In this Monday, Sept. 12, 2016, file photo, a group of self-driving Uber vehicles position themselves to take journalists on rides during a media preview at Uber’s Advanced Technologies Center in Pittsburgh.
Day: January 23, 2017
Why Comcast’s Universal Monsters Movie Universe Could Flop
June 2017 picture The Mummy — laying out the prospect of big things to come and hinting at the arrival of another would-be series starter. With Disney developing sprawling superhero universes and controlling the film rights to the most marketable comic-book properties, Comcast is hoping that the Tom Cruise-led picture can launch its own expanded movie universe built around Universal’s classic monster characters.
What Frontier’s Management Doesn’t Want Shareholders to Focus On
The company still has a fraction of the subscribers that the big boys do, but spending $10.54 billion to buy Verizon ‘s wireline business in California, Texas, and Florida at least got it a place at the table. That purchase effectively doubled the size of the company, adding approximately 3.3 million voice connections, 2.1 million broadband customers, and 1.2 million FiOS video subscribers.
Wall St Turns Defensive on Trump’s Protectionist Stance
The S&P 500 was on track for its worst day this year as President Donald Trump’s protectionist stance on trade sent investors scurrying for safe-haven assets on Monday. In his latest executive order, Trump signed to formally withdraw the United States from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific partnership trade deal.
Verizon Stock Downgraded: What You Need to Know
Since the 2016 election, Verizon stock has gained 10% versus an S&P 500 gain of just 5%. Unfortunately for investors, while Verizon has outperformed so far, analysts at Wells Fargo see the stock underperforming in 2016, and gaining almost no value at all over the next 12 months.
Trump Signs Order Pulling U.S. Out Of Pacific Trade Deal
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday stopping U.S. involvement with the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation trade deal that was a priority of former President Barack Obama. The U.S. was not a member since Congress never ratified it.
Qualcomm Stock Tumbles Following Apple Lawsuit
This lawsuit came just a few days after the Federal Trade Commission formally charged Qualcomm over anti-competitive behavior. Qualcomm stock was down about 13% at 11:15 a.m. EST.
Oil Slides as U.S. Drilling Recovery Outweighs OPEC-Led Cuts
Oil prices fell about 1 percent on Monday as signs of a strong recovery in U.S. drilling overshadowed news that OPEC and non-OPEC producers were on track to meet output reduction goals. Ministers representing members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and non-OPEC producers said at a meeting in Vienna on Sunday that of the almost 1.8 million barrels per day they had agreed to remove from the market starting on Jan. 1, 1.5 million bpd had already been cut.
Liz Weston: Your mother’s maiden name is not a secret
Your mother’s maiden name is probably not a secret. Neither, necessarily, is your high school mascot or the size of your car payment.
Lawsuit: Trump businesses violate Constitution
A lawsuit Monday alleged that President Donald Trump is violating the Constitution by allowing his business to accept payments from foreign governments. Trump is violating the so-called emoluments clause in the Constitution that prohibits him from receiving money from diplomats for stays at his hotels or foreign governments for leases of office space in his buildings, according to the suit filed by a legal watchdog group.
Federal judge swats Aetna-Humana insurer combo
A federal judge has rejected health insurer Aetna’s plan to buy rival Humana Inc. for about $34 billion and become a major player in the market for Medicare Advantage coverage. U.S. District Judge John Bates says in an opinion filed Monday that he largely agrees with federal regulators who contended that such a combination would hurt competition.
Fed’s Lacker favors faster rate hike path to curb inflation
Jeffrey Lacker, the hawkish president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, said on Monday he is worried inflation could surge unless the U.S. central bank raises interest rates faster than his fellow policymakers anticipate. “Right now I think we are at risk of getting behind the curve, so lately I’ve been an advocate of pushing rates up a little more aggressively than my colleagues,” Lacker said in an interview on WCVE, a Richmond public radio station.
