CEO David Cordani said the company has up to $14 billion to put to work for potential transactions, if its $44 billion deal with Anthem is not finalized. The $44 billion merger of insurers Cigna and Anthem is on the rocks as a the Department of Justice announced late Wednesday that the merger would be anti-competitive.
Month: February 2017
Is Economic Demand Really as Strong as the Market Is Suggesting?
Something keeps gnawing at me. I see the market rising — and yes, I see the fiscal flows rising too, though not by much.
‘It often comes down to which companies are in charge of their own destiny. Twitter isn’t.’
Today the stock of Twitter is down hideously after a pretty decent quarter and many are aghast that it could slash its earnings forecast so drastically and not even offer a revenue outlook….581 more words left in this article. To read them, just click below and try Real Money.
BP Looks Good Long Term; Buy Strength
ADR has had its ups — and certainly some downs — but that is behind us. We want to be forward looking, and looking ahead on the charts of BP tells us to find a place to buy.
Trump Says Tax Reform Details Coming in Weeks
United States President Donald Trump prepares to sign three Executive Orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on Monday, January 23, 2017. These concerned the withdrawal of the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership , a US Government hiring freeze for all departments but the military, and “Mexico City” which bans federal funding of abortions overseas.
Trump Orders Target Cartels, Crime as Attorney General Sworn In
U.S. President Donald Trump watches as Vice President Mike Pence swears in Jeff Sessions as U.S. Attorney General while his wife Mary Sessions holds the Bible in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington February 9, 2017. REUTERS/… U.S. President Donald Trump used the swearing-in ceremony of Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday to sign three executive orders, including ones targeting transnational drug cartels and those who commit crimes against law enforcement.
Zendesk Closes Out 2016 With Strong Growth
Continued progress signing large customers helped drive Zendesk’s results, and the company maintained its goal of reaching $1 billion of revenue by 2020. Here’s what investors need to know about Zendesk’s fourth-quarter report.
Why Acorda Therapeutics Stock Is Jumping Today
The drugmaker’s stock is moving higher this morning in response to the news that its inhaledParkinson’s disease drug, CVT-301, hit the mark in a late-stage trial. According to the press release, patients receiving CVT-301 exhibited astatistically significant improvement in motor function whenexperiencing off periods compared to those taking a placebo.
Snap Just Became One of Google’s Most Important Cloud Customers
One of the many interesting details revealed in Snap ‘s S-1 filing with the SEC is that it agreed to a $2 billion contract with Google Cloud in January. The agreement with the Alphabet Snap has used Google Cloud since its creation, but had been spending considerably less than the $400 million per year it’s slated to spend through 2021.
Investors Renew Their Affinity For Gold ETFs
For a good part of 2016, gold exchange traded products, including the SPDR Gold Shares , iShares Gold Trust and ETFS Physical Swiss Gold Shares , were prolific asset gatherers, but that theme ebbed late in the year amid concerns about the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy.
The Important Lesson We Can All Learn From Valeant Pharmaceuticals
Valeant has come under fire for its drug-pricing practices for older drugs, has been embroiled in legal woes tied to its subsidiary drug distributor Philidor Rx Services, is buried under $30 billion in debt, and has witnessed its core business struggle with double-digit percentage sales declines. Since peaking at $264 per share in the summer of 2015, Valeant has lost about 94% of its value.
Is It Time For Investors To Tie Executive Compensation To Diversity Goals?
The tech industry has poured an estimated $1.2 billion into diversity initiatives over the past five years, according to Intel and Dalberg’s 2016 Decoding Diversity study , yet the investment has barely moved the needle. Racial and ethnic minorities today secure only 1% to 2% more available jobs in the industry than they did 15 years ago, according to the same report.
The Latest: Snowstorm forces school closures across NY
This National Weather Service RIDGE Radar image provided by NOAA shows a storm system moving across the United States, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017, at 10:48 p.m. EST. A densely populated swath of the Northeast was preparing for winter’s harshest thump yet, a fast-moving storm that could bring more than a foot of snow, strong winds and coastal flooding.
SocGen Plans Car-Leasing IPO as Earnings Surpass Estimates
Societe Generale SA reported fourth-quarter profit that exceeded estimates, helped by a surprise jump in earnings from French consumer banking. The lender announced plans for an initial public offering of its car-leasing business.
