New York Fed, Central Bank Research Association Locations: New York City . U.S, , New, New York City

☆ A Climate Laggard in America’s Industrial Heartland Has a Plan to Change, Fast
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Coral Davenport | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

From toxic algal blooms in the Great Lakes to sewage pouring into Detroit basements to choking wildfire smoke that drifted south from Canada, Michigan has been contending with the fallout from climate change. Even the state’s famed cherry trees have been struggling against rising temperatures, forcing some farmers to abandon the crop. The centerpiece is based on a 58-page “MI Healthy Climate” plan offered by Gov. It would require Michigan to generate all of its electricity from solar, wind or other carbon-free sources by 2035, eliminating the state’s greenhouse pollution generated by coal- and gas-fired power plants. The package would also toughen energy efficiency requirements for electric utilities and require a phaseout of coal-fired plants in the state by 2030.

Persons: Gretchen Whitmer Organizations: Gov Locations: Great, Detroit, Canada , Michigan, Michigan

☆ The AI-powered rally to start the year could broaden out in the third quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Stocks markets are wrapping up a surprisingly strong start to the year, but whether it will continue is an open question as investors wade into a seasonally weak period for markets. Even the laggard Dow Jones Industrial Average, with few tech stocks, managed to eke out a 3.6% gain. Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla account for 80% of the gains in the S & P 500, according to UBS. The S & P 500 health sector is down almost 3% this year. Next week marks the start of July and the third quarter of 2023.

Persons: didn't, Jamie Cox, Cox, John Lynch, Harris Financial's Cox, that's, Comerica's Lynch, Kim Forrest, Nonfarm payrolls Organizations: Spring, Federal Reserve, Dow Jones, Harris Financial, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, UBS, Comerica Wealth Management, Nasdaq, Investors, Bokeh Capital Partners, Independence, P Global, PMI, Tuesday U.S

☆ Wall Street shows ongoing frustration with an entertainment giant, sees gains ahead for 2 retailers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | In Kevinstankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

DIS YTD mountain Disney's year-to-date stock performance. Over the past 12 months, Disney's performance has been worse, falling nearly 8%. So, it's easy to understand KeyBanc's frustration with Disney's stock. TJX YTD mountain TJX Companies' year-to-date stock performance. AMZN YTD mountain Amazon's year-to-date stock performance.

Persons: Walt Disney, KeyBanc, Piper Sandler, Piper Sander, TJ Maxx, TJX, it's, we're, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Joe Raedle Organizations: TJX Companies, Disney, Management, Wall Street, Burlington Stores, Ross Stores, Marshalls, UBS, JPMorgan, Bloomberg, Federal Trade Commission, Amazon, Google, FTC, CNBC, Walt Disney World, Getty Locations: Orlando , Florida

☆ These 16 cheap, fast-growing stocks are the best opportunities in their red-hot sector, according to BMO Capital Markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Here are 16 industrials stocks with growth at a reasonable price, according to BMO Capital Markets. Wall Street's obsession with technology stocks has overshadowed what's been an impressive rebound for the often-overlooked industrials sector. Industrials are on pace for their best month since last year in both absolute and relative terms, according to BMO Capital Markets. BMO Capital Markets16 industrials stocks that are cheap with strong growthIndustrials may struggle to maintain their recent momentum, but BMO doesn't recommend avoiding the red-hot sector entirely. BMO Capital MarketsBelow are 16 stocks in the impressive industrials sector that offer better earnings growth than the median stock in the S&P 500 while also trading at a below-median valuation.

Persons: Industrials, what's, Brian Belski, Belski, he's, it's Organizations: BMO Capital Markets, Bank of America, BMO Capital, BMO Locations: laggard, industrials

Universal’s “The Super Mario Bros.” movie and Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” both animated films, have racked up big ticket sales this year. The successes of "Super Mario Bros." and "Spider-Man" also reflect a new post-COVID-19 trend at box offices, Hollywood insiders say. In his book, “Creativity, Inc.,” Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull credited Pixar's brain trust with the studio’s early box-office triumphs. Catmull and other members of the original brain trust are gone, though Docter remains, now in the role of chief creative officer. During the pandemic's peak, when many cinemas were closed, Disney launched three Pixar films directly to Disney+_in the U.S., bypassing theaters.

