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WMB | MLB roundup Harper launches first Phils HR in win over Braves | High priced offseason acquisitions Bryce Harper and J T Realmuto hit their first home runs for Philadelphia and sparked the Phillies to an 8 6 win over the visiting Atlanta Braves on Saturday Realmuto ripped a two run shot into the center field bleachers that put the Phillies ahead to stay in the fifth inning and Harper hammered a 465 foot solo homer in the seventh Maikel Franco was 2 for 3 with three RBIs and homered for the second straight game The winning pitcher was Adam Morgan 1 0 who retired the only batter he faced in the fifth The losing pitcher was rookie Wes Parsons 0 1 who surrendered the homer to Realmuto Atlanta s offense was paced by Freddie Freeman who went 4 for 5 with two doubles and two RBIs Dansby Swanson and Charlie Culberson each hit two run homers their first of the year Dodgers 18 Diamondbacks 5 Cody Bellinger hit two home runs and Joc Pederson reached base six times while Kenta Maeda pitched 6 2 3 much needed innings as host Los Angeles shook off the effects of a 13 inning loss on Friday to defeat Arizona Pederson and Austin Barnes also hit home runs as the Dodgers scored in double digits for the second time in three games Pederson and Bellinger each have three home runs in the first three games Jarrod Dyson Alex Avila Adam Jones and David Peralta all hit home runs for the Diamondbacks Dodgers catcher Russell Martin pitched a scoreless inning and Diamondbacks catcher John Ryan Murphy pitched the final two innings giving up seven runs on eight hits Maeda 1 0 allowed three runs and five hits with two walks and six strikeouts Mariners 6 Red Sox 5 Jay Bruce hit a three run homer and right hander Mike Leake 1 0 pitched six strong innings to help host Seattle defeat Boston Trailing 6 2 the Red Sox scored three times in the ninth on errors two throwing errors and one fielding error on three consecutive plays by rookie third baseman Dylan Moore With closer Hunter Strickland injured Mariners right hander Nick Rumbelow caught Xander Bogaerts looking to end the game and record his first career save Leake allowed two runs on seven hits with two walks and seven strikeouts He walked two and struck out seven Orioles 5 Yankees 3 Jesus Sucre tied a career high with three RBIs Mike Wright recorded his first career save and Brandon Hyde picked up his first managerial win as Baltimore held on at Yankee Stadium Baltimore s Jimmy Yacabonis 1 0 worked three innings following opener Nick Karns Yacabonis gave up one run and three hits with two walks and two strikeouts James Paxton 0 1 gave up two runs one earned and four hits in 5 2 3 innings for the Yankees He struck out five and walked one Troy Tulowitzki hit his first home run for New York in the bottom of the ninth when the Yankees scored twice but fell short Mets 11 Nationals 8 J D Davis lined a two run single with the bases loaded to snap a tie in the eighth and Jeff McNeil had four hits and drove in two runs as New York won at Washington The Nationals scored four in the ninth including a three run double by Ryan Zimmerman with two outs before Edwin Diaz entered the game and got the last out by retiring Kurt Suzuki for his second save of the season The winning pitcher was Justin Wilson 1 0 who pitched a scoreless bottom of the seventh Trevor Rosenthal 0 1 gave up the hit to Davis and didn t record an out allowing four runs on three hits and a walk Rangers 8 Cubs 6 Texas slugger Joey Gallo crushed a go ahead three run homer 433 feet and host Texas scored a combined five runs in the seventh and eighth innings come from behind and knock off Chicago Asdrubal Cabrera had three hits including a home run and drove in two runs for the Rangers Kyle Schwarber had three hits including a home run and drove in two runs for the Cubs and Willson Contreras also had three hits and two RBIs Reliever Shawn Kelly 1 0 got the win pitching 1 1 3 scoreless innings and Jose Leclerc picked up his first save Cubs reliever Carl Edwards Jr 0 1 didn t retire a batter allowing three runs on two hits and two walks Brewers 4 Cardinals 2 Christian Yelich set a franchise record by homering for the third consecutive game to open the season and host Milwaukee held on to beat St Louis Travis Shaw and Mike Moustakas also homered for Milwaukee Yelich the reigning National League Most Valuable Player has three homers in his first 10 at bats Kolten Wong went 3 for 3 with a double and an RBI to lead St Louis at the plate Brewers right hander Brandon Woodruff 1 0 limited the Cardinals to two runs on six hits in five innings Cardinals right hander Dakota Hudson 0 1 drew the loss in his first career start He surrendered four runs three earned on seven hits in 4 1 3 innings He walked two and fanned six Rays 3 Astros 1 Tyler Glasnow who went 0 5 with a 10 38 ERA during spring training allowed one run and six hits over five innings and host Tampa Bay defeated Houston Glasnow 1 0 gave up a solo home run to Alex Bregman in the first inning before the 6 foot 8 right hander blanked Houston over the next four Michael Perez had two hits a run scored and an RBI in the No 9 spot to lead the Tampa Bay offense Astros starter Collin McHugh 0 1 allowed two runs and three hits over five innings striking out nine and walking one Giants 3 Padres 2 After scoring one run in the season s first 23 innings San Francisco scored three times in the top of the sixth to defeat host San Diego Former Padre Yangervis Solarte doubled in a run and Evan Longoria and Joe Panik singled in a run apiece while Manuel Margot and Eric Hosmer had RBI doubles for the Padres in the bottom of the inning Giants starter Dereck Rodriguez 1 0 went five innings allowing two runs on four hits Padres starter Nick Margevicius also went five innings allowing one run on three hits He didn t walk a batter and struck out five Athletics 4 Angels 2 Left hander Brett Anderson gave host Oakland its third straight scoreless outing by a starter and Mark Canha belted a two run home run in beating Los Angeles Anderson allowed three hits and two walks while striking out four in six innings Stephen Piscotty also drove in two runs for the Athletics Mike Trout and Andrelton Simmons drove in runs for the Angels Starter Felix Pena gave up four runs on four hits with a walk and three strikeouts in 3 2 3 innings Indians 2 Twins 1 Greg Allen lofted a tie breaking sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth inning as Cleveland edged host Minnesota Carlos Santana began the winning rally when he singled with one out against Blake Parker 0 1 Santana advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches before Hanley Ramirez walked Santana then trotted home after Allen flew out to center on a 2 0 pitch Jon Edwards 1 0 retired both batters he faced in the eighth to earn his first major league win in his 41st career appearance Brad Hand gave up a wind blown leadoff double in the bottom of the ninth to Byron Buxton and loaded the bases via a pair of two out walks before he closed out his first save Marlins 7 Rockies 3 Leadoff batter Miguel Rojas drove in three runs as host Miami defeated Colorado for its first win of the season Rojas and Martin Prado each had three hits for Miami The Marlins who totaled just five hits in losing their first two games of the season had 16 Ian Desmond and David Dahl had RBIs for Colorado Pablo Lopez 1 0 a 22 year old right hander making his 11th career appearance allowed five hits and three runs in 5 1 3 innings to earn the win He struck out seven walked none and also lined a key hit on offense Blue Jays 3 Tigers 0 Justin Smoak hit a two run home run starter Aaron Sanchez pitched five scoreless innings and host Toronto defeated Detroit Sanchez 1 0 allowed three hits and three walks while striking out six in five plus innings Ken Giles pitched around a ninth inning single to earn his first save of the season The Blue Jays have won two in a row after the Tigers won on Opening Day on Thursday All three games have been shutouts Detroit starter Spencer Turnbull 0 1 allowed four hits two walks and three runs with five strikeouts in five innings Royals 8 White Sox 6 Jorge Soler had two doubles among his three hits and drove in three runs and right hander Jakob Junis pitched into the sixth inning as host Kansas City defeated Chicago Junis 1 0 finished with six hits and three runs in 5 2 3 innings He walked one and struck out six Ian Kennedy pitched the ninth for the first save of his career White Sox right hander Reynaldo Lopez 0 1 gave up four runs in and six hits in four innings with four walks and two strikeouts Jose Abreu hit a three run homer and Yoan Moncada had a two run shot for Chicago Reds Pirates PPD The game between host Cincinnati and Pittsburgh was postponed due to rain and will be made up as part of a day night doubleheader on May 27
Scheduled starters Sonny Gray of the Reds and fellow right hander Trevor Williams NYSE WMB of the Pirates are expected to be pushed back to Sunday s finale Field Level Media |
WMB | UConn tops Louisville heads to 12th straight Final Four | Katie Samuelson had a game high 29 points including seven 3 pointers as second seeded Connecticut held off a late rally by top seed Louisville to seal an 80 73 victory in the Albany N Y Region final on Sunday The Huskies 35 2 will play in their 12th consecutive Final Four while Louisville ends its season at 32 4 UConn will face the winner of the Chicago Region final between Stanford and Notre Dame in the Final Four on Friday at Tampa Fla Samuelson had 10 of her points in the fourth quarter She made 2 of 3 from 3 point range in the quarter and 7 of 12 overall from long distance Asia Durr who had 18 of her 21 points in the second half for Louisville made two free throws with 36 seconds left to cut the lead to 75 71 Durr also had nine rebounds After a steal by Louisville s Dana Evans Arica Carter made a layup with 28 seconds left to cut the lead to 75 73 Samuelson an 87 percent free throw shooter made two free throws with 23 seconds left to put UConn ahead 77 73 Durr an 83 percent shooter at the line missed two free throws with 20 seconds left after Napheesa Collier fouled her on a shot attempt in the lane Collier then made two free throws with 17 seconds left and after a Louisville turnover a free throw by Megan Walker with 14 seconds left made it a three possession game Christyn Williams NYSE WMB had seven of her 16 points in the fourth quarter for UConn which has won 17 straight games The Huskies last loss was at Louisville on Jan 31 Walker added 13 points and 12 rebounds and Collier had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Huskies UConn which took as big as a 10 point lead in the first half went into halftime with a 41 34 lead thanks to the Huskies 3 point shooting They made 9 of 16 shots 56 3 percent from beyond the arc in the first half Walker made 4 of 5 shots from that range and led all scorers at halftime with 12 points Durr who entered the game averaging 21 2 points a game had only three points in the first half on 1 of 10 shooting from the field including 0 of 2 from beyond the arc
Six unanswered points by Louisville in the last 1 09 of the third quarter cut UConn s lead to 57 53 The last two baskets by Durr and Evans were on fast break situations off steals Consecutive shots by Durr cut UConn s lead to 64 61 with 5 30 left in regulation Durr was in a stretch in which she made 5 of 6 shots from the field at that point Field Level Media |
WMB | Rapper Nipsey Hussle shot dead outside his Los Angeles store media | Reuters Grammy nominated rapper Nipsey Hussle was shot and killed outside his clothing store in south Los Angeles on Sunday media reports said Two other people were wounded in the shooting outside Marathon Clothing the Los Angeles Times reported citing law enforcement sources According to the newspaper Hussle 33 was shot multiple times and rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead His death sent shockwaves through the U S entertainment world with celebrities posting memories of the musician on social media This doesn t make any sense the singer Rihanna wrote on Twitter My spirit is shaken by this The performer and producer Pharrell Williams NYSE WMB wrote on Twitter that Hussle was a positive force who inspired millions The musician Drake said he and Hussle had talked about recording a song later in the year You were having the best run and I was so happy watching from distance Drake wrote in a message on Instagram The Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement that a shooting was reported about 3 20 p m PDT in the area of Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard and that three victims were transported to a hospital where one was pronounced dead A police department dispatcher declined to confirm the identity of the victims and a spokesman did not respond to questions Hussle whose real name was Ermias Asghedom grew up in south Los Angeles and often talked about being in a street gang during his teenage years He had since become a community organizer according to media reports
His debut studio album Victory Lap was nominated for Best Rap Album at this year s Grammy Awards |
VZ | T Mobile TMUS Activates Nationwide 5G Network Coverage | T Mobile US NASDAQ TMUS Inc NYSE S has become the first telecom carrier to activate nationwide 5G network covering nearly 200 million Americans in more than 5 000 cities and towns The company s widely accessible and affordable 600 MHz 5G network is likely to give a run for money to larger rivals like Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ and AT T Inc NYSE T with approval from the Federal Communications Commission FCC for its 26 5 billion megamerger with Sprint Corporation NYSE S The only nationwide 5G network boasts an investment of 30 billion for network improvements 25 000 new towers and cell sites with network coverage of 1 million square miles across the United States Covering 60 of the U S population T Mobile s 5G coverage utilizes longer range low band 600 MHz spectrum offsetting the shortcomings of millimeter wave networks like limited range and poor obstacle penetration The third largest U S wireless carrier backed by Deutsche Telekom AG DE DTEGn has offered two 5G enabled smartphones OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren and Samsung KS 005930 Galaxy S10 5G The service will be available to regular monthly subscribers and pay as you go or prepaid customers at no extra cost The network will also be accessible to T Mobile s prepaid wireless carrier brand Metro marking the first prepaid 5G offering in the country The company plans to introduce 15 new 5G compatible phones in 2020 to spur innovation and deliver transformational 5G future Current Market ScenarioAfter striving for more than a year T Mobile has finally received clearance from Department of Justice and FCC for its merger with Sprint This was considered as a significant step in creating the New T Mobile through which the company aims to bring robust competition to the 5G era The combined company New T Mobile will have about 127 million customers a strong closing balance sheet and a fully funded business plan It represents a total implied enterprise value of about 146 billion T Mobile s innovative network expansion methodologies continue to be faster and technologically sounder in an attempt to stay ahead of competitors The U S wireless carrier offers the fastest network in the United States in terms of both download and upload speeds Markedly the combination of the two networks would help to fill coverage gaps create more jobs and provide enhanced 5G connectivity leading the company to build new 5G infrastructure The merged company would roll out 5G technology to 97 Americans including 85 of rural locales But the state litigators are concerned about competition in the greater telecom space even as officials from each of the companies said the deal will keep a cap on prices for three years T Mobile has long term earnings growth expectation of 12 4 T Mobile s shares have gained 22 1 compared with the s growth of 16 9 year to date It currently carries a Zacks Rank 3 Hold You can see 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysJust released Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buys They deem these tickers Most Likely for Early Price Pops Since 1988 the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of 24 6 per year So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention |
VZ | Huawei Issue Opens Rift Between U S and Global Carriers | Bloomberg A group representing top U S mobile service providers disagreed with European and Asian counterparts over alleged security threats from Chinese equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co ahead of a conference that will highlight a U S Europe divide on the issue
A Feb 14 release from GSMA a London based wireless industry group urged European lawmakers not to ban Huawei as a supplier But CTIA a Washington based group responded Tuesday with its own statement saying the GSMA does not represent the views of all wireless operators or all regions
The divergent statements underscore a fissure opening between Washington and carriers and regulators around the world who re starting to re evaluate U S warnings that China s largest technology corporation aids Beijing in espionage This week New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern left the door open for Huawei to play a role in the rollout of next generation networks while a senior Italian government official dismissed the issue
European carriers offered to cooperate with their governments in devising steps to ward off vulnerabilities CTIA with members that include U S market leaders AT T Inc NYSE T and Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ has urged U S regulators to go slow in crafting rules on equipment security
It looks like they re scared of the impact of European policy making on the rollout of their 5G networks that will offer advanced speeds said Gigi Sohn a fellow at the Georgetown University Law Center Institute for Technology Law and Policy said of the U S group It seems they re concerned that if Europe does so it would become the de facto standard
Beyond U S Chinese bickering economics plays an important role in what gear goes into future 5G networks the advent of which are expected to galvanize everything from smart cities and self driving cars to fully automated homes Huawei s technology is considered on par with the likes of Ericsson BS ERICAs or Nokia s but more cost effective LG Uplus the smallest of Korea s carriers is an open supporter and its patronage helped the country become the largest initial market for Huawei s 5G equipment
A GSMA spokesman in an emailed comment Tuesday said its initial statement was clearly focused on activity in Europe and does not reflect the views of all GSMA members globally The group says it represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide The group lists AT T and Verizon as members
The U S government is increasing the size of its usual delegation to the GSMA s annual industry conference MWC Barcelona to be held next week Huawei is also bolstering its presence at the event setting the scene for a showdown as both sides try to win over the chief executives of the world s biggest carriers
The U S and China clashed Saturday at a security conference in Munich over whether Huawei s equipment should be banned from future 5G networks U S Vice President Mike Pence said the company is required to turn over data to Beijing s security officials Chinese politburo member Yang Jiechi was up next on the same stage and said his country s law doesn t require companies to collect intelligence Yang urged Europeans to consider whether the U S had their interests at heart or its own
Shenzhen based Huawei has denied wrongdoing and long maintained it doesn t provide back doors for the Chinese government pointing out that no one has provided evidence to support such concerns
CTIA didn t specify what was objectionable in GSMA s 800 word statement
We can achieve our 5G ambitions with a secure global supply chain that reflects national security concerns the CTIA said We caution against a patchwork approach of different rules for different regions which would result in less competition in supply chains
GSMA on Feb 14 said mobile operators are ready to work with European agencies in charge of promoting certification and security requirements It recommended that governments and mobile operators work together to agree on a testing and certification regime for Europe
The FCC should work with other expert agencies to conduct a thorough quantitative and qualitative analysis of the costs and benefits of various approaches before taking action on network security CTIA said last year in a filing at the agency The FCC is considering whether to bar spending of U S subsidies on companies deemed a security risk
Jilane Rodgers Petrie a spokeswoman for CTIA didn t return a telephone call and email
The Feb 14 statement from GSMA didn t mention Huawei by name Restricting access to a network equipment maker would handicap Europe s progress in developing artificial intelligence the internet of things and so called big data the group of more than 750 companies said The technology promises to deliver data to phones 10 times faster than 4G and to connect people cars factories and household objects
The joint appeal follows individual warnings from companies such as Deutsche Telekom AG DE DTEGn Vodafone Group LON VOD Plc and BT Group LON BT Plc and underscores how alarmed the companies have become that they may not be able to use one of their biggest suppliers In Asia carriers from South Korea to the Philippines have said they plan to continue using Huawei equipment
The GSMA on Feb 14 said its members had found no evidence of wrongdoing even though they have been meticulously testing mobile infrastructure for years The group said it would create a task force to find ways to strengthen existing security testing
An earlier version was corrected to say AT T Verizon are members of the GSMA
Updates with views from around the world from the third paragraph |
VZ | Telcos bet on connecting everything to recoup 5G costs | By Douglas Busvine and Isla Binnie BARCELONA Reuters For the telecoms industry the task of launching 5G services is a lot like going the wrong way on the moving walkways that ferry delegates around the vast Barcelona fairground that hosts the Mobile World Congress Operators are striding towards a future with data speeds up to 100 times faster than 4G networks and billions of connected devices to help run homes offices factories and cities creating a seemingly limitless opportunity for an industry now hamstrung by the smartphone market s saturation Moving against them is the expense of upgrading networks to run 5G This requires denser arrays of masts and smallcells to deliver data intensive services and the laying of fiber optic cable to boost speed and achieve the low reaction times needed to delight online gamers or make self driving cars safe Put it all together and the global cost of 5G infrastructure investment and enabling the so called Internet of Things IoT will run to 2 7 trillion by the end of 2020 estimates Greensill a company that provides working capital to industry With early movers like the United States China Japan and South Korea only starting to roll out 5G networks and other regions especially Europe still years away the challenge will be to earn back that up front investment There will be some very tough discussions but hopefully now what will be interesting to see is that there should be enough test deployments and real market data and we can start to see at least in the short term if it s viable said Sam Evans a partner at global consultancy Delta Partners Industry association GSMA which hosts the Mobile World Congress sees a vast opportunity It estimates the number of devices connected to the IoT will triple to 25 billion by 2025 generating a fourfold rise in revenues to 1 1 trillion Is one use case going to finance 5G The answer is not really It s going to be a multitude of use cases that benefit from the features of 5G said Borje Ekholm CEO of network vendor Ericsson BS ERICAs Ekholm s 5G favorite is remote surgery We laugh a bit about that right But the reality is already today when you operate prostate it s done with a robot said Ekholm in a dig at the industry s male dominated demographics DATA ECONOMY The first deployments of 5G for example by Verizon NYSE VZ in four U S cities are of fixed wireless broadband in which high speed internet is delivered by radio without the expense of having to lay fiber optic cable to homes and offices At Mobile World Congress Nokia HE NOKIA CEO Rajeev Suri proudly showed off a cylindrical 5G router standing about a foot tall that will soon provide home internet to a selected group of customers of Australian carrier Optus 5G is here it is now it is today he told a presentation Mobile broadband will follow in big cities at first as some of the devices displayed in Barcelona including Huawei Technologies 2 600 folding smartphone enter serial production For operators though 5G is more about finding new ways to use sensors to generate exponential increases in volumes of data the industry s stock in trade to offset the deflation in prices that is now capping revenue growth and squeezing margins In Norway Telenor is trialing 5G applications in fish farms to help drivers find free parking spaces more quickly and to enable remote monitoring of people with health conditions without them having to visit the hospital Telenor also runs a smart headquarters for a Norwegian bank CEO Sigve Brekke s eyes light up when he says that sensors make it possible to clean the toilets after a certain number of visits and not at set intervals We are moving from an access provider towards more integrated solutions Brekke told Reuters This is an opportunity to create value together with these customers Korea s KT Telecom showed off a robot barista at its stand with the device maker paying 50 monthly to cover 5G connectivity At that amount it is not enough but it s a new trial to expand our line of business said Sung Eunmi of KT s 5G team For now the industry is testing a host of applications that could take advantage of so called network slicing the ability of 5G to run multiple networks on a single shared infrastructure As with natural selection only the ones that can achieve scale and profitability will survive From mobile gaming to robots self driving cars or smart cities even a sensor with a 10 year battery that can weigh a beehive and say when it s time to collect honey the positive news is that the industry is at last trying something new It all comes down to can there be a model to sell this connectivity at a premium when the market is trending towards connectivity as essentially a utility said Delta Partners Evans
