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Oil spike ripples through global marketsThe price of Brent crude rose again on Friday, at one point topping $91 a barrel. Growing tensions in the Middle East have pushed the global benchmark to levels last reached in October. Some analysts believe the oil rally is just beginning, creating a fresh inflation risk for central bankers who are struggling to keep price-increases in check. JPMorgan Chase forecast last week that oil would climb above $100 by September. And, in a bad sign for motorists, gasoline prices in the U.S. have climbed 6 percent in the past month just ahead of the North American summer driving season.

Persons: Brent, Biden Organizations: JPMorgan Chase Locations: U.S

Disney fended off the activist investor Nelson Peltz for the second time in two years, as its shareholders rejected his effort to win two seats on its board. The House of Mouse claimed a “substantial” margin of victory, after a bitterly fought contest with Peltz and his major backer, the former Marvel chair Ike Perlmutter. Based on preliminary results from Wednesday’s annual investor meeting, Disney’s board candidates won the backing of 75 percent of individual shareholders, an outsize investor base. But like any good Disney tale, the board fight provided a series of lessons for the future — for companies and activists alike. That included cost-cutting efforts, an investment in the video game giant Epic Games and a shake-up in the struggling movie division.

Persons: Iger, Nelson Peltz, Mouse, Peltz, Ike Perlmutter, Bob Iger Organizations: Disney, Marvel, Wall Street

☆ Cathie Wood buys more Tesla, says now 'is not the time to run for the hills'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Now is not the time for investors to bail on Tesla , according to Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood. Tesla shares have slumped more than 33% since the start of the year as it faces rising competition in China and slowing demand for electric vehicles, with the Elon Musk-run company reporting an 8.5% year-over-year decline in first-quarter deliveries earlier this week. Despite this recent pressure, Wood believes that the stock could hit $2,000 in the next five years. TSLA YTD mountain Tesla, YTD That's evident from recent moves at the investment firm. Wood snatched up 182,052 shares for the flagship ARK Innovation ETF , 42,744 shares for the ARK Next Generation Internet ETF , and 10,202 for the ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF , according to the firm's daily trading data from Tuesday.

Persons: Cathie Wood, it's, Tesla, CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin, Wood Organizations: Ark Invest, Elon, Innovation, ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics Locations: China

☆ Cathie Wood says she’s not buying Reddit at this price, but long term it’s an AI play
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood is holding off buying shares of the recent IPO Reddit at current prices, despite a long-term belief in the company's artificial intelligence prospects. "We don't think it's a meme stock," Wood told CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin during a " Squawk Box " interview Wednesday. RDDT YTD mountain Reddit shares since going public To be sure, Wood bought Reddit on the offering but said she's avoiding purchasing more after its run-up. Reddit went public last month in the first initial public offering of a major social media company since Pinterest 's debut in 2019. Reddit's offering came amid a slow revival in the IPO market following a two-year dry spell.

Persons: Cathie Wood, Wood, CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin, Reddit Organizations: Twitter, New York Stock Exchange, Arm Holdings Locations: Reddit

☆ Steve Cohen says it's early to judge Mets season, sees making team a winner as a 'civic responsibility'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The New York Mets and their revamped roster are languishing in this young baseball season, but owner Steve Cohen isn't panicking, not by a longshot. "It's only four games into the season right?" Cohen told CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin during an interview Wednesday on "Squawk Box" that touched on his thus-far winless team that he purchased in 2020. "Nobody wants to start zero and four, but you know, it's early. During the season, you're going to have losing streaks.

