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☆ Take Five: Goldilocks and the three bears
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Will the Federal Reserve tone down its hawkish rhetoric in the face of cooling inflation or stick to its guns? Investors widely expect a 25-basis point rate increase at the Feb. 1 meeting and for rates to stop short of hitting 5%. Fed officials, however, have indicated they expect the key policy rate to top out at 5.00-5.25% this year. Dollar bears, meanwhile, will watch for dovish leanings that could further accelerate a decline in the greenback. Amundi reckons ECB rates could reach 4%.

☆ Hasbro to cut 15% of workforce in 2023, estimates dour holiday quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 26 (Reuters) - Hasbro Inc (HAS.O) said on Thursday it would cut about 15% of its global workforce this year and estimated holiday-quarter results well below Wall Street expectations amid weakening demand for its toys and games. "Despite strong growth in Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming... our consumer products business underperformed in the fourth quarter against the backdrop of a challenging holiday consumer environment," Chief Executive Officer Chris Cocks said on Thursday. Hasbro estimated fourth-quarter revenue of about $1.68 billion, down 17% from a year earlier. Hasbro added that Eric Nyman, president and chief operating officer, was also exiting the company as part of organizational changes. Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Hasbro to cut 1,000 full-time jobs globally in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Jan 26 (Reuters) - Hasbro Inc (HAS.O) said on Thursday it would eliminate about 1,000 positions from its global workforce this year, or about 15% of full-time employees, as the toymaker looks to cut costs in a tough macroeconomic backdrop. Shares of Hasbro fell 4% to $61.30 in after-hours trading. The company estimated fourth-quarter revenue of about $1.68 billion, down 17% from a year earlier. Hasbro said President and Chief Operating Officer Eric Nyman is also exiting the company as part of organizational changes. Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Southwest, which also reported a loss in the fourth quarter, estimates a revenue hit of between $300 million and $350 million in the first quarter. A Southwest Airlines jetliner departs from Chicago Midway International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., December 27, 2022. He said while a recessionary economic environment tends to make companies de-prioritize spending on technology, Southwest cannot afford to do that. The meltdown led to an adjusted loss of $226 million, or 38 cents a share, in the quarter through December, robbing it of the gains from booming holiday travel demand. Rival carriers United Airlines (UAL.O) and Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) American Airlines (AAL.O) have all reported higher-than-expected earnings for the quarter.

☆ Mastercard warns of slower revenue growth as travel growth plateaus
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Niket Nishant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A 3D printed Mastercard logo is seen in front of displayed stock graph in this illustration taken September 20, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationJan 26 (Reuters) - Mastercard Inc (MA.N) forecast current-quarter revenue growth short of Wall Street estimates on Thursday, saying the boost from pent-up demand for travel will diminish going forward. After the Federal Reserve's rate hikes for most of last year, the economy has begun to show some signs of slowing down, with wide-ranging layoffs and fears of a recession spooking consumers into saving more, which is likely to impact travel growth. "Mastercard’s payment volume growth in Q4 2022 remained strong. Mastercard said it expects first-quarter revenue to grow at the "high-end of high-single digits range", while analysts had estimated a growth of 10.7%, according to Refinitiv IBES data.

Southwest, which also reported a loss in the fourth quarter, said it expects a revenue hit of between $300 million and $350 million in the first quarter. "Thus far in January 2023, the company has experienced an increase in flight cancellations and a deceleration in bookings, primarily for January and February 2023," Southwest said. The meltdown led to an adjusted loss of $226 million, or 38 cents a share, in the quarter through December, robbing it of the gains from booming holiday travel demand. Rival carriers United Airlines (UAL.O) and Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) American Airlines (AAL.O) have all reported higher-than-expected earnings for the quarter. For 2023, Southwest has forecast "solid profits" with year-over-year margin expansion.

