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WASHINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge late on Tuesday granted the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) request to temporarily block Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) acquisition of Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O) and set a hearing next week. The court scheduled a two-day evidentiary hearing on the FTC's request for a preliminary injunction for June 22-23. The court said the temporary restraining order "is necessary to maintain the status quo while the complaint is pending (and) preserve this court’s ability to order effective relief in the event it determines a preliminary injunction is warranted." Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: David Shepardson, Muralikumar Organizations: Federal Trade Commission's, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Thomson Locations: U.S

☆ Bill Gates in China: Microsoft co-founder to meet Xi Jinping
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Julie Zhu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, June 14 (Reuters) - Bill Gates, Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) co-founder, is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday during his visit to China, two people with knowledge of the matter said. The meeting will mark Xi's first meeting with a foreign private entrepreneur in recent years. The last reported meeting between Xi and Gates was in 2015, when they met on the sidelines of the Boao forum in Hainan province. In early 2020, Xi wrote a letter to Gates thanking him, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, for pledging assistance to China including $5 million for the country's fight against COVID-19. Several foreign CEOs have visited China since it reopened early this year but most have mainly met with government ministers.

Persons: Bill Gates, Xi Jinping, Gates, Melinda Gates, Xi, Premier Li Qiang, Tim Cook, Elon Musk, Ding Xuexiang, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Qin Gang, Qin, Julie Zhu, Greg Roumeliotis, Brenda Goh, Alex Richardson, Sumeet Chatterjee, Nick Macfie, William Maclean Organizations: Microsoft, Melinda Gates Foundation, Information Office, COVID, Premier, Reuters, U.S, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, China, Beijing, Hainan province, U.S, United States, Hong Kong, New York

☆ UnitedHealth falls on warning of higher medical costs, drags down rivals
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Leroy Leo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The warning also dragged down shares of rival health insurers that largely benefited from delayed non-urgent surgeries such as hip and knee replacements and hospital staffing shortages that had further led to fewer procedures. UnitedHealth, at a Goldman Sachs healthcare conference, highlighted elevated demand for outpatient medical procedures, particularly related to knees and hips, from patients in Medicare health plans meant for those aged 65 and above. UnitedHealth also expects its full-year medical loss ratio at the upper end of its forecast. UnitedHealth's 18.51 forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio - a common benchmark for valuing stocks - is higher than rival Cigna Corp's (CI.N) 10.29 and CVS Health Corp (CVS.N) 8.26. Shares of Humana Inc (HUM.N) fell 7%, while Elevance Health and CVS Health Corp's (CVS.N) fell more than 3% each in premarket trading.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Tim Noel, UnitedHealth, Julie Utterback, Cigna Corp's, Leroy Leo, Shinjini Organizations: UnitedHealth, Goldman, CVS Health Corp, Humana Inc, Elevance, CVS Health, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Microsoft-Activision: Mega deal caught in crosshairs of antitrust regulators
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

June 14 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) $69 billion acquisition of video game maker Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O) faced another hurdle on Tuesday after a U.S. judge granted a request by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to temporarily block the deal. The acquisition has attracted scrutiny from several antitrust enforcers, including Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), over concerns it would hinder competition in the nascent cloud gaming market. If not for the court order, Microsoft could have closed the deal as early as Friday. Here is a snapshot of key events in the Microsoft-Activision saga:Reporting by Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tiyashi Datta, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Microsoft, Activision, Federal Trade Commission, Britain's, Markets Authority, Thomson Locations: U.S, Bengaluru

If you want to be bullish, you say inflation is down more than 50% since its peak. If you want to bearish, you can say inflation is still more than twice the Fed's target," Young said. The S&P 500 was up 0.69% at 4,368.75 points. Advancing issues outnumbered falling ones within the S&P 500 (.AD.SPX) by a 5.0-to-one ratio. The S&P 500 posted 43 new highs and no new lows; the Nasdaq recorded 131 new highs and 39 new lows.