Persons: Steve Cohen isn't panicking, Cohen, CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin Organizations: New York Mets, Mets, National League East

Trian claims Disney's board has failed to generate sufficient returns in recent years as subscription streaming losses have mounted and traditional TV subscribers have declined. Early vote countBoth Disney and Trian received support from influential shareholders ahead of Wednesday's meeting. Roughly one-third of Disney's shareholders are retail shareholders, who historically vote in small numbers in annual meetings. The arrangement still raised questions about ValueAct's support for the company and whether Disney's board should have disclosed the prior relationship. WATCH: Disney board battle reaches final moments

Persons: Bob Iger, Mickey Mouse, Valerie Macon, Nelson Peltz, Jay Rasulo, They've, Maria Elena Lagomasino, Michael Froman, Peltz, Ike Perlmutter, Trian, Disney's, Iger, Bob Chapek, Patrick T, Adam Jeffery, Morgan Stanley, James Gorman, CNBC's, George Lucas, Laurene Powell Jobs, Lucas, Powell Jobs, Ken Squire, Rowe Price, Rowe, Mason Morfit's, ValueAct, Neuberger Berman, John Ferguson, Rasulo —, Glass Lewis, Iger's, Gorman, Jeremy Darroch, CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin, Heidi Gutman, Lagomasino, shouldn't, Blackwells, Rasulo, Jason Aintabi, John Foley, Jessica Schnell, Craig Hatkoff, Leah Solivan, ValueAct hasn't Organizations: AFP, Getty Images Disney, Voters, Trian Partners, Disney, PepsiCo, Marvel, SEC, Fallon, Bloomberg, Getty, CNBC Disney, CNBC, Star Wars, LucasArts, Pixar, BlackRock, Institutional, California Public Employees, Yacktman Asset Management, Saratoga Proxy, ISS, Sky, Trian Fund Management, NBCU, Bank, NBCUniversal, Green, Comcast Locations: Los Angeles, New York

Tesla’s woes prompt an E.V. reassessmentWall Street has sounded the alarm for weeks that the transition to electric vehicles may be stalling, despite billions in government subsidies and huge investments by auto giants. Tesla’s latest sales figures suggest that the pullback may be worse than thought — and beyond one company’s ability to fix. Tesla’s numbers undershot forecasts. That has contributed to a more than 30 percent decline in Tesla’s stock, which has made it one of the worst performers on the S&P 500 this year.

☆ Steve Cohen says his financial firm can already save $25 million by using AI
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

You can count billionaire investor Steve Cohen among those who believes artificial intelligence is already making an impact on the business world. The Point72 founder told CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin on "Squawk Box" that his financial firm has found ways for even the early AI models to save the company money. My CTO comes to me and says I can save the firm $25 million by using these LLMs to improve our efficiency," Cohen said, referencing his chief technology officer and the large language models like ChatGPT. "Now, we're a nice sized firm. And that's just one thing, so it gives you a little bit of a look into what's possible," he added.

Persons: Steve Cohen, CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin, Cohen, We're

Microsoft unbundles, againMicrosoft is separating Teams, its popular video and chat app, from its Office software suite in markets around the world, broadening a split that began in the European Union last fall. It appears to be the latest effort by the software giant to head off investigations by global antitrust enforcers as regulators examine the power of Big Tech. Microsoft first added the video and document collaboration program to its business software suite in 2017, and saw Teams’s popularity soar after the coronavirus pandemic unleashed a boom in hybrid and remote working. At the height of the lockdown in 2020, Slack filed a complaint with the European Commission accusing Microsoft of anticompetitive behavior by bundling Teams with Office. (Three months later, Slack agreed to sell itself to Salesforce for $27.7 billion.)

Persons: Microsoft unbundles, Slack, Eric Yuan Organizations: Microsoft, European Union, Big Tech, Rivals, Commission

Politicians and auto executives on both sides of the Atlantic are calling for more protectionist measures. After Tesla lost its crown to BYD as the world’s biggest E.V. Otherwise, the Tesla C.E.O. said, Chinese E.V. The continent’s auto sector employs 13 million people and generates 8 percent of the bloc’s G.D.P.

Persons: China Tesla, —, Warren Buffett, Tesla, Elon Musk, ” Luca de Meo, Vivienne Walt, DealBook, ”, June’s E.U Organizations: Renault Group’s, Airbus Locations: China, Europe, June’s

Kushner and Kloss take over Life magazineLife, the iconic photography-focused chronicler of the 20th century, has taken on many forms, including a weekly magazine, a website and the occasional special issue. Kushner and Kloss are buying the publication rights to Life from Dotdash Meredith, the print and digital publisher. The deal is being done through Bedford Media, the media start-up that Kloss leads as C.E.O. Life was once a central part of American culture, featuring the work of renowned photographers like Robert Capa and writing by top authors. (Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea” first appeared in its pages.

