Saturday, April 18

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UBS says buy this homebuilder with more than 25% upside
Business

UBS says buy this homebuilder with more than 25% upside

Investors should start building a position in Builders FirstSource , according to UBS. Analyst John Lovallo initiated coverage on the stock with a buy rating, with his price target of $232 implying more than 27% upside from Thursday's close. Lovallo joins 11 other analysts covering the stock on Wall Street who have a strong buy or buy rating, per LSEG. Of the 16 analysts in total, the remaining four have taken a neutral stance. With a "structurally underbuilt" housing market in the U.S., Lovallo thinks the homebuilder is well positioned for growth ahead, seeing current headwinds subsiding in 2025. "In our view, the market appears overly cautious on BLDR's growth potential over the next few years given ongoing softness in the multi-family market, decreasing building materials per housing st...
Taylor Swift ticket fraud cases skyrocket in Canada: How can you spot a scam?
Entertainment, Movies

Taylor Swift ticket fraud cases skyrocket in Canada: How can you spot a scam?

As Taylor Swift prepares to close out her Eras Tour era in Canada, fans desperate to see the pop star perform live are vulnerable to scams. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has received 140 reports of fraudulent Swift tickets this year, most of which came from people who were scammed out of money. “Once you’ve sent money, it’s very difficult to get those funds back,” said Nancy Cahill, a communications officer with the centre, which is jointly operated by the RCMP, Ontario Provincial Police and Competition Bureau.For that reason, she said, prevention is the best protection. Here are some tips on how to spot a scam.At this point, it’s very easy to know which Taylor Swift ticket sales are scams: it’s all of them, at least if the ticket-holder is promising an instant transfer. Story con...
KeyBanc downgrades Apple to underweight, citing iPhone sale concerns
Business

KeyBanc downgrades Apple to underweight, citing iPhone sale concerns

Recent consumer survey data on iPhone sales points to a lack of growth for Apple , according to KeyBanc Capital Markets. Analyst Brandon Nispel downgraded the megacap tech name to underweight from sector weight, and his $200 price target reflects more than 13% downside ahead, as of Thursday's close. Shares fell nearly 1% in the premarket following the analyst's move. Year to date, the stock has soared nearly 20%. AAPL YTD mountain AAPL, year-to-date Nispel thinks the iPhone SE is "not purely additive" to overall iPhone sales, citing data from the firm's consumer iPhone survey for September. The survey showed that 59% of respondents are interested in upgrading to the iPhone 16. Additionally, among those who are likely or extremely likely to upgrade to the iPhone 16, 61% are interested in th...
Apple returns to top 5 in China with iPhone 16, Huawei grows faster
Business

Apple returns to top 5 in China with iPhone 16, Huawei grows faster

People walk past an advertisement for the iPhone 16 Pro at an Apple store during National Day holiday on October 3, 2024 in Chongqing, China.Cheng Xin | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesApple rejoined the ranks of the top five smartphone vendors in the China in the third quarter, helped by the launch of the iPhone 16, data released on Friday showed — but its growth was still outpaced by domestic rival Huawei.Apple stood at second position by market share in the third quarter, according to International Data Corporation (IDC). The tech giant took a 15.6% slice of the Chinese market over the period, down from 16.1% in the third quarter of last year. The company's shipment growth to China flatlined year-on-year in the third quarter. Apple stood at second position by market share in the third q...
King Charles acknowledges ‘painful’ slavery past as calls for reparations intensify
World News

King Charles acknowledges ‘painful’ slavery past as calls for reparations intensify

By James Redmayne and Alasdair Pal, Reuters King Charles delivers his speech at CHOGM in Apia. Photo: RNZ / Russell Palmer King Charles says the Commonwealth should acknowledge its "painful" history, as African and Caribbean nations push for reparations for Britain's role in transatlantic slavery. Representatives of 56 countries, most with roots in Britain's empire, are attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting that began in Samoa on Monday, with slavery and the threat of climate change emerging as major themes. "I understand from listening to people across the Commonwealth how the most painful aspects of our past continue to resonate," Charles said in a speech to the summit. "It is vital, therefore, that we understand our history, to guide us towards making the right ch...
80 mn people globally experience gambling disorders: Lancet
Health