Persons: ”, Universal’s, Mario, Tony Chambers, Disney's, don’t, Chambers, DreamWorks Animation’s, “ Ruby Gillman, Tom Sito, King, Sito, Jeff Bock, Ed Catmull, — John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Lee Unkrich, Joe Ranft —, Docter, Domee Shi, Soul’s ’ Kemp Powers, Pixar’s, Brad Bird, Oscar, “, Darla K, Anderson, “ Coco ”, Bob Chapek, there’s, we’ve, ” Docter, it’ll, Dawn Chmielewski, Lisa Richwine, Kenneth Li, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Pixar, Inc, Walt Disney, Universal Studios, DreamWorks, University of Southern, Netflix, Disney, Apple, Relations, Thomson Locations: ANGELES, U.S, Canada, Disney, University of Southern California, ”

☆ Toyota shareholders make 15% the new win-win
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Antony Currie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Both Glass Lewis and ISS reckon there aren’t enough properly independent directors on the board, even though Toyota complies with the requirements laid down by the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Yet ISS held back from advising shareholders vote against them because it would risk “increasing management dominance of the board”. Toyota is a laggard on both and is now under pressure to get powerful investors back onside. CONTEXT NEWSMore than 15% of voting shareholders were against reappointing Chairman Akio Toyoda to Toyota Motor’s board at its annual meeting on June 14, the Japanese carmaker said on June 15. About 15% of shareholders who voted supported a resolution asking the company to issue an annual review of its climate lobbying activities.

Persons: Akio Toyoda, Glass Lewis, Glass Lewis plumped, Toyoda, Masahiko Oshima, carmaker, Pete Sweeney, Thomas Shum Organizations: MELBOURNE, Reuters, Toyota, ISS, Tokyo Stock Exchange, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial, Nikkei, California Public, New York, New York City Comptroller, Twitter, Thomson Locations: New York City

☆ Philippines says China's Yadea to invest $1 bln in e-motorcycle plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MANILA, June 15 (Reuters) - China's Yadea Group Holdings (1585.HK), one of the world's biggest electric two-wheeled vehicle makers, plans to invest about $1 billion in an e-motorcycle factory in the Philippines, the country's investment promotions agency chief said on Thursday. Yadea is one of a several electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers looking at the Southeast Asian nation for expansion of their manufacturing sites, Tereso Panga, director-general of government-run Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), told reporters. The Philippines is also touting its abundance of nickel, copper and cobalt, which are key raw materials for the EV industry. American and British electric vehicle firms are also scouting for battery and e-motorcycle manufacturing sites, Panga said. PEZA targets a 10% increase in investment approvals this year from 140.7 billion pesos ($2.51 billion) in 2022.

Persons: Yadea, Tereso Panga, Panga, Neil Jerome Morales, Martin Petty Organizations: Yadea, Holdings, HK, Economic Zone Authority, ASEAN Automotive Federation, Thomson Locations: MANILA, Philippines, China, Vietnam, Batangas, Manila, Thailand, Indonesia, British

☆ Intesa launches cloud-based Isybank in digital push
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Vaibhav Sadhamta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Isybank is powered by cloud technology provided by Britain's ThoughtMachine, a cloud-native banking technology firm. High-street banks globally face a big challenge in replacing their existing core IT infrastructure, known as mainframe, with cloud technology. Legacy systems pose a major hurdle, while the task is easy for challenger banks built from scratch on cloud technology. Intesa Sanpaolo has forecast its new digital bank would save around 800 million euros a year in 2026-2027, up from 600 million euros in 2025, according to a strategy presentation delivered in February last year. Isybank targets some 4 million Intesa customers who generate around 200 million euros in revenues a year and could become more profitable for the bank if shifted away from branches given they already only use digital bank services.

Persons: Britain's ThoughtMachine, Paul Taylor, Intesa, Intesa Sanpaolo, Carlo Messina, Stefano Barrese, Valentina Za, Conor Humphries Organizations: MILAN, Google, Thomson Locations: Italy's, Italy, Europe

☆ Private equity risks gorging on its secret sauce
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Investors prefer pedestrian but steady management fees over the lumpy share of fund profit that is the industry’s special sauce. Private equity firms with a public listing funnel some of the carry to employees and some to shareholders. TPG (TPG.O) last year went public with a similar strategy of paying around two-thirds of performance-related revenue to employees. Assuming the general idea is to keep overall earnings steady, then higher fee-based income for shareholders must be matched by lower cash compensation for employees. It suggests that for KKR, TPG and the rest, there is a limit to just how much of their own secret sauce employees can eat.

