‘The explosion in data is so great that it’s almost like, if you have storage space, we’ll take it!’

If you didn’t know any better, we were back in 1999 when Intel and Microsoft and Western Digital and Seagate were hot as freshly shot cannonballs, because we figured out how to get some “high speed” lines to connect personal computers to the world wide web. Of course, those companies are, with the exception of Intel, really very different beasts now.

UBS reports 22-percent drop in 4Q net amid tax effects

Swiss bank UBS reported a 22-percent drop in net income in the fourth quarter last year, due in part to tax effects, but said Friday that rising investor confidence in the United States could boost its wealth management business. Citing “very challenging” market conditions in 2016, the bank reported net income of 738 million Swiss francs in the fourth quarter, compared with 949 million a year earlier.

Executives court Chinese versions of FedEx, UPS to fly into ONT

Ontario International Airport Authority CEO Kelly Fredericks and the airport’s Chief Development Officer Mark Thorpe spoke about efforts to attract more business at ONT at an exporters roundtable meeting attended by dozens of members of the local business community and organized by Rep. Norma Torres, D-Ontario. ONTARIO >> Top executives at Ontario International Airport outlined Thursday ongoing efforts to attract major Chinese courier companies to use ONT as the major gateway and hub to the U.S. and Latin American marketplaces, similar to UPS and FedEx’s domestic e-commerce operations with Amazon.

Fire Sparks Double Bonanza for Refiners as Fuel Profits Jump

A slew of blazes at plants across the globe is shrinking supplies and boosting profits from turning crude into products such as gasoline and diesel. At least 13 refineries, including in Ruwais in Abu Dhabi, Deer Park in Texas and Tuapse in Russia with a combined capacity of about 1.8 million barrels a day, were struck by fire this month, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

UBS Beats Q4 Profit Forecast; Sees Improved Wealth Management in 2017

UBS Group UBS posted better-than-expected fourth quarter earnings Friday and said an improved outlook in the United States could support growth in the bank’s wealth management business. UBS Group AG posted better-than-expected fourth quarter earnings Friday and said an improved outlook in the United States could support growth in the bank’s wealth management business.

Dollar perks up from 7-week low, U.S. GDP in focus

The dollar edged up on Friday, rebounding from a seven-week low on optimism over the U.S. economic outlook and corporate earnings, although U.S. President Donald Trump’s protectionist policies raised uncertainties for global trade. The dollar index , which measures the greenback against six major peers, last stood at 100.47.

American Airlines, Qantas may revive joint venture plan under Trump

American Airlines Group Inc and Australia’s Qantas Airways Ltd may reapply to the U.S. Transportation Department for permission to coordinate prices and flight schedules now the Trump administration is in charge, Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce said. The pair’s application for a joint venture covering the United States, Australia and New Zealand markets was rejected in November under the Obama administration amid opposition from rival carriers Hawaiian Airlines Inc and JetBlue Airways Corp .

Trump administration pulls back on HealthCare.gov ads

The Trump administration said Thursday night it is pulling back advertising to promote HealthCare.gov as open enrollment draws to a close for this year. The Health and Human Services Department said in a statement that the government has pulled back about $5 million in ads as part of an effort to cut costs.

Elon Musk Floated the Idea of a Carbon Tax to Trump, an Official Says

President Donald Trump meets with business leaders including Elon Musk, left, in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington on Jan. 23, 2017. Tesla Motors Inc. founder Elon Musk is pressing the Trump administration to adopt a tax on carbon emissions, raising the issue directly with President Donald Trump and U.S. business leaders at a White House meeting Monday regarding manufacturing.

Trump Administration Pulls Some Obamacare Ads as Deadline Nears

The Trump administration has pulled some advertising designed to encourage people to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, days before the final deadline to buy 2017 health plans under the law. The Department of Health and Human Services withdrew about $5 million of advertising, according to Matt Lloyd, a spokesman for the department.

PayPal Has Been Talking With Amazon on Payments, CEO Says

Amazon.com Inc. and PayPal Holdings Inc. have discussed letting shoppers pay for Amazon purchases using their PayPal accounts, highlighting how PayPal can attract new partners since its 2015 split from Amazon rival EBay Inc. “We have been in conversations with Amazon,” PayPal Chief Executive Officer Dan Schulman said Thursday in an interview with Bloomberg. “We’re closing in on 200 million users on our platform right now.