You ve already got carriers doing unlimited connectivity already carriers are launching faster speeds with no price increment It s a real challenge to find what are the parts of the market that will absorb an additional premium |
VZ | U S telecoms regulator stops clock on Sprint T Mobile merger review | By David Shepardson WASHINGTON Reuters The U S Federal Communications Commission said on Thursday it has halted the informal 180 day shot clock on the review of the merger of wireless providers Sprint Corp and T Mobile US Inc to give the public three additional weeks to comment on the 26 billion tie up The FCC said the decision was made after the third and fourth largest U S wireless carriers had filed significant additional information on their network integration plans for 2019 2021 and other new information on the merger The FCC said it typically allows for additional public input after substantial new submissions by the applicants The FCC said it expects to resume the shot clock at the current Day 122 on April 4 T Mobile and Sprint in separate statements called the FCC decision a positive step that the FCC is so deeply engaged in understanding this transaction and our recent filing and we completely understand their desire to stop the clock to fully review the merits of our merger Sprint said it hopes to complete the regulatory approval process by the end of June The deal to combine the carriers struck in April 2018 was approved by both companies shareholders in October and has received national security clearance but still needs approval from the Department of Justice and the FCC A number of state attorneys general are also reviewing the merger Last month at a congressional hearing House Democrats raised worries about the deal because the U S wireless market has just four main carriers The industry leaders are AT T Inc NYSE T and Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ T Mobile Chief Executive John Legere defended the deal arguing that it will create jobs and help with the construction of the next generation of wireless networks He said the merged company would have more capacity which would lead to a push to lower prices Legere and Sprint Executive Chairman Marcelo Claure will testify at another U S House hearing on March 12 The deal has run into criticism from unions consumer advocates and rural operators The Communications Workers of America said in a statement Thursday the decision of the companies to file new analyses of the merger suggests they have failed to persuade regulators The union argues the deal will eliminate tens of thousands of jobs
A group of eight Democratic U S senators and independent Senator Bernie Sanders last month urged regulators to reject the deal saying monthly bills could rise as much as 10 percent |
WMB | Trump changes mind and extends Liberians immigration protections in U S | By Yeganeh Torbati WASHINGTON Reuters President Donald Trump on Thursday extended an immigration designation granting protected status to Liberians in the United States for an additional year just three days before it was to expire a rare move from a president who has taken a hardline stance on immigration Trump last year ordered an end to Deferred Enforced Departure DED status for Liberians which was first granted to them during the presidency of his fellow Republican George W Bush and enabled the immigrants to work and protected them from deportation Advocates estimate that roughly 4 000 Liberians in the United States are protected by DED Trump had declared a one year wind down period which set the final expiration date of the status as March 31 But on Thursday Trump said he had changed his mind winning unusual praise from some immigration advocates who have fought his policies in courts during the two years of his presidency Upon further reflection and review I have decided that it is in the foreign policy interest of the United States to extend the wind down period for an additional 12 months through March 30 2020 Trump said in a memorandum to his secretaries of state and homeland security that was released by the White House The reintegration of DED beneficiaries into Liberian civil and political life will be a complex task and an unsuccessful transition could strain United States Liberian relations and undermine Liberia s post civil war strides toward democracy and political stability he said Trump s administration has sought to eliminate similar programs for other nationalities such as El Salvador Haiti Nicaragua and Sudan In such instances the administration has argued that the domestic crises that resulted in those immigrants coming to the United States had long ago been resolved and that it was therefore time for them to return home The Trump administration s decision to extend DED protections for Liberians is the right thing to do said Avideh Moussavian legislative director of the National Immigration Law Center Trump noted efforts in Congress to grant Liberians permanent legal status and said his reprieve will preserve the status quo while the Congress considers remedial legislation A spokesman for Liberia s embassy in the United States Gabriel Williams NYSE WMB praised the announcement We can say without hesitation that we welcome the news very much Williams said It s a manifestation of the very cordial relationship between the United States and Liberia For several months Liberians and their advocates have been lobbying members of Congress and the White House for a reprieve They argued that allowing the status to expire would force people who had lived in the United States for decades and had U S citizen children to lose their livelihoods and face the prospect of deportation to a country they left decades ago and which is struggling with a fragile economy and health care system A coalition of Liberians with DED status and immigration advocacy groups sued the Trump administration this month in federal court to stop the termination Amaha Kassa executive director of African Communities Together which joined the lawsuit said they will continue their court action in an effort to learn why the White House terminated the program in the first place We re mindful that this is only a one year extension of the termination not a reversal Kassa said Nonetheless Trump s decision eliminates the emergency the Liberians were living under said Erasmus Williams a Liberian community leader in Minnesota which has a large population of Liberians
We have ample time now to work through Congress to have legislation passed that will create a pathway to citizenship for Liberians on DED he said |
WMB | John Williams Downplays Recession Fears Stresses Flexible Fed Policy | Bloomberg Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams NYSE WMB one of the U S central bank s top policy makers downplayed fears of recession risks being signaled by bond markets
On the national outlook 2 percent GDP growth the economy continuing to add lots of jobs low unemployment that s the most likely case Williams said Thursday while answering questions during an event in San Juan Puerto Rico So I still see the probability of a recession this year or next year as being not elevated relative to any year
Williams who is also vice chairman of the Fed s rate setting Federal Open Market Committee was speaking days after the yield curve inverted for the first time since 2007 as yields on 3 month Treasury securities rose above 10 year yields The inversion may indicate investors now think lower interest rates in the future are more likely than higher rates a development that has historically preceded recessions
There s a lot of reasons to think that it has been a recession predictor for reasons in the past that kind of don t apply today Williams said I think it s telling us that growth will be pretty modest in the U S and global economies going forward he added
The New York Fed chief echoed the message from the FOMC s most recent policy meeting which concluded March 20 The committee left the target range for its benchmark overnight rate unchanged at 2 25 percent to 2 5 percent and surprised investors by signaling it no longer expected it would be appropriate to raise interest rates in 2019
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell explained the decision during a press conference afterward by citing downgrades to the outlook for U S economic growth in part due to a slowdown overseas
Williams said the current unemployment and inflation rates in the U S are close to the Fed s goals
From my point of view monetary policy is around neutral in terms of the short term interest rate he told reporters Thursday Any development in the economy whether it s on the employment side or on the inflation side that moved in a persistent way away from our objectives one way or the other would be a reason to rethink the path of policy going forward
Puerto Rico is included in the geographic region that falls under the New York Fed s purview The trip marked Williams s first visit in his new role at the New York Fed which he assumed in June He stressed the need for the island economy to get its finances in order
When I talk to people business leaders or others what they tell me all the time is what we need is clarity transparency and certainty around this he told reporters So I don t think we re there yet partly because of some of the legal uncertainties and partly because some of the decisions still need to be made and it s not clear completely how that will work
When asked whether he saw any spillovers from Puerto Rico s woes into the broader market for U S municipal debt Williams said it wasn t obvious
That s always the concern as these issues become resolved how will that spill over into investor sentiment he said And so far I don t think there s been a big impact |
WMB | Fed Downplays Recession Fears Trade Talks for Months Eco Day | Bloomberg Welcome to Friday Asia Here s the latest news and analysis from Bloomberg Economics to help get your day started
New York Fed chief John Williams NYSE WMB downplayed recession fears even as economic growth cooled by more than initially reported last quarter That signals a more significant slowdown in the first quarter says Yelena Shulyatyeva
The Trump administration is prepared to keep negotiating with China for weeks or even months to reach a deal that will ensure improved market access and intellectual property policies for U S companies
Central banks in Latin America s two biggest economies have a bit in common and may begin cutting interest rates simultaneously
In 1966 four years before securing the Nobel Prize for economics Paul Samuelson quipped that declines in U S stock prices had correctly predicted nine of the last five American recessions His profession would kill for such accuracy
The ECB s chief economist says there needs to be a solid monetary policy case before officials act to mitigate side effects of negative rates on banks Indeed Mario Draghi s suggestion to go easy on lenders has splintered policy makers
Turkey is trying to follow China s playbook on the lira the problem is it only works if you re a huge economy explains Tom Orlik
Australia s slumping property and stock markets have driven the biggest decline in household wealth in seven years Meantime a jumbo wager on an Australian rate cut has emerged again
Women in Japan are often paid less than males denied access to career opportunities and have more trouble climbing the corporate ladder Many have had enough
Here s a look at what s on the agenda in the week ahead and a summary of recent remarks by Fed policy makers |
WMB | Capitals lock up playoff spot with win over Hurricanes | Nic Dowd s slight redirection led to the winning goal as the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals clinched a playoff spot with a 3 2 victory against the host Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night in Raleigh N C Dowd s seventh goal of the season came with 4 56 remaining when defenseman Nick Jensen delivered the puck from outside the right circle Dowd put his stick on the puck which slid between goalie Curtis McElhinney s pads Washington wrapped up an Eastern Conference playoff spot and remains in the lead in the Metropolitan Division Brett Connolly and Jakub Vrana also scored for the Capitals who began a three game road trip The outcome was frustrating for the Hurricanes who are trying to at least keep a spot as a wild card team for the playoffs Carolina lost consecutive games in regulation for the first time since Jan 15 and 18 The teams also met Tuesday night with the Capitals winning 4 1 in Washington After Dowd s goal Carolina went on a power play for the first time in more than 125 minutes a span that covered three games Nino Niederreiter and Warren Foegele scored for Carolina which led 2 1 after two periods Capitals goalie Braden Holtby made 24 saves including 10 in the third period McElhinney finished with 17 stops Niederreiter scored on the game s sixth shot reaching back to slap in the puck after he had slid past the goal mouth The Capitals scored 42 seconds later on Connolly s goal as he beat the defense and had an uncontested shot on McElhinney Foegele made a 1 on 1 move around Jensen before putting the puck past Holtby It was Foegele s eighth goal of the season but his first since Feb 8 Vrana tied the game with his 23rd goal just 1 35 into the third period
Carolina captain Justin Williams NYSE WMB recorded an assist on Niederreiter s goal giving him 50 points this season Williams 37 is the oldest player in the NHL with at least 50 points this season Field Level Media |
WMB | No 3 Purdue outlasts No 2 Tennessee in OT thriller | Senior guard Ryan Cline exploded to score a career best 27 points and made seven 3 pointers as Purdue knocked off Tennessee 99 94 in overtime of a South Region semifinal game Thursday night at Louisville Ky Junior guard Carsen Edwards made five 3 pointers while scoring a game high 29 points as third seeded Purdue 26 9 reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000 Sophomore center Matt Haarms and sophomore guard Nojel Eastern added 11 points apiece for the Boilermakers who advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in their past five attempts These guys have been resilient and have been tough all year coach Matt Painter said in a postgame television interview with CBS after his team got two free throws in the final seconds to force OT before prevailing Purdue will play either top seeded Virginia or 12th seeded Oregon in Saturday s regional final The winner advances to the Final Four Senior power forward Grant Williams NYSE WMB and senior guard Admiral Schofield scored 21 points apiece for the second seeded Volunteers 31 6 Junior guard Jordan Bowden scored 16 points junior guard Lamonte Turner added 15 and junior point guard Jordan Bone scored 10 I can t say enough about our guys fighting back Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said And taking nothing away from Purdue but we were there Tough one at the end We had the lead with one point something seconds left Tough foul Lamonte Turner played his heart out We wouldn t have been in that situation without him That s a tough one for him I m really proud of these guys Purdue won despite hitting just 16 of 33 attempts from the free throw line Tennessee also struggled at 14 of 28 The Boilermakers shot 54 percent from the field including 15 of 31 from 3 point range The Volunteers shot 50 percent from the field and were 12 of 24 from behind the arc Edwards drove for a hoop to give the Boilermakers an 89 84 advantage with 2 17 remaining in overtime Haarms slipped loose for a dunk to make it seven point margin with 1 38 left Tennessee pulled within 97 92 on Bone s 3 pointer with 19 3 seconds left before Purdue closed it out Late in regulation Williams dunked home a put back to give Tennessee an 82 80 lead with 8 8 seconds left Williams blocked Edwards layup with 2 7 seconds left and the ball went out of bounds Purdue inbounded the ball to Edwards who was fouled while shooting a 3 point attempt He missed the first free throw before making the next two to tie the score at 82 with 1 7 seconds left I just continued to focus Edwards said I mean going into the free throw I just focused and shoot a free throw every time how I always shoot it After that just did the same thing Nothing changed Painter said They had the momentum they had the game We re the ones that have the ball down two with three seconds to go But we were able to get out of that get to overtime and I think we had that relief Our guys did such a good job of competing in overtime You know how it goes Like the ball bounced our way a couple times I thought in regulation there was a couple bounces we didn t get But it did in overtime Purdue led by 12 points at halftime and quickly pushed the lead to 51 33 on Cline s 3 pointer with 13 56 left There were times in the second half I was coming off and I knew I was going to shoot it Cline said so my teammates did a really good job of getting me open and giving me an opportunity Edwards driving hoop gave the Boilermakers a 65 51 lead with 10 52 left before Tennessee ripped off the next 14 points Turner scored the final five points of the burst tying the score with a 3 pointer with 6 58 remaining Cline later buried his seventh 3 pointer to tie the score at 80 with 36 4 seconds remaining
Edwards scored 15 points during a first half controlled by Purdue en route to a 40 28 advantage Field Level Media |
WMB | NCAA Tournament roundup Purdue tops Vols in OT | Ryan Cline exploded to score a career best 27 points and made seven 3 pointers as Purdue knocked off Tennessee 99 94 in overtime of a South Region semifinal game Thursday night at Louisville Ky Carsen Edwards made five 3 pointers while scoring a game high 29 points as third seeded Purdue 26 9 reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000 Edwards sank 2 of 3 free throws with 1 7 seconds left to send the game to OT Matt Haarms and Nojel Eastern added 11 points apiece for the Boilermakers who advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in their past five attempts Purdue will play top seeded Virginia in Saturday s regional final with the winner advancing to the Final Four Grant Williams NYSE WMB and Admiral Schofield scored 21 points apiece for the second seeded Volunteers 31 6 Jordan Bowden scored 16 points Lamonte Turner added 15 and Jordan Bone scored 10 SOUTH REGION No 1 Virginia 53 No 12 Oregon 49 Ty Jerome recorded 13 points six rebounds and six assists as the Cavaliers held off the Ducks in a Sweet 16 game at Louisville Ky Kihei Clark scored 12 points and sophomore guard De Andre Hunter added 11 for Virginia 32 3 which reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in school history Louis King scored 16 points for Oregon 25 13 Payton Pritchard added 11 points and Paul White contributed 10 points and three steals for the Ducks who had a 10 game winning streak halted WEST REGION No 1 Gonzaga 72 No 4 Florida State 58 Rui Hachimura scored 17 points Brandon Clarke had a double double and the Bulldogs finished on a big run to turn away the Seminoles in a Sweet 16 game in Anaheim Calif Gonzaga will play in the West Region final on Saturday against third seeded Texas Tech Gonzaga 33 3 led by 14 in the first half but had trouble putting away Florida State which was within 60 56 before Zach Norvell Jr stemmed the momentum by hitting a key 3 point shot with 3 06 to go Clarke helped subdue the Seminoles 29 8 with two free throws with 2 06 left and a dunk with 1 17 to go He scored 15 points grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked five shots Florida State s Trent Forrest scored 15 of his 20 points after halftime No 3 Texas Tech 63 No 2 Michigan 44 Jarrett Culver scored 22 points while the Red Raiders smothered the Wolverines in a historic defensive effort at Anaheim Calif Texas Tech 29 6 harassed Michigan into 32 7 percent shooting including a 1 for 19 effort from 3 point range The Wolverines set a program record for fewest points in the first half of an NCAA Tournament game 16 and total points
Davide Moretti contributed 15 points for Texas Tech which got 10 from Matt Mooney Tariq Owens had seven points 10 rebounds and two blocks Freshman Ignas Brazdeikis led Michigan 30 7 with 17 points and 13 rebounds Field Level Media |
WMB | Global funds raise stock allocations and cut cash buffer Reuters poll | By Rahul Karunakar BENGALURU Reuters Global funds recommended switching cash back into equities in March as stocks have recovered smartly despite some turbulence this quarter from a deep sell off late last year a Reuters poll showed While there are clear signs of a global economic slowdown with the latest data showing the U S economy growing more slowly than initially thought in the fourth quarter most major central banks have turned dovish providing the impetus for stocks to climb higher Reuters latest asset allocation poll of 40 fund managers and chief investment officers in Europe the United States Britain and Japan was taken at the tail end of a more than 12 percent rally in the S P 500 this quarter which would mark its best quarterly performance since 2009 Equity allocations accounted for an average 47 6 percent of their model global portfolio from 45 9 percent in the previous month That came at the expense of cash which was cut to a four month low of 5 8 percent from a more than three year high of 7 2 percent in February Recommended bond holdings were also increased slightly to 39 8 percent from 39 3 percent in the previous month Investors and traders have been on heightened alert since the yield on the 10 year note fell below the three month U S Treasury bill rate last week widely seen as an indicator of a coming recession But the latest Reuters poll showed a clear shift away from the more defensive approach among long term investors held over the previous months The rebound in the stock market in the first quarter suggests investors became overly pessimistic said Alan Gayle president at Via Nova Investment Management in Washington We believe the risks of a recession near term remain low and that favorable developments in monetary policy and trade negotiations can provide positive support for stocks as we head into the summer STUMBLING BLOCKS The U S Federal Reserve left its federal funds rate on hold last week as expected but its dot plot projections shifted and now suggest no hikes in 2019 compared with two in December A separate Reuters poll of economists concluded that the U S central bank is done with raising interest rates until at least the end of next year with a significant chance of at least one rate cut by the end of 2020 That comes after a similar Reuters survey which showed there is a significant risk the European Central Bank goes into the next economic downturn without having raised interest rates at all Nearly 85 percent of the fund managers who answered an extra question expect the upswing in U S equities to continue for at least another three months including over 55 percent who said six months or more Earnings expectations for equities are fairly low and valuations moderate Another year of very supportive monetary and fiscal policy should provide support to higher price multiples said Benjamin Suess director at UBS Asset Management Clearly there are potential stumbling blocks ahead but as long as we don t run into a recession over the next 12 months which is our base case we don t expect a major bear market When asked what is the most likely change to their portfolios over the next six months more than 55 percent of asset managers who answered an additional question said they would roughly maintain their current risk positioning Over 30 percent of them said they would most likely reduce or take more defensive exposure to riskier assets or positions within the same asset class The remaining said the most probable change would be to increase exposure
We are likely to continue to exploit risk rotation during the year and take opportunities for some market volatility to add risk at more appealing valuations said Pascal Blanqu group chief investment officer at Amundi Asset Management in Paris Additional reporting and polling by Sarmista Sen in BENGALURU and Fumika Inoue in TOKYO Editing by Alison Williams NYSE WMB |