Persons: Kushner, Kloss, Barry, Josh Kushner, Dotdash Meredith, Robert Capa, Ernest Hemingway’s “ Organizations: IAC, Bedford Media Locations: OpenAI

A settlement that could scramble the credit card businessA long-running fight between the credit card giants Visa and Mastercard and retailers in the United States is nearing an end, with the promise of lower fees for merchants. But the proposed class-action settlement could have wider consequences, including for the lucrative business of high-end credit cards — and for retailers. What’s in the settlement: Visa and Mastercard said on Tuesday that they had agreed to reduce swipe fees, costs associated with the use of a credit card, for about five years. Perhaps more important, merchants will be able to raise their prices based on the kind of card. For example, buying groceries with a higher-fee card — typically a premium card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve — could become more expensive than paying with a lower-end one.

Organizations: Visa, Mastercard, Chase Locations: United States

BlackRock’s chief wants to rethink a fiscal time bombAs the chairman and C.E.O. In his latest letter to investors, published on Tuesday, Fink weighs in on a new topic: a looming global retirement crisis, and what can be done to address it. The way retirement is handled around the world needs to change, Fink writes. In the U.S. in particular, people are living longer, a trend that’s likely to grow given the advent of weight loss drugs like Wegovy, Fink writes. But he adds that four in 10 Americans don’t have $400 in emergency savings, let alone proper retirement funds.

Persons: Larry Fink, Fink Organizations: BlackRock

Raised stakes in a firearms takeover contestA battle over Vista Outdoor, the company behind top ammunition brands like Remington and Camelbak water bottles, is escalating — and national security is becoming a bigger factor in the fight. MNC is offering $37.50 a share for all of Vista, up from a bid of $35 last month and 16 percent higher than where Vista’s stock closed on Friday. In a letter to Vista’s board reviewed by DealBook, the investment firm reiterated that it had lined up financing for its offer, despite questions by Vista about how solid those commitments were. Vista rejected MNC’s previous offer, saying a planned breakup of itself would be more valuable for shareholders. (Vista has agreed to sell its ammunition business to CSG for $1.9 billion, leaving its nonfirearm division, Revelyst, as a stand-alone public company.)

Persons: DealBook, Vista Organizations: Vista, Remington, MNC Capital, Czechoslovak, MNC, CSG Locations: U.S, Vista

Are investors buying Nvidia’s latest A.I. Nvidia’s stock has soared more than fivefold since ChatGPT debuted in November 2022, a rally that has vaulted the chipmaker into the trillion-dollar market cap club on the back of investor fervor for artificial intelligence — and the high-end processors that power these models. But shares in Nvidia are down in premarket trading on Tuesday after investors gave the first day of the company’s annual developer conference (known as “A.I. Woodstock”) a tough grade. That’s even after the semiconductor company introduced its latest chip, which is capable of running increasingly complex computing models.

Persons: ChatGPT, A.I Organizations: Nvidia Locations: Woodstock

A different kind of battle for Third PointA small computer chip design company, R2 Semiconductor, has been notching wins in a potentially big patent fight against Intel over the past few months — a dispute that could force Intel to stop selling several chip lines in Europe. The context: R2 sued Intel, as well as two customers, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Dell, in Germany, alleging that the chipmaker had infringed on a patent dealing with voltage regulation in semiconductors. A regional court in February issued injunctions against the sale of at least some Intel chips. And on March 8, a higher court rejected Intel’s effort to halt the decision. Meanwhile, a trial in Britain over the patent is set to begin next month.

