Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE:LYV) – The U.S. Department of Justice plans to initiate an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation next month, citing its control over the live event market. Its subsidiary Ticketmaster faced criticism for its management during Taylor Swift’s tour, fueling the investigation. Shares fell 6.8% in Tuesday’s pre-market trading.
Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) – Ericsson’s sales fell 14% to $4.8 billion in the first quarter of 2024. The company said the slowdown in 5G infrastructure construction in India impacted sales. Net profit increased by 66%, reaching 2.6 billion Swedish kronor, driven by profit margins of 42.7%. For the second half, Ericsson forecasts profit margins between 42-44%. The company cut 8,500 jobs globally in January. Shares are trading 7.3% higher in Tuesday’s pre-market.
Telefonica SA (NYSE:TEF) – The Spanish government has increased its stake in Telefonica SA to 5%, becoming the company’s largest shareholder, surpassing Saudi Telecom Co. The state-owned Sepi increased its stake from 3% to 5% in March, valued at about $1.2 billion.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) – Apple plans to increase spending with suppliers from Vietnam, boosting the Asian country as an electronics hub. CEO Tim Cook expressed the commitment during a meeting with the Vietnamese Prime Minister. The company seeks to diversify its production outside China, exploring locations such as India and Vietnam.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) – Microsoft is investing $1.5 billion in the UAE-based artificial intelligence company G42, obtaining a minority stake and a seat on the board. The deal aims to deepen ties and ensure the secure development of AI, amid global concerns about technology and geopolitics. G42 agreed to divest in China and switch to American technology, in exchange for continued access to U.S. technology for its AI applications.
Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE) – Adobe is exploring the integration of third-party AI tools, such as OpenAI’s Sora, into its video editing software, Premiere Pro. This aims to add AI-based features such as scene filling and distraction removal, while ensuring user ethics and safety.
Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) – China’s Baidu revealed that its artificial intelligence chatbot “Ernie Bot” has surpassed 200 million users, successfully competing in the market for chatbots similar to China’s popular ChatGPT. The number of users has doubled since December, boosting daily API usage.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) – Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers dismissed claims against Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, citing a lack of proof of his personal duty in platform safety. Hundreds of pending lawsuits claim damages to children through social media use, seeking compensation and the suspension of harmful practices, involving other companies as well. Additionally, Meta announced on Monday that it would temporarily suspend its social media service Threads in Turkey from April 29, complying with a provisional order from the Turkish competition authority. This will not affect other Meta platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp in Turkey.
Reddit (NYSE:RDDT) – Reddit’s shares, after their debut on the New York Stock Exchange on March 21 at $34, rose 48% on the first day but have since fallen about 16%. Analysts from Needham and Roth MKM initiated coverage with buy recommendations, highlighting the potential of artificial intelligence. Analysts from JP Morgan maintained a neutral position, citing the current valuation and growth challenges as reasons for caution. Shares are up 0.30% at $40.00 in Tuesday’s pre-market, after falling 5.6% to $39.89 on Monday.
Trump Media & Technology Group (NASDAQ:DJT) – Trump Media shares fell 18% on Monday, extending losses since their debut last month. The company announced it could sell millions of shares in the coming months, including all of former President Trump’s stake, affecting its volatile trajectory since listing.
Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) – Google’s head of artificial intelligence (AI), Demis Hassabis, revealed plans to invest over $100 billion in the field, highlighting the growing competition for investments in Silicon Valley. He discussed the need for massive computational resources to achieve general artificial intelligence (AGI), highlighting the partnership with Google due to its superior computational capacity. Hassabis also recognized the global interest shown by OpenAI’s ChatGPT as a sign of the public’s readiness to adopt AI systems, despite their current limitations.
Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) – Broadcom is under EU antitrust investigation due to changes in VMware (NYSE:VMW) licensing terms. European business groups and CISPE criticized the changes. Broadcom defended itself, lowering VMware Cloud Foundation prices and standardizing price metrics across cloud providers.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (NYSE:TSM) – TSMC, a leader in chip production, forecasts a 5% increase in first-quarter profits, driven by high demand. Benefiting from growing AI, TSMC has outperformed the slowdown in electronic demand.
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) – Tesla is reducing its global workforce by more than 10%, cutting jobs in the US and China due to falling sales and a price war in electric vehicles. Many employees have already been laid off. Drew Baglino, Senior VP of Powertrain and Energy Engineering, announced his departure after 18 years at Tesla in a post on X. Rohan Patel, VP of Public Policy and Business Development, is also leaving Tesla. In other news, regulators in North Carolina approved a mining license for Tesla and Piedmont Lithium (NASDAQ:PLL), aiming to develop one of the largest lithium sources in the US for EV batteries, despite local financial and regulatory challenges.
Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) – Rivian Automotive received a rating upgrade from UBS, changing from Sell to Neutral, while the price target remained unchanged at $9.
Honda Motor (NYSE:HMC) – Honda plans to launch six next-generation electric vehicle models under the Ye brand in China by 2027, in addition to 10 models under the Honda brand, aiming for 100% EV sales by 2035.