☆ Mastercard forecasts downbeat revenue growth on economic slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A 3D printed Mastercard logo is seen in front of displayed stock graph in this illustration taken September 20, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationJan 26 (Reuters) - Mastercard Inc (MA.N) current-quarter revenue growth forecast fell short of Wall Street estimates, fanning fears that the card company was heading into a much tougher environment in 2023 as the economy loses steam. Mastercard shares fell 1.4% to $377 in premarket trading, even after the company reported fourth-quarter profit ahead of estimates. The company said it expects first-quarter revenue to grow at the "high-end of high-single digits range". Analysts were expecting a growth of 10.7%, according to Refinitiv IBES data.

☆ American Airlines forecasts higher profit on buoyant travel demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 26 (Reuters) - American Airlines (AAL.O) on Thursday forecast sharply higher profit for the full year and beat estimates for quarterly earnings on buoyant demand for air travel. The carrier expects an adjusted profit of $2.50 and $3.50 per share for 2023, up from 50 cents per share a year earlier. Industry executives have said that they don't see any signs of slowing demand in the face of a potential slowdown. The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier reported an adjusted profit of $827 million, or $1.17 per share, for the quarter ended Dec. 31, compared with a loss of $921 million, or $1.42 per share, a year earlier. Analysts on average had expected the airline to post a profit of $1.14 per share, according to Refinitiv IBES data.

☆ Dow posts dour quarterly results, says will slash 2,000 jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dow said it plans to achieve $1 billion in cost savings in 2023 by reducing operating expense by $500 million. The company would record a charge of $550 million to $725 million in the first quarter of 2023 for costs associated with these activities. Shares of the company fell nearly 4% in premarket trade to $55.80. Net sales in the fourth quarter fell 17% to $11.86 billion, pressured by customer destocking, missing the average estimate of $12 billion, according to Refinitiv IBES data. Packaging and Specialty Plastics segment net sales in the quarter were $6.1 billion, down 16% compared with a year earlier.

Jan 26 (Reuters) - U.S. defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC.N) on Thursday forecast full-year sales above Wall Street estimates, as it benefits from strong demand for weapons from countries ramping up their defense spend. "We're raising our sales outlook for 2023 and expect to deliver strong multi-year cash flow growth," Northrop Grumman Chief Executive Kathy Warden said. Northrop, which produces the fuselage for the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet, posted sales of about $10.03 billion for the quarter ended Dec. 31, ahead of analysts' average estimate of $9.66 billion. Sale in its defense unit, which makes integrated battle management systems, weapons systems, rose to $1.66 billion, from $1.38 billion. Overall adjusted net income stood at $7.50 per share, ahead of analysts' average estimate of $6.57 per share.

☆ KLA forecasts Q3 revenue below estimates
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Jan 26 (Reuters) - U.S. chip toolmaker KLA Corp (KLAC.O) on Thursday forecast third-quarter revenue below Wall Street estimates, sending its shares down about 5.3% after market. The chip manufacturing equipment maker expects third-quarter revenue between $2.2 billion and $2.5 billion, falling short of analysts' expectations of $2.55 billion, according to Refinitiv IBES. Reporting by Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Rockwell raises FY profit outlook on industrial automation strength
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 26 (Reuters) - Rockwell Automation Inc (ROK.N) on Thursday raised its 2023 profit outlook on high demand for industrial automation machines amid a tight labor market. Demand in red-hot automation stayed resilient, as companies invested more to offset labor shortages. Sales in the reported quarter at Rockwell's intelligent devices segment, which deals with industrial components rose about 4% to $936.2 million. Overall quarterly sales for Rockwell rose to $1.98 billion from $1.86 billion a year earlier. Reporting by Pratyush Thakur in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Dow posts dour quarterly results, plans to slash 2,000 jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

☆ Levi Strauss gives upbeat 2023 sales outlook as demand holds up
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 25 (Reuters) - Levi Strauss & Co (LEVI.N) forecast annual sales above Wall Street estimates on Wednesday, in a sign that demand for its jeans is holding up better than feared. Shares of the denim maker were up nearly 8% in extended trading after it also topped fourth-quarter sales and profit estimates. However, Levi's said it saw more consumers shopping at its stores in the Americas and Asia, boosting its direct-to-consumer business. Levi's fourth-quarter net revenue of $1.59 billion edged past estimates of $1.57 billion, while adjusted profit of 34 cents per share topped expectations of 29 cents. Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru and Kate Masters in New York; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

