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☆ Macquarie sees higher income from commodities arm, logs record profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 5 (Reuters) - Australia's Macquarie Group (MQG.AX) on Friday forecast higher short-term income from its lucrative commodities trading business as price volatility and increased hedging boosted the company's annual profit to a record high. The Sydney-based firm's Commodities and Global Markets segment posted a net profit of about A$6 billion ($4.02 billion), 54% higher than last year, as more customers hedged against volatile energy markets. In the short term, the company expects consistent contributions from client and trading activity in the financial markets platform. It also bumped up its final dividend to A$4.50 per share from A$3.50 per share a year earlier. ($1 = 1.4932 Australian dollars)Reporting by Roushni Nair and Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Booking Holdings beats profit estimates on strong travel demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 4 (Reuters) - Booking Holdings Inc (BKNG.O) reported a better-than-expected profit for the first quarter on Thursday, as the online travel agency benefited from pent-up demand that drove consumers to book flights and hotels despite worries of an imminent recession. While experts in the industry largely remain confident about demand in the near-term, high inflation and concerns around a potential slowdown, however, threaten consumer spending. Last month, U.S. hotel operator Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc (HLT.N) signaled signs of travel demand weakening in the second half of the year after it raised its full-year profit outlook. Booking reported an adjusted profit of $11.60 per share in the quarter ended March 31, compared to analysts' estimate of $10.61 per share, as per Refinitiv data. Reporting by Priyamvada C and Aishwarya Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel and Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bumble posts robust quarterly revenue on sustained user spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 4 (Reuters) - Bumble Inc (BMBL.O) beat estimates for first-quarter revenue on Thursday as user spending on its dating app remained strong despite a looming recession, sending the company's shares up 4.6% in aftermarket trading. The parent company of the eponymous dating app, Badoo, and Fruitz, benefited from strong user growth during the quarter as more people opted to pay to find love and companionship. The company reported revenue of $242.9 million in the quarter ended March 31, compared with analysts' estimates of $241.0 million, according to Refinitiv data. Bumble, however, reported its slowest revenue growth since going public in February 2021, with first-quarter revenue rising 15.7% year-over-year. Total paying users increased to 3.5 million in the reported quarter, from 3 million a year earlier.

☆ Insurer AIG exceeds profit estimates on strong underwriting gains
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 4 (Reuters) - American International Group Inc (AIG.N) beat market estimates for first-quarter profit on Thursday, as record underwriting gains cushioned the blow from lower alternative investment returns. AIG, one of the world's biggest commercial insurers, said net premiums written in its general insurance for the quarter ended March grew 5% to $6.97 billion. Total consolidated net investment income rose 9% to $3.5 billion, partially offset by lower alternative investment income, AIG said. The New York-based company's general insurance underwriting income rose 13% to $502 million, its strongest first-quarter underwriting results, the insurer said. The general insurance accident year combined ratio was 88.7%, compared with 89.5%, a year earlier.

☆ Microsoft helping finance AMD's expansion into AI chips- Bloomberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

May 4 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) is working with Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD.O) on the chipmaker's expansion into artificial intelligence processors, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing people with knowledge of the matter. Shares of AMD climbed 9% on the news, while Microsoft shares were up about 1%. The software giant is providing financial support to bolster AMD's efforts, and working with the chipmaker on a homegrown Microsoft processor for AI workloads, code-named Athena, the report said. Several hundreds of employees working at a silicon division at Microsoft are now working on the Athena project, the report added. Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

May 3 (Reuters) - Etsy Inc (ETSY.O) on Wednesday beat market expectations for quarterly revenue, benefiting from demand for products such as personalized gifts offered on its e-commerce platform as well as higher transaction fees, sending the company's shares up about 2% in extended trading. Net revenues rose 10.6% to $640.9 million in the quarter ended March 31, compared with analysts estimate of $622.1 million, as per Refinitiv IBES data. The company forecast second-quarter revenue between $590 million and $640 million, while analysts expected $625.4 million. Etsy's first-quarter adjusted EBITDA, a measure of profitability, came in at $170.3 million, while analysts on average were expecting $166.6 million. Reporting by Granth Vanaik in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Freshworks tops revenue estimates as lower-priced offerings boost demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 2 (Reuters) - Freshworks Inc (FRSH.O) beat quarterly revenue estimates on Tuesday and posted its first adjusted operating profit as more businesses sought its lower-priced customer engagement software in a tough economy. Freshworks, whose products compete with Salesforce Inc (CRM.N) and Zendesk, told Reuters that the downturn was driving more companies to its more affordable offerings. The San Mateo, California-based company's revenue rose 20% in the first quarter ended March to $137.7 million, compared with analysts' estimates of $134.3 million, according to Refinitiv. It posted an adjusted operating profit of $3.9 million. The company forecast second-quarter revenue largely in line with estimates, while its forecast for adjusted profit was above estimates.