Persons: Stocks, Liz Young, Young, Russell, JD.com, Viterra, Shristi Achar, Sruthi Shankar, Noel Randewich, Vinay Dwivedi, Richard Chang Organizations: Oracle, Nasdaq, Dow, Federal Reserve, U.S . Labor Department, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Traders, Apple, Nvidia, Alibaba, Dow Jones, Intel, Bunge Ltd, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Bengaluru, Oakland , California

☆ U.S. Bancorp CEO says economy heading for "moderate" recession
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

June 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Bancorp's (USB.N) Andy Cecere forecast a "moderate" recession that would be short and "not very deep in terms of severity," CEO of the lender said at a conference on Tuesday. He also said one more interest rate hike was expected from the Federal Reserve in the summer. The relentless monetary policy tightening has raised the odds of a recession as consumers cut down on discretionary spending, which is hurting loan demand. U.S. Bancorp is seeing a drop in loan demand in the second quarter compared to a year earlier, Cecere said. Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini GanguliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andy Cecere, Cecere, Niket, Shinjini Organizations: Federal Reserve, U.S . Bancorp, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Intel in talks to be anchor investor in Arm IPO - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 12 (Reuters) - Intel (INTC.O) is in talks with SoftBank Group Corp's (9984.T) Arm to be an anchor investor in the chip designer's initial public offering (IPO), a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday. Arm plans to sell its shares on Nasdaq later this year, seeking to raise $8-$10 billion, Reuters reported earlier in April. Arm's designs are used to manufacture chips made by most of the world's major semiconductor companies, including Intel, AMD (AMD.O), Nvidia (NVDA.O) and Qualcomm (QCOM.O). The chip designer had filed with regulators confidentially for a U.S. stock market listing in April, setting the stage for this year's largest IPO. Arm and Intel declined a Reuters request for comment.

Persons: Anirban Sen, Yana Gaur, Rashmi Aich, Dhanya Ann Thoppil Organizations: Intel, Reuters, Nasdaq, AMD, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Thomson Locations: U.S, New York, Bengaluru

The movie is projected to debut with a modest $31 million to $41 million this weekend in the U.S., according to the Box Office Pro website. That is well shy of the recent $120.5 million haul for Sony’s critically acclaimed animated hit "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse." Pixar is looking to rebound from the box office disappointment of 2022 release "Lightyear," the origin story of "Toy Story" hero Buzz Lightyear. "Judging Pixar on the recent past, history would not be kind," said SVB MoffettNathanson media analyst Michael Nathanson. But the move dealt a blow to creatives who had hoped their films would be seen on the big screen, according to one Pixar director who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Persons: Athie, Leah Lewis, Pete Docter, Denise Ream, Peter Sohn, Adele Exarchopoulos, Vincent Lacoste, Jim Morris, Read, Buzz Lightyear, Pixar, Michael Nathanson, Sohn, Mario, Shawn Robbins, Robbins, Bob Chapek’s, Luca, creatives, Sohn’s, Dawn Chmielewski, Lisa Richwine, Nathan Frandino, Kenneth Li, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Cannes Film, Pixar Animation Studios, Box, Pixar, Reuters, Walt Disney Co, Reuters Television, Comcast, Universal Pictures, Mario Bros, Sony Pictures, Pro, Disney, U.S, Cannes, Rotten, Thomson Locations: U.S, City, Los Angeles, San Francisco

"The Democratic Party's united front in support of President Biden's reelection is unprecedented," said Julie Chavez Rodriguez, campaign manager for Biden-Harris 2024. Microsoft senior executives donated more to the Biden campaign during the primaries than any other large tech company. In the runup to 2024, these donors will play a key role in helping Biden raise cash amid an uncertain economy and tepid enthusiasm among Democrats over the 80-year-old president's decision to run again. Biden's campaign alone raised more than $1 billion during the 2020 cycle, with more than $700 million of that coming from online grassroots donations. Two fundraising events Biden held last month in New York raised more than $3 million, according to a person familiar with those totals.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Kevin Scott, Shannon Hunt, Scott, Reid Hoffman, Dan Kalafatas, Hadley Mullin, Steve Silberstein, Mark Robinson, Gavin Newsom, Biden's, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Harris, Joe Biden's, Jill Biden, Nandita Bose, Trevor Hunnicutt, Heather Timmons, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Democratic, Microsoft Chief, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Biden Victory Fund, Reuters, Biden, MAGA Republicans, Google, New, Fund, Democratic National Committee, Thomson Locations: California, New York