WMB | Fed policymakers do not want rate cuts not even the doves | By Trevor Hunnicutt and Ann Saphir NEW YORK Reuters Barely a week after the U S Federal Reserve called a halt to interest rate hikes policymakers are now battling a view growing in financial markets and embraced by the Trump administration that the Fed will need to cut rates before long Larry Kudlow President Donald Trump s top economic advisor said Friday on CBNC that while there is no emergency the Fed should cut rates to protect the U S economy from slowing down But no fewer than five Fed officials in the past 24 hours have touted the underlying strength of the American economy and argued the recent spate of weak data on business activity is more likely to prove fleeting than lasting Even the Fed s two most dovish policymakers the presidents of the St Louis and Minneapolis regional banks say they are not ready to agitate for the central bank to start reversing three years of rate increases On Friday one of the bank s centrists Randal Quarles the Fed Board of Governor s Vice Chair for Supervision offered an optimistic view of the U S economy and said more rate increases may be needed if recent positive trends in productivity and investment continue Quarles is the latest in a series of policymakers insisting the Fed has an option to raise rates even as markets increasingly regard such a move as unlikely The latest monthly jobs report showed a sharp slowdown in hiring and recent data shows factory activity business and consumer confidence and inflation have all weakened Indeed prices on futures contracts tied to the Fed s policy rate on Friday reflected bets the central bank will need to reduce interest rates by September Speaking in New York Quarles said he is inclined to dismiss the recent data as a bit odd and inconsistent with underlying strength wage gains that should be boosting households and a rise in productivity he feels could be persistent and lead to stronger growth down the road DOVES AND HAWKS TOGETHER But it wasn t just Quarles who has long tended to be on the more hawkish end of the Fed s policy spectrum Even Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari one of the biggest opponents of rate hikes at the central bank told Reuters on Friday that it is premature to think about a cutting rates in response to economic data and market indicators Also on Friday Dallas Federal Reserve President Robert Kaplan said bond markets are pointing to skepticism about future economic growth But some economic data in the first quarter was distorted by a partial U S government shutdown and consumers are in good shape he said Perhaps most telling are remarks by the influential chief of the New York Fed John Williams NYSE WMB who on Thursday said the U S economy is in a very good place and described the likelihood of a recession in 2019 or 2020 as not elevated I m not as worried about a recession as some of my colleagues in the private sector Williams said I still see the probability of a recession this year or next year as being not elevated relative to any year St Louis Fed President James Bullard late Thursday also said it was premature to discuss any rate cut and felt the economy would likely rebound The Fed last week kept its target range for short term rates at 2 25 percent to 2 5 percent and projections showed most policymakers do not see any rate hikes this year a downgrade from December when the median forecast was for rates to rise to 2 9 percent That downgrade was followed days later by a market phenomenon known as a yield curve inversion where short term rates exceed long term rates a pattern in the bond market that historically precedes a recession Policymakers have been keen to avoid the perception becoming reality which may explain some of their pushback in recent days With the unemployment rate at 3 8 percent and the economy still growing faster than potential even as it slows they also are reluctant to abandon the idea that inflation and wages will eventually perk up
It s just taking a longer time than it typically does San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly said earlier this week |
VZ | Sprint beats on revenue loses fewer phone subscribers | By Sheila Dang and Akanksha Rana Reuters Sprint Corp on Thursday posted third quarter revenue that beat estimates while the U S wireless carrier lost fewer customers than expected even as it cut back on price promotions to improve financials The company posted a net loss of 3 cents a share versus a net profit last year when it benefited from a U S tax cut Analysts had expected a loss of just 2 cent a share Chief Executive Officer Michel Combes told analysts during the earnings call that Sprint must complete its merger with T Mobile US Inc to effectively compete against larger rivals Verizon NYSE VZ and AT T NYSE T At the same time it has pursued a plan to pull back on expensive price promotions to stabilize the business which has struggled with negative perceptions of network quality Shares of Sprint the No 4 carrier with over 54 million total customers were up 1 66 percent at 6 14 in morning trading Sprint lost a net 26 000 so called postpaid phone subscribers who pay a recurring bill during the third quarter ended Dec 31 fewer than the 32 000 subscriber losses analysts had expected according to research firm FactSet Total net operating revenue rose 4 4 percent to 8 60 billion beating forecasts by analysts who had expected revenue of 8 43 billion The company has focused on promoting data plans for devices like tablets and smartwatches which helps customers stick with the carrier longer if they have more devices on the network Sprint reported a net loss of 141 million or 3 cents per share in the quarter compared with a net income of 7 16 billion or 1 76 per share a year earlier when the company benefited from a change in U S tax laws Analysts were expecting the company to report a loss of 2 cents per share according to IBES data from Refinitiv In July Sprint revamped its unlimited wireless plans to include more perks at higher prices in order to make more money from customers on the plans But the company warned churn or the rate of customer defections could rise in the near term due to the higher prices Churn for the third quarter increased to 1 84 percent up from 1 71 percent last year
Sprint said it continues to expect cash capital expenditures between 5 billion to 5 5 billion |
VZ | T Mobile results beat on higher subscriber additions | By Sheila Dang and Akanksha Rana Reuters T Mobile US Inc on Thursday reported quarterly revenue and profit that beat Wall Street estimates as the wireless carrier added more than expected phone subscribers who pay a monthly bill Shares of the company rose nearly 2 percent to 68 01 in trading before the bell The company the third largest U S wireless carrier by subscriber count is awaiting approval of its deal to buy smaller rival Sprint Corp as it strives for more scale to compete with bigger rivals Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ and AT T Inc NYSE T T Mobile said it added a net of about 1 million so called postpaid phone subscribers in the fourth quarter compared with 891 000 additions a year earlier Analysts were expecting 912 000 new subscribers according to research firm FactSet Analysts watch the postpaid figure because those customers pay a recurring monthly bill and are more valuable to carriers that prepaid users The wireless carrier said it expects to add without Sprint 2 6 million to 3 6 million net new postpaid customers in 2019 T Mobile added network capacity in rural areas of the United States which allowed it to build more retail stores in those areas and expand the carrier s geographical footprint said Jonathan Chaplin an analyst with New Street Research The company s net income fell to 640 million or 75 cents a share in the fourth quarter from 2 71 billion or 3 11 a share a year earlier when it recorded a big one time tax related gain Revenue rose to 11 45 billion from 10 76 billion Analysts were expecting revenue of 11 39 billion and profit of 69 cents per share according to IBES data from Refinitiv T Mobile as well as the country s other major carriers are racing to build the next generation wireless network or 5G expected to bring faster data speeds T Mobile told the U S Federal Communications Commission on Monday it would not increase prices for three years with few exceptions if it gets approval to buy Sprint for 26 billion |
VZ | Sprint sues AT T over 5G branding | Reuters Sprint Corp sued AT T Inc NYSE T late on Thursday saying it was misleading consumers into believing that they were using fifth generation or 5G wireless network a technology that has not yet been widely deployed AT T customers were seeing 5G E logo on their mobile devices in over 400 markets Even though users are still on 4G network AT T is calling it 5G Evolution Sprint said in the lawsuit 5G can offer data speeds up to 50 or 100 times faster than 4G networks Smartphones running on both Android and Apple s iOS platforms are sporting 5G E for AT T customers even though those phones are not equipped to support 5G Sprint said that a survey showed 54 percent of AT T s consumers believed their 5G E network is the same as or better than a 5G network and 43 percent said if they buy an AT T phone today it would be capable of running on 5G We will fight this lawsuit while continuing to deploy 5G Evolution in addition to standards based mobile 5G Customers want and deserve to know when they are getting better speeds AT T said in response to the lawsuit 5G Evolution and the 5GE indicator let customers know when their device is in an area where speeds up to twice as fast as standard LTE are available AT T said AT T s Chief Executive Officer Randall Stephenson said in an interview with CNBC that the company s customers are seeing an increase in speed and performance on the 5G E network and this is a step required to get to ultimate 5G
Last month Sprint said it plans to release 5G smartphones with Samsung Electronics KS 005930 Co Ltd in the United States during the summer while rival Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ in December also disclosed similar plans for the first half of 2019 |
VZ | Democratic senators urge administration to reject Sprint T Mobile merger | By David Shepardson WASHINGTON Reuters A group of eight Democratic U S senators and independent Senator Bernie Sanders urged the Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday to reject a proposed 26 billion merger of T Mobile US Inc and Sprint Corp The merger is likely to raise prices for consumers harm workers stifle competition exacerbate the digital divide and undermine innovation they wrote in separate letters to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Makan Delrahim the Justice Department s top antitrust official The signatories included potential or confirmed presidential candidates Sanders Amy Klobuchar Sherrod Brown Kirsten Gillibrand Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker Also signing the letters were Senators Richard Blumenthal and Tom Udall The companies did not immediately comment A U S House panel is set to hold a hearing on the merger on Wednesday The senators noted the four largest wireless carriers including AT T Inc NYSE T and Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ control 98 percent of the market Antitrust regulators around the world have consistently blocked four to three mergers in the mobile and telecommunications industry and those who have allowed such mergers have lived to regret it they wrote Separately T Mobile Chief Executive Officer John Legere defended the merger in written testimony released on Tuesday ahead of a House Energy and Commerce Committee panel hearing on Wednesday He said the company does not use Huawei or ZTE HK 0763 network equipment in any area of our network and will never use equipment from the Chinese firms in the next generation high speed 5G network U S national security officials have said both ZTE and Huawei raise concerns The Trump administration is preparing an executive order that could be released as soon as this month that would allow the Commerce Department to bar U S companies from using telecommunications equipment made by Huawei ZTE or other companies deemed to pose national security risks Legere said the merger would lead to lower prices and more U S jobs Opponents argue the combined entity would likely raise prices cut costs and harm rural consumers Legere s testimony says the combined firm s business plan projects aggressive share increases taken from the industry leaders AT T and Verizon through its accelerated enhanced 5G deployment He said the company planned to keep the customers we ve fought hard to win and win new customers with great quality lower prices and more innovative offerings Sprint Executive Chairman Marcelo Claure will tell the panel that the combined firm s improved network will be able to compete for customers who have been reluctant to use Sprint or T Mobile because of concerns that the quality of their individual networks is not as good as those offered by Verizon or AT T The companies announced the merger in April 2018 after their a first round of merger talks ended in 2014 when President Barack Obama s administration expressed antitrust concerns In the current review Legere said the companies had turned over 25 million pages of documents to regulators
It has been a long road Legere said |
VZ | T Mobile Chief Pledges He Won t Use Huawei Equipment | Bloomberg T Mobile US Inc Chief Executive Officer John Legere says his company doesn t use equipment from Huawei Technologies Co and won t after buying Sprint Corp to form a bigger No 3 in the U S wireless market
Let me be clear we do not use Huawei or ZTE network equipment in any area of our network Period And we will never use it in our 5G network Legere said in written testimony prepared for a hearing Wednesday before the House communications subcommittee
The statement is in response to critics who ve raised the issue of the Chinese equipment maker as a risk to national security to build opposition to the proposed 26 5 billion merger
Sprint parent SoftBank Group Corp has significant ties to Huawei as does T Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom AG DE DTEGn according to Carri Bennet general counsel for the Rural Wireless Association that represents smaller competitors to the merging parties Huawei supplies Deutsche Telekom according to data compiled by Bloomberg
Allowing a Japanese influenced company and German influenced company to merge when both have significant 5G ties to Huawei appears to run counter to U S national security concerns Bennet said in testimony submitted for the hearing
Lawmakers and the administration of President Donald Trump say Huawei poses a potential security threat if only because it can t buck orders from China s government and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo this week urged Europeans to shun the Shenzhen based company
Huawei says it s privately held doesn t take orders from the Beijing government and wouldn t do so because that would ruin its business that relies on income worldwide
The Federal Communications Commission is considering whether to effectively ban Huawei from U S networks already the company s gear is effectively limited to small providers attracted by low prices
Still critics bring up Huawei and perils that are likewise ascribed to ZTE Corp HK 0763 another Chinese gear maker
T Mobile Sprint and their parent companies refuse to commit to the American public not to use the Chinese companies in building 5G infrastructure if allowed to merge Protect America s Wireless a group that has held several news conferences critical of the merger said in a Tuesday press release The group has refused to disclose its backers
Legere seemed to have the group in mind
Opponents of the transaction have set up a shadowy group that refuses to disclose its donors to lob allegations that this transaction will allow Huawei and ZTE into U S networks the T Mobile chief said in his testimony That s false and they know it is
A U S watchdog group that checks the national security implications of deals the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U S or Cfius has approved the proposed merger the companies said in December
It s not clear how much weight the security concerns will carry in the debate Nine U S senators in a Tuesday letter raised other consequences as they urged the FCC and Justice Department to kill the deal Problems include less competition higher bills and lost jobs the lawmakers said
Legere argues that the merger will produce more jobs lower prices and competition for market leaders AT T Inc NYSE T Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ and even cable providers such as Comcast Corp NASDAQ CMCSA
The decision on whether the deal can go ahead won t rest with lawmakers but with regulators at the FCC and Justice Department who are influenced by Congress Wall Street seems less than sanguine the premium a measure of how risky traders perceive a deal to be be has risen steadily since early October
Corrects attribution in 10th paragraph |
VZ | T Mobile Sprint executives face skeptical House panel | By Diane Bartz and David Shepardson WASHINGTON Reuters Executives from T Mobile US Inc and Sprint Corp faced tough questions from lawmakers on Wednesday about how the companies planned merger would affect prices and jobs especially in rural America The deal to combine the No 3 and No 4 U S wireless carriers struck in April was approved by both companies shareholders in October and has received national security clearance but still needs approval from the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission Representative Mike Doyle who chairs the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee panel holding the hearing raised worries about the deal because the U S wireless market has just four main carriers The industry leaders are AT T Inc NYSE T and Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ It s hard to think of one deal where consolidation did not result in people losing their jobs prices going up and innovation being stifled Doyle said Representative Billy Long a Republican expressed concern about lost jobs in his Missouri district Representative Dave Loebsack a Democrat pointed to job losses in Iowa after T Mobile s acquisition of Iowa Wireless last year and said T Mobile s plan to buy Sprint made him very concerned about potential negative effects on Iowa Representative Frank Pallone a Democrat said T Mobile had sent call center jobs overseas in 2012 and asked for legally enforceable assurances that the new jobs touted by T Mobile US Chief Executive John Legere would not be sent offshore once the deal wins approval Legere defended the 26 billion deal arguing that it will create jobs and help with the construction of the next generation of wireless networks He said the merged company would have more capacity which would lead to a push to lower prices This is a unique merger in that there will be a significant increase in supply Legere said To win support for the deal T Mobile previously said it would not increase prices for three years Legere was not without supporters Representatives Anna Eshoo a Democrat and Steve Scalise a Republican asked questions that indicated support for the deal In prepared remarks released on Tuesday Legere pointed to the company s history of aggressive pricing said it would need 11 000 new employees by 2024 and pledged to compete hard on building the next generation of wireless called 5G He also pledged to create 5G without using networking equipment from Huawei Technologies Co Ltd or ZTE Corp HK 0763 two Chinese telecommunications firms distrusted by U S national security experts T Mobile has run into criticism from unions and consumer advocates but rural operators have been the fiercest opponents Carri Bennet general counsel at the Rural Wireless Association said the merger will force rural Americans to pay more money for wireless services especially if they contract with a mobile virtual network operator who buys wholesale access to Sprint s network and re sells it She said that Sprint is the only one of the four national carriers that offers anything approximating commercially reasonable roaming rates to rural carriers It the merger should be denied she said Communications Workers of America President Chris Shelton told the committee the deal would kill American jobs lower wages and raise prices Consumer advocates have said that the poorest wireless customers were likely to be disproportionately hurt by the deal since Sprint and T Mobile have a big market share in prepaid plans A group of eight Democratic U S senators and independent Senator Bernie Sanders urged the Justice Department and FCC on Tuesday to reject the deal saying monthly bills could rise as much as 10 percent Lawmakers who signed the letter include potential or confirmed presidential candidates Sanders Amy Klobuchar Sherrod Brown Kirsten Gillibrand Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker
Sprint shares were up 0 2 percent in midday trade while T Mobile shares fell 0 7 percent |
WMB | Canadian judge says ex Guantanamo inmate s war crimes sentence has expired | By Nia Williams NYSE WMB Reuters A judge in Alberta Canada ruled on Monday that the war crimes sentence of a Canadian man formerly held at U S military base Guantanamo Bay in Cuba has expired making Omar Khadr a free man Khadr was 15 when he was captured in Afghanistan in 2002 and sent to Guantanamo Bay charged with throwing a grenade that killed U S Army Sergeant Christopher Speer He was later transferred to Canada where he was handed an eight year sentence in 2010 before being released on bail in 2015 Khadr s sentence would have expired last year had he remained in custody Court of Queen s Bench Chief Justice Mary Moreau ruled that the nearly four years Khadr spent on conditional release counted toward his sentence Speaking outside the court in Edmonton Alberta the now 32 yaer old Khadr said he was pleased with the decision I think it s been a while but I m happy it s here and right now I m going to just try to focus on recovering and not worrying about having to go back to prison or you know just struggling Khadr said In 2010 the Canadian Supreme Court said Canada had breached Khadr s rights by sending intelligence agents to interrogate him in Guantanamo and sharing the results with the United States He pleaded guilty to Speer s murder but later recanted and his lawyers said he had been grossly mistreated Canada formally apologized to Khadr in 2017 and paid out C 10 5 million 7 83 million in compensation acknowledging Canadian government officials had played a role in the abuse he suffered It was a controversial decision that attracted fierce criticism from many Canadians We are a country that respects the rule of law and very much respects the judicial process Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said when asked about the ruling on Khadr s sentence In 2016 Trudeau s Liberal government dropped a bid to return Khadr to prison that had been launched by the previous Conservative government Khadr s lawyer Nate Whitling said the judge s decision meant his client would not have to live under any further conditions and there was no longer the risk he might have to return to prison Khadr is also seeking dismissal of his U S conviction for war crimes Whitling said that appeal had been obstructed and delayed but they were still pressing ahead with it
U S authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment |
WMB | Canadian teenager Andreescu retires in Miami fourth round | Reuters Bianca Andreescu s dominant recent impressive run ended at the Miami Open as the Canadian teenager who has taken the tennis world by storm retired with a shoulder injury while trailing 6 1 2 0 in her fourth round clash with Estonia s Anett Kontaveit The 18 year old arrived in Miami fresh off her triumph at Indian Wells where she became the first wildcard to win the prestigious event but an overworked right shoulder ended any hopes of extending her 10 match winning streak Up next for Kontaveit in the last eight will be Taiwan s Hsieh Su wei who burnished her reputation as a giant slayer by taking down Denmark s Caroline Wozniacki 6 3 6 7 0 6 2 after beating world number one Naomi Osaka in the previous round It was 33 year old Hsieh s first win over former world number one Wozniacki in five attempts Second seed Simona Halep broke Venus Williams NYSE WMB in the first game of their match and never looked back as she coasted to a 6 3 6 3 victory to book her ticket to the quarter finals Halep smacked a forehand winner down the line to seal the convincing victory and keep her hopes of regaining the world number one spot alive Czech third seed Petra Kvitova beat Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia 6 3 6 3 to set up a last eight clash with Australian 12th seed Ashleigh Barty a 4 6 6 3 6 2 winner over seventh seed Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands INJURY SETBACKS After losing the first set Andreescu who has dealt with several injury setbacks in her young career called for the trainer to work on her shoulder something she did three times during her third round clash with Angelique Kerber The Canadian who had struggled throughout the match tried to carry on but half heartedly played a Kontaveit serve and then started walking off the court only to casually swat aside a return before signaling to the chair umpire that she was done I have played so many matches I guess this is just a way of my body telling me that it s had enough she told reporters adding that she would not compete at next month s Charleston Open to give herself some time to recover It s disappointing but it s part of the sport Kerber who also lost to Andreescu in the Indian Wells final called the teenager the biggest drama queen ever during their post match handshake in Miami before going on Twitter and crediting the Canadian for a great performance
Monday s loss dropped Andreescu who is ranked 24th in the world after starting the year at 152nd to 31 4 for the season Her 35 matches is the highest total on the WTA Tour this season |
WMB | Stanford bounces BYU reaches 12th straight Sweet 16 | Senior forward Alanna Smith scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as second seeded Stanford recovered from a sluggish first half to earn its way into the Sweet 16 of the Women s NCAA Tournament with a 72 63 home victory over seventh seeded BYU on Monday Junior guard DiJonai Carrington scored 19 points and sophomore guard Kiana Williams NYSE WMB added 13 as the Cardinal 30 4 advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 12th consecutive year Stanford will face 11th seeded Missouri State in Chicago on Saturday Freshman guard Shaylee Gonzales scored 32 points for BYU 26 7 which is now 0 6 all time in the NCAA Tournament against Nos 1 and 2 seeds The Cougars looked poised for the upset early scoring the final seven points of the first quarter to take a 15 11 lead Stanford rallied back to take a 31 29 edge into halftime despite some shooting woes over the first two quarters Carrington scored 14 of Stanford s 20 points in the second quarter and was 3 of 4 from 3 point range in the opening half However the rest of the Cardinal roster was just 1 of 19 from long distance over the opening two quarters Stanford turned halftime adjustments into third quarter results outscoring BYU 22 9 in the third period to take control of the game Smith scored 10 points in the quarter eight of which came in the final 2 26 The victory was the 11th consecutive for Stanford matching a season best The winning streak is tied for fourth longest active streak in the nation with Notre Dame whom the Cardinal could end up meeting in the Chicago Region final Sophomore guard Paisley Johnson scored 11 points as BYU saw its nine game winning streak come to an end It was the Cougars second longest winning streak of the season behind only an 11 game run that included the first nine contests in West Coast Conference play Stanford s victory gives the Pac 12 Conference five teams in the Sweet 16 after UCLA and Oregon State earned their way in Monday Arizona State and Oregon advanced Sunday Field Level Media OLUSSPORT Reuters US Online Report Sports News 20190326T052948 0000 |