May 2 (Reuters) - Match Group (MTCH.O) on Tuesday forecast second-quarter revenue below analysts' expectations, but said it is seeing signs of growth at Tinder after it made changes at the dating platform. Shares of the company, whose revenue per paying user grew by about 2% from a year earlier, rose 3% in volatile trading after the bell. The company forecast current-quarter revenue between $805 million and $815 million, compared with analysts' average estimate of $822.3 million, according to Refinitiv. Match Group said it saw paying users across its family of dating apps fall 3% from a year earlier to 15.9 million. The company reported revenue of $787 million in the three-month period ended March 31, compared with analysts' average estimate of $793.8 million.

☆ BlackBerry to review strategic options for its business
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 1 (Reuters) - BlackBerry (BB.TO) said on Monday it will conduct a review of strategic alternatives, which include the possible separation of one or more of the company's businesses. The Canadian technology company's US-listed shares rose 7% in trading after the bell. BlackBerry said it has not set a timeline for the process and does not intend to disclose developments related to the review unless the board has approved a specific agreement or has ended the process. The company added it will continue with the previously announced sale of substantially all of its non-core patents and patent applications related to is mobile devices to Malikie Innovations Limited, a newly formed unit of intellectual property monetization firm Key Patent Innovations Ltd.Once known for its phones with a tiny QWERTY physical keyboard and the BBM instant messaging service, BlackBerry's core businesses today are cybersecurity and software used by automakers. Reporting by Chavi Mehta in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ European e-scooter operator TIER Mobility explores merger - Sky News
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 1 (Reuters) - Berlin-based e-scooter operator TIER Mobility is working with bankers at Qatalyst Partners for a potential merger or sale with a rival, Sky News reported on Monday. The talks, however, did not produce satisfactory terms for TIER, the report said, citing industry sources. TIER Mobility and Qatalyst Partners did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. In 2021, the Softbank-backed TIER bought bike-sharing firm Nextbike to create Europe's largest provider of shared lightweight vehicles. TIER Mobility operates in 10 countries and employs about 900 people, according to its website.

☆ Pentagon awards $7.8 billion F-35 contract to Lockheed Martin
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

April 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Defense said on Friday it has awarded a $7.8 billion contract modification for 126 F-35 multi-role aircraft to weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N). The modification exercises options for the production and delivery of 126 Lot 17 F-35 aircraft, to include 81 F-35A aircraft for U.S. Air Force and its allies. The order for Pentagon's most expensive weapons system, expected to be completed in August 2026, also includes 15 F-35B aircraft for the U.S. Marine Corps and 13 F-35C for the U.S. Navy. Last year, the U.S. Department of Defense agreed with Lockheed Martin to build about 375 F-35 fighter jets over three years in a deal worth $30 billion. Reporting by Arshreet Singh; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ US FDA panel backs restricted use of AstraZeneca's prostrate cancer drug
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 28 (Reuters) - A panel of U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisers on Friday voted for the restricted use of British drugmaker AztraZeneca Plc's (AZN.L) experimental treatment, jointly developed with Merck & Co (MRK.N), for a type of prostate cancer. The FDA panel voted 11-1 with one abstention, in favor of Lynparza, in combination with other medications – abiraterone and prednisone or prednisolone – as a first-line treatment for a type of treatment-resistant prostate cancer in adult patients. They were withdrawn last year as second line of treatment for ovarian cancer patients after the FDA limited the use of PARP inhibitors and requested companies to pull the drug. Lynparza is already approved by the FDA to treat a type of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, as well as a different form of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among men in the United States with about 288,300 new cases in 2023, according to the American Cancer Society's estimates.