☆ US FTC asks court to block Microsoft acquisition of Activision
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

June 12 (Reuters) - The Federal Trade Commission asked a court to temporarily block Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) acquisition of Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O) on Monday, seeking to halt the deal from closing before the government's case against the $69 billion deal is heard. The FTC said Microsoft and Activision had signaled the deal could close as soon as Friday and asked a federal judge to block any final agreement before 11:59 p.m ET June 15. Shares in Microsoft closed up 1.5% Monday, while Activision fell 0.8%. "We welcome the opportunity to present our case in federal court," said Microsoft president Brad Smith in a statement. When announcing the deal in January 2022, Microsoft said they expected it would close in their 2023 fiscal year, which ends in June.

Persons: Brad Smith, Joe Biden, Rami Ayyub, David Shepardson, Doina Chiacu, Nick Zieminski, Conor Humphries, Anna Driver Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, FTC, Activision, Nintendo, Sony Group, EU, Sony, U.S, Thomson Locations: Washington

☆ US FTC seeks court order to block Microsoft acquisition of Activision -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission will seek a court order to block Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) acquisition of Activision Blizzard (ATVI.O), a source familiar with a planned court filing said on Monday. Shares in Microsoft rose 0.8% Monday, while Activision fell 0.5%. The FTC plans to make the filing seeking the order in the Northern District of California, the source said. "We welcome the opportunity to present our case in federal court," said Microsoft president Brad Smith in a statement. But antitrust experts say the FTC faces an uphill battle to convince a judge to block the deal because of the voluntary concessions offered by Microsoft to allay fears it could dominate the gaming market.

Persons: Brad Smith, Joe Biden, Rami Ayyub, David Shepardson, Doina Chiacu, Nick Zieminski, Conor Humphries Organizations: U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, FTC, Activision, Nintendo, Sony Group, EU, Northern District of, Sony, U.S, Thomson Locations: Northern District, Northern District of California, Washington

Trump had sought to prevent top aides, including his then-Vice President Mike Pence, from testifying in that probe being weighed by a separate D.C. grand jury. Pence appeared before the grand jury in April after Trump lost his legal challenge. Trump repeatedly lambasted Pence before the attack for refusing to try to prevent Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 presidential election. Legal experts said Trump may have violated at least three Georgia criminal election laws: conspiracy to commit election fraud, criminal solicitation to commit election fraud and intentional interference with performance of election duties. NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL CIVIL LAWSUITNew York Attorney General Letitia James sued Trump and his family business, the Trump Organization, last September for fraud.

Persons: Donald Trump, General Merrick Garland, Jack Smith, Trump, Trump's, Mike Pence, Pence, Joe Biden’s, Fani Willis, Brad Raffensperger, Michael Cohen, Daniels, Cohen, reimbursing Cohen, Jean Carroll, Carroll, Letitia James, James, Joseph Ax, Luc Cohen, Karen Freifeld, Sarah N, Lynch, Jonathan Stempel, Jacqueline Thomsen, Susan Heavey, Noeleen Walder, Howard Goller Organizations: U.S . Department of Justice, CAPITOL, U.S, Capitol, Justice Department, Trump, Democrat, Republican Georgia, U.S . Constitution, Trump's, Prosecutors, CNN, GENERAL, New York, Trump Organization, The Securities, Exchange Commission, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Thomson Locations: United States, GEORGIA, Fulton County, Georgia, U.S ., New York, Manhattan

TAIPEI, June 8 (Reuters) - Taiwan's top chip design company MediaTek Inc (2454.TW) said on Thursday it will defend itself in court against accusations from Realtek (2379.TW) that it paid a company that sues over patents a "secret litigation bounty" to file meritless lawsuits. Realtek Semiconductor Corp's lawsuit, lodged in California, accuses MediaTek of conspiring with IPValue Management Inc in an effort to drive Realtek out of the market and monopolise the industry for chips used in smart televisions and set-top boxes. In a statement to the Taiwan stock exchange, MediaTek said the case was in the process of being litigated and it will submit evidence and defend itself against the accusations. It added that the litigation has no significant impact on the company. Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: MediaTek, Ben Blanchard, Christopher Cushing Organizations: MediaTek Inc, Realtek Semiconductor, IPValue Management Inc, Thomson Locations: TAIPEI, Realtek, California, Taiwan