WMB | Unpredictable election makes Ukraine s friends wary | By Matthias Williams NYSE WMB and Gabriela Baczynska KIEV BRUSSELS Reuters Ukraine s Western backers fear the country s next president may prove unwilling or unable to accelerate reforms they have spent five years investing in whoever it turns out to be The election due on Sunday has boiled down to a three horse race between President Petro Poroshenko former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and Volodymyr Zelenskiy a comedian who plays a fictional president in a popular TV series Kiev based Western diplomats said all three left doubt over how effectively they would pass reform tackle corruption and keep aid flowing We certainly know what we get with Poroshenko one diplomat said We think we know what we ll get with Tymoshenko With Zelenskiy we have no clue All of them are flawed said another There is no candidate where you will sit there and go Yes The country is the nexus of the confrontation between the West and Russia since Ukraine s 2014 Maidan street protests ejected Poroshenko s Russia friendly predecessor and Moscow annexed the Crimea peninsula triggering Western sanctions With its war against Kremlin backed fighters in the Donbass region into a fifth year Ukraine has battled to keep its cause high on the international agenda and pushed for membership of the European Union and NATO Successive rounds of sanctions on Russia show the West is still willing to stick its neck out for Ukraine although a desire to prevent Russia from interfering in other former Soviet republics is also in play But investors are jittery and Kiev s patchy performance on reforms and Europe s own distractions like Brexit and an assertive China have made it harder to keep so called Ukraine fatigue at bay Ideally the EU would like to see Ukraine a large neighbor on its eastern border as a stable democracy obeying the rule of law and able to defend itself from Russia But the unity behind the sanctions is always fragile with Italy Greece Hungary and other countries closer to Moscow keen to repair economic relations A Ukrainian president weak on reforms could tip the balance towards Russia while jeopardizing international funding and ties with a bloc that has given Ukrainians visa free travel a right some two million people have exercised in less than two years Diplomats also worry a closely fought contest could be marred by allegations of cheating and protests What Ukraine now risks is squandering the goodwill and belief it got since 2014 the second diplomat said The government s calculation is that they ll be supported no matter what THREE FLAWED CANDIDATES Poroshenko won praise for keeping Ukraine together in the chaotic aftermath of the Crimea annexation strengthening the army and passing reforms such as in banking and energy But anti corruption efforts have stuttered and an apparent culture of impunity where top officials are not jailed for alleged embezzlement or bribe taking has disappointed voters For lack of a better choice the EU has stuck to its principles of insisting on reforms and promoting Ukraine s pro Western aspirations rather than leaning towards any candidate Poroshenko has had a very clear line at least on paper on resisting Russia and being pro European He has not been ideal but we ve known him we ve dealt with him said a Brussels based EU diplomat It is crucial that the next president sticks to the reform agenda because we have invested so much in it Without that and without an unequivocal line on Russia the relationship will suffer Zelenskiy by contrast is a puzzle He tapped into the disillusionment felt since Maidan and his new face and lack of political baggage appeals to voters especially the young But diplomats worry about his lack of experience and whether he is beholden to Ihor Kolomoisky an oligarch on whose channel Zelenskiy s show airs The two deny being in cahoots A Zelenskiy victory would raise concerns about the fate of PrivatBank Ukraine s largest lender which the government wrested from Kolomoisky in 2016 and then shored up with billions of dollars The government wants to recover money it says was siphoned out while Kolomoisky owned it Kolomoisky denies any wrongdoing and says the bank was forcibly nationalized without proper justification Is he Zelenskiy only a puppet I don t think so said one Western diplomat Would he end up redoubling efforts to prosecute the PrivatBank case in every jurisdiction available You d have to wonder about that At a meeting with European ambassadors in February Zelenskiy acquitted himself reasonably well according to three diplomats present playing down his career as a comedian and talking up his effectiveness as a producer and manager Nevertheless he left an impression of being light on substance one diplomat said The optimistic view the diplomat added was Zelenskiy would surround himself with reformers who treat him as a blank page to imprint their vision You can t expect much from a person with no political experience said another He looked quite sincere but we can only judge from the results Did he provide answers in the way others did Perhaps not but I don t think you can dismiss him said a third adding Zelenskiy was clearly intelligent but did not articulate a policy or vision Even if his heart is in the right place Zelenskiy might struggle to get reforms through a hostile parliament where as of now he has no MPs diplomats said In one sense Poroshenko has become the victim of his own success in keeping the Donbass conflict contained another diplomat said emboldening voters to take a chance on Zelenskiy Poroshenko cauterizing the Donbass wound insulating 90 percent of the country from it made people feel they can experiment the diplomat said You have this deceptive calm in the country Tymoshenko a two time prime minister is also a mixed bag for the EU It came to her side in 2011 when she was jailed by Poroshenko s predecessor Viktor Yanukovich but a 2009 gas deal seen as more beneficial to Russia than Ukraine and recent anti reform rhetoric may have weakened her appeal She has lost the glow of martyrdom somewhat a Brussels based EU official said One strength of the election in Western eyes is it is genuinely competitive making for flattering comparisons with Russia where the Kremlin backed candidate dominates the field But it has been marred by accusations of foul play At a March summit in Brussels between Poroshenko and EU leaders Donald Tusk and Jean Claude Juncker Poroshenko said in private he could still win The EU told Poroshenko to ensure the vote was fair an EU official said Opinion polls show Zelenskiy as the frontrunner with Poroshenko and Tymoshenko fighting for a place in the April run off The fear is a close contest could spark accusations of vote rigging and street protests In a speech on March 5 US Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch said anyone trying to falsify voting records should be prosecuted and government resources should not be used to target political opponents
In short a country seeking integration with the European Union and NATO should ensure its actions meet Western standards she said |
WMB | Formula One and FIA present 2021 rules package to teams | By Alan Baldwin LONDON Reuters Formula One and the governing FIA presented teams with a detailed post 2021 vision for the sport at a meeting in London on Tuesday The sport s current commercial agreements expire at the end of 2020 and U S based commercial rights holders Liberty Media NASDAQ FWONA want to create a more level playing field and more competitive racing The global package presented put flesh on the bones of a presentation to teams and other stakeholders in Bahrain a year ago and also provided reassurance that Liberty have not been standing still in the meantime It includes thorny subjects such as a cost cap and redistribution of revenues as well as changes to the sporting and technical regulations power unit rules and sporting governance The day opened with a meeting of the Strategy Group and was followed by a meeting of the F1 Commission the Formula One website said A Formula One source said there was no vote on the 2021 regulations and none had been planned Teams are racing in Bahrain this weekend the second round of the 21 race championship FIA President Jean Todt told reporters earlier this month that engine regulations had already been sent to the teams while the cost control initiative was quite well advanced The Strategy Group includes six teams as voting members Mercedes Ferrari NYSE RACE Red Bull McLaren Williams NYSE WMB and Renault PA RENA but the remaining four were able to attend on Tuesday as observers The FIA s Formula One commission includes all the teams as well as race promoter and sponsor representatives Formula One chairman Chase Carey said at the season opening race in Australia that he expected plenty of debate in the weeks and months to come There are 10 different views on the details It is not unique in the world to try to find compromises Carey said at the time
Mercedes Ferrari and Red Bull the three top teams have expressed concerns about the cost cap while Ferrari are also reluctant to see their special historical privileges watered down and their share of the revenues reduced |
WMB | Comedian set to win first round of Ukraine presidential vote | By Matthias Williams NYSE WMB and Margaryta Chornokondratenko KIEV Reuters Ukrainians exhausted by five years of war and decades of official corruption look set to send a comedian with no political experience into a second round run off against the incumbent when they vote in Sunday s presidential election The favorite in Sunday s first round vote is Volodymyr Zelenskiy a political novice who plays a fictitious Ukrainian president in a popular TV series and who in real life has tapped into an anti establishment mood among voters Many opinion polls put the serving president Petro Poroshenko in second place a result that would set up a run off between him and Zelenskiy next month with a hard to predict final outcome For a graphic on Ukraine presidential election click Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is also in the running and could scrape into the second round at Poroshenko s expense Zelenskiy will probably be in the second round up against either Poroshenko or Tymoshenko which means that it s going to be a contest between the new and the old said Robert Brinkley chair of the think tank Chatham House s Ukraine Forum Ukrainians must then decide whether they are so fed up with the existing politicians that they ll vote in a complete novice and outsider or will their cautious instincts reassert themselves and they ll say we had better go with the devil we know rather than somebody completely unknown he said With Zelenskiy s insurgent run for the presidency Ukraine is surfing a wave of popular anger similar to the ones that brought the anti establishment 5 Star Movement to power in Italy and U S President Donald Trump to office Just 9 percent of Ukrainians have confidence in their national government the lowest of any electorate in the world a Gallup poll published in March showed The global average was 56 percent in 2018 Just 12 percent of Ukrainian adults have confidence in the honesty of elections while 91 percent believe corruption in their government is widespread None of the three candidates suits me And the other candidates simply will not manage to get through said Kiev resident Yevheniya Shmelkova Therefore we are indecisive in general should we go to the polls or not go No of course you need to go but the result will be unpredictable Western governments have much at stake in the election because they took Ukraine s side in its conflict with Russia and have invested money and considerable political capital in keeping Kiev on a path of integrating with the West Whoever is the ultimate winner they are unlikely to move back into Russia s orbit but Western officials and investors say they worry about the unpredictability that a Zelenskiy presidency is liable to bring Poroshenko was elected president in 2014 soon after Russia s annexation of Ukraine s Crimea region and an armed uprising by Russian backed separatists in east Ukraine that has killed 13 000 people and still rumbles on A frequent visitor to the front line wearing camouflage gear Poroshenko has been credited with containing the conflict and standing up to Russia But many voters say he has failed to get to grips with corruption and poverty and that his own entourage is tainted by sleaze An increase in gas prices pushed through under pressure from Western donors caused anger among consumers unhappy at their higher bills LIFE IMITATES ART Tymoshenko has described the gas hike as genocide promising to lift pensions and emphasizing her past as a revolutionary martyr imprisoned by two presidents Zelenskiy has promised that if elected he will usher in anti corruption and other reforms and breathe new life into moribund peace talks over the fate of eastern Ukraine now de facto controlled by separatists with Moscow s support In a case of life imitating art his campaign has been helped by the character he plays in his TV show an everyman who becomes president accidentally then cuts through graft and bureaucracy with plain talking honesty Zelenskiy has said he would introduce a bill to strip the president lawmakers and judges of immunity from prosecution if elected
Addressing investor fears about his inexperience he told Reuters in an interview last month he would not allow Ukraine to default on its debt commitments to the International Monetary Fund which has propped up the country with billions of dollars in loans in return for reforms |
WMB | NBA roundup Bledsoe leads Bucks past Rockets | Eric Bledsoe stole the spotlight from the MVP front runners and the Milwaukee Bucks coasted to a 108 94 victory over the visiting Houston Rockets on Tuesday Bledsoe paired 23 points with seven assists and was the catalyst during a third quarter run that enabled the Bucks to seize control He scored 16 consecutive points for Milwaukee during one stretch sinking four 3 pointers as the Bucks extended a five point lead into a 79 65 advantage Rockets guard James Harden and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo were relatively quiet Harden posted 23 points 10 rebounds and seven assists but shot 1 of 9 from 3 point range Antetokounmpo tallied 19 points and 14 rebounds with five turnovers Harden Eric Gordon and P J Tucker shot a combined 2 of 22 from beyond the 3 point arc for Houston Celtics 116 Cavaliers 106 Al Horford broke a fourth quarter tie with a layup and capped a 14 4 run with an alley oop slam helping visiting Boston brush aside Cleveland The win paired with a later loss by the Detroit Pistons allowed the Celtics to clinch a playoff berth for the fifth year in a row Horford finished with 19 points and a team high eight rebounds for Boston which snapped a four game losing streak With the Celtics giving Kyrie Irving a night off Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart shared team high scoring honors with 21 points apiece Collin Sexton had a game high 24 points for the Cavaliers Clippers 122 Timberwolves 111 Danilo Gallinari scored 25 points and Lou Williams NYSE WMB added 20 as visiting Los Angeles officially clinched a playoff spot and increased its winning streak to six games by topping Minnesota in Minneapolis Montrezl Harrell scored 18 points for the Clippers The lone downside for Los Angeles was that by clinching a postseason berth the Clippers must give their 2019 first round draft pick to the Boston Celtics to complete the Jeff Green trade of February 2016 Karl Anthony Towns scored 24 points with 13 rebounds as the Timberwolves lost for the sixth time in their past seven games Hornets 125 Spurs 116 OT Kemba Walker had 38 points 11 assists and nine rebounds and was brilliant in overtime and Charlotte remained red hot with a victory over visiting San Antonio Walker scored 11 of his points in overtime including the Hornets first seven of the extra session as Charlotte outscored the Spurs 19 10 The Hornets who also got a career high 24 points from Dwayne Bacon claimed their fourth consecutive win which is a first this season DeMar DeRozan led the Spurs with 30 points and grabbed eight rebounds LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points and 15 rebounds and Marco Belinelli scored 17 and pulled down 10 boards Magic 104 Heat 99 Nikola Vucevic scored 18 of his team high 24 points in the second half as Orlando defeated host Miami in a key contest Both teams are battling for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference and the Magic vaulted over the Heat by a half game in the standings Vucevic also added a game high 16 rebounds and five assists leading Orlando to its sixth straight win Miami 10 5 in its past 15 games was led by Dion Waiters who scored a game high 26 points Reserve Dwyane Wade scored 22 points including 18 in the second half Nuggets 95 Pistons 92 Jamal Murray scored 33 points and host Denver built a 27 point halftime lead then withstood a furious Detroit rally to claim a victory Nikola Jokic had 23 points and 15 rebounds for the Nuggets who were outscored 53 29 in the second half The Pistons Blake Griffin had 29 points 15 rebounds and five assists but missed a potential tying 3 pointer in the closing seconds Reggie Jackson added 17 points and Andre Drummond contributed 13 points and 17 rebounds Raptors 112 Bulls 103 Norman Powell had 20 points off the bench and Serge Ibaka added 16 points and eight rebounds to help Toronto defeat visiting Chicago The victory salvaged the final game of a three game homestand after the Raptors had lost the first two Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry each added 14 points for the Raptors while Pascal Siakam had 13 OG Anunoby had 10 points for Toronto before he groggily left the court with assistance with 4 10 to play in the game after a collision Wayne Selden scored 20 points for the Bulls and Shaquille Harrison added 15 Chicago has lost two in a row after winning the previous two games Hawks 130 Pelicans 120 Rookie Trae Young had 33 points and 12 assists as visiting Atlanta defeated New Orleans The Hawks earned their third consecutive victory to tie their longest winning streak of the season DeAndre Bembry and Dewayne Dedmon added 18 points each for Atlanta Julius Randle scored 24 to lead the Pelicans who lost for the ninth time in 10 games Christian Wood playing in his second game since being claimed off waivers had a career high 23 points New Orleans Frank Jackson scored 20 before leaving the game after sustaining a concussion Lakers 124 Wizards 106 Kentavious Caldwell Pope shot 6 for 12 from 3 point distance and scored 29 points to help Los Angeles defeat visiting Washington The Lakers won two in a row for the first time since mid January LeBron James had 23 points and 14 assists and JaVale McGee contributed 20 points 15 rebounds and four blocks for the Lakers Bradley Beal scored 32 points for the Wizards who lost their fifth straight game to match their longest streak of the season Kings 125 Mavericks 121 De Aaron Fox scored 10 of Sacramento s final 15 points in the last 2 27 as the visitors earned a victory at Dallas Fox finished with 23 points eight assists and five rebounds Buddy Hield had 17 points going just 4 of 13 from the floor but he hit a 3 pointer from the wing with 1 07 to go to retake the lead for the Kings 119 116
Rookie Luka Doncic led Dallas with 28 points and his seventh triple double of the season He wound up with 12 assists and 12 boards His night could have been spectacular if not for missing all nine of his 3 point attempts Field Level Media |
WMB | Halep sees off Wang to move into Miami semis | Reuters Simona Halep overcame a second set lapse to secure a 6 4 7 5 Miami Open quarter final victory over China s Wang Qiang on Wednesday that put the Romanian one win away from reclaiming the world s top ranking Second seed Halep stormed back from 5 1 down in the second set and saved three set points before wrapping up the win over 18th seeded Wang in 89 minutes Halep started strongly and broke Wang three times to race into a 4 1 lead before closing out the first set when she cut off the angle on a short forehand and blasted a winner into the open court But Wang came out firing in the second set breaking Halep three times and holding to love in back to back service games to build a 5 1 lead Wang nearly forced a decisive third set as she threatened to break Halep again when she quickly jumped out to 0 40 in the 10th game but the Romanian displayed confident net play to get out of the jam Halep matched her best result in Miami which came in 2015 when she lost to Serena Williams NYSE WMB in the semis Playing again in the semi finals is going to be a big challenge And maybe I can do my best result here and play in the final Halep said in an on court interview It s going to be a big match in the next round Up next for Halep will be the winner of the all Czech quarter final between fifth seed Karolina Pliskova and Marketa Vondrousova which kicks off the evening session at 7 00 p m ET 2300 GMT Halep the highest seed left in the draw following Naomi Osaka s third round exit said that while she is aware of her chance to reclaim top spot in the rankings that is not on her mind
If I play well if I play my best tennis I have a better chance to become number one again said Halep But it s not in my mind I just want to find my rhythm to find my level and just play as good as possible |
WMB | Tennis Hopman Cup ends after three decades as Perth made ATP Cup host | Reuters Perth has been chosen as the third city to host the inaugural ATP Cup in January 2020 signaling an end to the Hopman Cup international mixed team event that has been hosted by the Western Australian city for the past 31 years Sydney and Brisbane were announced as the other ATP Cup host cities in January with Sydney hosting the knockout rounds and final The ATP Cup will launch the global tennis season for the men Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said at the Perth Arena on Thursday Four of the top 12 male players and eight of the top 24 will play in Perth with 24 teams competing across three cities Perth Brisbane and Sydney The ATP Cup will have 750 ranking points and 22 million in prize money up for grabs The event leaves no room in the revamped tennis calendar for the Hopman Cup which is popular with players and has traditionally served as a warm up for the Australian Open the year s first Grand Slam Paul McNamee founder of the Hopman Cup and a four time doubles Grand Slam champion said he did not know if the tournament would move to another city My immediate feeling is sadness that it s not going to be there anymore and concern about where the Hopman Cup may be in the future he told ABC News The International Tennis Federation ITF which runs the Hopman Cup said it was committed to continuing to stage the event and had begun searching for a new tournament partner The ITF is committed to upholding the core values of the Hopman Cup in the future and are encouraged by the interest that has already been expressed ITF President David Haggerty said in a statement We are in discussions with potential partners to decide where and when this tournament will be next hosted We will keep the Hopman Cup alive and look forward to successful future editions of this unique event This year s event saw Roger Federer face Serena Williams NYSE WMB as Switzerland beat the United States McNamee said watching two of the sport s biggest names battle it out was a fitting farewell If there was a sign off to say well bye bye Hopman Cup it was the fact that probably the two greatest players in the history of the sport Roger Federer and Serena Williams went on court at the Perth Arena and went head to head he said |
VZ | AT T Enters Into Agreement With Amdocs For Digital Upgrade | AT T Inc NYSE T has inked an agreement with Amdocs Limited NASDAQ DOX to upgrade and modernize its digital business support system The multi year managed services agreement is part of the business transformation strategy of AT T and is primarily aimed at bringing innovation to the market in an agile manner The deal has reinforced the long standing business relationship between the two firms Per the agreement the companies are collaborating to augment data analytics and security programs while focusing on improved customer experience and digital enablement setup In addition the partnership aims to accelerate the implementation of DevOps to effectively address business priorities and evolving market conditions The alliance is based on the perceived demand escalation of new business and consumer applications with the wide proliferation of 5G cloud and edge computing services Edge computing forms a core focus area for AT T and marks a positive stride forward in providing faster processing and potentially enhanced security for business applications Together the companies aim to offer a flexible tool to better analyze data and process low latency high bandwidth applications The go to market alliance particularly intends to enable customers to swiftly convert data into actionable intelligence enabling unique digital experiences and smarter operations Notably another leading U S wireless service provider United States Cellular Corporation NYSE USM has also extended its long term alliance with Amdocs by deploying its digital care solutions across its own network This is likely to enable U S Cellular to digitize online and mobile application based sales and ordering campaigns thereby boosting consumer experience with greater automation In addition it would also facilitate better management of digital marketing efforts with more data and analytics driven reports This in turn is expected to enable U S Cellular to promptly add solutions and capabilities in short iterative cycles to deliver highly agile digital first experience to its users Both AT T and Amdocs carry a Zacks Rank 3 Hold A better ranked stock in the industry is Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ carrying a Zacks Rank 2 Buy You can see Verizon has long term earnings growth expectation of 4 2 It delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 2 2 in the trailing four quarters beating estimates on each occasion Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple Digit Profit PotentialThe biotech sector is projected to surge beyond 775 billion by 2024 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases They re also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases Zacks has just released Century of Biology 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance Our recent biotech recommendations have produced gains of 98 119 and 164 in as little as 1 month The stocks in this report could perform even better |