Persons: DealBook, Dan, haven’t Organizations: R2 Semiconductor, Intel, Amazon Web Services, Fujitsu, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Dell Locations: Europe, Germany, Britain

☆ Steve Mnuchin breaks out the checkbook
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Mnuchin rebornNine months after President Joe Biden was inaugurated and Mnuchin left the Treasury Building, Mnuchin formed a new private equity group, Liberty Strategic Capital. Steven Mnuchin's private equity firm made a $450 million investment in New York Community Bank last week. When Mnuchin left CIT less than two years later, he received a $10.9 million severance package. “It’s a great business and I’m going to put together a group to buy TikTok,” Mnuchin told visibly stunned anchors on CNBC Thursday morning. Mnuchin may be the founder and managing partner of Liberty Strategic Capital, but Saudi Arabia is reportedly covering a big chunk of his firm’s tab.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Steven Mnuchin, Mnuchin, Joe Biden, Jackie ”, Trump, Goldman Sachs, ”, Liberty, Steven Mnuchin's, Spencer Platt, “ It’s, ” Mnuchin, “ You’re, ” Andrew Ross Sorkin, ” interjected, TikTok, “, he’s, Will Lanzoni, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Organizations: New, New York CNN, Treasury, Liberty Strategic Capital, Lionsgate, New York Community Bank, Getty, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, CIT Group, CIT, CNBC, CNN, Senate, Liberty Strategic, Crown, New York Times, Saudi Public Investment Fund, Meta, ByteDance . Liberty Strategic Locations: New York, cybersecurity, New, California, China, Montana, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, ByteDance

What’s next for ByteDance’s U.S. investors? DealBook has spoken with people in the know about what these investors, including financial giants like the Susquehanna International Group, can do, with billions of dollars on the line. Mnuchin, a former Treasury secretary, told Andrew on CNBC on Thursday that he was in talks with a “combination of U.S. investors” about a TikTok deal. He added that he had spoken with some of the investors in ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent, about possibly rolling over their stake. of the video game giant Activision Blizzard, also reportedly has been looking for potential partners for a bid.

Persons: What’s, ”, DealBook, Steven Mnuchin, Andrew, Bill Ford, Bobby Kotick Organizations: ByteDance’s U.S, U.S, Susquehanna International Group, CNBC, Activision Locations: Beijing, China, ByteDance

Though its fate in the Senate is unclear, anti-China sentiment and pressure on lawmakers from the White House could force the issue. That belies the technical and legal hurdles in selling TikTok, as well as divisions within the U.S. tech community over the proposed legislation. The heads of the chamber’s Intelligence Committee — Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, and Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida — support the bill. So do the sometimes progressive John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, and the hawkish Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas. It’s long overdue to push back and this bill does exactly that,” Fetterman posted on social media.

Persons: Mark Warner, Marco Rubio, John Fetterman, Ted Cruz, ” Fetterman Organizations: TikTok, Senate, chamber’s Intelligence, Democrat, Republican Locations: Washington, China, Virginia, Florida, Pennsylvania, Texas

Fintech giant Stripe revealed in its annual letter published on Wednesday that it surpassed $1 trillion in total payment volume in 2023, up 25% from 2022. By comparison, PayPal surpassed $1 trillion in total payment volume in 2021, 23 years after it was founded. Stripe is valued at $65 billion as of the company's latest tender offer completed last month. We wanted to ensure shareholders have access to liquidity that is why we did the tender offer last year, that's why we did the tender offer this year." "Things got a bit mad at the peak of 2021... startups are focusing on more profitable growth," Collison explained to Sorkin on "Squawk Box."

Persons: Patrick, John Collison, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Collison, Sorkin Organizations: PayPal, CNBC, YouTube

TikTok faces a crucial voteThe House is set to vote on Wednesday on a bill that would ostensibly present ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, with an ultimatum: sell TikTok’s U.S. operations, or have the app barred. But there’s a fight brewing over whether it’s actually possible for ByteDance to sell TikTok — or if the bill is effectively a ban disguised as a call for divestment. Does the bill allow for a sale? The proposal forbids any deal that allows TikTok’s U.S. and foreign operations to cooperate on a content recommendation algorithm or share data. While TikTok says it already walls off the data of U.S. users from its parent company, it’s not clear the company could operate without any foreign support.