Aetna And Humana Stock Each Drop 2% In Heavy Volume After Federal Judge Blocks Merger
Aetna Inc. shares dropped 2.4% and Humana Inc. shares dropped 2.0% in heavy volume during midday trade Monday after The Wall Street Journal and Reuters reported that a federal judge had blocked their merger on antitrust grounds. The federal judge’s Monday decision said the DOJ had successfully argued that the deal could hurt consumers with Medicare Advantage plans, according to the WSJ.
11 Coffee Stats that Will Blow You Away
For centuries, millions of people around the world have enjoyed the energizing effects of coffee. Incredibly, even after hundreds of years of growth, worldwide coffee consumption remains on the rise.
Ford Takes Step Toward Online Car Shopping With Fintech Investment
The lending arm of Ford Motor Co. has tapped a San Francisco startup to make it easier for its customers to buy and finance a car without going into a showroom.
Attending Super Bowl LI Comes With Super Price Tag
A trip to Houston for Super Bowl LI carries a super price tag. NFL fans can expect to pay about $8,000 combined on flights, hotels and a ticket to watch the New England Patriots take on the Atlanta Falcons in person on February 5. As of early Monday afternoon, tickets to Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium were selling for an average of $5,216 on the secondary market, according to SeatGeek.
Investor confidence under Trump’s presidency
Jan. 23, 2017 – 2:57 – Keith Fitz-Gerald of Money Map Press on investor confidence and the markets under Donald Trump’s presidency.
Huntsville native appointed to White House analyst position
Brooks announced Monday that White, a Huntsville native who graduated from Grissom High School in 2001, has been appointed to Trump’s White House Domestic Policy Council as a senior policy analyst. “Alabama’s Fifth Congressional District’s loss is President Donald Trump’s gain,” Brooks said in a statement.
McDonald’s Reports Q4 Results, Why Investors are on the Sidelines
Shares of McDonald’s were lower in afternoon trading on Monday, after the company reported a U.S. same-store-sales drop of 1.3% for its fourth quarter . Despite the lighter same-store-sales numbers, the Golden Arches beat on the top and bottom line and boosted global comps .
Protesters who blocked Polish premier’s car being questioned
In this Dec. 16, 2016 file photo people gather to demonstrate outside the Parliament building in Warsaw, Poland. Prosecutors began questioning 21 anti-government protesters of the Dec. 16 demonstration, Monday Jan. 23, 2017, whose images have been posted by police on allegations they violated “legal order.”
McDonald’s tops Street 4Q forecasts
The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 14 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.41 per share.
Former Kansan – and net neutrality foe – set to lead the FCC
A Kansas transplant appears to be President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Federal Communications Commission.
Allianz-Generali Looks Good on Paper. But Not in Reality: Gadfly
The last time Italian insurer Assicurazioni Generali SpA was rumoured to be in play, the supposed bidder, France’s Axa SA, said such a costly and complex deal would “make no sense at all.” This time, the interest comes from an even bigger insurer: Allianz SE, possibly in conjunction with Intesa Sanpaolo SpA, according to La Stampa.
Fingerprint’s Former CEO and Board Member Taken Into Custody
Fingerprint Cards AB’s former Chief Executive Officer Johan Carlstrom and its current board member Lars Soderfjell have been taken into custody by the Swedish Economic Crime Authority on suspicions of aggravated insider trading. The alleged crimes by Carlstrom, a shareholder of Fingerprint Cards, and Soderfjell, relates to the company’s profit warning in December last year, according to a statement.
May Industrial Strategy Seeks to Pick Winning Areas for U.K.
The U.K. government will pick winning areas in the economy to champion as part of an industrial strategy aimed at boosting Britain’s productivity as the country prepares to leave the European Union. Announcing the long-promised plan on Monday, Prime Minister Theresa May said she wanted to see “sector deals” to identify and address barriers to expansion in different industries.
