Thursday, March 5

Blog

Monday’s top Wall Street analyst calls include Nvidia
Business

Monday’s top Wall Street analyst calls include Nvidia

Here are Monday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Loop reiterates Apple as buy Loop says its channel checks show that Apple 's iPhone shipments are tracking "stronger than anticipated." "Reiterating our Buy and $300 PT after the work of Loop Supply Chain Analyst John Donovan suggests that Sep Q iPhone shipments are tracking stronger than anticipated." Piper Sandler reiterates Tesla as overweight Piper says it's sticking with Tesla heading into earnings later this week. "The stock has fallen by ~15% since peaking prior to the [robotaxi] event, and the likelihood of additional downside will depend, in our view, largely on gross margin. We expect gross margin to rise vs. last quarter, but if we're wrong, the next several months could be choppy at best." Deutsche Bank initiates GE Vernova as buy...
Minimum wage for higher-paid temporary foreign workers expected to increase – National
Politics

Minimum wage for higher-paid temporary foreign workers expected to increase – National

Descrease article font size Increase article font size The federal government is expected to boost the minimum hourly wage that must be paid to temporary foreign workers in the high-wage stream as a way to encourage employers to hire more Canadian staff. Under the current program’s high-wage labour market impact assessment (LMIA) stream, an employer must pay at least the median income in their province to qualify for a permit. A government official, who The Canadian Press is not naming because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the change, said Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault will announce Tuesday that the threshold will increase to 20 per cent above the provincial median hourly wage.The change is scheduled to come into for...
Microsoft to allow autonomous AI agent development next month
Business

Microsoft to allow autonomous AI agent development next month

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella speaks at a company event on artificial intelligence technologies in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 30, 2024.Dimas Ardian | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesLONDON — Microsoft will allow businesses to start making their own autonomous artificial intelligence agents starting next month, taking the fight back to Salesforce, which introduced its own configurable agentic AI tools in September.At its "AI Tour" event in London on Monday, Microsoft revealed plans to allow organizations to create their own autonomous agents within Copilot Studio, the U.S. tech giant's platform for customizing and building so-called "copilot" assistants.AI agents can act as virtual workers that can carry out a series of tasks without supervision. They are touted as a major evolution of large langua...
Trudeau’s leadership in spotlight as Parliament returns from break – National
Politics

Trudeau’s leadership in spotlight as Parliament returns from break – National

By Jim Bronskill The Canadian Press Posted October 21, 2024 7:27 am Updated October 21, 2024 7:28 am 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size The House of Commons returns on Monday from a week-long break, but it’s unlikely to be business as usual. Members of Parliament are slated to resume debating a Conservative demand for documents about federal spending on green technology projects.The matter of privilege has all but paralyzed House business as the Liberals try to maintain a grip on ...
Goldman upgrades WRBY to buy
Business

Goldman upgrades WRBY to buy

Warby Parker's promising outlook justifies its premium valuation, according to Goldman Sachs. The bank upgraded shares of the eyeglass retailer to buy from neutral and raised its 12-month price target to $18 from $15. Goldman's forecast implies roughly 9% upside from Friday's close. Shares popped more than 4% in the premarket after the rating change. Analyst Brooke Roach noted that while the stock's valuation "remains somewhat elevated," Warby Parker's strong fundamentals and margin growth outlook justifies outperformance from here. Warby Parker trades at a forward price-to-earnings multiple of 69, well above the S & P 500's 24.6 ratio. WRBY YTD mountain WRBY YTD chart "This multiple represents a premium to our sector average multiple, which we believe is appropriate due to WRBY's stro...
Three in four Europeans support use of AI by the police and military
Business

Three in four Europeans support use of AI by the police and military

Peter Cade | Stone | Getty ImagesThe vast majority of Europeans support the use of artificial intelligence for police and military operations, according to a new report by Madrid's IE University shared with CNBC."European Tech Insights," which measured the attitudes of over 3,000 people in Europe, found that 75% support the use of AI technologies such as facial recognition and biometric data by the police and military for surveillance purposes.The extent of the support is perhaps surprising, as Europe holds some of the strictest data privacy regulations in the world. In 2018, the European Union introduced the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR — a framework that governs the way organizations store and process users' information.Firms face hefty fines for violating the rules. A com...
Robinhood rolls out margin trading in the UK after regulator nod
Business

Robinhood rolls out margin trading in the UK after regulator nod

Tthe Robinhood logo is displayed on a smartphone screen.Rafael Henrique | Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesLONDON — Robinhood said Monday that it's rolling out margin investing — the ability for investors to borrow cash to augment their trades — in the U.K.The U.S. online investment platform said that the option would allow users in the U.K. to leverage their existing asset holdings as collateral to purchase additional securities.The launch of margin trading follows the recent approval of the product, after Robinhood held conversations with Britain's financial regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).Margin trading is a rarity in the U.K., where regulators see it as more controversial because of the risks involved to users. Some platforms in the country limit margin trading ...
Israel intensifies offensive in Gaza, Lebanon after Hamas leader’s death
World News

Israel intensifies offensive in Gaza, Lebanon after Hamas leader’s death

By Amina Ismail and Nidal al-Mughrabi, Reuters Palestinians inspect the damage after an Israeli airstrike in Beit Lahia. Photo: ISLAM AHMED/AFP Israel said it hit Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in its latest strikes on the Lebanese capital Beirut, while officials in Gaza said rescuers were still recovering people from the rubble after an Israeli strike that killed dozens. At least 87 people were dead or missing following the air strike on Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza late on Sunday, the health ministry in the Palestinian territory said, one of the highest death tolls for months from a single attack. Israel said it was investigating reports of the incident. It marked an intensification of Israel's offensives against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza and Iran-backed Hezbo...
Iran aided Russia against Ukraine. Now it needs to call in the favor
Business

Iran aided Russia against Ukraine. Now it needs to call in the favor

Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) enters the hall during the meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (not pictured), October 11, 2024, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.Contributor | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesIran has been one of Russia's few staunch allies throughout the war against Ukraine, but Tehran now faces the strain of indirectly fighting its nemesis Israel on two fronts.Under pressure — but still defiant — Iran could start looking to Russia for help, given its need for greater air defense capabilities and military intelligence to detect a highly-anticipated but yet-to-materialize direct Israeli attack on Iran, analysts told CNBC.Russia is well-positioned to provide Tehran with such capabilities, but the extent to which it will assist the Islamic Republic remains uncertai...
Millions face third day without power in Cuba as Hurricane Oscar nears
World News

Millions face third day without power in Cuba as Hurricane Oscar nears

By Patrick Oppmann, CNN Satellite image shows hurricane Oscar approaching the east of Cuba, 20 October, 2024. Photo: AFP Millions of Cubans remained without power for a third day in a row after fresh attempts to restore electricity failed overnight. The Cuban Electrical Union said just 16 percent of the country had had power restored when the aging energy grid again overloaded late Saturday (local time). Officials did not provide an update on when service would be reestablished. This marks the third full collapse of Cuba's energy grid since Friday, and most in the 10 million-strong country have had their access to power interrupted the whole time. Recovery efforts will be complicated further by the arrival of Hurricane Oscar in eastern Cuba, which is expected to bring heavy winds and...