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Kirin has offered A$95 cash per Blackmores share, a 23.7% premium to the stock's last close, and a tad higher than its 22.4% jump in morning trade. Before the Kirin deal, its shares had been trading at one-third of their value at the height of the daigou craze in 2016. The board of Blackmores has unanimously recommended shareholders support the deal, with top shareholder and former chairman Marcus Blackmore also agreeing to vote in favour. Blackmores' share price rose as much as 22.4% to A$94, its highest since December 2021. Blackmores shareholders will be able to vote on the offer at a shareholder meeting in July and the companies expect the deal to close in early August.

☆ Morgan Stanley delivered a solid quarter, despite gathering macroeconomic clouds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Club holding Morgan Stanley (MS) reported better-than-expected first-quarter results on Wednesday, even as the stock came under pressure due to rising expenses. Morgan Stanley stock initially tumbled nearly 4%, before reversing some of those losses to rise just under 1% in afternoon trading Wednesday, to about $90.50 a share. Bottom line An increase in provisions for credit losses and higher-than-expected compensation expenses weighed on shares early in Wednesday's session — but Morgan Stanley, nonetheless, reported a solid first quarter. Despite a difficult operating environment, Morgan Stanley remains a best-in-class investment bank. The Morgan Stanley headquarters building is seen on January 17, 2023 in New York City.

☆ Analysts say Netflix's password crackdown could reaccelerate growth, though concerns linger
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Netflix's mixed quarterly results had something for the bulls and the bears, as analysts weighed their outlook on the streaming service against a delay in the password sharing crackdown and lackluster guidance. Hodulik upgraded Netflix to buy from neutral, saying he expects growth will inflect with double-digit profit growth and rising free cash flow. What's more, he said restricting password sharing could become "meaningfully accretive" for Netflix as soon as the third quarter. Netflix turned to an ad-supported plan, and a password sharing crackdown, after reporting its first subscriber loss last year. He cited mixed subscriber growth, light guidance, and uncertainty around the delayed rollout in the password sharing crackdown.

☆ Rodrygo double eases Real Madrid into semi-finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Real looked capable of killing the tie whenever they moved forward and Rodrygo, who scored a vital goal against Chelsea at the same stage last year, smashed a shot against the post. Home keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga then beat away a Vinicius Junior effort before Real's master craftsman Luka Modric forced another save from Arrizabalaga. "It was a second yellow card, which means a red, which means 30 minutes with us a man up," Lampard said. Real then switched gears and Rodrygo skipped past Chalobah's wild slide on the right and his cross was eventually played back to him by fellow Brazilian Vinicius Jr to calmly slot home. ($1 = 0.8048 pounds)Writing by Martyn Herman in London Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China’s GDP beat looks a tad too reassuring
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Pete Sweeney | Thomson Reuters | Asia Economics Editor Pete Sweeney Joined Reuters Breakingviews In Hong Kong In September Previously He Served As Reuters' Chief Correspondent For China Economy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The risk is the shopping recovery gets bifurcated between luxury purchases and basic needs, leaving out big-ticket middle-class items. Meanwhile, Chinese savers added another 10 trillion yuan ($1.4 trillion) to their household deposits in the first quarter, reinforcing concerns that they will keep hoarding instead of splurging. Bank loans hit an all-time high of 10.6 trillion yuan in the first quarter, yet that did not appear to translate into private investment in fixed assets, which is barely growing. In a speech in March, Cai Fang, a member of the central bank’s monetary policy committee, suggested transferring 4 trillion yuan directly to households to compensate for weak income growth. If the first quarter’s print turns out to be misleadingly rosy, China’s reopening boom could quiet down quickly.

☆ Strategists are gloomy going into the start of first quarter earnings season
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

I noted last week that following a strong first quarter (S & P up over 7%), the S & P 500 almost invariably is up even more by the end of the year. For the most part, the strategist community is fairly gloomy going into first quarter earnings season and the prospects for further gains in 2023. He too noted that the S & P 500 is now "within spitting distance" of his year-end price target of 4,200 and announced Tuesday he was shifting direction. Indeed, it looks like a race to the bottom to see who can claim the mantle of "lowest estimate on the Street" for full-year 2023 earnings. 2023 earnings: the trough is Q1 Q1: $50.63 Q2: $54.13 Q3: $56.84 Q4: $58.32 Source: Refinitiv That works out to $219.83, just a tad above the $218.09 that 2022 printed.

☆ INDIA RUPEE Rupee contends with Fed rate hike possibility, favourable momentum at open
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Non-deliverable forwards indicate rupee will open at around 81.84-81.88 to the dollar, compared with 81.8850 in previous session. Rupee is on a three-week winning run, helped by foreign equity inflows and speculative positions, according to traders. It was the first time in two months that it has managed a weekly close of above 82. Risk appetite has held up well to the increased chances of another Fed rate hike. 5** NSDL data shows foreign investors sold a net $138.4mln worth of Indian bonds on Apr.