VZ | Sprint Unveils Community Lab To Boost OpenRAN 5G NR Project | Sprint Corporation NYSE S has unveiled a Telecom Infra Project TIP Community Lab in a bid to further develop OpenRAN 5G New Radio NR solutions Launched in 2016 TIP is a collaborative telecom community formed to provide enhanced connectivity services to underserved markets through the development of software based telecom infrastructure Located at the company s headquarters the lab is one of 12 TIP Community Labs worldwide It will host the trial and test activities of the TIP OpenRAN 5G NR Project Group The project is aimed at accelerating the innovation for 2 5 GHz 5G NR to deliver better connectivity and services to customers Sprint being the first U S wireless operator to become a member of the initiative mainly focuses on developing sub 6 GHz 5G NR small and macro cells for outdoor and indoor use cases followed by millimeter wave 5G NR solutions The pace of development innovation and testing gives OpenRAN 5G NR an edge over traditional models However the technological shift carries with itself a number of challenges like intellectual property rights issues and compatibility with legacy equipment This can eventually make troubleshooting and technical operations more complicated for operators as multiple vendors are involved in the network Co chaired by Sprint the lab will be used to test open 5G RAN prototype in early 2020 to develop modeling techniques and a test framework for specific applications The project group aims to create open reference design leveraging high quality hardware components coupled with disaggregated software for a flexible and modular 5G NR platform thereby reducing costs for operators This high end technology will also aid in introducing new features in the market faster allowing operators to work with smaller players In addition Sprint is focused on growing revenue per customer account by selling additional devices and value added services including promotion of its feature rich Unlimited Plus and Unlimited Premium rate plans The company continues to leverage digital capabilities to transform the way it engages with customers Sprint s strategy of balancing growth and profitability while increasing network investments and adding digital capabilities is likely to drive its financial performance in the coming quarters In addition Sprint s all stock merger with T Mobile US Inc NYSE S is expected to lead to about 127 million customer addition The company will have a strong closing balance sheet and a fully funded business plan with a strong foundation of secured investment grade debt at close The new entity will likely have the network capacity to rapidly create a nationwide 5G network It has long term earnings growth expectation of 19 6 The stock has rallied 4 2 compared with the s growth of 18 8 year to date Sprint currently has a Zacks Rank 3 Hold A couple of better ranked stocks in the industry are Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ and Gogo Inc NASDAQ GOGO both carrying a Zacks Rank 2 Buy You can see Verizon surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters the average positive earnings surprise being 2 2 Gogo outpaced estimates in each of the trailing four quarters the average positive earnings surprise being 39 1 Today s Best Stocks from ZacksWould you like to see the updated picks from our best market beating strategies From 2017 through 2018 while the S P 500 gained 15 8 five of our screens returned 38 0 61 3 61 6 68 1 and 98 3 This outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon From 2000 2018 while the S P averaged 4 8 per year our top strategies averaged up to 56 2 per year |
VZ | T Mobile Sprint Unveil Location Of New Support Center | T Mobile US Inc NYSE S and Sprint Corporation NYSE S recently unveiled the location of the fourth Customer Experience Center CEC post their proposed merger The facility to be built in New York s Nassau County is expected to create about 1 000 local direct jobs with several benefits such as healthcare stock grants college tuition assistance childcare subsidy and paid parental leave The state of the art facility will also promote employment opportunities in areas such as construction T Mobile s new investment in Nassau County CEC will join the league of previously announced CEC locations Overland Park KS Rochester NY and Kingsburg CA The company has also stated that it will leverage the support of union tradespeople in collaboration with the Building and Construction Trades Council of Nassau Suffolk Counties for the construction of two New T Mobile CECs in New York In order to deliver high quality services the newly announced CEC will also provide personalized support to customers with its innovative approach of Team of Experts TEX to maintain healthy and better customer relationships Through this approach customers can have direct access to specialists where the TEX can work in conjunction with local retail and engineering teams to address diverse issues and tackle complex challenges in broader geographic areas T Mobile has also ensured that no tax incentives from government or economic development bodies will be utilized to operate the state of the art facility The step is considered to be vital for the development of Nassau County Moreover it will provide an opportunity for T Mobile to invest significantly in job creation and infrastructure in the United States Other investments include the development of nationwide 5G network which will result in intense competition and offer new preferences to customers like broadband and opening new stores to an expanding customer base T Mobile also stated that its plans for new and expanded CECs will not only create 5 600 new American jobs by 2021 but it will have 7 500 more customer care professionals by 2024 than the two standalone companies would ever have Current Market ScenarioAfter striving for more than a year T Mobile has finally received clearance from Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission for its merger with Sprint The deal is likely to accelerate development of faster 5G wireless networks Amidst several controversies the combined company New T Mobile will have about 127 million customers a strong closing balance sheet and a fully funded business plan It represents a total implied enterprise value of about 146 billion T Mobile s innovative network expansion methodologies continue to be faster and technologically sounder in an attempt to stay ahead of competitors The U S wireless carrier s network has been the fastest network in America in both download and upload speeds Markedly the combination of the two networks would help to fill coverage gaps create more jobs and provide enhanced 5G connectivity leading the company to build new 5G infrastructure The merged company would roll out 5G technology to 97 Americans including 85 of rural locales But the state litigators are concerned about competition in the greater telecom space even as officials from each of the companies said the deal will keep a cap on prices for three years T Mobile and Sprint have long term earnings growth expectation of 12 4 and 19 6 respectively T Mobile s shares have gained 11 1 compared with the s growth of 9 9 in the past year Sprint s shares have lost 7 in the same period Zacks Rank Stocks to ConsiderT Mobile and Sprint currently carry a Zacks Rank 3 Hold A couple of top ranked stocks in the industry are Gogo Inc NASDAQ GOGO and Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ each carrying a Zacks Rank 2 Buy You can see Gogo surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters the average positive earnings surprise being 39 1 Verizon outpaced estimates in each of the preceding four quarters the average positive earnings surprise being 2 2 Free Zacks Single Best Stock Set to DoubleToday you are invited to download our just released Special Report that reveals 5 stocks with the most potential to gain 100 or more in 2020 From those 5 Zacks Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand picks one to have the most explosive upside of all This pioneering tech ticker had soared to all time highs and then subsided to a price that is irresistible Now a pending acquisition could super charge the company s drive past competitors in the development of true Artificial Intelligence The earlier you get in to this stock the greater your potential gain |
VZ | Verizon Shares Drop After Mixed Q4 Flat Profit Outlook | Investing com Shares in Verizon moved lower in premarket trade on Tuesday after the company warned that the need to invest in 5G networks will stop its earnings growing this year
For 2019 the company said it expects to achieve low single digit growth in revenue while adjusted profit will be similar to 2018
As we head into 2019 and the 5G era we re beginning a period of transformational change chief executive officer Hans Vestberg said We are laser focused on delivering customers a best in class and game changing experience on our networks
The disappointing outlook accompanied a fourth quarter report in which earnings beat analysts expectations but revenue fell short
The company reported adjusted earnings per share excluding special items of 1 12 That was above consensus of 1 09 Revenue however came in at 34 28 billion below estimates for 34 45 billion
At 7 25 AM ET 12 25 GMT shares in Verizon NYSE VZ were down 1 54 to 54 22 in premarket trade
Verizon follows other major Services sector earnings this month
On January 23 Comcast reported fourth quarter EPS of 0 64 on revenue of 27 85B compared to forecasts of EPS of 0 62 on revenue of 27 57B
Netflix earnings beat analyst s expectations on January 17 with fourth quarter EPS of 0 3 on revenue of 4 19B Investing com analysts expected EPS of 0 24 on revenue of 4 21B
Stay up to date on all of the upcoming earnings reports by visiting Investing com s earnings calendar |
VZ | Verizon Falls 3 | Investing com Verizon NYSE VZ fell by 3 29 to trade at 53 21 by 09 35 14 35 GMT on Tuesday on the NYSE exchange
The volume of Verizon shares traded since the start of the session was 3 11M Verizon has traded in a range of 53 21 to 53 72 on the day
The stock has traded at 57 8700 at its highest and 53 2100 at its lowest during the past seven days |
VZ | Verizon sees no increase in 2019 profit misses fourth quarter revenue estimate | By Sheila Dang and Akanksha Rana Reuters Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ on Tuesday said it does not expect profit growth in 2019 due to a higher tax rate and interest expense and missed Wall Street estimates for fourth quarter revenue The largest U S wireless carrier by subscribers said 5G the next generation wireless network that is expected to bring much faster data speeds will not have a large impact on Verizon s financials until 2020 foreshadowing a year of flat growth for the major U S carriers Craig Moffett an analyst with MoffettNathanson said in a note on Tuesday that investors have been focused on what the build out of 5G will cost Verizon rather than how much it will earn from the technology Moffett also said the company s profit guidance this year was not very inspiring given the strong U S economy Verizon Chief Financial Officer Matt Ellis said during the earnings call with analysts that the company expects earnings per share growth to be reduced by between 24 cents and 28 cents due to the higher effective tax rate and increased interest expense Ellis said Verizon s business was still strong enough to offset the non operational items and balance out to the same earnings per share level from 2018 Shares of Verizon the largest U S wireless carrier by subscribers were down 2 4 percent to 53 75 in afternoon trading Total operating revenue rose 1 percent to 34 28 billion in the fourth quarter missing the average analyst estimate of 34 44 billion according to Refinitiv data The company forecast an increase in 2019 capital spending to a range of 17 billion to 18 billion including expansion of the commercial launch of its 5G wireless technology up from 16 7 billion last year Verizon which has 118 million wireless customers said it added a net 653 000 postpaid phone subscribers during the fourth quarter beating the average estimate of 355 600 according to research firm FactSet Analysts pay attention to postpaid customers or those with a recurring bill because they are more valuable to carriers and remain with the company longer than prepaid customers The company lost 46 000 Fios video subscribers during the quarter more than the 29 000 it lost last year as viewers leave for cheaper internet TV services rather than pay for pricier cable packages Analysts looked for 51 000 losses Net income attributable to the company fell to 1 94 billion or 47 cents per share in the quarter from 18 78 billion or 4 56 per share a year earlier when it recorded a 16 8 billion one time benefit from the U S tax overhaul Revenue for the Verizon Media Group formerly called Oath and which includes Yahoo NASDAQ AABA and AOL was 2 1 billion during the quarter down 5 8 percent from the prior year
Excluding items Verizon earned 1 12 per share above the average estimate of 1 09 per share according to IBES data from Refinitiv |
WMB | Serena Williams withdraws from Miami Open with knee injury | Reuters Serena Williams NYSE WMB has withdrawn from the Miami Open with a left knee injury tournament officials said on Saturday It is the second consecutive WTA event in which the American has been unable to continue after her retirement from last week s tournament in Indian Wells with a viral illness I am disappointed to withdraw from the Miami Open due to a left knee injury the former world number one said in a statement I hope to be back next year to play at this one of a kind tournament in front of the incredible fans here in Miami The eight times Miami champion had begun the tournament with a tough three set victory over Sweden s Rebecca Peterson winning 6 3 1 6 6 1 on Friday I knew I could play a lot better than I was playing Williams had said afterwards of her error ridden second set I just said Okay you re better than this Serena
At Indian Wells Williams had claimed a 7 5 6 3 victory over two time Grand Slam winner Victoria Azarenka before being forced to retire from her third round match against Garbine Muguruza when trailing 6 3 1 0 |
WMB | World number one Osaka stunned by Hsieh in Miami | Reuters Japan s world number one Naomi Osaka was sent spinning to a crushing loss as Taiwan s 27th seeded Hsieh Su wei pulled off the biggest shock of the Miami Open by defeating her in three absorbing sets on Saturday Hsieh came from a set down to prevail 4 6 7 6 4 6 3 as her unorthodox style frustrated perplexed and finally wore down the U S and Australian Open champion The stunning upset came after the tournament had earlier lost its eight times champion Serena Williams NYSE WMB The great American player withdrew with a left knee injury the second consecutive WTA event which she has been forced to abandon following her retirement from last week s tournament in Indian Wells with a viral illness Hsieh had lost her two previous matches with Osaka including another hard fought contest in Melbourne in January but came back from a break down in each of the last two sets saving eight of the 12 break points she faced Once again the Taiwanese player who knocked out the then world number one Simona Halep at Wimbledon last year demonstrated her range of clever shot making against a much more powerful opponent to end a remarkable sequence of success from Osaka The Japanese had prevailed in 63 straight matches in which she had taken the first set but Hsieh fought back superbly to set up a fourth round meeting with Denmark s former world number one Caroline Wozniacki who beat Romanian qualifier Monica Niculescu 6 4 7 6 4 The wily Hsieh staved off four break points to grab a 3 0 lead in the first set before Osaka fought back She broke for a 5 4 lead on her third break point then delivered an ace while serving out the set and looked on course for a straightforward win as she served for the match at 5 4 in the second Yet still Hsieh was not done fighting back with some brilliant tennis to outplay Osaka in the tiebreak and strike a lovely passing winner to tie up the match In the decider Hsieh claimed a pivotal game at 3 3 as Osaka s serve remained ineffective and her errors mounted leading to the key service break In the next game Hsieh had no trouble holding for a 5 3 lead before a delightful dropshot winner finally put paid to an exasperated Osaka s resistance sealing another break and the victory after two hours 18 minutes KVITOVA EXTENDED Earlier world number two Petra Kvitova was extended to three sets before the Czech outlasted Croatia s Donna Vekic Two time Wimbledon champion Kvitova finally prevailed 6 4 3 6 6 4 in the clash between two heavy hitters but had to fight to earn her triumph after more than two and a half hours
Kvitova the third seed will meet France s Caroline Garcia in the fourth round Garcia knocked out 15th seed Julia Goerges of Germany 6 0 7 5 |
WMB | NBA roundup Hornets storm back to stun Celtics | Kemba Walker had 36 points 11 rebounds and nine assists and the Charlotte Hornets rallied from an 18 point fourth quarter deficit for a stunning 124 117 victory over the visiting Boston Celtics on Saturday night The Hornets closed out the game on a 30 5 run after falling behind 112 94 with 8 21 left in the fourth quarter Walker keyed it all and his 3 pointer with 1 19 remaining gave his team the lead for good Charlotte 33 39 has now won two straight while the Celtics 43 30 have lost three in a row The Hornets also got 20 points from Miles Bridges 13 each from Marvin Williams NYSE WMB and Malik Monk and 11 from Dwayne Bacon Williams hit four free throws in the final 41 2 seconds to help salt away the win Hawks 129 76ers 127 Rookie point guard Trae Young scored 32 points including the game winner with a tenth of a second remaining to give Atlanta a win over visiting Philadelphia The Hawks tied the game 127 127 on a layup by Taurean Prince with 27 5 seconds left then got a final shot when the 76ers allowed the 24 second clock to expire With 3 5 seconds left Atlanta s Kevin Huerter inbounded the ball to Young who made a floater over Jimmy Butler to put the Hawks ahead After calling timeout Philadelphia s inbounds pass hit the rim to end the game Mavs 126 Warriors 91 Luka Doncic recorded his sixth triple double of the season and Dallas exploded for 74 first half points in a shocking demolition of Golden State in Oakland Calif Dirk Nowitzki bombed in five 3 pointers while Doncic and Maxi Kleber buried four apiece as the Mavericks hit 21 shots from beyond the arc one shy of their franchise record and outscored Golden State 63 12 on 3s The loss came on the front end of a home back to back for the Warriors who chose to rest Stephen Curry Shaun Livingston and Andrew Bogut The 35 point margin of defeat was the largest of the season at home for Golden State Trail Blazers 117 Pistons 112 Damian Lillard scored 28 points and Portland outscored visiting Detroit 14 3 over the final 4 1 2 minutes en route to the victory Al Farouq Aminu chipped in a season high 22 points for the Trail Blazers who won for the sixth time in seven games Blake Griffin tallied 27 points Reggie Jackson added 24 points and Andre Drummond collected 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons who lost for only the fourth time in their last 12 games Jazz 114 Bulls 83 Rudy Gobert notched a double double of 21 points and 14 rebounds and six other teammates scored in double figures to boost visiting Utah to a rout of Chicago The Jazz raced to a 33 18 lead after one quarter and their 70 36 halftime lead was their largest on the road at the half in the history of the franchise which began play in the 1974 75 season in New Orleans Donovan Mitchell added 16 points for the Jazz while Joe Ingles 13 Derrick Favors 13 Ricky Rubio 12 Jae Crowder 11 and Raul Neto 10 followed to complement a balanced attack that overwhelmed the Bulls Heat 113 Wizards 108 Dwyane Wade scored 11 of his team high 20 points in the fourth quarter as visiting Miami defeated Washington The Heat 36 37 are fighting to hold on to the Eastern Conference s final playoff spot and this victory gave them a one game edge over idle Orlando 35 38 The two teams will meet Tuesday in Miami Wade went 5 for 7 from the field in the fourth quarter as Miami took charge of a game that swung back and forth throughout the first three periods The veteran guard helped the Heat take a 109 99 lead late Timberwolves 112 Grizzlies 99 Karl Anthony Towns totaled 33 points and 23 rebounds as Minnesota halted a nine game road losing streak by dominating the third quarter in a victory over Memphis The Timberwolves recorded their first road win since beating New York on Feb 22 They also halted a five game losing streak a night after being eliminated from playoff contention Towns recorded his seventh straight double double and 49th overall He also recorded his 19th 30 point game and fifth career game with at least 30 points and 20 boards Kings 112 Suns 103 Buddy Hield and Harrison Barnes scored 25 points apiece to lead host Sacramento to a victory over Phoenix Marvin Bagley III added 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings Nemanja Bjelica recorded 13 points and a career best 17 rebounds and De Aaron Fox had 13 points and nine assists
Hield made seven 3 pointers to set a franchise single season record with 245 He broke the mark of Peja Stojakovic 240 in 2003 04 who is now the club s assistant general manager Field Level Media |
WMB | Tennessee survives second half scare for OT win vs Iowa | Junior power forward Grant Williams NYSE WMB scored six of his 19 points in overtime as Tennessee blew a 25 point lead before posting an 83 77 victory over Iowa on Sunday in NCAA Tournament second round play at Columbus Ohio Senior guard Admiral Schofield also scored 19 points in the South Region contest for the second seeded Volunteers 31 5 Junior guard Lamonte Turner scored 15 points and junior point guard Jordan Bone added 14 for Tennessee which never trailed The Volunteers will face third seeded Purdue in the Sweet 16 on Thursday in Louisville Ky Junior guard Jordan Bohannon scored 18 points and junior guard Isaiah Moss added 16 for the 10th seeded Hawkeyes 23 12 Sophomore forward Luka Garza tallied 13 points and junior power forward Tyler Cook and freshman guard Joe Wieskamp added 11 apiece for Iowa which shot 39 percent from the field and went 7 of 21 from 3 point range Williams made two free throws Bone knocked down a 3 pointer and Williams added a hoop during Tennessee s seven point flurry to begin the overtime The Hawkeyes finally scored on Garza s two free throws with 2 24 left and Williams responded with a basket 26 seconds later to push the Volunteers lead to 80 73 Iowa later moved within 81 77 on Bohannon s layup with 11 2 seconds remaining but Bone made two free throws with 9 5 seconds left as Tennessee closed it out The Volunteers shot 46 7 percent from the field and were 8 of 20 from long range Turner buried a tiebreaking 3 pointer with 2 17 left in regulation to give Tennessee a 70 67 lead Junior guard Jamie Bowden split two free throws with 57 9 seconds before Iowa recovered to tie it at 71 as Moss drove for a hoop with 50 9 seconds left and Wieskamp made two free throws with 20 8 seconds remaining Iowa began digging itself out of a 21 point halftime deficit behind Cook who scored 11 points during a 16 4 surge that saw the Hawkeyes pull within 53 44 with 13 35 remaining Iowa used a 10 0 run later to trim Tennessee s lead to 61 58 Bohannon drained a 3 pointer with 8 14 left and Garza added two free throws to cap it Garza later converted a three point play and Moss barely beat the shot clock with a 3 pointer from the left corner to pull the Hawkeyes with 65 64 with 4 23 to play Iowa finally caught Tennessee at 67 with 2 39 left when Bohannon made three free throws after a controversial foul call on Turner Schofield scored 17 first half points as the Volunteers built a 49 28 halftime lead
Schofield s driving hoop elevated the margin to 25 at 44 19 with 4 22 remaining Field Level Media |
WMB | Halep recovers to beat Hercog Venus wins in Miami | Reuters Romanian second seed Simona Halep fought back from a set down to defeat Slovenian Polona Hercog in a challenging third round match at the Miami Open on Sunday Hercog ranked 93rd in the world pushed Halep all the way in the second set but the Romanian dominated the tiebreak to turn the match around and eventually triumphed 5 7 7 6 1 6 2 It was not easy at all Halep said I think the level was very very high She played unbelievable If she keeps playing like this she can be top 20 easy Halep faces three time Miami Open champion Venus Williams NYSE WMB in the fourth round after the American won 6 3 6 1 against Russian 14th seed Daria Kasatkina who failed to hold serve once World number three Halep avoided becoming the third major player to exit the tournament in two days Japanese world number one Naomi Osaka was stunned by 27th seeded Taiwanese Hsieh Su wei while Serena William was forced to withdraw with a knee injury earlier on Sunday Halep facing a potentially match ending tiebreak in the second set battled back with five consecutive points to force a deciding set against the 28 year old Slovenian After lucky loser Hercog pulled within 3 2 in the concluding set Halep won the next three games and the match I think in the end she got tired a little bit then I was stepping a little bit forward to be more aggressive Halep said The first two sets were tough because she was serving very very strong Also both shots forehand backhand slice actually it was really tough to get some points She didn t miss So it was really difficult It was a very very high standard EIGHT BREAKS Seven time Grand Slam champion Venus broke Kasatkina eight times losing just one game after trailing 3 2 in the opener I think in a lot of the matches we played before she was just on top of her game couldn t miss the former world number one said I think today I was just able to control the points Got a few more errors I m always at my best when I m playing aggressive So efficient was Williams that the Russian did not save a single break point as she lost every service game I didn t realise that until after the match looking at the stats said the American who was broken four times herself I ve never had a match before like that in my life