80 mn people globally experience gambling disorders: Lancet

With the advent of the digital revolution that ushered in a huge market for online casino and sports betting market, an estimated 80 million people globally experience gambling disorder or problematic gambling, with adolescents being the most affected, according to research published in The Lancet Public Health Commission on Friday. The Commission noted that children and adolescents are routinely exposed to advertising of gambling products in "unprecedented ways" and are the most affected. It is because children and adolescents remain "particularly vulnerable to the allure of easy money and the game-like designs of online gambling." They called for stronger global regulatory controls to reduce the impact of commercial gambling on worldwide health and wellbeing. An international team of ...
Georgia’s election sees voters choose between Russia or Europe
Business

Georgia’s election sees voters choose between Russia or Europe

Supporters of the ruling Georgian Dream party at the party's final campaign rally in Tbilisi on Oct. 23, 2024, ahead of the Oct. 26 parliamentary elections.Giorgi Arjevanidze | Afp | Getty ImagesParliamentary elections in Georgia this weekend have been described as the vote "of a lifetime" that will determine whether the country moves toward Russia or the West.The vote on Saturday is being closely watched for whether the ruling "Georgian Dream" party — which has morphed from an expressly pro-Western grouping over its 12 years in power to a decidedly pro-Russia one in recent years — can hold on to office, or whether it will unseated by pro-Western opposition parties.Voter polls in the run-up to the vote are considered unreliable as they have generally been commissioned or conducted by pro-o...
As the West watches Xi-Putin meetings, China touts crackdown on military goods to Russia
Business

As the West watches Xi-Putin meetings, China touts crackdown on military goods to Russia

A DJI Inspire 1 Pro drone is flown during a demonstration at the SZ DJI Technology Co. headquarters in Shenzhen, China, on Wednesday, April 20, 2016.Qilai Shen | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesChina's Ministry of Commerce on Thursday emphasized the country's efforts to restrict illegal exports of military goods to Russia as it seeks to cast Beijing as a neutral player amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.The remarks were made during the week of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia. In a meeting on the sidelines of the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping had told Russian President Vladimir Putin the two countries' "profound" relationship will not change despite the turbulence in global geopolitics.China has walked a diplomatic tightrope throughout the Russia-Ukraine war. Beijing has not condemned Russia ...
Loud US election barges into quiet Amish country
World News

Loud US election barges into quiet Amish country

A horse carriage at sunset, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on 17 October. There are about 80,000 Amish in Pennsylvania - and the Democrats won the state by about that amount in 2020. Photo: APF/ Paul Nolp The Amish people of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, are a throwback to another era, with their quiet farm life, horse-drawn carriages and rejection of modern technology. But the Donald Trump signs outside some of their farms serve as stark reminders that they live in today's turbulent world - and that 5 November is Election Day for them, too, even if most won't vote. Christian faith, not politics, is what drives the Amish, who trace their roots to Switzerland, Germany and elsewhere in Europe and started arriving in Pennsylvania in the 18th century. They live on the margins of contemporary...
Here’s what 10 ECB members said this week on inflation, jumbo cuts
Business

Here’s what 10 ECB members said this week on inflation, jumbo cuts

After the European Central Bank cut interest rates for the third time this year — and inflation fell below target — all eyes are now on policymakers' next move.A slew of Governing Council members spoke to CNBC's Karen Tso at the International Monetary Fund's annual meeting in Washington, D.C. this week. We asked them about the inflation outlook, the chances of a jumbo 50-basis-point interest cut in December, and more.Mārtiņš Kazāks, Bank of LatviaOn a 50-basis-point rate cut: "Well, everything should be on the table, you know, given what the data tells us. But we will have that discussion in December, and we will have the discussion then early next year, and from meeting to meeting ... With us approaching the 2% target, and with the economy being quite weak for the rates, the way is down a...