DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

BERLIN/PARIS, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The French and German governments have postponed a meeting planned for next week until January, officials said on Wednesday, after what sources told Reuters were divisions including over energy policy and defence. French officials have expressed frustration with what they say has been a series of unilateral decisions by Germany, including a 200 billion euro energy package unveiled by Berlin without advanced warning to Paris. A French presidency official echoed Berlin's comments saying the two sides needed "more time" to reach agreements on issues including energy policy and defence cooperation. But others say they feel Germany is throwing its weight around and taking decisions that are sometimes against French interests. But French officials say they worry that the 200 billion euro German plan could distort the European market because other countries do not have the same means to protect their citizens.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe trio of stocks presented by Smith have fallen between 37% and 54% this year. Smith was detailing the thesis of his most recent investments at the 13D Monitor Active-Passive Investor Summit on Tuesday. "We think there's significant upside at Splunk," Smith said noting the company could boost free cash flow margins and maintain strong growth profile that could allow Splunk to generate eight to $9 of free cash flow per share by 2025. He added that, as well as growing profitability, Splunk's business made it highly attractive as a potential acquisition target. "This dynamic creates multiple ways to win and makes the investment in Splunk even more interesting," he added.

☆ Adobe stock jumps on estimates for next year as strong dollar cuts into growth
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Shantanu Narayen, chairman and chief executive officer of Adobe Systems Inc., during a telecast of the SoftBank World event in Tokyo arranged in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020. SoftBank World, the company's annual two-day event for customers and suppliers, ends Friday. The forecast excludes impact from its planned $20 billion acquisition of design software startup Figma, which is expected to close in 2023. Analysts polled by Refinitiv had expected adjusted earnings of $15.53 per share on $19.82 billion in revenue. WATCH: The design space overall has a lot of room to run, says Bessemer Venture Partners' Elliott Robinson

Oct 17 (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) on Monday reported a smaller-than-expected 9% drop in quarterly profit, as its interest income was bolstered by rising interest rates that offset a slump in investment banking. BofA holds a large base of consumer deposits, compared with its main rivals, making it more sensitive to any changes in interest rates. "Consumers remain resilient," Bank of America Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan told analysts on a conference call. The bank, however, added $378 million to its loan-loss reserves as it braces for a weakening economy. Citigroup Inc (C.N) wrote down $110 million on leveraged loans in the third quarter, down from $126 million in the previous quarter.

Bank of America holds a large base of consumer deposits, compared with its main rivals, making it more sensitive to any changes in interest rates. Its net interest income jumped 24% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) Citigroup Inc (C.N), and Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N) also saw their net interest income rise in the same period. read moreThe bank's leveraged loan losses were lower in the third quarter than in the second, Borthwick said. Peer Citi also wrote down $110 million on leveraged loans in the third quarter, down from $126 million in the previous quarter.

☆ Taiwan touts $900 mln in new business from Silicon Valley meetings
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Taiwan Economy Minister Wang Mei-hua speaks during an interview with Reuters in Taipei, Taiwan, September 30, 2021. REUTERS/Ann WangTAIPEI, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Taiwan's economy minister has drummed up new business worth T$30 billion ($940 million) in meetings with top executives at four major tech firms in California's Silicon Valley, the ministry said on Saturday. Taiwan is a major semiconductor producer, home to the world's largest contract chip maker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (2330.TW), , and supplies most the world's major tech firms. "The visits are expected to bring back U.S. research and development investment and orders in Taiwan worth more than T$30 billion," it said, without elaborating. Wang said on Tuesday that if Taiwan remains safe, global supply chains of vital semiconductors would also be secure.