Two more seeds went out on Sunday as Latvian 11th seed Anastasija Sevastova lost 1 6 6 2 6 3 to Kazakh Yulia Putintseva while 25th seeded American Danielle Collins went down 7 5 6 1 to China s Wang Yafan |
WMB | UConn tops Buffalo rolls into another Sweet 16 | Napheesa Collier collected 27 points and 16 rebounds as second seeded Connecticut advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 26th straight year on Sunday with an 84 72 victory over 10th seeded Buffalo in an NCAA Women s Tournament Albany Region game at Storrs Conn Collier shot 12 for 15 from the floor for the Huskies 33 2 who bolted out of the blocks with a 15 0 run and survived some anxious moments in the fourth quarter to record their 94th consecutive home win Katie Lou Samuelson and Christyn Williams NYSE WMB each scored 17 points and Crystal Dangerfield added 11 for Connecticut which will face the winner of Monday s contest pitting third seeded Maryland 29 4 against sixth seeded UCLA 21 12 Buffalo s Cierra Dillard overcame a sluggish start to score 29 points before being hampered by an apparent ankle injury in the fourth quarter Adebola Adeyeye Theresa Onwuka and Brittany Morrison each had five offensive rebounds for the Bulls 24 10 who were bidding for their second consecutive Sweet 16 appearance and third overall Dillard drilled a 3 pointer to trim the deficit to 13 at 73 60 with 8 46 to go in the fourth quarter but Collier answered with a layup Dilliard was injured on next possession after stepping on the foot of Collier and remained on the floor for several moments before exiting under her own power Collier s layup gave the Huskies a 75 60 lead with exactly eight minutes to go but the team went 1 for 9 with five turnovers during the next 5 45 as Buffalo crept within eight points Collier ended the drought with a layup and an injured Dillard scored four quick points two one each side of Megan Walker s layup Connecticut made its free throws down the stretch to seal the win Collier scored six quick points and the Huskies took advantage of six Buffalo turnovers to take a commanding 15 0 lead to start the game Williams drilled back to back 3 pointers to push Connecticut s lead to 21 4 but Buffalo answered by scoring the final nine points of the first quarter to cut the deficit to 27 15
The Huskies threatened to run away as Samuelson scored five straight points during a 21 9 run to push the advantage to 48 24 Buffalo which had 11 offensive rebounds in the first half continued to work the glass and went on a 13 4 run prior to intermission Field Level Media |
WMB | NCAA roundup No 1 Duke barely holds off UCF | RJ Barrett scored off a rebound with 12 seconds remaining and Duke made a final defensive stand to pull out a 77 76 victory against Central Florida in the NCAA Tournament s East Region second round Sunday in Columbia S C Central Florida s BJ Taylor missed a runner in the final seconds and a tip in attempt by Aubrey Dawkins barely rolled off allowing top seeded Duke to advance Duke 31 5 will meet Virginia Tech on Friday night in the Sweet 16 in Washington D C Taylor made two free throws with 45 2 seconds to play for a 76 73 lead for ninth seeded UCF 24 9 After Zion Williamson missed a 3 pointer Javin DeLaurier grabbed the offensive rebound Williamson drove for a layup and was fouled with 14 4 seconds left with UCF 7 foot 6 center Tacko Fall fouling out on the play Williamson missed a chance for a three point play by leaving the free throw short but Barrett rebounded and laid it in to put Duke ahead EAST REGION No 4 Virginia Tech 67 No 12 Liberty 58 Post player Kerry Blackshear Jr scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Hokies over the Flames in San Jose Calif Blackshear s work inside helped offset the early hot shooting of the Flames 29 7 who went cold in the second half going almost seven minutes without a basket until Georgie Pacheco Ortiz s 3 pointer brought Liberty within 59 54 with 2 24 left Virginia Tech 26 8 set a school record for victories SOUTH REGION No 2 Tennessee 83 No 10 Iowa 77 Junior power forward Grant Williams NYSE WMB scored six of his 19 points in overtime as the Volunteers blew a 25 point lead before posting a victory over Iowa at Columbus Ohio Senior guard Admiral Schofield also scored 19 points for the Volunteers 31 5 Junior guard Lamonte Turner scored 15 points and junior point guard Jordan Bone added 14 for Tennessee which never trailed Junior guard Jordan Bohannon scored 18 points and junior guard Isaiah Moss added 16 for the 10th seeded Hawkeyes 23 12 Sophomore forward Luka Garza tallied 13 points and junior power forward Tyler Cook and freshman guard Joe Wieskamp added 11 apiece for Iowa which shot 39 percent from the field and went 7 of 21 from 3 point range No 1 Virginia 63 No 9 Oklahoma 51 The Cavaliers advanced to their third Sweet 16 in six seasons with a win over the Sooners at Columbia S C Mamadi Diakite got the start for the Cavaliers 31 3 and provided a spark with a game high 14 points and nine rebounds Despite a 2 for 15 shooting performance from junior Kyle Guy the Cavaliers got 12 points from Ty Jerome and 10 from De Andre Hunter to make up for the lack of scoring Oklahoma 20 14 shot just 37 percent and was led by Christian James who scored 13 points and pulled down five rebounds in his final game with the Sooners MIDWEST REGION No 1 North Carolina 81 No 9 Washington 59 Luke Maye poured in 20 points as the Tar Heels defeated the Huskies in Columbus Ohio The Tar Heels 29 6 were in control for most of the game with freshmen Nassir Little s 20 points and Coby White s 17 points also providing a lift North Carolina will face fifth seeded Auburn in the Sweet 16 on Friday night in Kansas City Mo Jaylen Nowell scored 12 points while Noah Dickerson and Nahziah Carter each posted 10 points for Washington 27 9 which was hurt by 4 for 10 shooting on free throws WEST REGION No 3 Texas Tech 78 No 6 Buffalo 58 Sophomore guard Jarrett Culver recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds as the Red Raiders crushed the Bulls at Tulsa Okla Senior center Norense Odiase added 14 points and a career best 15 rebounds for Texas Tech 28 6 which will face second seeded Michigan in the Sweet 16 in Anaheim Calif on Thursday Senior guard Matt Mooney and sophomore guard Davide Moretti had 11 points apiece and senior forward Tariq Owens had 10 points and seven rebounds for the Red Raiders
Senior forward Nick Perkins registered 17 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for Buffalo 32 4 which scored its fewest points of the season Senior guard CJ Massinburg added 14 points and junior guard Davonta Jordan had 13 Field Level Media |
WMB | NBA roundup Curry returns Warriors retake No 1 seed | Stephen Curry returned from a one game absence to hit five 3 pointers and total a game high 26 points Sunday night as the Golden State Warriors shook off the embarrassment of a 35 point loss to the Dallas Mavericks one day earlier to turn back the Detroit Pistons 121 114 in Oakland Calif The Golden State win coupled with Denver s loss at Indiana earlier in the day allowed the Warriors to move a half game ahead of the Nuggets in the race for the best record in the Western Conference The loss dropped Detroit from sixth to seventh in the Eastern Conference and further jumbled the five team battle for the final three playoff spots That duel also includes the Brooklyn Nets Miami Heat Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets Blake Griffin had 24 points and Andre Drummond had a 12 point 11 rebound double double for the Pistons who shot 46 4 percent overall and 12 for 31 38 7 percent on 3 pointers Spurs 115 Celtics 96 LaMarcus Aldridge scored 48 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as visiting San Antonio rolled to a win over reeling Boston to snap a two game losing streak Aldridge s points were the second most of his career following his 56 in a double overtime win over Oklahoma City earlier this season DeMar DeRozan added 16 points for the Spurs who have won 10 of their past 12 while Patty Mills hit for 12 points off the bench and Jakob Poeltl grabbed 10 rebounds for San Antonio Marcus Smart led the Celtics with 14 points with Marcus Morris and Gordon Hayward adding 13 each and Kyrie Irving and Daniel Theis scoring 11 points apiece Hayward paced Boston with 10 rebounds and Irving had 12 assists as the Celtics lost their fourth game in a row Rockets 113 Pelicans 90 James Harden scored 28 points and Houston clinched a playoff berth with an easy victory over host New Orleans Harden who leads the NBA with an average of 36 4 points per game didn t sustain the pace that saw him score a combined 118 points in the previous two games but it wasn t necessary He played just 29 minutes as the Rockets rolled to a 14 point lead at the end of the first quarter and cruised to their 14th victory in 16 games and remained in third place in the Western Conference Frank Jackson scored 19 points Julius Randle added 15 Stanley Johnson scored 13 and Anthony Davis had 12 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Pelicans who lost for the eighth time in nine games as they played the opener of a five game homestand Hornets 115 Raptors 114 Jeremy Lamb s desperation 48 foot 3 pointer at the buzzer gave visiting Charlotte a stunning victory in Toronto After the Raptors trailed by 14 points less than a minute into the fourth quarter Kawhi Leonard gave them the lead on a jumper with 45 seconds left then made a block at the other end But the Hornets had one big play left in them and they won their third straight game Kemba Walker scored 15 points and added 13 assists and eight rebounds for the Hornets who were led in scoring by Dwayne Bacon with 20 points Miles Bridges added 16 points Willy Hernangomez and Lamb had 13 each and Devonte Graham and Marvin Williams NYSE WMB 10 points each Pacers 124 Nuggets 88 Bojan Bogdanovic exploded for 35 points while teammates Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis recorded double doubles as host Indiana avenged a loss to Denver last week in a duel of teams battling for NBA playoff positioning The win allowed the Pacers coming off a four game road losing streak that included a 102 100 defeat in Denver on March 16 to solidify their standing as the No 4 team in the Eastern Conference with just eight games remaining Meanwhile the Nuggets failed in their quest to win a 50th game as they challenge Golden State for the top spot in the West with the Warriors ending Sunday with a half game lead Bucks 127 Cavaliers 105 Giannis Antetokounmpo collected 26 points and 10 rebounds as host Milwaukee posted a 22 point victory over Cleveland George Hill and Khris Middleton each had 17 points and Brook Lopez scored all 14 of his points in the first half for the Bucks who avenged a 107 102 setback to the Cavaliers on Wednesday Antetokounmpo sat out that contest with an ankle injury but he made his presence felt on Sunday by shooting 11 for 16 from the floor and adding seven assists and four blocks Kevin Love highlighted his 20 point performance with four 3 pointers and added 19 rebounds for the Cavaliers who fell to 6 30 away from home Jordan Clarkson scored 19 points and rookie Collin Sexton added 18 in the loss Clippers 124 Knicks 113 Lou Williams scored 15 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter while Danilo Gallinari added 26 points and hit the go ahead 3 pointer as surging Los Angeles ran its winning streak to five games while handing host New York its 60th loss Gallinari reached 20 points for a career high ninth straight game and teamed with Williams to spark the Clippers to their 10th win in 11 games The Knicks have lost four straight and 12 of their last 13 games They must win at least three of their eight remaining games to avoid exceeding the worst record in team history 17 65 in 2014 15 Lakers 111 Kings 106 LeBron James had 29 points 11 rebounds and 11 assists to lead Los Angeles past visiting Sacramento Kyle Kuzma also scored 29 points and JaVale McGee overcame early foul trouble to finish with 17 points 14 rebounds and five blocks for the Lakers who ended a five game losing streak
Marvin Bagley III had 25 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Kings who fell 6 1 2 games behind the San Antonio Spurs for eighth place in the Western Conference with nine games left Field Level Media |
VZ | Ribbon Deploys Emergency Calling Service For Colt Japan | Ribbon Communications Inc NASDAQ RBBN recently deployed Emergency Calling Services ECS for the Japan division of multinational telecom firm Colt Technology Services Group Limited The move reinforced the long term business relationship between the two entities and enabled Colt Japan to augment its service capabilities across the country Per Japan s telecom regulations carriers that offer voice calling services are mandated to provide ECS facilities to users These allow customers to have direct access to Japan s Police Fire Department and Coast Guard in emergency situations to avert any casualties and physical damage to properties and lives To date Colt Japan had been routing these services through third party network With the deal with Ribbon Communications Colt Japan would be fully equipped to provide ECS through its own network In addition the carrier implemented the VoIP Voice over Internet Protocol technology to seamlessly migrate other PSTN Public Switched telephone Network based services to IP Notably few days back Ribbon Communications had reported lackluster third quarter 2019 results with year over year decrease in earnings and revenues due to a challenging macroeconomic environment Adjusted earnings were 13 cents per share compared with 18 cents in the year ago quarter and missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 7 cents GAAP revenues were down from 152 million to 138 million missing the consensus estimate of 151 million The stock has lost 34 4 in the past year compared with the s decline of 20 4 It remains to be seen if such coveted deals could buoy the performance of this technology provider for telephone services over Internet networks in the near future Ribbon Communication currently has a Zacks Rank 4 Sell Better ranked stocks in the broader industry include Maxar Technologies Ltd TSX MAXR Gogo Inc NASDAQ GOGO and Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ each carrying a Zacks Rank 2 Buy You can see Maxar delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 119 2 in the trailing four quarters GOGO delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 39 1 in the trailing four quarters beating estimates on each occasion Verizon has long term earnings growth expectation of 4 2 It delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 2 2 in the trailing four quarters beating estimates on each occasion Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana Ignited by new referendums and legislation this industry is expected to blast from an already robust 6 7 billion to 20 2 billion in 2021 Early investors stand to make a killing but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look |
VZ | The Promise of 5G Is the Problem With Huawei in Eyes of Critics | Bloomberg The new wireless technology known as 5G will do more than make mobile phones faster it will link billions of devices revolutionizing transportation manufacturing and even medicine It will also create a multitude of potential openings for bad actors to exploit
The vulnerability helps explain the rising tension between the U S and Huawei Technologies Co China s largest technology company Huawei is pushing for a global leadership role in 5G but American officials suspect that would help Beijing spy on Western governments and companies
Huawei s significant presence in 5G creates a new vector for possible cyber espionage and malware Michael Wessel a commissioner on the U S China Economic and Security Review Commission that advises Congress said in an interview By connecting whole new classes of products 5G creates new vulnerabilities
The technology holds great promise Forests of gadgets will communicate instantly via millions of antennas Cars will talk to each other to avert lethal crashes factory foremen will monitor parts supplies and doctors can perform remote surgery as video sound and data flow without delay Connections will be 10 to 100 times faster than current standards quick enough to download an entire movie in seconds
Yet U S national security officials see billions of opportunities for spies hackers and cyber thieves to steal trade secrets sabotage machinery and even order cars to crash Citing security threats the U S has been pushing allies to block Huawei from telecommunications networks The U S Congress has banned government agencies from buying the company s gear
The company denies that it is a threat The fear about Huawei and 5G is misplaced Andy Purdy chief security officer for Huawei in the U S said in an interview This is a strengthened network a more secure network
The new technology will require an overhaul of telecommunications infrastructure The term 5G stands for a fifth generation to succeed the current fourth generation of mobile connectivity that has made video sharing and movie streaming commonplace
Standards for 5G are being written and large scale commercial deployment isn t expected until 2020 according to the U S China review commission Major U S carriers AT T Inc NYSE T and Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ are rolling out small scale versions of the service
In the meantime the number of internet connected devices is growing by nearly one third each year and will reach 25 1 billion by 2021 according to an estimate by consulting firm Gartner Inc
As those changes unfold Huawei is under intense scrutiny by the U S and its allies
Its chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou the daughter of founder Ren Zhengfei was arrested in Canada at the behest of the U S in December on fraud charges linked to alleged Iran sanction violations A sales executive was arrested last week in Poland on suspicion of espionage and fired over the weekend
His alleged actions have no relation to the company Huawei said in an emailed statement noting The incident in question has brought Huawei into disrepute
A federal criminal investigation of possible parts theft from T Mobile US Inc was revealed this week China s foreign ministry said Thursday the legal dispute between Huawei and T Mobile had already been resolved and expressed concern about the motives behind the reinvestigation
The company founded by Ren in 1987 has emerged as a premier overseas presence for China with a projected 108 billion in annual sales and operations extending to Africa Asia and Europe
Ren in a rare discussion with foreign reporters on Tuesday denied suggestions that Huawei aids the Chinese government in espionage saying it has no regular contact with Beijing
Some countries have decided not to buy equipment from Huawei he said Therefore we can shift our focus to better serve countries that welcome Huawei We can build high quality networks in those countries to prove that we are trustworthy
Ren also called Donald Trump a great president and said he ll take a wait and see approach as to whether the U S leader will intervene on behalf of his daughter Trump in December said he would intervene if it helped win a trade deal with China
Huawei holds an ever growing share of the world s smartphone market and it and China s government have both made it a priority to develop 5G capabilities Already Huawei is the world s largest telecommunications equipment maker with 28 percent of a 37 2 billion market in 2017 according to the U S China review commission
Huawei has said that blacklisting its equipment without proof will hurt the industry and disrupt the development of new high speed technology
In its latest annual report Huawei said it had conducted 5G tests with more than 30 leading carriers in more than 10 cities around the world We have been investing heavily in 5G research since 2009 the company said
Huawei has always maintained that it s independent and doesn t give the Chinese government access to its equipment
Misgivings however continue to flourish in the West
Retired Air Force Brigadier General Robert Spalding a former member of the National Security Council under the Trump administration has privately circulated a memo painting a future of communications dominated by China Eventually alternatives to its network technology won t exist because other suppliers won t be able to compete with government subsidized offerings from Huawei and fellow Chinese gear maker ZTE Corp HK 0763 Spalding said in the memo
Once China controls the market for internet connected devices it will be able to weaponize cities Spalding said in the memo Think of self driving cars that suddenly mow down unsuspecting pedestrians Think of drones that fly into the intakes of airliners
Spalding left the National Security Council last year after he called for an enlarged U S government role in communications creating an uproar because networks in the U S are privately owned and managed
Chinese laws obligate the nation s telecommunications operators to provide its intelligence services unfettered access to their networks James Mulvenon a China expert at the SOS International intelligence consultancy told the U S China review commission at a March hearing
Mulvenon called Huawei a legitimate globally competitive 90 billion plus company and said it is not a front company or a platform for Chinese intelligence
But he said Given the nature of the political and legal environment in China they would not be able to refuse a request a subsequent request from the Chinese government for access to a network that Huawei runs
In the U S telecommunications companies have also played a role in surveillance For instance in 2013 members of Congress confirmed they knew of a secret court order compelling Verizon Communications Inc to turn over data about its customers calls In 2015 Congress voted to stop the National Security Agency from collecting bulk records on Americans phone calls and instead get a court order for specific records
As 5G is introduced there s an increasing push to bar risky equipment from crucial networks said Wessel of the U S China commission
The internet is the backbone of our economy the backbone of our security apparatus and the workings of our government Wessel said And we need to take substantial steps to make sure we have confidence in the security of those networks |
VZ | WSJ Verizon Media laying off about 800 narrowing focus | Verizon VZ 1 is laying off 7 of staffers in its media group the WSJ reports the result of a months long review by Tim Armstrong s successor at the unit K Guru Gowrappan joined Verizon last spring and on Oct 1 officially took over from Armstrong at the head of Verizon Media Group formerly Oath That unit had wrapped up the former AOL Yahoo media properties that Verizon acquired from Yahoo NASDAQ AABA Now the business is going to narrow its focus toward mobile and video focused products Gowrappan says in a mail to staffers The cuts are said to affect Verizon Media globally and should amount to about 800 jobs Verizon Media had 11 385 employees at the end of last year it had 12 845 after Verizon bought Yahoo Gowrappan says his review found that Yahoo was one of the strongest brands in the business and that execs have focused more on the concept of membership to encourage users to spend time on company properties He s also stopped some efforts to sell brands suggesting that s too time consuming and opting to close them outright instead Now read |
XOM | Why Is Chevron A Better Big Oil Stock Than ExxonMobil | With massive market caps of 256 1 billion and 210 3 billion Exxon Mobil Corporation NYSE XOM and Chevron Corporation NYSE CVX dominate the energy sector Both the companies businesses are primarily guided by oil and natural gas prices However there are some key factors need to be analyzed elaborately before ranking the two integrated energy firms DoppelgangersExxonMobil and Chevron are among the leading integrated energy players with strong presence in upstream and downstream operations ExxonMobilThe company has upstream presence in the United States and abroad Apart from operations in the most prolific domestic play Permian ExxonMobil s upstream portfolio includes Guyana and Brazil In the Permian the company plans to produce more than 1 000 thousand oil equivalent barrels per day KoEB D by 2024 Moreover with 16 discoveries in the Stabroek Block located off the coast of Guyana ExxonMobil has estimated gross recoverable resources of more than 8 billion barrels of oil equivalent In fact the leading integrated energy player estimates 750 000 barrels of oil production per day from the offshore region by 2025 Other major energy players having interests in the Stabroek Block are Hess Corporation NYSE HES and CNOOC Limited NYSE CEO Additionally in Brazil the company has more than 2 3 million net acres of upstream resources ExxonMobil also has a strong downstream presence with interests in more than 20 refineries across the world Notably the company has estimated its total refining capacity at 4 7 million barrels of oil per day ChevronThe company s core upstream assets comprise Permian and Deepwater Gulf of Mexico along with resources in Australia Kazakhstan and Nigeria In Permian Chevron has 16 2 billon barrel of oil equivalent BBoE resources as of 2019 end significantly up from 9 3 BBoE in 2017 Moreover majority of the company s refining capacity is located in the United States while the rest is in Asia Both Are Dividend AristocratsIf a company raises dividend for at least 25 successive years it gets the status of dividend aristocrat ExxonMobil has successfully managed to grow dividend payments over the past 37 years at an average annual growth rate of 6 2 Meanwhile Chevron has hiked dividend payments for 33 straight years Not only are these integrated energy players dividend aristocrats the firms pay higher dividend yields than the Zacks S P 500 composite Currently the dividend yield for ExxonMobil and Chevron is a respective 5 75 and 4 28 way higher than the Zacks S P 500 composite s 1 68 Although it seems that dividend investors might choose ExxonMobil over Chevron for more than one percentage difference in their yields the question lies with sustainability considering ExxonMobil s aggressive capital spending plans Chevron s Edge Over ExxonMobilExxonMobil has an aggressive capital spending program in place as compared to Chevron In 2020 ExxonMobil is planning to invest 33 to 35 billion while 30 to 35 billion will likely be allocated from 2021 through 2025 Chevron in comparison is planning to spend 18 to 20 billion in 2020 From 2021 through 2023 Chevron is planning to allocate 19 to 22 billion capital While ExxonMobil intends to invest heavily in coming years this might require the company to divest assets and rely more on debt funding This could weaken ExxonMobil s balance sheet and lower the company s free cashflow that will be available for dividend payments This has probably justified the question of the company s sustainability of paying higher dividend yields than Chevron Importantly investors are constantly pressing companies to focus more on returns rather than solely on production Hence ExxonMobil s aggressive capital spending program mostly for oil and natural gas production might have disappointed investors However though Chevron has a conservative capital program in place it is projecting compound annual production growth rate of 3 4 in five years reflecting strong operational efficiencies In case of the Zacks Rank as well Chevron has a clear lead with a Zacks Rank 2 Buy while ExxonMobil carries a Zacks Rank 3 Hold You can see Today s Best Stocks from ZacksWould you like to see the updated picks from our best market beating strategies From 2017 through 2019 while the S P 500 gained and impressive 53 6 five of our strategies returned 65 8 97 1 118 0 175 7 and even 186 7 This outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon From 2000 2019 while the S P averaged 6 0 per year our top strategies averaged up to 54 7 per year |
