Here is a rundown of Cheddar News' top market stories of the day.
TECH LAYOFFS
Multiple outlets are reporting that Microsoft will begin a series of planned layoffs on Wednesday that could cut around 5 percent of its workforce, or 10,000 employees. CEO Satya Nadella warned the cuts were coming, and said the next couple of years were likely to be challenging, as the tech sector contracts after a decade plus of rapid growth. Amazon is also set to move ahead with plans to cut 6 percent of its 350,000 corporate employees.
ADOBE'S DATA DEBACLE
Adobe is facing backlash from customers who are concerned the software company is using personal images and video to train artificial intelligence models such as OpenAI’s Dall-E. Chief Product Officer Scott Belsky denied the accusations in an interview with Bloomberg, saying: "We have never, ever used anything in our storage to train a generative AI model."
UNITED AIRLINES EARNINGS
United Airlines' fourth quarter earnings beat Wall Street estimates on the heels of a rebound in travel demand. The company reported a 31 percent increase from the same period before the pandemic. The gains were made despite the airline flying 9 percent fewer trips and a litany of other challenges, from winter storms to labor shortages to supply chain disruptions.
UNIVERSITY BANS TIKTOK
The University of Texas at Austin is blocking access to TikTok on its Wi-Fi and wired networks. The move is a response to Gov. Greg Abbott's requirement that all state agencies delete the app from government-issued devices. The administration said it is also seeking to eliminate risks to information on the university's networks. University of Texas at Dallas and Texas A&M University System have since implemented similar restrictions.
Nicola Mendelsohn, vice president of the global business group at the newly-christened Meta, joined Cheddar to discuss what went into the re-branding of Facebook's parent company. Regarding criticism that the name change might be a way for the company to deflect from news of its role in allegedly undermining child safety, growing political strife, and spreading vaccine disinformation, she noted that the process began even earlier. "Something like this takes a long time to pull together," Mendelsohn said.
Matt Orton, Chief Market Strategist at Carillon Tower Advisers, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss today's record close for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, market broadening, and earnings results from tech giant Amazon.
Proptech startup Juno recently raised $20 million in a Series A funding round. The company says the funds will be used to further its mission of building sustainable and affordable apartment buildings across the United States. Juno Co-Founder and CEO Jonathan Sherr joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
As President Joe Biden heads to Europe for the G20 and the United Nations COP26 climate meeting, he has announced a new $1.75 trillion spending framework. Senate Democrats are reportedly close to agreeing on passing the legislation, but it hangs in the balance as President Biden and other world leaders will meet at COP26 and Biden looks to proclaim the U.S. a leader on climate issues. Vox Senior Reporter Rebecca Leber joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the $555 billion worth of clean energy initiatives Biden included in the framework, and how Democrats' continuing negotiations undermine U.S. climate leadership.
Huntington Bancshares Inc. reported Q3 earnings today. The bank holding company delivered a record $1.7 billion in revenue, but saw some pressure on its bottom line. The company says results were driven by its recent acquisition of TCF bank, as well as positive trends in areas like wealth management, capital markets, and card and payments processing. Cheddar News welcomes the chairman, president and CEO of Huntington Bancshares, Steve Steinour, to discuss.
While the Q3 GDP report showed just 2 percent growth for the U.S. economy, the National Retail Federation said holiday shopping totals could shatter previous records, giving a much-needed boost. Katherine Cullen, senior director of industry and consumer insights for the National Retail Federation, joined Cheddar to discuss some of the potential drivers of a Q4 shopping boom, including a surge in holiday gatherings after the pandemic had forced people to stay away from family in 2020 and financial stability within American households.
Solo Brands ($DTC), maker of steel wood-burning stoves and other outdoor brands, made its NYSE debut on Thursday. CEO John Merris stopped by Cheddar's "Closing Bell" to talk about the decision behind the IPO and the company's experience in direct-to-consumer retail and e-commerce. Merris said that after going public the immediate goal for the company is to focus on overseas expansion. "Internationally, there's been a lot of demand and chatter from our customers of wanting us to launch there," he said.
Boxing Legend Mike Tyson, Chief Brand Officer, of Tyson 2.0 and Chad Bronstein, Chairman of Tyson 2.0, joined Cheddar News to discuss venturing into the cannabis industry.
