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.
Walmart, which last month reported lackluster earnings, is making a big bet on enhancing its warehouse technology. The big box giant will open new facilities that use automation in order to fill more orders and deliver them within a competitive timeframe, like same-day or two-day delivery in order to compete with e-commerce king Amazon. Will these efforts give Walmart an advantage, and maybe even help it beat Amazon in multiple categories? Arun Sundaram, senior equity analyst at CFRA Research, joins Closing Bell to discuss.
Major business leaders are taking in the current U.S. economic backdrop — including inflation and a first-quarter GDP contraction — and voicing pessimistic outlooks about what the economy will do. Meanwhile, the question on everyone's mind is still whether or not we will enter a recession, and when. Mike 'Mish' Shedlock, an investment advisor at Sitka Pacific Capital Management, says on Closing Bell that business leaders aren't anxious enough, and that it's likely the U.S. will enter a recession early in the third quarter of this year.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp is partnering with eye-drop brand Pataday to help those struggling with allergies — such as himself. The Super Bowl LVI MVPjoined Cheddar News to discuss his own struggle with seasonal allergies. “It's right when football's starting back up, I feel like I get so excited to finally be back playing the game, and then, you know, spring comes around and completely knocks me out," he said.
After a week of changes including a ticker change and longtime COO Sheryl Sandberg stepping down, Meta's future may seem uncertain. Cheddar News anchors Kristen Scholer and Ken Buffa broke it all down a the stock dropped around 4 percent on Friday amid a flurry of speculation around the company formerly known as Facebook.
The Week's Top Stories is a guided tour through the biggest market stories of the week, from winning stocks to brutal dips to the facts and forecasts generating buzz on Wall Street.
Buy now, pay later — or point-of-sales loans — might be making it difficult to get a handle on your credit. These companies typically do not report payment history during transactions, so without this data going to credit scoring companies, it makes it difficult to know how many loans a customer still needs to pay. Experts are recommend paying off these debts as soon as possible.
A new survey from LendingClub and Pyments.com shows that more than one-third of Americans making $250,000 are living paycheck to paycheck. The alarming trend is being found mostly among millennial earners.
As manufacturing and shipping continue to face staffing challenges, robotic replacements are increasingly on their way to plug the gaps. Cheddar's Alex Vuocolo takes a deeper look at the latest trend.