☆ An earnings recession plagues investors' minds as reporting season approaches
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

There may not be a recession yet, but there is certainly an earnings recession. What Treasury yields are saying Treasury yields resumed falling last week in response to the weaker data. Earnings season Speaking of earnings, first quarter earnings season start this week, with earnings for the S & P 500 expected to decline 5.2%, according to Refinitiv. That's an earnings recession. You have to go back to Q1-Q3 of 2020 to see three consecutive quarters of earnings decline.

☆ An incredibly rare bullish stock market indicator just flashed for the first time since 2019
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An incredibly rare bullish stock market indicator just flashed, suggesting more upside ahead. The Zweig Breadth Thrust indicator flashed for the first time since 2019, according to Ryan Detrick of the Carson Group. That's according to Carson Group chief market strategist Ryan Detrick, who pointed out that the "extremely rare" Zweig Breadth Thrust Indicator just triggered. The last time the Zweig Thrust Indicator triggered was in early 2019. Meanwhile, the six-month forward average return after the Zweig Thrust Indicator triggered is 17%.

☆ Orville Redenbacher Maker’s Margins Pop in Good Sign for Food Companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Aaron Back | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Conagra, which makes Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn, said organic sales in its fiscal third quarter rose 6.1% from a year earlier. Conagra Brands posted lukewarm results on Wednesday that should nonetheless be reassuring to investors in it and other packaged food companies. The maker of Marie Callender’s pies and Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn said Wednesday that organic sales in its fiscal third quarter rose 6.1% from a year earlier. That was a significant slowdown from 8.6% in the second quarter, and a tad less than the 6.3% growth that analysts had penciled in, according to consensus estimates from Visible Alpha.

☆ Jim Cramer's top 10 things to watch in the stock market Wednesday: New dawn for JNJ, Disney push, Meta upgrade
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Meta Platforms (META) price target raised to $250 from $225 at Jeffries. Federal Realty (FRT) price target lowered to $111 from $118 at Piper Sandler. Bank of America raises price target for Apple to $168 from $158, keeps a neutral rating on shares. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio.

☆ Bank Stress, Softer Inflation Just Made Fed’s Life Easier
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Justin Lahart | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

There’s no telling how much recent trouble in the banking sector will weigh on the U.S. economy. Inflation data from the Commerce Department on Friday made it a tad easier for the Federal Reserve to wait and see, though, rather than to keep raising rates and finding out later that it had made a mistake. In its February report on personal income and spending, the Commerce Department reported that its measure of consumer prices—the Fed’s favored inflation gauge—rose 0.3% in February from January, putting it 5% above its year earlier level.

☆ The Street awaits key inflation report next week as banking worries persist
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The personal spending and income report, out this coming Friday, has the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation: the core personal consumption expenditure (PCE) price index. In comparison, the consumer price index (CPI), released this past week, only tracks price changes over time. It was a positive week for the major averages, despite some midweek volatility driven by comments from Treasury officials. The PCE price index and other inflation reports face heightened scrutiny in the coming months as the market is becoming more at odds with the Fed's base case. ET: Gross Domestic Product; Price Index Friday, March 31 Before the bell: 8:30 a.m.

March 13 (Reuters) - Euro zone government bond yields tumbled on Monday as the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) sent investors rushing into safe-haven assets and caused traders to bet on a smaller rate hike from the European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday. SVB's collapse sparked a massive rally in European and global bond markets on Monday. The German 2-year bond yield was last down 34 basis points (bps) at 2.746%, on track for its biggest one-day drop since 1995. Market pricing showed traders thought a 25 bp hike is now the more likely outcome, despite 50 bps appearing almost certain last week. The European Central Bank is not planning an emergency meeting of its banking supervisory board on Monday after the collapse of SVB, a senior source told Reuters.

☆ Euro area bond yields tumble as SVB collapse scares investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Stefano Rebaudo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

March 13 (Reuters) - Government bond yields fell on Monday as investors rushed into safe-haven assets while assessing the possible fallout from Silicon Valley Bank's (SVB) collapse amid bets on less aggressive tightening from the U.S. Federal Reserve. The European Central Bank is not planning an emergency meeting of its banking supervisory board on Monday after the collapse of SVB, a senior source told Reuters. European stocks fell on Monday and were on course for their worst day in almost three months, as the region's banking shares continued to tumble. Fed funds futures showed traders scaled back their projections for the Fed's next rate rise, but markets still bet on a less than 50% chance of a 25 bps rate hike next week. ESTR forwards currently imply an 80% chance of a 50 bps rate hike next week.

☆ Here’s our fourth-quarter earnings report card for all the stocks in our portfolio
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +20 min

Fourth-quarter earnings season is in the rearview mirror and most Club stocks reported results ahead of, or in line with, analysts' forecasts. Moreover, excluding foreign exchange fluctuations, this marked the ninth quarter in a row of 20% or better annual earnings growth. Nvidia (NVDA) reported a very strong quarter and better-than-expected guidance for the current quarter . Eli Lilly 's (LLY) fourth-quarter results came up a bit short on revenue but delivered a strong bottom line. Despite missing on top-line expectations, Wells Fargo 's (WFC) earnings came in better-than-expected, as the bank realized the benefits of higher interest rates .

