3M, maker of Post-it notes, industrial coatings and ceramics, is cutting about 2,500 manufacturing jobs worldwide as it looks to align itself with adjusted production volumes.
The company announced last month that it will exit per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance manufacturing by the end of 2025. The so-called forever chemicals are used in nonstick frying pans, water-repellent sports gear, stain-resistant rugs, cosmetics and countless other consumer products.
3M Co. also reported fourth-quarter earnings of $541 million, or 98 cents per share. Its adjusted profit was $2.28 per share. That's below the $2.34 per share that analysts polled by Zacks Investment Research predicted.
Revenue for the St Paul, Minnesota-based company totaled $8.08 billion in the period, beating Wall Street's estimate of $8.04 billion.
Chairman and CEO Mike Roman said in a statement that 3M experienced rapid declines in consumer-facing markets and a significant slowdown in China due to COVID-19-related disruptions. He said the company anticipates macroeconomic challenges continuing this year.
Looking ahead to the full year, the company expects 2023 adjusted earnings per share of $8.50 to $9, versus $9.88 per share in 2022.
President Donald Trump said he has decided to lower his combined tariff rates on imports of Chinese goods to 47% after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on curbing fentanyl trafficking.
Universal Music Group and AI platform Udio have settled a copyright lawsuit and will collaborate on a new music creation and streaming platform. The companies announced on Wednesday that they reached a compensatory legal settlement and new licensing agreements. These agreements aim to provide more revenue opportunities for Universal's artists and songwriters. The rise of AI song generation tools like Udio has disrupted the music streaming industry, leading to accusations from record labels. This deal marks the first since Universal and others sued Udio and Suno last year. Financial terms of the settlement weren't disclosed.
Nvidia on Wednesday became the first public company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. The ravenous appetite for the Silicon Valley company’s chips is the main reason that the company’s stock price has increased so rapidly since early 2023.
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global, breaks down September’s CPI print and inflation trends, explaining what it means for markets.