“The small miss on Microsoft’s cloud earnings forecast is likely just a reflection of the new economic reality that businesses are facing and not a harbinger of something worse," said Bob O'Donnell, chief analyst at TECHnalysis Research. It forecast third-quarter revenue in its so-called intelligent cloud business would be $21.7 billion to $22 billion, just below the analyst average forecast of $22.14 billion, according to Refinitiv. He said revenue from OpenAI-related businesses would show up in revenue for Microsoft's cloud service Azure in the future. Azure cloud product revenue in the second quarter rose 31%, in line with estimates compiled by Visible Alpha. The company expects that revenue to drop to $11.9 billion to $12.3 billion in the current fiscal third quarter.

BENGALURU, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Indian carmaker Tata Motors (TAMO.NS) beat analysts' expectations to post a profit for the first time in two years as improving semiconductor chip supplies and rising demand helped its luxury car unit Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) turn profitable. Like others in the sector, Tata Motors and JLR have been struggling to navigate supply chain disruptions and shortages of critical semiconductor components since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The total number of orders reached a record 215,000 units with its three most profitable models - the New Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Defender - accounting for three-quarters of the order book. [1/5] A member of staff works on the production line at Jaguar Land Rover’s factory in Solihull, Britain, December 15, 2022. Analysts, on average, had expected a loss of 185.6 million rupees, according to Refinitiv IBES data.

Microsoft said its third-quarter intelligent cloud revenue would be $21.7 billion to $22 billion, while analysts forecast $22.14 billion. In the second quarter, Microsoft's cloud services business helped offset a slump in the personal computer market. Azure has also steadily grabbed market share from leader Amazon.com Inc's (AMZN.O) Amazon Web Services (AWS). Azure ended 2022 with 30% share in the cloud computing market, up from 20% in 2018, according to estimates from BofA Global Research. Microsoft's revenue rose 2% to $52.7 billion in the three months ended Dec. 31, compared with the average analyst estimate of $52.94 billion, according to Refinitiv IBES.

☆ Microsoft's profit beats estimates on strong cloud performance
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Matt Mills McKnight/File PhotoJan 24 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday as strong performance at its cloud services business helped offset a slump in the personal computer market, sending its shares 4% higher in extended trading. Azure has also steadily grabbed market share from leader Amazon.com Inc's (AMZN.O) Amazon Web Services (AWS). Azure ended 2022 with 30% share in the cloud computing market, up from 20% in 2018, according to estimates from BofA Global Research. Sales at Microsoft's More Personal Computing segment, which includes Windows, devices and search revenue, declined 19% to $14.2 billion as the PC market continued to shrink. Microsoft's revenue rose 2% to $52.7 billion in the three months ended Dec. 31, compared with the average analyst estimate of $52.94 billion, according to Refinitiv IBES.

☆ Union Pacific posts weak profit as storm delays shipments
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 24 (Reuters) - Union Pacific Corp (UNP.N) reported lower-than-expected fourth-quarter profit on Tuesday, hurt by delayed shipments amid labor shortages and a winter storm that crippled freight operations across the United States. Union Pacific, which connects 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country by rail, suffered shipment delays over the Christmas period as the winter storm Elliott hit its railroad networks. The storm brought sub-freezing temperatures and impacted business operations nationwide, also causing freeze-ins at several oil production sites. Union Pacific's operating ratio, a key profitability metric for railroads, was 61% in the quarter compared with 57.4% a year earlier. "Revenue growth was more than offset by elevated operating expenses from operational inefficiencies and a higher inflationary environment," Fritz said.