General Motors (NYSE:GM) – In 2025, General Motors will move its headquarters to downtown Detroit, transferring to the new Hudson’s building. CEO Mary Barra emphasized the importance of keeping Detroit as home. Additionally, the NHTSA initiated a preliminary evaluation of complaints about loss of brake assist in 3,322 Cadillac Lyriq electric vehicles from GM. Reports include a hard brake pedal and a “Brake System Failure” message. GM is developing an update to alert drivers about the issue.
Boeing (NYSE:BA) – Boeing stated on Monday that it found no fatigue cracks in 787 jets after heavy maintenance. While the manufacturer defends its twin-aisle aircraft program, a whistleblower alleged assembly failures, with safety concerns being debated in the U.S. Senate.
Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) – Lockheed Martin won a $17 billion contract to develop next-generation interceptors, aimed at defending the US against intercontinental ballistic missile threats. The program seeks to modernize ground-based missile defense and represents a boost for Lockheed following other canceled projects.
Equinor (NYSE:EQNR), EQT Corporation (NYSE:EQT) – EQT will sell 40% of its non-operated natural gas assets in Pennsylvania to Equinor USA, exchanging for onshore assets from Equinor in the Appalachian basin and $500 million. Low natural gas prices drive EQT’s strategy, aiming to reduce debt and increase returns. Equinor is also reviewing assets, focusing on offshore operations.
Warner Bros Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) – New Zealand’s Stuff Group announced a partnership with Warner Bros Discovery to provide a daily news program. This comes after concerns about the reduction of television news options in the country. Warner Bros Discovery chose Stuff from several proposals.
MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM) – MGM filed a lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission, seeking to end an investigation into its response to a cyberattack. The company claims that FTC Chair Lina Khan should recuse herself from the case. The investigation arose after an incident at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) – The increase in personal hygiene product prices threatens North American shopping habits, impacting P&G, a leader in the sector. P&G has raised prices by more than 1% in the last nine quarters. This consistent price increase was accompanied by a notable nearly 16% jump in sales over the last three fiscal years. Wall Street, based on data from LSEG, is anticipating that P&G’s revenues will continue to rise, reflecting confidence in the company’s performance despite price increases. P&G’s quarterly earnings, expected on Friday, are crucial, influencing companies like Unilever (NYSE:UL) and Clorox (NYSE:CLX).
Tapestry (NYSE:TPR), Capri Holdings (NYSE:CPRI) – The $8.5 billion deal between Tapestry, owner of Coach, and Capri Holdings, owner of Michael Kors, received regulatory approval in the EU and Japan. The merger still awaits authorization in the US, after a request for additional information by the FTC in November. The closing of the deal is expected in 2024.
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) – UnitedHealth reported robust financial results for the first quarter, surpassing expectations with an adjusted earnings per share of $6.91, compared to the $6.61 predicted by LSEG analysts. Revenue reached $99.8 billion, also above the $99.3 billion expected. These gains occur despite difficulties from a cyberattack on its subsidiary Change Healthcare and a $7 billion expense from selling operations in Brazil, reflecting a net loss of $1.53 per share for the period.
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) – Johnson & Johnson exceeded Wall Street expectations in the first quarter, with an adjusted earnings per share of $2.71, beating the forecast of $2.64. Revenue totaled $21.38 billion, virtually in line with the $21.4 billion estimate. Increased demand for non-urgent surgeries drove growth in the medical devices segment.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:REGN) – Regeneron Pharmaceuticals denied accusations from the U.S. Department of Justice regarding the incorrect disclosure of the average selling price of its Eylea medication for macular degeneration. The company states that credit card fee reimbursements do not affect the price of the medication.
JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM) – JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon completed the sale of about $33 million of his bank shares, as part of a previous plan to sell 1 million shares. This is the first time Dimon has sold shares since becoming CEO in 2005. Additionally, JPMorgan analysts acknowledged their mistake in adopting a cautious stance on European bank shares, one of the best-performing sectors in the region this year. Favorable economic trends and interest rates have boosted a 16% improvement in price/earnings across the sector, as noted by Kian Abouhossein and his team. They have now shifted their focus to a bottom-up stock selection approach, discarding the previous view.
UBS Group AG (NYSE:UBS) – Swiss Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter confirmed estimates that UBS would need an additional $15 billion to $25 billion in capital under government proposals as plausible. The Swiss government proposed stricter regulations for “too big to fail” banks like UBS.
Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) – Charles Schwab exceeded first-quarter revenue expectations, driven by an increase in client assets to a record $9.1 trillion. However, profits fell 15% to $1.36 billion due to higher interest rates on deposits and loans.
BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) – Jio Financial Services announced a new joint venture with BlackRock to establish a wealth management and brokerage business in India, targeting the lucrative wealth market of the country. The partnership seeks to democratize access to investments and awaits regulatory approval.
Blackstone (NYSE:BX) – Blackstone’s real estate arm is again considering selling G6 Hospitality, owner of Motel 6 and Studio 6. After an unsuccessful effort in late 2021, the company is seeking potential buyers. Blackstone acquired G6 in 2012 for $1.9 billion.