A Boeing 737 MAX jet heads to a landing at Boeing Field following a test flight Monday, June 29, 2020, in Seattle. The jet took off from Boeing Field earlier in the day, the start of three days of re-certification test flights that mark a step toward returning the aircraft to passenger service. The Federal Aviation Administration test flights over the next three days will evaluate Boeing's proposed changes to the automated flight control system on the MAX, a system that activated erroneously on two flights that crashed, killing 346 people. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
U.S.-CHINA TENSION HITS MARKETS
Stocks broadly fell on Wall Street Friday amid increased tensions between the United States and China, in addition to a mixed batch of earnings reports. The U.S. and China went back and forth with orders to close consulates, drawing concerns from investors also dealing with the surging cases of coronavirus in the American South and the uptick in filings for unemployment benefits last week. The uncertainty in the markets, as technology and health care companies accounted for much of the selling, led to a record rise in the price of gold.
TECH TUMBLES
Tech companies did their part dragging down markets by the end of this week, despite a series of impressive earnings reports. Tesla beats made it eligible for the S&P, but the stock price still dropped as investors wonder where the EV-maker can go from here. Social media giants Twitter and Snap both saw their user bases grow, but a dearth of advertising dollars in the industry are raising questions about how they're going to make money in Q3. Intel stock also plummeted after indicating the storied manufacturer may move away from producing its own chips.
VACCINES AND TREATMENTS
Even as the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. surpassed 4 million this week, some glimmers of hope came in the form of potential vaccines. Pharma companies Pfizer and BioNTech made a nearly $2 billion deal with the federal government to deliver a working vaccine. The deal pushed stocks higher on Wednesday. Sorrento Therapeutics also received a big boost on the news that the FDA approved their COVID-19 treatment Abivertinib for a Phase 2 trial on hospitalized patients.
BOEING MAX UPDATE
Don't expect the Boeing 737 MAX to hit the skies in 2020, according to a report this week from The Wall Street Journal. But for investors, some news was better than no news: stock ticked up on the report. Boeing got another ding on Friday, though, as the FAA warned airlines to inspect older models of the 737 NG and Classic that haven't flown for a week over corrosion that could possibly lead to engine failure.
MICROSOFT'S HARD KNOCKS
Tech giant Microsoft reported some stellar earnings news on Wednesday, beating analyst expectations on revenue by nearly $1.5 billion, as the coronavirus drove demand for the company's tools for remote work. But, the stock still fell nearly 2.5 percent on news of slowing growth for its Azure business. On top of that, the messaging app company Slack filed a complaint against Microsoft with the European Commission, citing anti-competitive behavior. Slack accused Microsoft of having "illegally tied" its Teams product to Office. Microsoft, however, added some positivity to the week announcing its part in a coalition of large companies called Transform to Net Zero with the goal of achieving carbon negativity by the year 2030.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
