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One of the really interesting questions here – this will be fascinating – the core of linear TV is sports rights. When you look at the size and scope of the linear TV business, it's huge. Patrick T. Fallon | Afp | Getty ImagesByron Allen, Entertainment Studios founder and CEO: I think linear TV will exist for a very, very long time. Simmons: I believe Apple, out of nowhere, will start making their own awesome televisions that have Apple TV embedded in them. We are witnessing early stages of this dynamic with deals like "NFL Sunday Ticket" on YouTube and the MLS deal with Apple TV.

☆ Chinese savers stashed away $2.6 trillion last year but property crash will cool ‘revenge spending’
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Burberry (BBRYF) said last month that it’s seeing “very promising” signs in China, according to Reuters. Since real estate accounts for 70% of household wealth in China, “revenge spending” will be limited, analysts said. They expect household consumption growth to rebound to 9.5% in 2023 from about 3% in 2022, fueling annual GDP growth of more than 5%. Morgan Stanley analysts expect to see some “revenge spending” mostly from household with stable incomes. They’re expecting household consumption growth to rebound to 8.5% in 2023, contributing to full-year economic growth of 5.7%.

[1/2] A man is reflected in an electronic board showing Britain's FTSE 100 outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan, June 27, 2016. REUTERS/Toru HanaiLONDON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Britain's blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) index hit a record high on Friday, in what could mark a potential turning point for UK assets, which have been dogged by a floundering economy. The FTSE 100 rose to 7,906.58 at 1545 GMT, surpassing a previous record high of 7,903.50 hit on May 22 2018. "Is it realistic that the FTSE being at an all-time high when we consider the state of the UK economy? The FTSE 100 closed Friday up 1.04% higher and has rallied 4.9% so far this year.

☆ China fell in EIU's democracy index partly because of its Covid restrictions, analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | 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 EmailChina fell in EIU's democracy index partly because of its Covid restrictions, analyst saysFei Xue of the Economist Intelligence Unit says the country has been a laggard in terms of lifting Covid restrictions on social and economic life.

☆ UK grocery price inflation rises to record 16.7% -Kantar
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - British grocery inflation hit a record 16.7% in the four weeks to Jan. 22, dealing another blow to consumers battling an escalating cost-of-living crisis, industry data showed on Tuesday. Market researcher Kantar said grocery inflation was at its highest since it started tracking the figure in 2008, with prices rising fastest in markets such as milk, eggs and dog food. Kantar said sales of supermarkets' own-label lines grew 9.3% in January, while sales of branded products, which are generally more expensive, were up by just 1.0%. It said that over the 12 weeks to Jan. 22, UK grocery sales rose 7.6% year-on-year, masking a drop in volumes when accounting for inflation. UK grocers' market share and sales growth (%)Source: Kantar($1 = 0.8093 pounds)Reporting by James Davey Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nearly a year on from the supposed Russian exodus, most major companies have yet to withdraw
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

PATRIK STOLLARZ | AFP | Getty ImagesAfter Russian troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022, companies across the G-7 major economies and the European Union announced plans to cease business operations in Russia. The report published earlier this month documented a total of 2,405 subsidiaries owned by 1,404 EU and G-7 companies that were active in Russia at the time of the first military incursion into Ukraine. Of the EU and G-7 companies remaining in Russia, the research found that 19.5% were German, 12.4% were American owned, and 7% were Japanese multinationals. Various companies told Barclays that there were a host of challenges to fully divest. "There have also been suggestions that the assets (including intellectual property) of companies that leave Russia will be nationalised."