Zurich Insurance Falls as Greco Fails to Convince on Growth
Zurich Insurance Group AG fell in Zurich trading after posting a quarterly profit supported by one-time gains as Chief Executive Officer Mario Greco presses ahead with an overhaul of Switzerland’s largest insurer. Net income for the three months through December amounted to $685 million compared with a loss of $424 million a year earlier due to restructuring costs and claims from storms in Britain and Ireland, the Zurich-based company said Thursday in a statement.
These Major Mall Anchors Are Getting Trumped by Amazon.com
Mall anchors Dillard’s , J.C. Penney , Nordstrom and Macy’s immediately traded higher after Donald Trump’s election win on Nov. 8. Meanwhile, Amazon.com traded lower. Between Nov. 14 and Dec. 8, these trends reversed big time.
Why Marriott, Canadian Pacific, Vodafone Are About to Skyrocket
There’s a colossal rally taking shape in some of the biggest stocks on the market – but you’ve got to look beneath the surface of the big indices to see it. That’s because, while the S&P 500 has already managed to generate a respectable 2.5% gain year-to-date, the best-performing segment of the index is on fire right now.
Bonds Provide Some Intrigue Amid Inert Market
Perhaps it’s because everyone is already so bullish. The Investors Intelligence bulls chimed in at 62.7%, the highest reading we’ve seen since the last week of December 2004 and the first week of January 2005.
Colonial-style Alexandria mansion with four ovens lists for $2.095 million
The mansion, at 2416 Ridge Road Dr. in Alexandria, has been owned by only two families in its more than six decades of existence and is listed for sale at $2.095 million. In 1950, Judge George M. Giammittorio, formerly of the Circuit Court of Alexandria, realized his vision of a luxurious estate with elements of formal European-style design.
A Foot of Snow, Icy Cold to Blanket Northeast
The Northeastern United States braced for winter weather on Thursday, with storm warnings in place from Pennsylvania through Maine and forecasters calling for more than a foot of snow in some places. The forecast for the heaviest storm the region has seen this year comes a day after much of the northeast saw spring-like weather, with temperatures of 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit .
European Shares Gain for 3rd Day
European shares climbed for a third consecutive session on Thursday, with some major companies such as France’s second-biggest listed bank Societe Generale and oil major Total advancing after their results. Eutelsat also surged, up 6 percent and the top gainer in the STOXX 600 index, after the telecommunication services firm’s first half revenue fell less than expected.
Boeing Wins $13.8B Singapore Airlines Order
Singapore Airlines announced a $13.8 billion order to buy 39 Boeing wide-body aircraft as it pursues expansion opportunities, a setback for the U.S. planemaker’s rival Airbus Group in the fight for long-term orders. Airbus Group has flagged its intention to build a bigger version of its A350, although these plans have been placed on hold amid uncertainty over demand for wide-body jets.
Huge Federal Fines: Where do They Go?
Toys R Us is setting passwords for customers using its rewards program after account information was compromised in a hack during the holiday shopping season. Like millions of people, Tyger Dacosta fell victim to what has been described as the largest product recall in American history: the Takata airbag recall.
Can Fast Fashion Be Ethical? Reformation Is Rewriting The Rules
We think of fashion as a creative industry. But is it innovative? “I’ve found that fashion is not at the forefront of technology as a lot of other industries,” says Yael Aflalo, founder of Reformation, an eco-friendly, fast-fashion brand favored by Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Karlie Kloss.
Why Fashion Brands Should Think More Like Tech Companies
Karen Harvey, who advises Burberry, Coach, and Tiffany, explains why fashion leaders must take a page from Silicon Valley to stay in vogue. You may not know Karen Harvey by name, but if you’re interested in fashion, you’re probably aware of her handiwork.
Levi’s Is Radically Redefining Sustainability
And it all comes down to making a timeless product that the customer will hold on to for many, many years. In focusing on sustainability, Levi's wants to cultivate a “consumer who values durability and demonstrates a real attachment to an object.”
The Build-Your-Own-Handbag Startup That’s Perfected Mass Customization
How Mon Purse’s Lana Hopkins shook up the supply chain and embraced technology so consumers can design their own bags at non-luxury prices. Mon Purse customers design every aspect of their handbag, from the shape and type of leather to hardware and monogram options.