Persons: Steve Schwarzman, Carlyle, Blackstone’s, Schwarzman, Henry Kravis, George Roberts, EQT, Blackstone, Harvey Schwartz, Rowe Price, Thoma Bravo, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Blackstone, KKR, Apollo Global Management, JPMorgan, Reuters Graphics, TPG, Apollo, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Alpha, Bain Capital, Thoma, Ares Management, Thomson Locations: BlackRock

"This would be the nail in the coffin for Huawei in Europe," said Paolo Pescatore, an analyst at PP Foresight. China has asked for Huawei to be one of the main points on the agenda, one of the sources familiar with the matter said. Germany's China hawks expressed outrage in March when a Reuters story revealed that German state rail operator Deutsche Bahn was using Huawei gear to digitalise its operations. Berlin in 2021 passed a law setting high hurdles for makers of telecommunications equipment for the "critical components" of 5G networks. It is estimated it would cost billions of euros to rip out and replace Huawei equipment in European countries, potentially burdening telecom companies already sitting on huge debts.

Persons: Paolo Pescatore, Andrew Small, Mikko Huotari, Sweden's, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Supantha Mukherjee, Foo Yun Chee, Sergio Goncalves, Mark Potter Organizations: European, Huawei, Deutsche Telekom, Foresight, Deutsche Bahn, Mercator Institute for China Studies, Telecom, Nokia, Sweden's Ericsson, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, STOCKHOLM, Germany, Brussels, Berlin, Beijing, Europe, China, China's, Denmark, Portugal, West, U.S, Stockholm, Lisbon

☆ OpenAI CEO says 'optimistic' on global AI coordination
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Sam Nussey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT maker OpenAI, attends an open dialogue with students at Keio University in Tokyo, Japan June 12, 2023. REUTERS/Issei KatoTOKYO, June 12 (Reuters) - The CEO of ChatGPT maker OpenAI on Monday said a tour of capital cities had left him "quite optimistic" about prospects for global coordination on artificial intelligence (AI). Altman visited Japan in April, meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and saying he was considering opening an office in country. "All of the conversations have progressed quite well," Altman said on Monday without providing detail. Reporting by Sam Nussey and Tom Bateman; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI, Issei Kato TOKYO, Altman, Fumio Kishida, Sam Nussey, Tom Bateman, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Keio University, REUTERS, Microsoft Corp, Regulators, European, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, United States, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia

☆ Raymond James: Telecom stock fundamentals suggest the recent selloff is overblown
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | 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 EmailRaymond James: Telecom stock fundamentals suggest the recent selloff is overblownFrank Louthan, Managing Director at Raymond James, discusses why the communication services sector is the S&P laggard so far this month.

Persons: Raymond James, Frank Louthan Organizations: Telecom

[1/2] Denmark's Prime Minister and head of the Social Democrats Mette Frederiksen speaks on the Workers' International Day at Arbejdermuseet (The Workers Museum) in Copenhagen, Denmark, May 1, 2023. "There is great respect in Europe for the work she has done as prime minister and for the person she is in international cooperation," he said. Frederiksen, a career politician who is also head of the Social Democratic Party, became the youngest-ever Danish prime minister in 2019. Many see her as too dominant and hungry for power," former Danish defence and justice minister Hans Engell told Reuters. When former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2019 proposed buying Greenland, a sovereign territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, Frederiksen dismissed the offer as "absurd".

Persons: Mette Frederiksen, Ritzau Scanpix, Emil Nicolai Helms, Frederiksen, Biden, Monday Frederiksen, Joe Biden, Jens Stoltenberg, Jonas Gahr Store, Jacob Kaarsbo, Hans Engell, Donald Trump, Tayyip Erdogan, Viktor Orban, Engell, Jacob Gronholt, Pedersen, Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Denmark's, Social, Workers, The Workers Museum, REUTERS, NATO, U.S, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Social Democratic Party, Reuters, Hungary's, Thomson Locations: Copenhagen, Denmark, Ukraine, COPENHAGEN, Washington, NATO, Russia, Europe, Nord, Greenland, Kingdom of Denmark

☆ Column: Poland defies big polluter expectations with coal use cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

So instead of emerging as a climate laggard compared to wealthier European peers, Poland is keeping pace with the cuts to coal use and power emissions seen elsewhere, and may soon force emissions forecasters to trim their future pollution projections across the region. TARGETED CUTSEmissions forecasters using planned power generation data from major economies estimate that Europe's total carbon dioxide emissions will drop by 47% from 2022's total by 2030, largely due to planned steep cuts to coal use in Germany. Over the same time frame, Poland's electricity generation from coal has dropped by roughly 20%, resulting in an equal magnitude drop in coal-fired emissions. PRICE PAINGoing forward, a key factor that will drive Poland's overall electricity demand will be the price of it. If coal prices remain stubbornly strong relative to gas, then Poland's power producers may find themselves in the unenviable position of potentially ranking among the highest cost electricity generators in Europe.