Persons: it’s, ” TikTok, TikTok Organizations: TikTok’s U.S Locations: U.S, United States

☆ CNBC invited Trump on its air. The network didn’t even try to stop his lies
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“I believe on the ‘Squawk’ news line, we are joined by former President Donald J. Trump, DJT 45. It’s been a while, Mr. President,” Joe Kernen, co-host of “Squawk Box,” greeted Trump on the air. Almost immediately after commencing the interview, Trump launched into one of his trademark, fact-free rants. Instead, the outlet quickly spliced Trump’s comments into a handful of clips and posted them online, amplifying his comments further. “We appreciate all the time you’ve given us this morning, Mr. President,” Kernen said.

Persons: Donald Trump, “, Donald J, Trump, It’s, ” Joe Kernen, ”, Kernen, Joe Biden’s, Biden, ” Trump, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Sorkin, Brian Roberts, Rachel Maddow, “ Biden, Fani Willis, Jean Carroll, ominously, ” Kernen Organizations: New York CNN, CNBC, Monday, Republican, U.S . Energy Information Administration, Trump, NBCU News Group, Comcast, NBC, MSNBC Locations: New York, Joe Biden’s State, U.S, Trump, China, Fulton County

Trump’s TikTok U-turnTikTok users have continued to flood the social media platform — and lawmakers’ inboxes — with pleas to halt a bill that would force its Chinese owners to divest or face a ban in the U.S.That effort to keep TikTok online has now attracted some unlikely backers, including Donald Trump. A recap: Last week, a powerful House committee voted 50-0 to remove TikTok from U.S. app stores by Sept. 30 unless its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, sold its stake. President Biden said on Friday that he’d sign the bill if it reaches his desk — even as his campaign has embraced the platform. But Trump has potentially scrambled the political calculus in Washington. Starting last week, the former president has pushed back against a TikTok ban, arguing that such a move would strengthen Meta’s Facebook — the “true Enemy of the People!” (Remember that as president, Trump issued an executive order ordering ByteDance to divest its American assets.)

Persons: ’ inboxes, Donald Trump, Biden, Trump Organizations: Facebook Locations: U.S, Beijing, Washington

Biden goes on the offensivePresident Biden sought to reinvigorate his re-election campaign, delivering an animated and mostly gaffe-free State of the Union address that put the economy and business front and center. In the prime-time slot, he pitched Bidenomics as delivering for Americans, and outlined a policy wish list that may appeal to progressive voters and some in his party but which could also put him at loggerheads with big corporations. Heading into a November rematch with Donald Trump, Biden sought to frame the presidential race in stark terms for the democracy while holding business to account. Among the areas that could rankle business leaders: a call to raise the minimum tax on multinationals to 21 percent. He also singled out “Big Oil, private jets, and massive executive pay” in his speech as areas ripe for boosting tax revenue.

Persons: Biden, Donald Trump, ” Organizations: Oil

☆ Mark Cuban says he's not voting for Donald Trump because he doesn't want 'a snake oil salesperson as President'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The billionaire said Trump "will tell you his snake oil will cure everything that ails you." I'm voting for Biden/Harris over Trump all day every day," Cuban told Axios on Tuesday. Cuban told Axios that when it came to Trump and Biden, it was a match-up between "the snake oil salesperson vs the incumbent, traditional politician." Musk mocked Cuban on Monday and said Cuban would vote for Biden even if the president "were a flesh-eating zombie." He can do what he wants," Cuban said when asked about the reported meeting between Musk and Trump.

Persons: Mark Cuban, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Biden, Cuban, —, Harris, Axios, Joe Biden's, he'd, Cuban's Biden, Elon, Musk, didn't, Biden's, Tesla, I'm, Andrew Ross Sorkin Organizations: Service, Biden, Trump, Cuban, Bloomberg, Elon Musk, The New York Times DealBook Summit, The Times, Musk, GOP, Republicans Locations: Florida

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