BERLIN, June 8 (Reuters) - Reality star Kim Kardashian's arrival at a gathering of the globe's top deal brokers in Berlin failed to dispel their dark mood as the rising cost of money puts the brakes on the private equity industry. But private equity is currently experiencing one of its toughest runs since coming of age in the 1980s as rapid rises in interest rates to combat inflation make the debt that underpins the industry scarce and expensive. "It has been easier in the past, deal flow is reduced significantly...we have to pedal harder," said Jose Pfeifer, who leads Investcorp's European private equity group, on the sidelines of SuperReturn. "Europe is doing better than expected...we are seeing opportunity in corporate carve-outs," said Marco De Benedetti, co-head of Europe private equity at Carlyle (CG.O). Emmanuel Laillier, head of private equity at Tikehau Capital, said that makes it hard to read the level of competition, although there is more flexibility in the M&A process.

Persons: Kim Kardashian's, Kardashian, Jose Pfeifer, Hythem, Marco De Benedetti, Sellers, Emmanuel Laillier, Christian Sindig, Jay Sammons, Emma, Victoria Farr, John O'Donnell, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: European Central Bank, Bundesliga, TA Associates, Carlyle, Tikehau, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Berlin, Europe, SuperReturn

☆ Veteran Morgan Stanley dealmaker Rob Kindler to join law firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 6 (Reuters) - Rob Kindler, a top executive at Morgan Stanley (MS.N), is leaving the investment bank after a 17-year stint to join a major law firm. The veteran dealmaker will join Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison as the global chair of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), the law firm said on Tuesday. A New Yorker, Kindler began his legal practice at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, another major law firm where he spent nearly two decades. "I am delighted to once again have him as my partner," said Barshay, who is the chair of the Paul, Weiss' corporate department. Kindler's return to legal practice coincides with a challenging period for the industry, which like investment banks, has been navigating a dreary environment for dealmaking.

Persons: Rob Kindler, Morgan Stanley, dealmaker, Paul, Weiss, Kindler, Moore, Kindler's, Scott Barshay, Barshay, Cooley, Goodwin Procter, Niket, Maju Samuel, Chris Reese Organizations: Garrison, Yorker, JPMorgan, Comcast, AT, T Broadband, Dow, IHS, Wall Street, Apollo Global, Arconic, WWE, Endeavor Group, UFC, Thomson Locations: Rifkind, Wharton, New York, Cravath, Bengaluru

☆ Here's what Apple unveiled at WWDC: Vision Pro, 15-inch MacBook Air, OS updates
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Vision Pro sports 12 cameras and a digital crown similar to the Apple Watch to toggle between the AR and VR environments. M2 ULTRA CHIPApple unveiled M2 Ultra, its most-powerful processor so far, that comes to its desktop computers Mac Pro and Mac Studio. LARGER MACBOOK AIR, POWERFUL DESKTOPSApple launched a 15-inch MacBook Air featuring the M2 chip and an 18-hour battery life. The company beefed up its desktop computers, introducing a new version of its flagship Mac Pro with the M2 Ultra chip, starting at $6,999. WIDGETS FOR APPLE WATCH, OS UPGRADES, JOURNALING APPApple announced fresh versions of operating systems across its products.

Persons: Apple, Yuvraj Malik, Maju Samuel Organizations: Apple Inc, Meta, PlayStation VR, Sony Group, Apple Watch, Disney, Microsoft, Adobe Inc, Vision, Apple, Mac, Mac Pro, Max, APP Apple, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ OpenAI CEO sees 'huge' Israeli role in reducing risks from the technology
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] A view shows banners on the Tel Aviv University campus as Sam Altman, CEO of Microsoft-backed OpenAI and ChatGPT creator is due to speak in Tel Aviv, Israel June 5, 2023. REUTERS/Amir CohenTEL AVIV, June 5 (Reuters) - OpenAI CEO Sam Altman predicted on Monday a "huge role" for Israel in reducing risks from artificial intelligence and eyed investment opportunities in the country even as it debates whether and how to regulate the technology behind ChatGPT. "The energy on making use of the technology and its positive benefits is fantastic to see, and I am sure Israel will play a huge role." Visiting Microsoft Corp's R&D centre in Israel, Altman was asked whether his company might also open a local office. Israel published a 115-page draft AI policy in October and is collating public feedback ahead of a final decision.