☆ Super Bowl party people rejoice: Chicken wings and guacamole will cost much less this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Load up on wings and guacWing fans will like this: A pound of chicken wings is down 22% from January 2022 because of more supply. Last year at this time, the retail price for whole chicken wings was $3.38 per pound for the week of Super Bowl LVI, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s weekly retail price report. “Chicken wings were so expensive last year that consumers were looking for alternatives to serve at the party. “The dollar amount per person at this year’s Super Bowl party ultimately depends on what they drink and consume,” said Swanson. The 57th Super Bowl will take place on February 12, 2023, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

☆ Investors bet the Fed doom loop they've been trapped in will end in the week ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Michael Santoli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Next week is Groundhog Day, not to mention the 30 th anniversary of the theatrical release of "Groundhog Day." The ensuing market retreat culminated in the October low at more than a 25% decline from the S & P's record high. Inflation is decidedly in retreat, fourth-quarter GDP was slow-ish but solidly positive, Fed officials did nothing to push back against market expectations for a quarter-point bump in rates next week. But none of the interim S & P 500 rallies in that period made it as far above the 200-day moving average as the index currently is. Yet even with obligatory macro scares and market switchbacks along the way, it doesn't mean investors necessarily remain stuck in the same old doom loop.

☆ U.S. GDP rose 2.9% in the fourth quarter, more than expected even as recession fears loom
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. economy finished 2022 in solid shape even as questions persist over whether growth will turn negative in the year ahead. The growth rate was slightly slower than the 3.2% pace in the third quarter. Stock market futures rose following the report while Treasury yields were mostly higher as well. Despite the fairly strong economic data, most economists think a recession is a strong possibility this year. Corporate profit reports from the fourth quarter also are signaling a potential earnings recession.

☆ IBM cuts 3,900 jobs after muted consulting demand hits quarterly revenue
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Chavi Mehta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 25 (Reuters) - IBM Corp (IBM.N) on Wednesday said it would lay off 3,900 people as part of some asset divestments and posted flat fourth-quarter revenue due to lackluster demand for its consulting services. The resulting layoffs will cause a $300 million charge in the January-March period, IBM said. IBM in October flagged softness in new bookings in Western Europe while peer Accenture Plc also noted weakness in its consulting business. Still, Kavanaugh said that the company is seeing its consulting business grow in terms of cloud spending. Total revenue was $16.69 billion in the period, compared with analysts' estimates of $16.40 billion, according to Refinitiv.

☆ Crime, inflation hammer support for Chile's Boric in tough first year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Natalia A. Ramos Miranda | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"I wanted to give a chance to a young person, without the problems of the older politicians," she said. Recent pardons of 12 protesters convicted for crimes such as looting and robbery during 2019 riots went down badly amid rising crime statistics. The president's spokespeople did not respond to a request for comment, but Boric has repeatedly acknowledged that his administration has made mistakes. During a news conference announcing the justice minister's resignation, Boric said the government was determined to "strengthen political management." "Sometimes it seems that he is ruling just so that the right does not get angry," said 46-year-old designer and Boric voter Gaston Gomez.

On a quarterly basis, GDP stalled, coming in at 0.0% in the fourth quarter, compared with growth of 3.9% in July-September. For 2022, GDP expanded 3.0%, badly missing the official target of "around 5.5%" and braking sharply from 8.4% growth in 2021. Other indicators for December such as retail sales and factory output, also released along with GDP data, beat expectations but were still weak. At an agenda-setting meeting in December, top leaders pledged to focus on stabilising the economy in 2023 and step up policy support to ensure key targets are hit. China is likely to aim for economic growth of at least 5% in 2023 to keep a lid on unemployment, policy sources said.

☆ Ukraine has repeatedly pleaded for tanks to fight Russia — its Western allies could now be ready to provide them
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Sean Gallup | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesUkraine has repeatedly asked its Western allies to provide it with battle tanks to help it fight Russia but up until now, its Western allies appeared reluctant to do so, fearing the provision of offensive weapons could provoke Moscow further. Last week, the White House again declined to say whether the U.S. would specifically provide Ukraine with main battle tanks. Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty ImagesThe impasse over tanks seemed to break when the U.K. announced at the weekend that it would be sending 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. Poland's President Andrzej Duda reiterated his calls for Ukraine to receive more Western tanks when he appeared on a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday. Ukrainian armed forces' soldiers drive a T-72 tank on the outskirts of Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine on December 21, 2022.