Why This Analyst Raised General Motors’ Price Target

There hasn’t been a long list of analysts posting bullish notes on major automakers over the past year, due to the inevitable peaking of the U.S. new-vehicle cycle after the industry set sales records each of the past seven years. That’s why yesterday’s upgrade from Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas, a highly respected analyst and longtime Tesla Motors bull, was a pleasant surprise for investors.

Futures Head Lower, Asia Mixed as Investors Mull Trump

All eyes will be on the Republicans and President Trump on Friday as a strategy session ends and the U.K. prime minister lands. Futures for U.S. markets indicated a lower open late Thursday after a turbulent political day and a number of high-profile earnings reports, including Starbucks and Alphabet , that fell short of investor expectations.

PayPal Talking With Amazon on Payments, PayPal CEO Says

Amazon.com Inc. and PayPal Holdings Inc. have discussed letting shoppers pay for Amazon purchases using their PayPal accounts, highlighting how PayPal can attract new partners since its 2015 split from Amazon rival EBay Inc. “We have been in conversations with Amazon,” PayPal Chief Executive Officer Dan Schulman said Thursday in an interview with Bloomberg. “We’re closing in on 200 million users on our platform right now.

Alphabet Earnings Marred by Taxman, While Revenue Jumps

Alphabet Inc. reported better-than-expected revenue thanks to a fast-growing cloud-computing business and booming YouTube video advertising, but the taxman spoiled the party. Fourth-quarter revenue, after payments for online traffic from distribution partners, was $21.2 billion, up 23 percent from a year earlier, the company said in a statement Thursday.

American Electric Power: Cramer’s Top Takeaways

Did you miss last night’s “Mad Money” on CNBC ? If so, here are some of Jim Cramer’s top takeaways. In his final “Executive Decision” segment, Cramer also spoke with Nick Akins, chairman, president and CEO of American Electric Power , the Action Alerts PLUS holding with a 3.7% dividend yield.

LAM Research: Cramer’s Top Takeaways

Did you miss last night’s “Mad Money” on CNBC ? If so, here are some of Jim Cramer’s top takeaways. In his second “Executive Decision” segment, Cramer also checked in with Martin Anstice, president and CEO of LAM Research , the semiconductor equipment maker which just posed a five-cents-a-share earnings beat on a 15% increase in revenues — news that spawned seven analyst upgrades but also saw shares decline by 2.2%.

ServiceNow: Cramer’s Top Takeaways

Did you miss last night’s “Mad Money” on CNBC ? If so, here are some of Jim Cramer’s top takeaways. In his first “Executive Decision” segment, Cramer spoke with Frank Slootman, president and CEO of ServiceNow , the IT service management company that just delivered a penny-a-share earnings beat on a 35% rise in revenues with strong guidance to boot.

Why a Toy Maker and a Coffee Company are Pushing Virtual Assistants

By now we have all seen demonstrations of the practicality of the virtual personal assistant . The biggest tech companies have made daily requests like directions, internet searches, and local restaurants commonplace, but companies like Microsoft aren’t the only ones playing in the virtual assistant space — plenty of other smaller players are incorporating the tech into their existing offerings to keep with the times and avoid being left behind.

Why Las Vegas Sands, Whirlpool, and F5 Networks Slumped Today

The stock market lost some of its upward momentum on Thursday, as major market benchmarks finished the day narrowly mixed. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both lost less than 0.1%, but the Dow Jones Industrials managed to post a gain of 32 points, which sent the average above the far less meaningful level of 20,100.

Starbucks Sinks Despite Record Holiday Results

Yet even with such an impressive growth history in the rearview mirror, Starbucks still has to demonstrate to investors that it has the capacity to sustain that growth going forward. Coming into Thursday’s fiscal first-quarter financial report, Starbucks investors expected solid gains in revenue and earnings.

Qualcomm’s Earnings Call Dominated By Apple Lawsuit

While the results as well as guidance mostly topped analyst expectations, Apple ‘s recent lawsuit against the company expectedly dominated the subsequent earnings call . For good reason, too, since Apple is widely considered Qualcomm’s largest customer, combined with the fact that the lawsuit threatens Qualcomm’s licensing model.