☆ Japan Q4 GDP likely revised up but weakness persists: Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

3 economy grew 0.8% annualised in October-December, versus an initial estimate of 0.6%, as capital expenditure likely fell a little less than first reported, the Reuters poll of 19 economists showed. Separate government data out on March 10 is expected to show household spending fell 0.1% year-on-year in January. On the month, spending likely grew 1.4%. Bank of Japan data also out on March 10 will likely show corporate goods prices index grew 8.4% in the year to February. It probably fell 0.3% month-on-month.

☆ Dollar squeezed as inflation drives up euro
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Euro zone inflation data is due later in the day. The yen hardly budged but the dollar made broad falls on Asian currencies as it retreats from recent highs. On Thursday the yen was a tad stronger at 136.04 to the dollar in early trade while the Australian dollar held Wednesday gains made despite softer-than-expected growth data and some hints that inflation may have peaked. "We consider the Australian dollar can increase materially in the weeks after China's Two Sessions meetings," he said. Besides European inflation, euro zone employment and central bank minutes are due later in the day, as is U.S. jobless claims data.

Baldwin's lawyers had called the so-called firearm enhancement unconstitutional in a motion filed Feb. 10. Two days after Baldwin's defense filed the Feb. 10 motion, special prosecutor Andrea Reeb wrote in an email: "We are a tad confused on your motion on the firearm enhancement." A couple hours later, Reeb sent a third email, admitting that the prosecutors were wrong and that she "100 percent" agreed with Baldwin's lawyers' evaluation of the firearm enhancement. "I will have our documents drafted to amend the criminal information to take off the firearm enhancement," she wrote. Days later, the prosecutors officially downgraded the charges, removing the firearm enhancement that could have landed Baldwin more than five years in prison if convicted.

☆ Biden offered Elon Musk a rare bit of praise after Tesla agreed to open up its charging network to rivals by the end of 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

On Wednesday, US President Biden offered up some rare praise for an unlikely candidate. Elon Musk opened up Tesla's charging network to rivals. "That's a big deal, and it'll make a big difference," Biden tweeted. That's unusual, as Biden and Musk appear to have a strained relationship, and even traded barbs publicly. On Wednesday, Musk received rare praise from US President Joe Biden after Tesla agreed to open at least 7,500 of its charging stations to other electric vehicles by the end of 2024.

The jobless rate held steady at 5%, which is just a decimal point higher than the record low, Statistics Canada (Statscan) said. Analysts surveyed by Reuters had forecast a net gain of 15,000 jobs and for the unemployment rate to edge up to 5.1% in January. "However, that won't stop markets reacting to today's strong data by pricing in a greater probability of further hikes, and pricing out rate cuts," he said. Before the jobs numbers, markets had been betting that the Bank of Canada's next move would be to cut rates. When he announced a pause on rates, Governor Tiff Macklem said it was "conditional" and did not rule out further increases.

☆ Coterra, Danaher and TJX Companies are in the news. Here's our take on the headlines
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

A trio of Club stocks — Coterra Energy (CTRA), Danaher (DHR) and TJX Companies (TJX) — are in the news Monday. The multiweek slide in natural gas prices is at the heart of Raymond James' downgrade because Coterra's revenue is split roughly 50-50 between natural gas and oil. @NG.1 5Y mountain Natural Gas prices over 5 years The Club's take: The decline in natural gas prices is undoubtedly going to affect the amount of cash Coterra generates and then returns to shareholders via its fixed-plus-variable dividend strategy and buybacks. We're not heading for the exits on Coterra despite the decline in natural gas prices. A photo of a natural gas flare burning near an oil pump jack at the New Harmony Oil Field in the U.S. on June 19, 2022.

☆ The unemployment rate is at its lowest since 1969
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Andy Kiersz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US added over half a million jobs and unemployment fell in January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate is now at its lowest since 1969, easing fears of a potential downturn. Indeed, hiring was booming so much that the unemployment rate fell to 3.4%. That's the lowest rate since 1969. That's right: The US hasn't seen an unemployment rate this low since the moon landing.

Jan 25 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) lackluster quarterly outlook points to more gloom ahead for the tech sector, analysts said, after the tech bellwether warned its customers were cautious about spending in a turbulent economy. Microsoft's Chief Executive Officer, Satya Nadella, and other Microsoft executives used the words "caution" and "cautious" at least six times on the one hour call on Tuesday. "Microsoft is the biggest bellwether for enterprise and cloud spending in the world. Analysts said the sharp slowdown in Microsoft's revenue growth was a "warning sign" for the tech sector, with more weakness at its PC division than the cloud business. Reporting by Nivedita Balu and Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra EluriOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Danaher's stock drop looks like a buying opportunity after it reported a solid quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

When excluding the impact of declining Covid testing sales — but keeping in revenue from products that support vaccines and therapeutics — Danaher's base business saw core growth of 7.5%. Guidance Management expects overall core revenue growth to be down mid-single-digits on a percentage for the first quarter. For the full year 2023, management expects overall core revenue growth to be down mid-single-digits. Previously, only revenues related to Covid testing were excluded. On the call, management pointed to roughly 10% core revenue growth in both North America and Europe.

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