Month: January 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.