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Citigroup took a $110 million writedown on leveraged loans in the third quarter, the company said on Friday as its Wall Street competitors downplayed their exposure to the sector. Banks have since pulled back from leveraged financing in the wake of losses taken on Citrix and other deals, as investors lost their appetite for riskier, floating-rate leveraged loans amid rapid interest rate hikes and fears of recession. “There are no real levels of loan write-down this quarter, and that market isn’t yet to clear,” Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan’s chief executive officer, told analysts on a conference call. So we’re very comfortable.”Morgan Stanley also scaled back its leveraged exposure in the third quarter. “They actually were quite modest marks, given the environment,” Sharon Yeshaya, Morgan Stanley’s chief financial officer, told analysts.

☆ Cramer's lightning round: I'm sticking by Intuitive Surgical
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Loading chart...Intuitive Surgical Inc : "People don't like that group right now. I'm going to stick by it, though." Loading chart...Qualcomm Inc : "It was painful to do, but I had to cut it back [for the Charitable Trust.]" Loading chart...Cisco Systems Inc : "I'm going to hold onto it for the Charitable Trust." Disclaimer: Cramer's Charitable Trust owns shares of Qualcomm and Cisco.

☆ Cisco partners with Microsoft to add Teams to its meeting devices
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Jane Lanhee Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 12 (Reuters) - Networking firm Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO.O) will add Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT.O) Teams messaging app to its meeting devices, the two firms said on Wednesday, offering users an alternative to its own Webex video conferencing app. Cisco's Jeetu Patel, head of Security & Collaboration, said the company aims to be the hardware platform for a wide range of conferencing software platforms. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"There's going to be times that people want to jump on a Microsoft Teams call, they want to jump on a Zoom call, they want to jump on a Google call." Ilya Bukshteyn, vice president of Microsoft Teams Calling and Devices, told Reuters the Teams Room software already runs on several other hardware devices and will be available on Cisco devices from the first quarter of next year. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting By Jane Lanhee Lee; editing by Richard PullinOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Over two dozen corporate leaders and businesses are quietly donating to the campaigns of at least four Republicans who have pushed false claims about the 2020 election results while running to become secretaries of state, according to a review of state campaign finance disclosures. Marchant is running to be Nevada's secretary of state, while Finchem and Karamo are aiming for the same position in Arizona and Michigan, respectively. The allegations led to dozens of failed lawsuits attempting to overturn state results and prompted the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Those business officials started financing the secretary of state candidates in Aug. 2021 and continued their donations through September, according to state records. Beckel noted in an email to CNBC that donors could be giving to secretary of state candidates for future help with issues more directly tied to their businesses.

Typically, banks would sell the debt to investors and pocket an underwriting fee. Elon Musk vs TwitterThe debate, currently a topic of conversation among investment bankers and debt investors, provides a window into the havoc wreaked on Wall Street by Musk’s U-turn last week. Musk, however, conditioned his proposal on his ability to secure debt financing and now has until Oct. 28 to close on the transaction. VARIOUS OPTIONSThe debt financing package is comprised of leveraged loans, which are risky because of the amount of debt the company is taking on, as well as secured and unsecured bonds. In September, banks financing the Citrix buyout undertook a similar restructuring.

☆ More Companies Pause Deal-Making Amid Market Volatility, High Inflation
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Kristin Broughton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Many companies are taking a pause on acquisitions as a cocktail of worrying economic factors, including high inflation, rising interest rates and market volatility, is sapping the confidence of buyers and sellers. Deal-making activity is expected to remain tepid overall during the fourth quarter compared with 2021, barring an improved economic outlook and lower inflation readings, M&A advisers said. For instance, spinoffs or divestitures could become more popular deal structures as companies review their business models, Refinitiv’s Mr. Toole said. Even a number of early M&A discussions, including about possible financing options, are drying up, M&A advisers said. During the latest quarter, Adobe acquired 5.1 million shares at a cost of $1.8 billion, it said.

