BlackRock Enters the Gun Debate, General Mills is Buying Blue Buffalo for $8 Billion
BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, says it's going to talk with gunmakers about the Parkland school shooting. The company wants “to understand their response” to the recent tragedy. In a statement provided to Cheddar, BlackRock said the following:
“We are working with clients who want to exclude from their portfolios weapons manufacturers or other companies that don’t align with their values."
The firm manages nearly $6 trillion for various clients.
In other news, General Mills is buying natural pet food maker Blue Buffalo for $8 billion in cash. Shares of Blue Buffalo surged more than 15% on the news. This marks the first time General Mills has broken into the pet food industry. The deal is expected to be finalized at the end of this year.
Dan Ives, Managing Director and Senior Equity Analyst at Wedbush Securities dives deeper into a report by the International Data Corporation (IDC) that Apple has ended Samsung's 12-year reign as the world's largest smartphone seller.
Artificial intelligence is the biggest buzzword at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos. Advances in generative AI stunned the world last year, and the elite crowd is angling to take advantage of its promise and minimize its risks.
Smartphones could get much smarter this year as the next wave of artificial intelligence seeps into the devices that accompany people almost everywhere they go.
In an annual assessment of global inequalities, Oxfam International said the first trillionaire could emerge within the next decade — as the anti-poverty organization pointed to the growing wealth gap that skyrocketed globally during the pandemic.
The Biden administration proposed a cost drop for overdrawing bank accounts, which it says could particularly relieve Americans living paycheck to paycheck.
Americans stepped up their spending in December more than expected, closing out the holiday season and the year on an upbeat tone. The Commerce Department said retail sales rose 0.6% in December compared with a November’s 0.3% increase.