Persons: Gavin Maguire, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Poland, European Union, World Bank, COVID, Reuters, Thomson Locations: LITTLETON , Colorado, Poland, Germany, Western Europe, Europe, France, The Netherlands, Spain

Avis Budget has been "left behind, without cause," opening up a buying opportunity for investors, according to Deutsche Bank. Analyst Chris Woronka upgraded shares to buy from hold. He also raised his price target to $263 from $239, implying 61% upside potential from Tuesday's close. CAR YTD mountain CAR year to date "It is no secret that CAR's earnings have benefited from gains on the resale of its vehicles for some eight quarters now, or that the company's pricing metric ('RPD') remains some 36% ahead of comparable 2019 levels on a TTM basis. "Buy the laggard," Woronka added.

Persons: Chris Woronka, Woronka, Avis, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Avis Budget, Deutsche Bank

Stocks jumped Friday as traders grew hopeful that lawmakers will reach a deal to raise the U.S. debt ceiling, avoiding a potentially catastrophic default. The S&P 500 gained 1.3% to close at 4,205.45, and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 2.2% to 12,975.69. The S&P 500 tech and consumer discretionary sectors popped more than 2% each. The Nasdaq notched its fifth straight weekly gain, rising 2.5%. The S&P 500 also posted a one-week advanced, advancing 0.3%.

☆ Southeast Asia’s worst-performing stock market is UBS’s ‘top pick’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Audrey Wan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of Move Forward Party, attends a press conference of the Thai pro-democracy parties in Bangkok. While the benchmark SET index initially rose when the results came through, but eventually gave up those early gains. In fact, Thai stocks are the worst performers in Southeast Asia this year, but Tay says Thailand is his "top pick" in the region. Thailand's SET index is down 9.22% this year, the biggest laggard in the broader Asia Pacific region. The Move Forward party has called for reforms to the monarchy, including changing its defamation law.

Foreign holdings of Italian government paper increased in February after 10 consecutive monthly declines, according to Bank of Italy data. "This is a magic moment for Italian bonds," he told Reuters. The share of Italian government debt held by foreign investors fell to below 20% at the end of 2022 from around 50% before the 2008 financial crisis, Bank of Italy data shows. The Italian Treasury has already taken steps to shore up demand for its bonds as the ECB retreats, by boosting purchases among domestic households and companies. Together, Italian families and firms now hold around 215 billion euros, or 9%, of Rome's debt, UniCredit's Cazzulani said, the highest level since mid-2015.

☆ Apple's AI strategies, especially for Siri, aren't very smart
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Michael Gartenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But when it comes to artificial intelligence, particularly Siri, Apple has gone from leader to laggard. Siri was introduced to the world in 2011 – 12 years ago – and was lauded at the time as a breakthrough in AI technology. Open-source technology allows developers to collaborate and contribute to a project, leading to faster and more efficient development cycles. Still, Google, which has a long history of open-source involvement, publishes hundreds of AI research papers yearly. While that's helpful (especially for selling Macs to AI developers), it's not the kind of kumbaya sharing that the open-source community relies on.

Toyota's board on Wednesday recommended that shareholders vote against the resolution, to be put to the company's annual general meeting in June. On Wednesday Toyota said it expects a five-fold jump in pure electric vehicle (EV) sales this business year. "We need concrete policy changes and a better annual review drawing on independent data to calm international investors." LONG ENGAGEMENTIt will be the first time that Toyota faces such a climate-related resolution at its annual general meeting, the funds said. It first planned to submit a shareholder proposal in 2021, but withdrew that after it received assurances that Toyota would review its climate lobbying.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Uber, Chegg, Dell, PacWest, SoFi & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Uber — Shares of the ride-hailing giant jumped more than 8% after the company reported first-quarter revenue that beat analysts' expectations. Still, the company did beat expectations for the quarter and provide strong guidance. NXP Semiconductors — Shares of the chipmaker added more than 2% after the company beat analysts' expectations for first-quarter revenue and operating income. Revenue guidance for the second quarter was better than anticipated as well. The global bank also announced an upcoming $2 billion share buyback program and restored its quarterly dividend.

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