XOM | Big Oil s Big Problem Plunging Natural Gas Prices | Slumping commodity prices and flagging global demand growth have plagued the energy market for long Most oil and gas companies are under pressure with share prices too close to their yearly lows right now for comfort The sell off has been indiscriminate not even sparing the so called supermajors ExxonMobil NYSE XOM Chevron NYSE CVX Royal Dutch Shell LON RDSa and BP plc NYSE BP all carved out new 52 week lows over the past few days
What Ails Them
Similar to other companies exploring for and producing oil and gas the results of ExxonMobil Chevron Royal Dutch Shell and BP s upstream divisions the main contributor to their earnings are directly exposed to commodity prices Consequently with oil price staying stubbornly range bound and mostly below 60 some of the top energy majors by market value have seen their revenues earnings and cash flows hit hard Worse even their downstream segments fared poorly with plunging refining and chemicals margin
But amid all these headwinds natural gas prices remain the most depressing factor for these companies In fact as much as the price erosion in crude oil has been natural gas realizations have faced an even more arduous road
Big Oil s Big Natural Gas Bet
Over the past few years some the world s largest oil companies have become gassier directing their major investments toward the commodity considering the secular shift to the cleaner burning fuel for power generation worldwide and in the Asia Pacific region in particular
In 2019 natural gas accounted for around 40 of ExxonMobil s output while smaller rival Chevron pumped 3 058 thousand oil equivalent barrels per day MBOE d last year which was 39 natural gas By comparison natural gas accounted for 37 and 51 of European energy behemoths Royal Dutch Shell and BP production mix respectively As a result their fortunes are closely tied to the price of the commodity
It s clear that the big energy companies are all major supplier of the natural gas with the fuel set to play an important role in their future As for ExxonMobil the Irving TX based supermajor which acquired XTO Energy for more than 40 billion in 2009 to focus on gas production is heavily invested in two major LNG projects in Papua New Guinea and Mozambique
Meanwhile Zacks Rank 2 Buy Chevron s Australian LNG megaprojects Gorgon and Wheatstone will play an important part in its plan to grow its output by 3 this year and at a 3 4 CAGR from 2018 until 2023 Shell bought BG Group in 2016 for 50 billion to become the world s largest LNG producer Finally BP has identified nine global gas development hubs that are likely to make up nearly 50 of the London based company s cash flow by 2024
You can see
The Commodity s Price Destruction
No major commodity in the U S had a worse 2019 than natural gas The fuel endured a torrid year registering its worst annual decline since 2014 Prices tumbled more than 25 last year as buyers fled the market over growing worries about record output and concerns of an ongoing supply glut
Natural gas continues to face bearish pressure in 2020 with warmer than expected winter weather playing spoilsport and taking the price below the psychologically important level of 2 No wonder then that the plummeting realizations was a significant negative contributor to Big Oil s recent results and acted as a major drag on bottom lines that fell year over year
Natural Gas Price Outlook for 2020
Agreed the demand for cleaner fuels and the commodity s relatively lower price has catapulted natural gas share of domestic electricity generation to 37 from 25 in 2011 Moreover new pipelines to Mexico together with large scale liquefied gas export facilities have meant that exports out of the U S are set for a quantum leap Finally higher consumption from industrial projects will likely ensure strong natural gas demand
But thanks to soaring shale output the United States has been the world s largest natural gas producer since 2009 Higher recovery rates from major unconventional fields have helped unleash record volumes regularly As a matter of fact the EIA says that the United States produced 92 1 billion cubic feet a day Bcf d of dry natural gas in 2019 up from the 2018 average of 83 4 Bcf d a record high for the second consecutive year
The agency also projected that domestic gas output would rise to an all time high of 94 2 Bcf d in 2020 In other words record high production in the United States and expectations for healthy growth through 2020 means that supply will keep pace with demand
Therefore natural gas might experience short lived surge based on positive weather forecasts but any powerful turnaround looks unlikely at the moment With output from shale formations swamping the market there is little room for prices to improve meaningfully from their current levels
What Lies Ahead
To be precise ExxonMobil Chevron Shell and BP s portfolios reflect their increasing focus on natural gas and LNG Consequently they are taking a hit alongside declining natural gas price Some of the companies were forced to write down billions in natural gas assets in recent months For example Chevron took a 10 billion non cash impairment charge during the fourth quarter mostly related to its Appalachian natural gas assets
For now natural gas fundamentals exude bearish signals which are expected to keep prices low This will continue to impact the Big Oil companies bottom line
Today s Best Stocks from Zacks
Would you like to see the updated picks from our best market beating strategies From 2017 through 2019 while the S P 500 gained and impressive 53 6 five of our strategies returned 65 8 97 1 118 0 175 7 and even 186 7
This outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon From 2000 2019 while the S P averaged 6 0 per year our top strategies averaged up to 54 7 per year |
XOM | The Phil Flynn Energy Report February 12 2020 | Chasing The Virus
Oil funds started to pile on to the short side of crude after more than a 20 drop as they all of a sudden realized that we saw oil demand destruction of historic nature Today Goldman Sachs NYSE GS downgraded China s GDP growth forecast to 5 2 from 5 8
Yet with the Chinese stock market rebounding for the second day in a row and more signs that the virus has peaked could oil be ready for a recovery rebound China has added billions of dollars of stimulus and says they are prepared to offer even more tax relief to Chinese companies China is signaling that it will do whatever it takes to maintain economic and financial stability
OPEC and Russia could help that rebound if as expected Russian finally goes along with its expected 600 000 barrel a day production cut
Yet even without that cut the chart for crude oil is looking very oversold and not even a bearish American Petroleum Institute API supply report could drive us to new lows The API reported that crude stockpiles rose by 6 million barrels last week and by 1 33 million barrels in the Cushing Oklahoma delivery point Gasoline supplies also rose by 1 08 million barrels Yet a surprise 2 33 million barrels drop in distillate was supportive Now with a risk on attitude in stocks it is possible that barring any negative headlines we have found a bottom
Very often when we get these demand destruction events and the market starts to fear it they generally initially overreact to the downside in price While many times the move is justified there comes the point where they have priced in the worst case scenarios as opposed to reality The reality is that we still don t know how harmful the virus will be but there is talk of the virus peaking and high hopes for vaccines and so know we might see oil demand recover faster than the market was assuming There is no doubt that at some point we could falter again We could be looking at the proverbial dead cat bounce If global markets start to look shaky or even if we get a very bearish report from the Energy Information Administration EIA we could easily see buyers run for cover Yet traders with a high risk tolerance are starting to look at oil as a buying opportunity at these levels While picking a bottom is especially under these circumstances dangerous it could also be very lucrative if the call is right
Products should see support on reports of a fire at Exxon s NYSE XOM Baton Rouge Refinery which has 502 500 b d capacity
Can natural gas bottom Just like oil natural gas has been hammered on warm weather and the fact that shipping LNG into China has stopped The chart looks like it wants to try recovery but Andrew Weissman of EBW Analytics warns that a surging year over year storage surplus reaching nearly 800 Bcf by mid March is likely to maintain downward pressure on natural gas A retest of 2016 lows of 1 611 MMBtu appears increasingly expected in the weeks ahead From a long term fundamental perspective however gas prices are nearing an equilibrium state with the November storage trajectory falling below 3 700 Bcf Any further declines are likely to provide fodder for an early summer rebound Very weak global natural gas prices may constrain any possible domestic gas price recovery likely maintaining sub 2 00 MMBtu rates for longer than many anticipate |
WMB | Pompeo in Israel calls Hezbollah risk to Middle East stability | By Dan Williams NYSE WMB JERUSALEM Reuters U S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described Hezbollah on Wednesday as a risk to Middle East stability and conferred with Israel about the heavily armed Iranian backed Lebanese group ahead of a trip to Beirut Pompeo who has been on a regional tour to promote the Trump administration s hard tack against Iran received a warning from Israel which worries it may again be in the sights of Hezbollah forces winding down their intervention in Syria s war Meeting Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in Jerusalem Pompeo listed Hezbollah Palestinian Hamas and Yemen s Houthis all recipients of Iranian support as entities that present risks to Middle East stability and to Israel They are determined to wipe this country off the face of the planet and we have a moral obligation and a political one to prevent that from happening You should know that the United States is prepared to do that Pompeo said in public remarks at the meeting For its part Israel has carried out repeated air strikes on Hezbollah in Syria where the Shi ite Muslim militia along with Russian air power helped President Bashar al Assad turn the tables against mainly Sunni Muslim rebels and militants In a speech broadcast on the Persian new year on Thursday Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the Islamic Republic had successfully resisted unprecedented strong U S sanctions Iran has faced economic hardship since U S President Donald Trump withdrew last year from the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers and reimposed sanctions Focusing his remarks on Lebanon Rivlin told Pompeo that its prime minister Saad al Hariri cannot say to anyone that Lebanon is separate from Hezbollah a reference to the group s political clout in Beirut where it has ministers in the government as well as lawmakers in parliament If some thing will happen from Lebanon toward Israel we will hold Lebanon as the responsible party Rivlin said speaking in English Washington also has been increasingly voicing concern at Hezbollah power echoing Israel whose forces were fought to a standstill by the militia in a 2006 Lebanon war Pompeo s visit to Jerusalem was widely seen in Israel as a boost for Netanyahu who enjoys a close relationship with Trump just three weeks before a closely contested Israeli election In a further signal of solidarity with Israel Pompeo was later scheduled accompanied by Netanyahu to visit Judaism s Western Wall in Jerusalem s Old City In May 2017 Trump became the first sitting U S president to visit the wall but did not ask Netanyahu to join him Seven months later Trump broke with decades of U S policy and recognized Jerusalem as Israel s capital incensing Palestinians who claim the city s eastern sector as the capital of a future state they seek Last May Washington moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem Pompeo also visited the embassy on Thursday |
WMB | Germany urged to champion global treaty to ban killer robots | BERLIN Reuters Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jody Williams NYSE WMB and other activists warned on Thursday that fully autonomous weapons could be deployed in just 3 4 years and urged Germany to lead an international campaign for a ban on so called killer robots Williams who won the Nobel in 1997 for leading efforts to ban landmines told reporters Germany should take bold steps to ensure that humans remained in control of lethal weapons You cannot lead from the rear she said Critics fear that the increasingly autonomous drones missile defense systems and tanks made possible by new artificial intelligence could turn rogue in a cyber attack or as a result of programming errors German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called last week for action to ensure human control of lethal weapons but is pushing a non binding declaration rather than a global ban given opposition by the United States Russia and China The United Nations and European Union have called for a global ban but discussions so far have not yielded a clear commitment to conclude a treaty Activists from over 100 non governmental groups gathered in Berlin this week to pressure Maas and the German government to take more decisive action after twice endorsing a ban on fully autonomous weapons in their 2013 and 2018 coalition accords They rallied at Berlin s Brandenburg Gate with a life sized robot telling onlookers Not all robots will be friendly Stop killer robots now If Germany showed leadership and got behind it we d soon have the rest of Europe behind it said Noel Sharkey a leading roboticist and co founder of the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots
He said it was only a matter of years before fully autonomous weapons could be deployed in battle given rapid advances in artificial intelligence and other technologies |
WMB | Tennis Venus shines as sun returns to Miami Open | By Steve Keating MIAMI Reuters Three times Miami Open champion Venus Williams NYSE WMB lit up center court by easing past Slovenian qualifier Dalila Jakupovic 7 5 6 3 in the first round as the sun and fans returned to the tournament on Thursday After two days of almost constant rain Williams match on the 13 800 temporary stadium court kicked off a busy day as organizers scrambled to get back on schedule after rain washed away three of the first four sessions A move from cramped quarters at Crandon Park on picturesque Key Biscayne to the wide open spaces provided by acres of parking lots that surround the tournament s new home at Hard Rock Stadium aims to give the Miami Open a bright new future Finally some of that potential shone through as people filled the spacious fanzone generating some badly needed buzz Williams did her part to get the party rolling by overcoming a sluggish start to book her spot in the second round Trailing 5 4 in the opening set Williams stepped up a gear to sweep the next six games breaking her opponent three times to claim the first set before jumping ahead 3 0 in the second to wake up a sleepy crowd Playing in her first WTA premier event Jakupovic 27 provided Williams with some early resistance taking advantage of the 38 year old American s misfiring serve But the former world number one making a record 20th appearance at the Miami Open did not panic breaking Jakupovic with the help of a challenge call that brought a smile to her face to seize control She really plays the angles well and is definitely a real competitor said Williams summing up her 80th ranked opponent I was just trying to get a feel for what her shot selection is like That s always really challenging as a new opponent On an outside court another tennis sibling Mari Osaka older sister of world number one Naomi was not having the same success falling 6 2 6 4 to American wildcard Whitney Osuigwe Osaka ranked 338 will now have to content herself with being a cheerleader for her top seeded sister who received a first round bye and will open her account against Belgian Yanina Wickmayer a 3 6 6 3 6 1 winner over American Sachia Vickery |
WMB | Trump signs executive free speech order for U S colleges | WASHINGTON Reuters U S President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order linking free speech efforts at public universities to federal grants in an effort to combat what he considers a clamp down on conservative students abilities to share their views Under the order the schools will themselves certify whether they are protecting students free speech rights which are already guaranteed by the U S Constitution s First Amendment The order requires that schools ensure they allow students to express themselves in order to receive funds from 12 federal agencies that help fund universities and colleges Trump administration officials have suggested that the rights of speakers on college campuses have been trampled by student protesters and that conservatives have been unfairly targeted Trump who regularly decries the media as fake news and calls defamation laws a sham has threatened retaliatory action related to free speech issues where he says the rights of conservatives are under attack In signing the order at the White House on Thursday Trump took the fight to campuses which receive billions of dollars a year from the federal government including more than 30 billion for research Universities that want tax dollars should protect free speech not silence free speech Trump said But the American Association of State Colleges and Universities AASCU said in a statement that public schools are already committed to free expression and the executive order does not and cannot add to or subtract from our pre existing obligations under the Constitution A senior U S administration official said schools not the government would attest to their compliance with the executive order Private schools will follow their own policies and the executive order will not impact student tuition aid programs the official said The goal of the order is to promote free speech more broadly across college campuses the official told reporters Trump had announced his planned order earlier this month at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington The event featured activist Hayden Williams NYSE WMB who was punched at the University of California Berkeley in February while recruiting students for a conservative group Last year the Justice Department filed a statement of interest in a free speech lawsuit filed against the university accusing it of discriminating against speakers with conservative views The case was settled in December when the school agreed to modify its handling of major events on campus Trump s executive order also calls on the Department of Education to make recommendations on financial risk sharing for financial institutions regarding school loans the official said but gave no details
The AASCU said federal aid programs should be addressed through current law via Congress and not a unilateral order from the White House |
WMB | Morant No 12 Murray State race past No 5 Marquette | Star sophomore point guard Ja Morant had 17 points 16 assists and 11 rebounds for the first triple double in NCAA Tournament play since 2012 to help Murray State roll to a convincing 83 64 victory over Marquette on Thursday in West Regional play at Hartford Conn Morant dominated the contest from the outset despite taking just nine shots He recorded his fourth career triple double as 12th seeded Murray State 28 4 roughed up the fifth seeded Golden Eagles 24 10 The previous triple double in NCAA play was achieved by Michigan State s Draymond Green who had 24 points 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a victory over LIU Brooklyn Freshman guard Tevin Brown made five 3 point baskets and scored a team best 19 points as the Racers won their 12th straight game Freshman forward KJ Williams NYSE WMB had 16 points and senior guard Shaq Buchanan added 14 for Murray State The Racers will face fourth seeded Florida State on Saturday in the second round Junior guard Markus Howard scored 26 points for Marquette which lost for the sixth time in the past seven games Junior forward Sam Hauser recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds The Golden Eagles shot just 32 4 percent from the field including 8 of 31 from 3 point range Howard was just 9 of 27 from the field and 4 of 14 from long range The Racers shot 53 6 percent from the field and were 9 of 18 from behind the arc Murray State led by seven at the break and came out strong with seven straight points at the outset of the second half Morant s three point play increased the margin to 49 35 with 18 09 remaining After Howard made a 3 pointer Morant delivered a thunderous dunk to ensure the Golden Eagles weren t about to halt the Racers momentum The lead reached 20 after Brown made his fifth 3 pointer and Williams scored on a put back to make it 62 42 with 11 23 remaining Buchanan s layup gave Murray State a 68 46 lead with 8 07 left Marquette never made a late game charge Brown had 12 points on 4 of 4 3 point shooting and Morant recorded 10 points and eight assists as Murray State built a 42 35 halftime lead Howard scored 16 points for Marquette
The Racers used an early 15 2 burst to open up a 20 10 advantage just more than seven minutes into the contest The Golden Eagles answered a 14 3 run to take a 24 23 lead on a dunk by freshman forward Brendan Bailey Field Level Media |
WMB | No upset alert for No 1 seed Gonzaga in first round rout | Rui Hachimura scored 21 points Killian Tillie had a season high 17 and top seeded Gonzaga dominated from the start in an 87 49 beatdown of Fairleigh Dickinson in a first round West Region game Thursday in Salt Lake City Gonzaga set a school record for margin of victory in an NCAA Tournament game Brandon Clarke had 14 points nine rebounds and three blocks for the Bulldogs He combined with fellow frontcourt players Hachimura and Tillie to make 21 of 32 shots against the 16th seeded Knights Gonzaga stewing for nine days after a loss in the West Coast Conference tournament championship game was relentless from the opening tip preventing the Knights from making a basket through the first six and a half minutes The Bulldogs went up by 10 points with 15 49 to go in the first half by 20 with 9 35 left and by 30 with 1 45 remaining Gonzaga 31 3 will play in Saturday s second round against No 9 Baylor a 78 69 winner over No 8 Syracuse later Thursday Fairleigh Dickinson which defeated Prairie View 82 76 in a First Four game Tuesday shot just 30 percent 15 of 50 Mike Holloway Jr and Elyjah Williams NYSE WMB each scored 10 points to lead the Knights 21 14 Senior guard Darnell Edge who scored 33 against Prairie View and was Northeast Conference tournament Most Valuable Player mustered only seven against Gonzaga on 2 of 11 shooting The Bulldogs had a 47 30 rebounding advantage Gonzaga poured in the final 19 points of the first half to take a 53 17 lead into the locker room That marked the ninth time this season that Gonzaga reached 50 in a half and the 53 points were six more than it scored in a 60 47 loss to Saint Mary s in the WCC tournament title game Hachimura scored 14 points in the first half and had as many baskets five as FDU Gonzaga had more fast break points 18 than Fairleigh Dickinson had first half points
The Knights played better in the second half needing just over seven minutes to match their first half scoring total but Gonzaga never faltered in winning a first round game for the 11th consecutive year Field Level Media |