☆ Pinterest's ad woes hurt revenue growth, shares slump
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Vansh Agarwal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

While Pinterest said that the ad market was stabilizing, it warned the market was still uncertain. Shares of peer Snap Inc (SNAP.N) fell about 18% aftermarket on weak first-quarter revenue and the company warned it could miss estimates for the second as well. Analysts on average had expected $592.99 million, according to Refinitiv data. Pinterest said it expected revenue growth in the current quarter to be in line with revenue growth in the first quarter and the fourth quarter of 2022. Fourth quarter revenue grew 4%.

☆ US shale producer Pioneer's founder and CEO Sheffield to retire
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Liz Hampton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 26 (Reuters) - Scott Sheffield, who built U.S. oil producer Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD.N) into the largest producer in Texas, will retire at the end of the year, the company said on Wednesday. With its $52 billion market value, Pioneer has repeatedly been discussed as a potential candidate for U.S. oil majors. Sheffield, 70, was Pioneer’s founding CEO from 1997 to 2016 and its chairman since 1999. In an interview, Sheffield declined to comment on merger rumors, noting Pioneer "will always do the right thing for shareholders." Richard Dealy, Pioneer's chief operating officer and former finance chief, was named CEO, effective upon Sheffield's retirement.

☆ Shale producer Pioneer's chief Sheffield to retire
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 26 (Reuters) - Pioneer Natural Resources Co (PXD.N) on Wednesday said its chief executive officer, Scott Sheffield, will retire by the end of 2023, sending the U.S. shale producer's shares down 2% in extended trading. Sheffield, an energy veteran, served as Pioneer’s founding CEO from 1997 to 2016 and chairman since 1999. Its net income also fell 39% to $1.2 billion from $2 billion last year as oil prices cooled. The oil and gas producer anticipates second-quarter oil production between 357,000 and 372,000 barrels per day and total oil and gas production of between 647,000 and 702,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. Natural gas producer EQT Corp (EQT.N) also beat profit estimates for the first quarter on higher sales volumes.

☆ Amazon to shut down Halo division, lays off some staff
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 26 (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) said on Wednesday it was shutting down its Halo division that sells health and sleep trackers as the technology giant kicks off wider company layoffs. The company said it will stop supporting Halo services from July 31, and will fully refund Halo devices purchases made in the preceding 12 months. The company had introduced the original Halo band in 2020, which came as a fitness tracker along with a subscription to certain health monitoring and analysis services from Amazon. It later released a new version called Halo View and Halo Rise, a contact-less sleep tracker and smart alarm clock. Heads of Amazon Web Services and the People Experience and Technology team emailed affected staff about the cuts, the company said.

☆ KLA Corp forecasts upbeat fourth-quarter on robust demand for chip tools
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 26 (Reuters) - Chip tools maker KLA Corp (KLAC.O) forecast fourth-quarter revenue and profit above Wall Street expectations on Wednesday, riding on plans by chipmakers to expand production and build new factories in Europe and the United States. Chipmakers are scrambling to boost capacity and tool makers including KLA and Applied Materials (AMAT.O) will gain from this. KLA makes tools for inspecting the silicon wafer discs, on which semiconductors are built, for defects. KLA forecast current-quarter revenue between $2.13 billion and $2.38 billon, compared to analysts' estimates of $2.17 billion, according to Refinitiv data. Revenue in the third quarter ended March 31 rose 6.3% to $2.43 billion, beating estimates of $2.38 billion.

☆ SpaceX, Rogers to connect mobiles phones to satellites in remote Canadian areas
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 26 (Reuters) - Rogers Communications (RCIb.TO) and Elon Musk's SpaceX plan to connect mobile phones to satellite-based services aiming to expand coverage to remote areas in Canada, the companies said on Wednesday. The service, which will be delivered via the space company's Starlink satellite network, will cover 4G and 5G phones starting with SMS text and will eventually expand to voice and data service in Canadian areas without networks. "In the future, these investments will deliver wireless connectivity, including access to 911, to even the most remote areas," said Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri. T-Mobile US (TMUS.O) and SpaceX announced a similar partnership in the United States last year. Reporting by Chavi Mehta in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Roku forecasts robust second-quarter revenue as some ad spending improves
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The company's ad-supported streaming platform has gained popularity with users trying to cut down on their discretionary spending. Moreover, with streaming giants like Netflix and Disney+ adding ad-supported tiers to their services, more advertising dollars are flowing to streaming from TV. Roku added 1.6 million "active accounts" in the reported quarter from the fourth quarter. Roku expects macro uncertainties to persist throughout this year as inflation and recession fears dent consumer spending on discretionary goods. Net revenue rose 1% to $741 million in the first quarter, compared with analysts' expectations of $708.5 million.