☆ India's top carmaker Maruti's profit doubles on strong demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MRTI.NS) beat quarterly profit estimates and reported improved margins on Tuesday as the country's biggest carmaker benefitted from strong demand for its passenger cars, helped by festive sales. Profit for Maruti, which has over 40% market share in the country's passenger vehicles segment, more than doubled to 23.51 billion rupees ($288.5 million) in the quarter ended Dec. 31, from 10.11 billion rupees a year ago. Analysts on average had expected a profit of 18.81 billion rupees, according to Refinitiv IBES data. Festive demand and improved availability of semiconductors pushed car sales up nearly 23% across companies last quarter, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers has said. Maruti, majority owned by Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp (7269.T), said vehicle sales rose to 465,911 units in the quarter from 430,668 units a year ago.

☆ India's Maruti tops Q3 profit view on strong passenger car demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MRTI.NS) reported better-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday, as the country's biggest carmaker benefitted from strong demand for its passenger cars, sending shares up as much as 2.4%. Profit for Maruti, which has over 40% market share in the country's passenger vehicles segment, came in at 23.51 billion rupees ($288.53 million) for the quarter ended Dec. 31, compared with 10.11 billion rupees a year ago. Maruti, majority owned by Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp (7269.T), sold 465,911 vehicles in the quarter, up from 430,668 units the same quarter last year. The company said it had about 363,000 pending orders, out of which about 119,000 orders were for newly launched models. Analysts on average had expected the company to report a profit of 18.81 billion rupees, according to Refinitiv IBES data.

☆ Take Five: Staring at the ceiling
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

All told, companies worth more than half the S&P 500's market value are reporting results over the next two weeks. Stock markets can predict the global PMI levels, tending to bounce ahead of a sustainable rise of the index. On Wednesday, watch out for Australian and New Zealand inflation data as well, with the RBNZ pondering how much more to tighten, and the RBA wondering whether it's time to pause. Reuters Graphics5/LONDON CALLINGLondon's bluechip FTSE 100 index (.FTSE) is poised to launch a new attempt to scale an all-time high in days to come. British public sector borrowing numbers, producer price inflation and PMI data are all due as well ahead of a Bank of England meeting the following week.

☆ India's Kotak Mahindra Bank's Oct-Dec net profit jumps 31%
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Jan 21(Reuters) - India's Kotak Mahindra Bank (KTKM.NS) on Saturday reported a 31% increase in standalone net profit for the October-December quarter, aided by a strong topline and healthy loan growth. The private lender's standalone profit stood at 27.92 billion rupees ($344.2 million) compared with 21.31 billion rupees in the same period last year. Net interest income, the difference between interest earned and interest expended, rose 30.4% from a year ago to 56.53 billion rupees, while other income rose nearly 54%. The net interest margin was at 5.47% as compared to 4.62% last year. As of Dec. 31, the bank held Covid-related provisions worth four billion rupees.

☆ India's Yes Bank reports surprise 80% plunge in quarterly profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MUMBAI, Jan 21 (Reuters) - India's Yes Bank (YESB.NS) reported a surprise 80% plunge in quarterly profit on Saturday as provisions for bad loans increased. Net profit fell to 515.20 million rupees ($6.36 million) for the three months through December from 2.66 billion rupees in the same period a year earlier. Provisions increased to 8.44 billion rupees from 5.82 billion rupees the previous quarter. Yes Bank in December completed the transfer of bad loans worth 480 billion rupees to private equity firm J.C. Bank loans rose nearly 15% in the fortnight to Dec. 30 from a year earlier, outpacing a 9.2% increase in deposits, according to the latest data from the Reserve Bank of India.

☆ India ICICI Bank’s profit jumps 34% in October-December
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Jan 21(Reuters) - India's ICICI Bank (ICBK.NS) on Saturday reported a 34.2% increase in net profit for the October-December quarter, on the back of improved revenues and healthy loan growth. Net profit for the quarter was 83.12 billion Indian rupees ($1.03 billion) up from 61.94 billion rupees in the same quarter a year earlier. That was in line with analysts' forecast of 81.25 billion rupees, according to Refinitiv IBES data. Net interest income, the difference between interest earned and paid, rose 34.6% to 164.65 billion rupees from 122.36 billion rupees last year. However, provisions and contingencies increased to 22.57 billion rupees from 16.44 billion rupees in the September quarter.

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