How To Survive (And Nail) A Job Interview Over Lunch
Ah, the lunch interview-an audition that combines the stress of a job interview with the awkwardness of a first date. To ace it, you’ll need to make a professional impression in a casual environment.
Five Tough Lessons These Solopreneurs Learned In Their First 12 Months
When you start working for yourself full-time, it’s like taking a crash course in business ownership-but with no instructor and extremely high stakes. But if you can get past the one-year mark and still see a path ahead, it’s likely because you’ve learned from the inevitable pitfalls of going in blind.
What It Takes To Start Your Career At Facebook, BuzzFeed, Nike, And Refinery29
Millennials at top employers-and the recruiters who hire them-explain how to land internships and entry-level jobs that don’t suck. Entry-levels jobs usually aren’t much fun.
Negotiating Lessons From a Former NFL Ceo
Nicknamed the “Princess of Darkness,” Amy Trask became a master negotiator as she moved up the ranks at the Oakland Raiders, eventually becoming the NFL team’s CEO. Currently an analyst for CBS Sports , she found that the best deals are struck when you work from a place of collaboration.
Takata pleads guilty to U.S. fraud charge linked to faulty air bags
After Takata’s guilty plea, a federal judge in Detroit was hearing objections on Monday to the settlement raised by lawyers for some victims of Takata inflator ruptures, who argue the settlement will be used by automakers to avoid liability, a court clerk said. Takata hopes to wins court approval of the settlement, a key hurdle to securing the backing of an investor or acquirer that can fund a turnaround effort and help it grapple with billions of dollars in costs related to the auto industry’s biggest-ever recall.
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Toshiba has received an offer as high as 400 billion yen for a 19.9 percent stake in its flash memory business, with other bids as low as 200 billion yen, a person directly involved in the deal told Reuters. The Japanese conglomerate was seeking to raise around 300 billion yen from the stake sale, said the source, who declined to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
Oil Rises After Drop in U.S. Gasoline Stocks
Oil prices rose on Thursday, boosted by an unexpected draw in U.S. gasoline inventories, although bloated crude supplies meant that fuel markets remain under pressure. Brent crude futures, the international benchmark for oil prices, were trading at $55.41 per barrel at 0515 GMT, up 29 cents, or 0.5 percent, from their last close.
Asian Shares at 18-Month Highs as China Rises
Asian shares climbed to their highest in more than 18 months on Thursday, as investors grew more confident about China while the dollar slightly firmed in the wake of growing concerns over political instability in Europe. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gained 0.4 percent to their highest since July 2015 with Hong Kong, Taiwan and China among the region’s best performing markets.
Trump vs Nordstrom: The latest bout raising ethical concerns
In this May 13, 2016 file photo, the Nordstrom logo is displayed above the post where it trades on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York. Nordstrom shares sunk after President Trump tweeted that the department store chain had … treated his daughter Ivanka “so unfairly” when it announced last week that it would stop selling Ivanka Trump’s clothing and accessory line.
Canada warns Trump administration over talk of US tariffs
Canada’s foreign minister has warned the Trump administration that Canada will retaliate if the U.S. applies new tariffs. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Wednesday from Washington that her government strongly opposes any new possible tariffs and would respond.
7 months in, expanded Panama Canal still faces challenges
In this Jan. 16, 2017 photo, a heron rests on a lock gate near protective bumpers, top left, torn by passing ships in the Cocoli Locks of the Panama Canal, Panama. According to the Panama Canal authority, between June and January there were 15 … incidents that resulted in damage to the locks or ships, or about 2 percent of the 700 total transits.
U.S. Health Insurance Mergers Killed as Companies Plot Next Move
After 18 months of courtship and court cases, two massive deals that would have reshaped the U.S. health insurance industry have both been declared dead, blocked by judges who said they’d do unacceptable harm to competition in the industry. Now, the companies are right back where they started.
Berlin Festival Tightens Security After Christmas Attack
“We have no intel on a planned attack during the festival, but we will be on high alert,” says a Berlin police spokesman. Berlin prides itself on being the casual alternative to Cannes, but in the wake of the Christmas market attack in the German capital in December, the festival has tightened security.