☆ White House Issues ‘Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights’
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-04 | by ( Angus Loten | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

The White House on Tuesday issued guidelines aimed at safeguarding personal data from misuse in artificial-intelligence algorithms that drive hiring, lending and other business decisions. The guidelines, which the Biden administration described as a “blueprint for an AI bill of rights,” are nonbinding and don’t include enforcement measures. They also fall short of the European Union’s landmark privacy regulation that has forced global technology companies to change how they collect data, among other things. Still, some technology leaders said the White House blueprint could lead to heavy-handed regulation that might risk putting U.S. businesses at a disadvantage. “If implemented properly, the bill could reduce AI misuse and yet support beneficial uses of AI in medicine, driving, enterprise productivity, and more,” Mr. Etzioni said.

☆ Heightened Cyber Threat Brings CIOs, CISOs Closer
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-30 | by ( Isabelle Bousquette | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

In a year of high-profile cyberattacks, chief information officers say cybersecurity has sprinted up their agenda and got them working more closely than ever with chief information security officers. Her goal is to foster a culture of cyber preparedness across the company, including ensuring staff are educated about risks. Noelle Eder, chief information officer at Cigna. While compensation is growing for both the CIO and CISO roles, Mr. Stephenson said it is growing faster for CISOs. “We really need to be working together to think about ways we can better secure information,” Mr. Vidoni said.

☆ Cramer's lightning round: Harmonic is not a buy
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Loading chart...Everbridge Inc: "This one does not make money, so I say [sell]." Loading chart...Loading chart...Harmonic Inc: "Sells way too high on a price-to-earnings multiple for me to recommend when there's so many cheaper stocks out there." Loading chart...Monolithic Power Systems Inc: "I'm going to have to say that I do not like this stock." I'm not going against [Cathie Wood] at these prices. Loading chart...ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd: "I think the shipping business is a terrible business.

, said in a statement that Drizly is one of the few places where her company can run multimedia ad campaigns. The database allows the company to charge above-market rates for ad placements, according to Mr. Patel. The company also hired Gina Hardy as its first chief customer officer to oversee all marketing operations. Mr. Patel declined to comment on specific growth goals for Drizly, but said the company sees significant potential in its advertising platform, which is independent of its parent company’s Uber Eats ad business. Drizly sales grew 517% from September 2019 to September 2021, according to market-research firm Bloomberg Second Measure.

☆ Banks close painful Citrix debt chapter with $700 mln loss -source
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Abigail Summerville | Matt Tracy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Citrix Systems logo is seen on smartphone placed on U.S. While the syndication was completed successfully, it was done at a steep discount to the levels that the banks underwrote the debt. It was also buoyed by one of Citrix's acquirers, hedge fund Elliott Management, helping out by buying $1 billion in bonds, a second source said. They also sold a $4 billion three-year Citrix bond for 83.6 cents on the dollar, resulting in a higher than expected yield of 10%, the sources added. More debt syndication pain for the banks is on the way.

☆ Swiftly Valued at More Than $1 Billion in Latest Funding Round
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Corrie Driebusch | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Swiftly Systems Inc. raised $100 million in its latest funding round, boosting the valuation of the grocery-tech company to more than $1 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. The capital infusion, from BRV Capital Management and others, is the second funding round this year for Swiftly and values it at $1.1 billion to $1.2 billion, one of the people said. In March, Swiftly said it raised $100 million in a Series B funding round led by Wormhole Capital.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterFILE PHOTO - Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow, speaks during general session at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Texas, U.S., August 5, 2022. REUTERS/Go NakamuraSept 19 (Reuters) - MyPillow Inc Chief Executive Mike Lindell must face a defamation lawsuit brought by a voting machine company that the Trump ally falsely accused of rigging the 2020 U.S. election, a Minnesota federal judge ruled on Monday. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterLawyers for the defendants did not immediately respond to inquiries Monday. Smartmatic operated voting machines in Los Angeles County in 2020 and says there were no irregularities in its tallies. The London-based company alleged in its January complaint that Lindell knowingly made false election-rigging claims to boost MyPillow's sales and made Smartmatic "synonymous with election fraud."