Uber Wants Court Stamp on Arbitration Win as Message to Drivers
Uber Technologies Inc. is asking a California judge to confirm what it says is the first ruling by an arbitrator denying a driver’s bid to be treated as and an employee. The company is seeking a court stamp of approval on the decision rejecting the claim that the driver qualified as an employee rather than an independent contractor under California law.
Halliburton Posts North American Profit on Shale Recovery
Halliburton Co. reported fourth-quarter adjusted profit that beat analysts’ estimates as North American shale producers lead the rest of the world into an oilfield recovery.
Three Trends to Asset Allocation & Portfolio Construction
The second half of 2016 was a pretty easy period for investors. Volatility was mild on all fronts, and while the market was already on a comfortable upward trend, it responded with unexpected enthusiasm to the US Presidential Election.
Sprint to Buy 33% of Jay Z’s Tidal Music Service
Sprint will buy one-third of Tidal, the streaming-music service run by rap mogul Jay Z, the latest content deal secured by a network provider. The companies said Monday the deal will give Sprint’s 45 million customers access to the Tidal streaming service as well as exclusive content.
McDonald’s Comparable Sales Fall Less Than Expected
McDonald’s U.S. comparable restaurant sales fell less than analysts had expected in the fourth quarter as strong demand for its all-day breakfast brought more people to its restaurants. The company’s stock initially rose in premarket trading on Monday, before reversing course to trade down 0.38 percent at $121.95.
McDonald’s fourth-quarter U.S. comparable store sales fall less than expected
McDonald’s Corp’s U.S. comparable restaurant sales fell less than analysts had expected in the fourth quarter as strong demand for its all-day breakfast brought more people to its restaurants.
Kroger to Fill 10,000 Permanent Posts
Kroger, which had about 431,000 full- and part-time employees as of Jan. 30, 2016, also said its total active workforce grew by more than 12,000 in 2016. The world’s No.
ConocoPhillips Dividend History: Can the Energy Giant Bounce Back?
The energy industry has gone through huge upheaval over the past couple of years, with oil prices plunging from triple-digit levels to go below the $30 per barrel mark in early 2016 before recovering somewhat. Before then, ConocoPhillips and producing solid dividend yields for its shareholders.
Better Buy: Target Corporation vs. Home Depot Inc.
But the similarities don’t end there: They are also both big-box retailers that many retirees consider investing in given their dividend payments and lengthy operating histories. But which stock is the better buy today? There’s no way to answer that question with 100% certainty, but there are three different approaches you can take, and each will help you make a more informed decision for your own retirement portfolio.
Are Job Search Expenses Tax-Deductible?
Looking for a new job can be as expensive as it is time-consuming. Thankfully, your job seeking efforts might get you a tax break.
The 11 Biggest Video Games of 2017
This year will also play host to a packed lineup of triple-A software releases that will be competing for consumers’ attention and dollars. Click through the following presentation for a look at the 11 biggest video games set to hit retail in 2017.
Markets waiting for Trump to deliver on economic policy?
Jan. 23, 2017 – 5:28 – The Wall Street Journal Chief Economics Correspondent Jon Hilsenrath on earnings season and the fallout from Yahoo’s data breaches.
Trade Idea: A Bear Call Spread on Boeing
Boeing reports this Wednesday morning prior to the opening bell at 11 Wall Street. In fact, in this busy week for quarterly earnings releases, not only does Boeing report, but so do just about all of Boeing’s competitors.
Analysts’ Actions — CSX, Dish, Qualcomm, Verizon and More
Here are Monday’s top research calls, including upgrades for CSX and Dish Network, and downgrades for Qualcomm and Verizon. was upgraded to overweight at Barclays.
Riding the smart beta wave
Investors liked their low trading costs and ability to deliver benchmark returns by tracking an index, a commodity, bonds, or a basket of assets. Smart beta ETFs are carefully constructed indexes that rank stocks by traits other than their market value, the standard methodology employed by traditional benchmarks, such as the Standard & Poor’s 500.