☆ Conagra Is Your Food Value Play for 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Aaron Back | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

American food companies had a strong 2022. One relative laggard in the sector, Conagra Brands, looks positioned to break out this year. The company, which owns brands such as Birds Eye frozen vegetables, Hunt’s tomato products and Reddi Wip, reported strong results on Thursday. Organic sales, which strip out currency fluctuations and merger impacts, rose 8.6% from a year earlier in the company’s second fiscal quarter, which ended on Nov. 27. That was just ahead of analyst expectations for an 8.4% rise, according to Visible Alpha.

☆ Don’t Write Off Low-Key Payments Giant FIS
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Telis Demos | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Fidelity National Information Services might not be a household name, but investors might want to get to know it this year. The company’s software and services are part of many everyday financial activities, like checking your bank-account balance or paying with a card at big merchants. Known as FIS, its shares performed relatively steadily as the pandemic began. But changes in the payments landscape in recent years have caused growth and margins to come under pressure in the company’s merchant-payments business, helping to make the stock a laggard to many peers in 2022.

☆ These stocks were our best and worst performers in the fourth quarter
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

What made the fourth quarter stand out from the first three of the year? Here's a snapshot of the best and worst performers in the Investing Club's 33-stock portfolio for the fourth quarter, starting with our top 4 performers. Worst performers Turning to what didn't work in the fourth quarter, the worst performer for the club was Amazon (AMZN), which fell 27.6% in the quarter. Revenues declined year-over-year for the second quarter in a row, but that was mostly anticipated by the market. The fourth worst performer was Walt Disney (DIS), which fell 10.8% in the quarter It all unraveled for Disney after it reported a much weaker-than-expected fiscal fourth quarter in November.

☆ Stocks are headed for their worst year since 2008, but some names doubled or more in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Stocks may be careening toward their worst year since 2008, but some names are completing a remarkable run after doubling or more in 2022. In 2022, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has lost 8.4%, while the S & P 500 shed 19.2%. These stocks are up more than 100% this year, and include tankers for petroleum products, energy companies such as coal firms, and biotech and pharmaceutical names, according to CNBC. Ardmore Shipping and Scorpio Tankers were the top tanker stocks, both up about 316% for the year. Energy companies came out on top in 2022 following a surge in oil and gas prices — which market participants say will remain elevated given expectations of tight supply ahead.

Investors have for years considered Pemex a laggard as rivals worldwide moved to dramatically decrease emissions from energy production and consumption over climate change concerns. In its updated business plan for 2023 to 2027, Pemex said its environmental, social and governance (ESG) record risked hurting its financing. "Limitations from ESG financing" are posing a threat, as is the "acceleration in energy transition that is decreasing the market for Pemex's crude oil and products," the company said. Further weaknesses are "important gaps in reaching net-zero-emissions" and operational challenges, particularly in gas exploration and production. "Pemex has to make significant efforts if it intends to access financing," said Gonzalez.

☆ Analysis: Italy's cash payments U-turn is all gain, no pain
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Italy is scrapping from the draft budget a provision on retailers who refuse card payments that limits fines to transactions worth more than 60 euros ($64). A one percentage point increase in the use of cash leads to a 0.8-1.8 percentage point rise in undeclared value added tax (VAT), Italy's central bank found. "The government's U-turn on card payments marks a victory for consumers and the country," Italian consumer group Unione Nazionale Consumatori President Massimiliano Dona said. Nearly 73% of respondents in a 2022 survey by The European House-Ambrosetti's Cashless Society wished to reduce cash payments to improve speed and security, up from 60% in 2020. To defend the plan, the government has criticised the cost of digital payments saying cafe owners can hardly accept cards for 1.1 euro a cup espressos.