☆ Adobe, Figma Deal Signals New Era in Collaboration, Productivity
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Steven Rosenbush | Isabelle Bousquette | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

The purchase of Figma, whose tools are used by designers and developers, is Adobe’s largest-ever acquisition and extends its reach into new areas. The rising popularity of social networks helped fuel interest in an earlier wave of collaboration technology companies, including Jive Software and workplace chat company Yammer, later acquired by Microsoft Corp. in 2012 for $1.2 billion. Startups that employ concepts of collaboration, including digital work-space company Notion, document company Coda and app platform Airtable, took off among software, design and product teams. Adobe is best-known by consumers for software programs—including Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Acrobat—used for graphic design, video editing and more. The fact that Adobe was willing to pay so much for Figma reflects that belief that its software was fundamentally different, according to Mr. Saper.

☆ Adobe’s $20 bln deal uses ample creative license
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Jeffrey Goldfarb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The design technology titan is acquiring startup Figma for $20 billion, using roughly half cash and half shares, in a deal that will significantly beef up its online collaboration capabilities. Even if it doubled again in 2023, it would represent just 4% of the $20 billion that analysts expect Adobe to generate, according to Refinitiv. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThis math suggests Narayen has used too much creative license. And yet even then Adobe saw fit to double up on the $10 billion Figma valuation from June 2021, per PitchBook, and shell out an eye-popping multiple of sales. CONTEXT NEWSAdobe said on Sept. 15 it had agreed to buy digital design rival Figma for about $20 billion, paying about half in cash and half in shares.

☆ Inside the Gray Market Keeping Cisco Tech in Stock in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-21 | by ( Alistair Macdonald | Kate Vtorygina | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Weeks after Moscow invaded Ukraine, tech giant Cisco Systems Inc. stopped all sales of its hardware into Russia, and Washington issued a series of broad sanctions against the country, including restricting the sale of Cisco equipment. As the war approaches its first anniversary, that same gear is still easy to find at a range of retailers in Moscow. It is being supplied by a network of third-party vendors in places like Turkey and Asia that have sprung up without Cisco’s authorization and are largely out of reach of American enforcement.

☆ Apple files lawsuit against NSO Group, saying U.S. citizens were targets
▼ + stars: | 2021-11-24 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 23 (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) said on Tuesday it has filed a lawsuit against Israeli cyber firm NSO Group and its parent company OSY Technologies for alleged surveillance and targeting of U.S. Apple users with its Pegasus spyware. The iPhone maker said it is also seeking to ban NSO Group from using any Apple software, services or devices to prevent further abuse. NSO Group will continue to advocate for the truth," a spokesperson said in a statement. Apple alleged that NSO Group created more than 100 fake Apple ID user credentials to carry out its attacks. Apple said it has so far seen no evidence of NSO's tools being used against Apple devices using iOS 15, the latest version of its mobile operating system.

Meanwhile, French company Aryballe is also working on AI systems that are able to distinguish between thousands of different flavors. The researchers combined a depth sensor with a standard camera to capture shades of reds, greens, and blues on the edges of transparent objects. Aterra/Getty ImagesThe AI system then collects that data and combines it with a database containing thousands of different smells. Systems that can 'taste' thousands of foodsGastrograph AI is a platform created by Analytical Flavor Systems Inc. Greenies/FacebookYunzhu Li, a researcher at MIT, is working on an AI system capable of establishing a relationship between an image and the touch of a surface.

☆ Anthony Gonzalez snags GoodRx, Marie Newman sells Moderna, Gary Peters buys fossil fuel burners
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-26 | by ( Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Newman sells ModernaLast week, Insider reporters Kimberly Leonard and Warren Rojas profiled the stock trades of Rep. Marie Newman, a freshman Democrat from Illinois, and her husband. On Wednesday, Newman reported that she or her husband made additional stock trades in January. And he and his wife last week reported making dozens of different stock trades and financial moves during March. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat from New Jersey, made more than 60 stock trades during March. Rep. John Yarmuth, a Democrat from Kentucky, meanwhile made nearly 20 stock trades during March.

Search resuls for: "Systems Inc"

25 mentions found