☆ Enphase Energy second-quarter revenue forecast disappoints, shares fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Arshreet Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Enphase Energy Inc FollowApril 25 (Reuters) - Enphase Energy Inc (ENPH.O) reported market-beating profit in the first quarter on strong sales in Europe, but forecast second-quarter revenue below Wall Street expectations, sending its shares down as much as 17% in extended trading on Tuesday. The company expects second-quarter revenue between $700 million and $750 million, below analysts' estimate of $773 million, according to Refinitiv data. Enphase in February had expected first-quarter revenue in the range of $700 million to $740 million. Raymond James' Molchanov sees revenue growing in the second half of the year with the second quarter remaining flat. The company in March said shipments of its microinverters from Romania are expected to begin in the second quarter of this year.

April 25 (Reuters) - Texas Instruments (TXN.O) forecast second-quarter revenue and profit below Wall Street estimates on Tuesday, signaling demand weakness is spreading to most of the analog chipmaker's end-markets. The company's revenue in both the personal electronics segment and the division that caters to data center servers fell 30% in the first quarter from the fourth quarter. Industrial market revenue was flat. Still automotive was a bright spot in the first quarter, with revenue up mid-single digits, the company said. The company forecast revenue in the current quarter in the range of $4.17 billion to $4.53 billion versus estimates of $4.44 billion.

☆ Senior Citi banker departs shortly after report of Epstein meetings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 25 (Reuters) - Citigroup (C.N) senior executive Paul Barrett has left the bank, it said on Tuesday, days after media reports that he met with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein while he was employed at rival JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N) became public. "Until recently, Citi was unaware of Paul Barrett's association with Jeffrey Epstein, which predated his employment at our firm. Mr. Barrett is no longer employed by Citi," the bank said in a statement. JPMorgan, the largest U.S. bank, faces lawsuits seeking damages by women who claim that Epstein sexually abused them, and by the U.S. Virgin Islands, where the late financier had a home. Reporting by Manya Saini in Bengaluru and Saeed Azhar in New York; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Deloitte to cut 1,200 jobs in the US - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 21 (Reuters) - Deloitte will cut around 1,200 jobs or 1.5% of its U.S. workforce, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing internal employee communications. As growth in select practices moderates, we are taking modest personnel actions where necessary," Deloitte said in an emailed statement to Reuters. Several financial firms have slashed jobs in recent months including major Wall Street banks, asset managers and fintechs amid a turbulent macroeconomic environment that has pressured consumers and soured demand in several mainstay business units. Deloitte is part of the Big Four accounting firms that include EY, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Reporting by Jaiveer Singh Shekhawat in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Solar firm Sunnova gets $3 billion loan guarantee from US energy department
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 20 (Reuters) - Sunnova Energy International (NOVA.N) said on Thursday the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will provide the solar company up to $3 billion in a partial loan guarantee to expand clean energy access. The company last month said it was in discussion with the DOE regarding the potential issuance of an indirect guarantee of 90% for up to $3.3 billion in solar loans. The DOE's Loan Program Office aims to speed development of the clean energy sector with loans to automakers, miners, recyclers and others, many of which would struggle to obtain private financing given their large capital needs. "The DOE financing would accelerate the adoption of solar and storage, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, and expand the availability of reliable, clean, and affordable energy to those communities who benefit the most from low-cost energy," Sunnova CEO William Berger said in a statement. Sunnova also expects the DOE loan guarantee to support up to $4 billion - $5 billion in the company's loan originations, reduce its weighted average cost of capital and generate interest savings.

☆ Spotify back up for most users after global outage
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 19 (Reuters) - Audio streaming platform Spotify (SPOT.N) was back up for most users, the company said on Wednesday, after a brief outage that disrupted service for tens of thousands of users globally. The company did not disclose the number of users affected by the disruption, but outage tracking website Downdetector.com showed more than 20,000 incidents in the United States and over 8,000 in the UK at the peak of the outage. "Everything's looking much better now!," Spotify Status said in a tweet. Many users took to Twitter to share updates and memes about the service disruption, with 'Spotify' trending at number seven in the U.S. In January, Downdetector reported that the audio streaming platform's outage impacted over 45,000 users in the United States.

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