☆ Foxconn unit to sell stake in Chinese chip firm Unigroup
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Ann WangTAIPEI, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Taiwan's Foxconn (2317.TW), the world's largest contract electronics maker, said on Friday its subsidiary in China has agreed to sell its entire equity stake in embattled Chinese chip conglomerate Tsinghua Unigroup. Foxconn, a major Apple Inc (AAPL.O) supplier and iPhone maker, disclosed in July it was a shareholder of Tsinghua Unigroup. Xingwei controls a 48.9% stake in a different entity that holds a 20% stake in the vehicle owning all of Unigroup. The company has been seeking to acquire chip plants globally as a worldwide chip shortage rattles producers of goods from cars to electronics. Originating as a branch of China's prestigious Tsinghua University, Tsinghua Unigroup emerged in the previous decade as a would-be domestic champion for China's laggard chip industry.

☆ ECB will have to stay laggard in bond-buying exit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Francesco Guerrera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Rising yields and a still frail euro zone mean that Europe’s so-called quantitative tightening (QT) should be slow. If it stopped reinvesting all maturing debt from March, its bond portfolio would shrink by 287 billion euros next year. If bond yields do spike, the ECB can step in with an emergency bond-buying programme, called the Transmission Protection Instrument. The real dangers of a disorderly exit mean the ECB has little choice but to remove the punchbowl slowly. The shift is a reversal of nearly a decade of monetary stimulus by the ECB as the euro zone went through several crises.

☆ Why aluminum plants in the U.S. are far more polluting than some of their counterparts abroad
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Phil Mckenna | Inside Climate News | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +15 min

A plant worker uses a crane to lift a cask of molten aluminum a Century Aluminum Company plant in Hawesville, Ky. in 2017. Of the five remaining facilities, only the Century Aluminum Sebree plant in Robards, which employs 625 workers, and a smaller Alcoa plant in Massena, New York, run at full capacity. Phillip McKenna/NBC NewsSteinsen, of Century Aluminum, said the company has no plans to shut down its Sebree facility in Robards. In 2015, when the U.S. aluminum production was in steep decline, the EPA ended its industry partnership. In 2019, 7,510 metric tons of PFCs were emitted from global aluminum production, according to a study published last year in the Journal of Geophysical Research — Atmospheres.

☆ Goldman finds prior year's losers tend to beat the market in the first quarter — 10 laggard buys
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

As investors prepare their portfolios for the new year, Goldman Sachs revisited laggard stocks that have the potential to outperform at the start of 2023. In the past, stocks that lagged the broader market tended to become leaders in the first quarter of the following year, according to Goldman Sachs. Goldman Sachs searched for laggards across several different criteria. Another stock that made the list includes Adobe , which Goldman Sachs considers a buy-rated quality stock trading at a reasonable valuation. In October, Goldman Sachs analyst Kash Rangan identified the name as a tech stock that is resilient in a downturn .

☆ Analysis: Australia's climate policies don't match its big talk at COP27
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Praveen Menon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Albanese's climate change minister, Chris Bowen, telling the conference Australia was a "willing climate collaborator", made a pitch to host COP31 in 2026 along with the Pacific island nations. "But if you turn to see the other side of the face it's all about the fossil fuel development and the government's addiction to fossil fuel royalties and revenues," Hutley told Reuters in a phone interview from COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh. Australia's biggest contribution to the climate crisis is its export of fossil fuels. More than 100 fossil fuel developments continued in various stages as of December 2021, the council said in a report this month, based on government data. "There is clearly a policy gap in Australia that is allowing fossil fuel companies to continue expanding and developing new fossil fuel projects," said Will van de Pol, asset management campaigner at activist investor group Market Forces.

☆ Toyota's new Prius has a little more MPG but lots more power
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Toyota unveiled an all-new version of its famous Prius hybrid car Wednesday just ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show. With its batteries fully charged, the new Prius Prime will go at least 50% farther without burning any gasoline as today’s Prius Prime does, according to Toyota. It will be able to produce up to 220 horsepower, 100 horsepower more than today’s Prius Prime. Almost every vehicle in Toyota’s line-up is now available with hybrid power. Along with the Prius, Toyota also unveiled the Toyota BZ Compact SUV concept.

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