Samsung Beats Estimates as Chips Shake Off Note 7 Problems

Samsung Electronics Co. posted profit that beat estimates as buoyant memory chip prices helped the world’s largest smartphone maker bounce back from the death of its fire-prone Galaxy Note 7. Operating income rose 50 percent to 9.2 trillion won in the quarter ended December, its biggest profit in three years, the Suwon, South Korea-based company said in preliminary results Friday.

T-Mobile to simplify rate plan

At a press event here Thursday during the CES electronics show, John Legere, CEO of the self-proclaimed “Uncarrier,” announced the company will simplify its rate plans and the bills it sends out to customers. It also plans to reward customers who are frugal in their data usage by reducing their next month’s bills.

How Senator Rand Paul Would Replace Obamacare

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) weighs in on the Senate Democrats' push to block the Obamacare repeal. As the new Republican-controlled Congress moves forward with its goal of repealing the Affordable Care Act, the biggest question now is what will replace it.

Why Kohl’s, Gartner, and Constellation Brands Slumped Today

The stock market didn’t move much on Thursday, with major market benchmarks finishing the day mixed and with minimal changes from Wednesday’s close. The mood of the market was less positive than investors had seen in previous days, with various news items calling into question whether the upbeat attitude that market participants had had coming into 2017 will actually pan out with improved economic growth and corporate profits.

Trump Tells Confidant He Still Opposes AT&T-Time Warner 2 hours ago

Time Warner Inc. because he believes it would concentrate too much power in the media industry, according to people close to the president-elect, who has been publicly silent about the transaction for months. Trump told a friend in the last few weeks that he still considers the merger to be a bad deal, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the conversation was private.

Why Chemours Stock Dropped 10% in December

For the year, though, the stock was up more than 300%. A mid-month civil trial loss by Chemours’ former parent company, DuPont There wasn’t a single clear reason for the stock’s sharp December decline, although stocks of other companies selling titanium dioxide like Kronos and Tronox were down more modestly: One major event that could have a big impact on the company came mid-month, as DuPont was found liable in a civil trial related to the company’s manufacture of the toxic chemical PFOA.

Western Digital Stock Upgraded: What You Need to Know

As confirmed by TheFly.com , analysts at Chicago-basedinvestment banker Guggenheim initiated coverage of Western Digital with a buy rating and a $100 price target, calling the stock their “best idea in IT Hardware & Mobility.” This morning, we’re hearing Canadian banker BMO Capital chime in with a buy rating of its own — an upgrade from market perform to outperform, and a less ambitious $90 price target.

Altria Group Inc.’s Biggest Win in 2016

A host of challenges continues to face Altria, including ongoing pressure from regulators, consumer advocates, and plaintiffs’ attorneys seeking to cause difficulties for the tobacco giant. Yet even though some favorable moves with its core business were noteworthy in 2016, Altria’s biggest win came in avoiding an even bigger hassle from the IRS.

Alexa Could Be Amazon’s “Fourth Pillar”

All three have been instrumental to Amazon’s success over the past decade-plus and Bezos wrote, “I assure you that we also remain hard at work on finding a fourth [pillar].” It’s been two years since Amazon unveiled the Echo, which can serve as a hub for other smart-home devices like thermostats and lightbulbs, and its functionality has been extended through third-party “skills,” which function like voice-controlled apps.

The Latest at CES: Skydiving and zombies in virtual reality

Intel thinks the future of virtual reality is skydiving in the desert, watching live sports from a ringside seat and cringing as zombies attack – all powered by Intel chips. Wednesday’s demo featured leather chairs, Oculus sensors and headsets – and a barf bag, signaling this was not an ordinary press conference.

Here’s how the Trump administration will make your internet…

The Economist Intelligence Unit ranked victory for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at 12 on an index where the current top threat is a Chinese economic “hard landing” rated 20 Most talk about President-elect Donald Trump’s technology policies – or “the cyber,” as he calls them – has revolved around his takes on Russia’s hacking of the Democratic National Committee. After being appointed as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission by President Obama, Tom Wheeler enacted a set of reforms to United States telecommunications policy that reclassified internet service providers as common carriers, thus allowing him to implement network neutrality restrictions on their activities.

Hilton Worldwide (HLT) Gets ‘Sell’ Rating, Stock Slips

Hilton Worldwide stock was downgraded to a “sell” from a “hold” at Hamburg, Germany-based Berenberg , a day after the hotel operator split itself into three separate, publicly traded companies. Berenberg analysts do “see a number of positive features in Hilton,” such as strong structural growth and potential shareholder returns of $3.8 billion over the next three years.

UGG Holiday Sales Pump Deckers Outdoor

Deckers Outdoor is a buy thanks to strong holiday sales from its UGG brand, analysts at Canaccord Genuity wrote today, while maintaining the stock’s “buy” rating and $70 price target. The firm’s checks showed that cold winter weather in late November through December drove a sharp increase in weekly sell-through rates, likely in the 25% range.

Throat drop maker says its banned ad is fun, no menace

A throat lozenge company says the commercial it wants to run during NBC’s Golden Globes broadcast Sunday is a goof on subliminal ads, but the network isn’t buying it. “This is clearly a parody of a subliminal ad, and the audience is in on the joke,” McDowell said in a statement.

Service-Sector Activity Remained Solid in December

Growth in economic activity across the sprawling U.S. service sector was steady and solid in December, a sign of momentum for the broader economy headed into the new year. The Institute for Supply Management on Thursday said its index of nonmanufacturing activity was 57.2 in December, unchanged from its November level.

Drivers to Pay More at the Pump in 2017

GasBuddy expects gas prices to average $2.49 a gallon in 2017, an increase of 36 cents versus 2016, as a stronger oil market and improving economic trends make it more expensive to fill up. “The list of factors being mixed into the yearly forecast has never been larger,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.

Brokers for Long-Term Investors: Interactive Brokers vs. Charles Schwab

When you’re ready to start investing, you’ll need to open a brokerage account to place your orders. Many investors now use online discount brokers for self-directed accounts to make trades quickly, conveniently, and inexpensively.Today we’ll look at two of the largest brokers out there, Interactive Brokers and Charles Schwab , to see how they compare on factors that are important to investors.

After Brexit

At worst Brexit could devastate the farming sector; on average 60% of farm incomes come in the form of EU subsidies.

How I Ditched Debt: Debt Free Guys

In this new series, NerdWallet interviews people who have faced debt and triumphed using a combination of commitment, budgeting and smart financial choices. Their stories may even inspire you to pay off your debt .

Saunders Paints Realistic Outlook for Allergan in 2017

Having fallen short of earnings expectations in its third quarter, Allergan says non-GAAP earnings per share should see double-digit growth in the year ahead. Allergan offered some color on its outlook for the year ahead on Thursday, and according to at least one company follower, the cautiousness of CEO Brent Saunders ought to be well received after the company widely missed its third quarter earnings target.

Jim Cramer — Nvidia Is Far From Done

Nvidia was the top performing stock in the S&P 500 in 2016, rising more than 220% in the year. This growth has been so astounding, some investors are being reminded of the dot-com boom and subsequent bust at the beginning of the millennium, TheStreet’s Jim Cramer, co-manager of the Action Alerts PLUS portfolio , said on CNBC’s “Mad Dash” segment.