Persons: Sam Altman, Amir Cohen TEL, Altman, Isaac Herzog, OpenAI, ChatGPT, Ziv Katzir, Benjamin Netanyahu, Dan Williams, Emelia Sithole, Alex Richardson Organizations: Tel Aviv University, Microsoft, REUTERS, ChatGPT, crisscrossing, Stanford University, European, Israel Innovation Authority, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Amir Cohen TEL AVIV, crisscrossing Europe, Jordan, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, India, South Korea, United States, Britain, Canada, U.S

☆ Microsoft 365 down for thousands of users - Downdetector
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

June 5 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) product suite that includes Word and Excel was down for more than 15,000 users on Monday, according to outage tracking website Downdetector.com. "We're investigating an issue with accessing Outlook on the web," Microsoft tweeted. The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the outage reports on Microsoft 365. Microsoft services have faced at least three outages since the beginning of the year. Downdetector tracks outages by collating status reports from several sources including users.

Persons: Jaspreet Singh, Devika Organizations: Microsoft, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Novo Nordisk in talks buy controlling stake in Biocorp
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 5 (Reuters) - Danish drug developer Novo Nordisk said on Monday it had started talks to buy a controlling stake in French medical device designer Biocorp (ALCOR.PA). The price represents a premium of 19.5% over Biocorp's closing market price on June 2 and the transaction values Biocorp at about 154 million euros, the companies said. Certain minority shareholders, representing 19.0% of the share capital of Biocorp, will also transfer shares to Novo Nordisk and the transaction will be followed by a squeeze-out procedure. The block purchase should take place during the third quarter of 2023 and the filing of the subsequent offer should take place in September 2023, Novo said. ($1 = 0.9349 euros)Reporting by Michal Aleksandrowicz in Gdansk; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Biocorp, Novo, Michal Aleksandrowicz, Kim Coghill Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Thomson Locations: Danish, Biocorp, Gdansk

☆ Ex-NBCUniversal executive Joe Benarroch to join Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 4 (Reuters) - Former NBCUniversal executive Joe Benarroch will join Twitter on Monday, in a role focusing on business operations, he told Reuters. Benarroch said in an email that he was looking forward to working with the company's team to "build Twitter 2.0 together." From one bird to the next," tweeted incoming Twitter Chief Executive Linda Yaccarino, who was appointed in May. At Comcast Corp's (CMCSA.O) NBCUniversal, Benarroch oversaw communication strategy for its Advertising and Partnerships division, reporting to Yaccarino, who was advertising chief there before joining Twitter. Twitter's head of trust and safety, Ella Irwin, said on Thursday that she has resigned from the social media company.

Persons: Joe Benarroch, Benarroch, Linda Yaccarino, Twitter's, Ella Irwin, Brown, Dawn Chmielewski, Chandni Shah, Juby Babu, Will Dunham, Grant McCool Organizations: Twitter, Reuters, Comcast, Street Journal, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles, Bengaluru

But China, which bristles at visits to Taiwan by foreign government officials, tends to ignore trips by business executives, who usually keep clear of politics. Dimon will meet bank employees and clients in Taiwan on his visit, said the source, who sought anonymity as the plans were not public, while adding that no meetings were planned with Taiwan officials. As part of his Asia tour, Dimon will also visit South Korea after the Taiwan trip, said the source. But there was no plan for President Tsai Ing-wen to meet Dimon, her office said on Friday. Dimon favours East-West "derisking" rather than decoupling, he told the three-day JPMorgan Global China Summit event in the city on Wednesday.

Persons: Jamie Dimon, Andrew Collier, Dimon, Nvidia Corp's, Jensen Huang, Pat Gelsinger, Dimon's, Ma Ying, Tsai Ing, Chen Jining, Selena Li, Kane Wu, Scott Murdoch, Ben Blanchard, Emily Chan, Mrinmay Dey, Sumeet Chatterjee, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: JPMorgan Chase &, JPMorgan, Orient Capital Research, Bloomberg, Wall, U.S, Nvidia, Intel, Financial, Commission, Shanghai's Communist, JPMorgan Global China, Thomson Locations: Taiwan, China, Taipei, Beijing, Hong Kong, Asia, South Korea, East, United States, Sydney, Bengaluru

☆ GQG adds more Nvidia, considers increasing exposure to Adani, says CIO
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Carolina Mandl | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A view of a Nvidia logo at their headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan May 31, 2023. Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based GQG, which manages almost $100 billion in assets, added 8.2 million shares in Nvidia in the first quarter, worth $2.3 billion then, according to a regulatory filing. Since then, Chief Investment Officer Rajiv Jain said in an interview that GQG has "meaningfully increased" its position in Nvidia. Jain also said the asset manager is considering raising its exposure to Adani by participating in capital increases the group announced in May. Reporting by Carolina Mandl, in New YorkOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ann Wang NEW, Nvidia Corp's, Rajiv Jain, GQG, Jain, Carolina Mandl Organizations: REUTERS, Nvidia, GQG Partners, Thomson Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, Australia, Fort Lauderdale , Florida, New York

☆ Nvidia runaway winner in market cap addition in May
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 1 (Reuters) - Nvidia Corp's market capitalisation jumped the most in May among the top 20 global companies by market value, adding $248 billion, with a majority of the gains coming in the last four sessions, according to Refinitiv data. Reuters GraphicsTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (2330.TW), a key manufacturer of Nvidia's chips, also saw a big jump in its market cap last month. Saudi Arabian Oil (2222.SE) and Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) were the biggest losers in terms of market cap, hit by a decline in oil prices last month. Reuters GraphicsApple and Microsoft led the list with the highest market capitalisation in the world. Reporting By Patturaja Murugaboopathy and Gaurav Dogra in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj KalluvilaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: chipmaker, Patturaja Murugaboopathy, Gaurav Dogra, Sriraj Organizations: Nvidia, Reuters Graphics Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, Oil, Exxon Mobil Corp, Reuters Graphics Apple, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: Saudi, Bengaluru

Harker said he sees promising signs the Fed's rate hikes so far -- five full percentage points since March 2022 -- are having a cooling effect, particularly on housing prices. Uncertainty over inflation dynamics and the pace of credit tightening make him wary of continuing to raise rates. Harker said he expects the economy to grow less than 1% this year, and for the unemployment rate, now at 3.4%, to rise to around 4.4%. He said he could envision the Fed cutting rates if unemployment rises significantly faster, or inflation falls more rapidly, than he currently forecasts. "We don't have to keep moving rates up, and then have to reverse course quickly."

Persons: Patrick Harker, Harker, Corp's, Ann Saphir, Paul Simao Organizations: Philadelphia Federal, National Association for Business Economics, Thomson

☆ GQG adds more Nvidia as chipmaker has a 'new leg', says CIO
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Carolina Mandl | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based GQG, which manages almost $100 billion in assets, added 8.2 million shares in Nvidia in the first quarter, worth $2.3 billion then, according to a regulatory filing. Since then, GQG has "meaningfully increased" its position in Nvidia, Chief Investment Officer Rajiv Jain said in an interview. The chipmaker is likely to give a boost to funds which have invested in it, as Nvidia's shares have more than doubled year to date amid an artificial intelligence boom. Two years ago, concerned about the company's high valuation, GQG had dumped all its Nvidia's shares, just to invest again in the first quarter. "Now Nvidia has gotten a new leg because of the ChatGPT-lead, AI narrative, which is very strong," said Jain, explaining his decision to reinvest.

Persons: Nvidia Corp's, GQG, Rajiv Jain, Jain, Adani, “ There's, Carolina Mandl, Susan Fenton Organizations: YORK, Nvidia, GQG Partners, Adani, Energy, Bloomberg, Thomson Locations: Australia, Fort Lauderdale , Florida, India, Adani, U.S

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