WMB | NCAA roundup No 12 Murray State stuns No 5 Marquette | Star sophomore point guard Ja Morant had 17 points 16 assists and 11 rebounds for the first triple double in NCAA Tournament play since 2012 to help Murray State roll to a convincing 83 64 victory over Marquette on Thursday in West Regional play at Hartford Conn Morant dominated the contest from the outset despite taking just nine shots He recorded his fourth career triple double as 12th seeded Murray State 28 4 roughed up the fifth seeded Golden Eagles 24 10 The previous triple double in NCAA play was achieved by Michigan State s Draymond Green who had 24 points 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a victory over LIU Brooklyn Freshman guard Tevin Brown made five 3 point baskets and scored a team best 19 points as the Racers won their 12th straight game Freshman forward KJ Williams NYSE WMB had 16 points and senior guard Shaq Buchanan added 14 for Murray State who will face fourth seeded Florida State on Saturday in the second round Junior guard Markus Howard scored 26 points for Marquette which lost for the sixth time in the past seven games Junior forward Sam Hauser recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds WEST REGION No 1 Gonzaga 87 No 16 Fairleigh Dickinson 49 Rui Hachimura scored 21 points Killian Tillie had a season high 17 and the top seeded Bulldogs dominated from the start in a beat down of the Knights at Salt Lake City Gonzaga set a school record for margin of victory in an NCAA Tournament game Brandon Clarke had 14 points nine rebounds and three blocks for the Bulldogs He combined with fellow frontcourt players Hachimura and Tillie to make 21 of 32 shots Gonzaga 31 3 will play in Saturday s second round against No 9 Baylor Fairleigh Dickinson 21 14 got 10 points apiece from Elyjah Williams and Mike Holloway Jr No 2 Michigan 74 No 15 Montana 55 Charles Matthews recorded 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Wolverines past the Grizzlies at Des Moines Iowa The game was a rematch of last season s first round matchup when Michigan beat Montana 61 47 Ignas Brazdeikis added 14 points and Jon Teske had 11 points and nine rebounds for the Wolverines 29 6 Jordan Poole scored 10 points and junior guard Zavier Simpson registered 10 assists and seven rebounds helping Michigan advance to face 10th seeded Florida Sayeed Pridgett scored 17 points for the 15th seeded Grizzlies 26 9 and Ahmaad Rorie and Timmy Falls added 10 points apiece No 4 Florida State 76 No 13 Vermont 69 Mfiondu Kabengele recorded 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Seminoles to a first round victory over the Catamounts at Hartford Conn Terance Mann scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half as the Seminoles 28 7 controlled the final 11 1 2 minutes Anthony Lamb scored 16 points for the Catamounts 27 7 who dropped to 2 7 all time in NCAA Tournament play Stef Smith Ben Shungu and Ernie Duncan all scored 15 points No 9 Baylor 78 No 8 Syracuse 69 Makai Mason scored 22 points and the Bears hit a season high 16 3 point shots to beat the Orange in Salt Lake City The teams battled from the 3 point arc for much of the game combining to hit 28 from long distance an NCAA Tournament record for a non overtime game Baylor 20 13 got 14 points from Jared Butler and 13 from Mario Kegler Syracuse 20 14 saw the end of its streak of first round victories in its past eight NCAA Tournament appearances Elijah Hughes scored a career high 25 points for the Orange and Tyus Battle had 16 No 10 Florida 70 No 7 Nevada 61 Kevarrius Hayes scored 16 points to help the Gators produce a victory over the Wolf Pack at Des Moines Iowa Jalen Hudson added 15 points for Florida 20 15 Keyontae Johnson recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds and KeVaughn Allen also scored 10 points Cody Martin scored 23 points and Caleb Martin added 19 points for the Wolf Pack 29 5 Nevada shot just 34 5 percent from the field including 5 of 24 from 3 point range EAST REGION No 2 Michigan State 76 No 15 Bradley 65 Cassius Winston scored 26 points to lead the Spartans to a victory over the Braves in Des Moines Iowa Winston made all eight of his free throws and the Spartans 29 6 finished 25 of 26 at the stripe Xavier Tillman had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Matt McQuaid added 10 points Michigan State will next face No 10 Minnesota on Saturday Elijah Childs scored 19 to lead Bradley 20 15 the tournament champions from the Missouri Valley Conference who were back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 13 years Darrell Brown added 17 points Dwayne Lautier Ogunleye scored 14 and the Braves made nine 3 pointers to keep the game close No 3 LSU 79 No 14 Yale 74 Naz Reid and Kavell Bigby Williams both had double doubles as the Tigers used their superior size to hold off the Bulldogs in Jacksonville Fla LSU 27 6 playing without coach Will Wade suspended while the school investigates possible NCAA violations will play sixth seeded Maryland in the second round Saturday Reid had 14 points and 10 rebounds Bigby Williams had 10 points and 10 rebounds Skylar Mays added 19 points and Tremont Waters scored 15 Alex Copeland led the Bulldogs 22 8 with 24 points Jordan Bruner scored 16 and Azar Swain had 12 off the bench No 6 Maryland 79 No 11 Northeastern 77 Jalen Smith and Bruno Fernando had double doubles as the Terrapins edged the Bruins in Jacksonville Fla Smith had 19 points and 12 rebounds and Fernando added 14 points and 13 rebounds Darryl Morsell scored 18 and Eric Ayala added 12 as the Terrapins 23 10 prevailed in a back and forth game Dylan Windler had 35 points and 11 rebounds and Kevin McClain scored 19 to lead Belmont 27 6 which defeated Temple 81 70 in a play in game Tuesday in Dayton Ohio The Bruins fell 10 points short of their scoring average of 87 4 which is second to only Gonzaga in Division I No 10 Minnesota 86 No 7 Louisville 76 Gabe Kalscheur scored 24 points to lead the Golden Gophers to a victory over the Cardinals in Des Moines Iowa The Gophers 22 13 won their first tournament game since 2013 when they opened with a victory over UCLA Kalscheur was 5 of 11 from 3 point range as Minnesota made 11 triples its second highest total all season Jordan Murphy and Amir Coffey scored 18 points each while Daniel Oturu and Dupree McBrayer each scored 13 for the Gophers Louisville 20 14 entered the game having won just two of its last seven games and could never seize the momentum against Minnesota Christen Cunningham scored 22 to lead the Cardinals while Steven Enoch scored 14 Darius Perry added 12 points while Jordan Nwora scored 10 and grabbed 11 rebounds MIDWEST REGION No 2 Kentucky 79 No 15 Abilene Christian 44 Keldon Johnson poured in 25 points and Kentucky pounded Abilene Christian in a battle of Wildcats at Jacksonville Fla Kentucky played without team scoring and rebounding leader PJ Washington who had his left foot in a cast from an injury sustained in last week s Southeastern Conference tournament Kentucky s Reid Travis a graduate transfer from Stanford in his first NCAA Tournament game racked up 18 points on 8 for 10 shooting and freshman Tyler Herro added 14 points Kentucky 28 6 plays seventh seeded Wofford in the second round Jaren Lewis scored 17 points for Abilene Christian 27 7 Lewis shot 7 of 12 from the field while the rest of his teammates were a combined 10 of 41 No 5 Auburn 78 No 12 New Mexico State 77 Jared Harper scored a game high 17 points as the Tigers survived potential game winning free throws by the Aggies to win in Salt Lake City Auburn 27 9 took a 13 point lead with 7 10 left but committed six turnovers after that and was hanging on to a 78 76 lead with 6 0 seconds left after Samir Doughty made the second of two free throw attempts The Aggies Terrell Brown missed a 3 point shot but was fouled with 1 7 seconds left He missed the first made the second and his third attempt went in and out with the rebound going out of bounds to New Mexico State 30 5 with 1 1 seconds to go and Auburn up one Trevelin Queen off a screen got an open look from the left corner but shot an airball No 4 Kansas 87 No 13 Northeastern 53 Dedric Lawson recorded 25 points and 11 rebounds as the Jayhawks trounced the Huskies at Salt Lake City The Jayhawks 26 9 extended their streak of first round wins to 13 while making their 30th consecutive NCAA appearance a tournament record Kansas advances to play No 5 Auburn on Saturday Kansas also was stingy defensively holding the Huskies 23 11 to 28 1 percent shooting Northeastern s leading scorer senior guard Vasa Pusica was held to seven points 10 below his average on 2 of 13 shooting Junior guard Jordan Roland paced Northeastern with 12 points No 7 Wofford 84 No 10 Seton Hall 68 Fletcher Magee scored 24 points and set a record as the Terriers won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time overcoming the Pirates in Jacksonville Fla Magee made seven 3 point baskets to become the NCAA all time leader with 509 treys Magee who was 7 of 12 on 3 point attempts broke the mark of 504 set by Travis Bader of Oakland who ended his career five years ago Nathan Hoover finished with 18 points for Wofford 30 4 which has a 21 game winning streak Myles Powell scored 22 of his 27 points in the second half for Seton Hall 20 14 SOUTH REGION No 3 Purdue 61 No 14 Old Dominion 48 Carsen Edwards scored 26 points as the Boilermakers recorded a victory over the Monarchs at Hartford Conn Matt Haarms scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half for Purdue 24 9 which advances to face reigning national champion Villanova in a second round contest on Saturday Purdue guard Nojel Eastern who started every game for the team this season turned his ankle in pregame warm ups He was replaced in the lineup by Eric Hunter Jr before entering the contest early in the second half Ahmad Caver scored 19 points and B J Stith added 14 points for the Monarchs 26 9 No 6 Villanova 61 No 11 Saint Mary s 57 Phil Booth scored 20 points as the Wildcats posted a victory over the Gaels at Hartford Conn Booth shot 7 of 13 from the field and added 14 points for reigning NCAA champion Villanova 26 9
Jermaine Samuels finished with 12 points to help Villanova gain a measure of revenge after being bounced by Saint Mary s in the second round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament Jordan Ford and Malik Fitts each scored 13 points for the Gaels 22 12 Field Level Media |
WMB | Tennis Osaka enjoys rollercoaster win in Miami | By Steve Keating MIAMI Reuters World number one Naomi Osaka endured a rollercoaster start to the Miami Open on Friday advancing to the third round with a 6 0 6 7 3 6 1 win over Belgian Yanina Wickmayer After facing eight times Miami champion Serena Williams NYSE WMB in her first match last year Osaka might have expected an easier opener on Friday against the 141st ranked Belgian qualifier Yet that was not the case as she needed more than two hours to dispose of her Belgian opponent having dispatched the 23 times grand slam singles champion 6 3 6 2 a year earlier It was really hard for me I think emotionally in the second set because I just started thinking about winning not exactly the things I could do in order to win said Osaka I had a bit of a dip She was also playing really well The first match on Stadium Court the contest again looked like it might wrap up before the late arrivals had settled in but it turned into a head scratcher for Osaka that ebbed and flowed between dominance and despair The Japanese who had been firing on all cylinders while Wickmayer sleepwalked through a one sided opening set suddenly began to sputter in the second as the Belgian woke from her slumber Letting her foot off the gas the Australian and U S Open champion was left muttering to herself and flipping her racket as shots that had been finding their target minutes before were sprayed all over the temporary court allowing Wickmayer back into the match Yet just as quickly as Osaka lost her way the 21 year old got back on track in the third set securing the early break on her way to a 3 0 lead and a topsy turvy victory Although South Florida is home for Osaka the Miami stop has not been kind to the Japanese who has never ventured past the third round Osaka will next face Taiwan s 27th seed Hsieh Su wei who was a 6 2 7 5 winner over American Alison Riske I consider Miami a home said Osaka I definitely always want to do well here whenever I play I haven t really done well here compared to the other tournaments It s definitely been a really big goal of mine After a dramatic comeback win in her opening match Canadian teen sensation Bianca Andreescu took a more confident step towards the Sunshine Double disposing of American 22nd seed Sofia Kenin 6 3 6 3 to reach the third round The youngest player to win Indian Wells since Serena Williams in 1999 Andreescu is bidding to become just the fourth woman to win both there and Miami back to back in the same year While Andreescu s run continues two other promising American teenagers saw their time in Miami come to an end
After picking up her first career WTA Tour event win on Thursday 15 year old Cori Gauff fell to 14th seeded Russian Daria Kasatkina 6 3 6 2 while 17 year old Amanda Anisimova lost 6 3 1 6 6 4 to Estonian Anett Kontaveit |
WMB | Tennessee holds off stubborn No 15 seed Colgate | Admiral Schofield sank consecutive corner 3 pointers in the final two minutes Friday enabling second seeded Tennessee to avoid a major upset at the hands of 15th seeded Colgate and earn a 77 70 win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Columbus Ohio Schofield s first 3 pointer with 1 34 left upped the Volunteers lead to 70 64 and he drained his second with 45 8 seconds on the clock to make it a nine point game That finally provided them the separation they needed to hold off the underdog short handed Raiders Schofield paced the balanced Tennessee attack with 19 points while Jordan Bone hit for 16 Jordan Bowden came off the bench to pump in 14 points and Lamonte Turner finished with 13 Leading scorer Grant Williams NYSE WMB was held to nine points Jordan Burns starred in defeat for Colgate 24 11 canning 8 of 12 3 point attempts and scoring a game high 32 points Will Rayman and Tucker Richardson each added 10 The Raiders leading scorer junior forward Rapolas Ivanauskas missed all four shots he took and didn t score before leaving the game early in the second half Suffering from a bloody nose and vision problems Ivanauskas wasn t able to return to the game He averaged 16 4 points per game and was named Patriot League Player of the Year this season The Volunteers 30 5 will meet No 10 Iowa which beat Cincinnati earlier Friday in the second round of South Region action on Sunday The game s beginning offered zero hint to the dramatics it later provided Tennessee needed exactly 2 12 to score the first nine points and led 11 2 at the 16 40 mark after Williams drilled a jumper off a Schofield pass Colgate made its first serious push after that slicing the margin down to 20 18 when Jack Ferguson stroked a 3 pointer from an Ivanauskas pass At that point the Volunteers flexed their considerable muscles rattling off a 16 2 run
Williams jumper off a feed from Turner finished the spurt and made it 36 20 with 2 51 left in the half Two foul shots by Schofield with 24 seconds remaining enabled Tennessee to head to the locker room with a 42 30 advantage Field Level Media |
WMB | NBA roundup Harden scores 61 as Rockets stop Spurs | James Harden matched his career high with 61 points delivering early and late to bail out the host Houston Rockets in their 111 105 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday Harden who also scored 61 points on Jan 23 at Madison Square NYSE SQ Garden against the New York Knicks finished 19 of 34 from the floor while drilling 9 of 13 from 3 point range After the Rockets coughed up a 19 point third quarter lead and fell into a 100 94 hole late in the fourth Harden responded with three successive 3 pointers and a pair of drives to the basket to secure the victory the Rockets third consecutive win over the Spurs Bryn Forbes led five Spurs in double figures with 20 points while Derrick White added 18 with eight rebounds DeMar DeRozan posted 16 points eight rebounds and eight assists while LaMarcus Aldridge paired 10 points with five blocks for San Antonio which captured its first lead at 85 84 on a Patty Mills reverse layup with 10 48 to play Nets 111 Lakers 106 Joe Harris scored 26 points and visiting Brooklyn made enough plays down the stretch to earn the victory and eliminate Los Angeles from postseason contention The Nets followed up their historic comeback win in Sacramento and improved to 2 3 on a season high seven game road trip that continues Monday in Portland D Angelo Russell had 21 points and 13 rebounds for Brooklyn JaVale McGee led Los Angeles with career highs of 33 points and 20 rebounds The Lakers lost their fifth straight dropped to 2 12 in their last 14 games and will miss the playoffs for the sixth straight season The loss officially ensured that LeBron James will miss the postseason for the first time since his second season with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2004 05 James had 25 points 14 assists and nine rebounds Thunder 116 Raptors 109 Russell Westbrook had his 28th triple double of the season as he scored 18 points grabbed 12 rebounds and added 13 assists and visiting Oklahoma City came back to defeat Toronto and end a four game losing streak Paul George added 28 points and Dennis Schroder had 26 points for the Thunder who lost to the Raptors in overtime on Wednesday and overcame a 13 point deficit on Friday Kawhi Leonard scored 37 points for Toronto Pascal Siakam added 25 points while Danny Green had 19 points Nuggets 111 Knicks 93 Nikola Jokic scored 21 points and pulled down 17 rebounds night for surging Denver which moved back into a tie for the top seed in the Western Conference by cruising past host New York With their sixth straight win the Nuggets 49 22 tied the idle Golden State Warriors for the best record in the West Denver has never earned the top seed in the West and has yet to make an appearance in the NBA Finals Jamal Murray scored 18 points for the Nuggets who also received 14 points from Gary Harris Bucks 116 Heat 87 Giannis Antetokounmpo posted 27 points eight rebounds and seven assists to lead host Milwaukee over Miami The Bucks Khris Middleton contributed 18 points a game high 10 assists and eight rebounds The Heat who were led by Hassan Whiteside s 14 points nine rebounds and a game high three blocks had closed their deficit to 63 58 early in the third quarter before falling apart Their three game winning streak ended The Bucks have the best record in the NBA at 54 19 Their 29 6 home record is the best in the Eastern Conference Clippers 110 Cavaliers 108 Danilo Gallinari scored 27 points and Los Angeles hung on to beat host Cleveland Shai Gilgeous Alexander scored 16 points adding five assists and two steals as the Clippers earned their ninth win in 10 games Lou Williams NYSE WMB scored 15 and had six assists off the bench for Los Angeles Montrezl Harrell scored 14 and had a crucial offensive board late in the game to stave off the Cavaliers Kevin Love led Cleveland with 22 points and had eight rebounds The Cavaliers had their four game home winning streak snapped Magic 123 Grizzlies 119 OT Evan Fournier gave Orlando its first lead of the game with 4 05 to go in overtime then gave the Magic the upper hand for good with another hoop with 1 14 remaining giving the Eastern Conference postseason hopefuls a much needed victory over visiting Memphis The come from behind win allowed the Magic to stay within arm s length of the seventh and eighth playoff positions in the East spots currently held by Brooklyn and Miami
Fournier finished with 27 points eight rebounds and six assists while teammate Terrence Ross led all scorers with 31 points Memphis lost despite a 23 point 24 rebound performance by Jonas Valanciunas Field Level Media |
VZ | 3 Communication Mutual Funds To Buy On Stellar Q3 Earnings | Mutual fund investors willing to take long term risks could consider the technology sector To be specific mutual funds that invest in telecom which posted better than expected earnings last quarter could be lucrative bets In addition the U S China trade dispute is widely expected to conclude by the end of this year which is likely to boost the space Tech Remains the Best Performer of This YearThe U S technology sector has outperformed the other S P 500 sectors by a significant margin so far in 2019 despite Wall Street s fears of a global economic slowdown and the lingering U S China trade dispute There has been some progress on the trade war front recently Technology has performed the best so far this year with the Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund XLK gaining 37 1 on a year to date basis In fact in the third quarter 2019 most of the technology companies have reported impressive earnings Among these companies engaged in activities in the telecommunications and wireless products and services industry have reported remarkable earnings Impressive Telecom and Wireless Q3 Earnings Diving deeper into telecom earnings one can easily note that Q3 2019 earnings of AT T Inc NYSE T Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ and T Mobile US NASDAQ TMUS Inc surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate Verizon Communications reported strong Q3 2019 earnings mostly led by the wireless business The company s adjusted earnings were 1 25 per share which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny Verizon s consolidated GAAP operating revenues also improved 0 9 on a year over year basis to hit 32 894 million The company registered gains in its wireless services and is well poised to benefit from the rise in 5G deployment across the United States T Mobile USreported Q3 adjusted earnings per share of 1 16 which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 19 cents The company s quarterly total revenues also rose 2 year over year to 11 061 million mostly driven by growth in service revenues The mobile communications services provider continued to gain its share in the wireless market during the third quarter owing to strong customer loyalty AT T reported decent Q3 adjusted earnings excluding non recurring items of 94 cents per share surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny In addition management offered healthy guidance for 2020 and expects adjusted earnings in the range of 3 60 to 3 70 per share on revenue growth of 1 2 AT T expects consolidated revenue growth of 1 2 per year for the three year period 2020 2022 Our ChoicesWe have therefore selected three mutual funds that invest in the telecommunications industry All these funds carry a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank 1 Strong Buy or 2 Buy Moreover these funds have encouraging year to date returns Additionally the minimum initial investment is within 5 000 We expect these funds to outperform their peers in the future Remember the goal of the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank is to guide investors to identify potential winners and losers Unlike most of the fund rating systems the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank is not just focused on past performance but also on the likely future success of the fund The question here is why should investors consider mutual funds Reduced transaction costs and diversification of portfolio without several commission charges that are associated with stock purchases are primarily why one should be parking money in mutual funds read more Fidelity Select Wireless Portfolio aims for capital growth The fund invests the majority of its assets in companies that are engaged in activities involving wireless communications services or products The non diversified fund mostly invests in common stocks of companies AT T Verizon Communications and T Mobile US are among the fund s top 10 holdings This Zacks sector Tech product has a history of positive total returns for more than 10 years To see how this fund performed compared to its category and other 1 and 2 Ranked Mutual Funds FWRLX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank 1 and has an annual expense ratio of 0 83 which is below the category average of 1 24 It has returned 30 2 on a year to date basis FWRLX has no minimum initial investment Fidelity Advisor Telecommunications Fund Class A seeks capital growth The fund invests the majority of its assets in securities of companies engaged in various activities in the telecommunications industry The non diversified fund invests in U S and non U S issuers alike AT T Verizon Communications and T Mobile US are the fund s top three holdings This Zacks sector Tech product has a history of positive total returns for more than 10 years To see how this fund performed compared to its category and other 1 and 2 Ranked Mutual Funds FTUAX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank 2 and has an annual expense ratio of 1 18 which is below the category average of 1 24 It has returned 16 9 on a year to date basis FTUAX has no minimum initial investment Fidelity Select Telecommunications Portfolio seeks capital appreciation The fund invests the majority of its assets in securities of companies engaged in the development production and or distribution of telecommunications services The fund mostly invests in common stocks AT T Verizon Communications and T Mobile US are the fund s top three holdings This Zacks sector Tech product has a history of positive total returns for more than 10 years To see how this fund performed compared to its category and other 1 and 2 Ranked Mutual Funds FSTCX carries a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank 2 and has an annual expense ratio of 0 84 which is below the category average of 1 24 It has returned 17 2 on a year to date basis FSTCX has no minimum initial investment Want key mutual fund info delivered straight to your inbox Zacks free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis as well as top performing mutual funds each week |
VZ | T Mobile confirms its 5G network is up awaiting compatible phones | T Mobile NASDAQ TMUS has quietly confirmed that it has an active 5G network in 30 cities Light Reading reports after questioning the carrier about its pledge to do so by the end of 2018 But the news is quiet because the company says it won t offer commercial services on the network until 5G smartphones are available likely the beginning of next year Without more details it s hard to know whether the networks are robust or only a few sites as proof of concept Mike Dano notes But its timeline is closely enough aligned with efforts from key rivals AT T NYSE T and Verizon NYSE VZ with particular service launch dates still vague T Mobile is the only major carrier planning to launch its 5G services on 600 MHz spectrum ideal for long ranges but not optimized for data speed like the 28 GHz and 39 GHz frequencies which will also be part of T Mobile s approach Shares fell 1 6 during the regular session and are up 1 5 after hours Now read |
VZ | Motor racing IndyCar signs title sponsorship deal with NTT | Reuters IndyCar announced a multi year agreement with NTT on Tuesday that will make the Japanese tech giant the title sponsor of North America s premier open wheel racing series NTT replaces Verizon NYSE VZ as title sponsor of the series Its sponsorship of what will now be known as the NTT IndyCar Series launches with the March 10 season opening race The financial terms and length of the sponsorship deal were not disclosed IndyCar had been searching for a new sponsor since Verizon informed the series in 2017 that it was not interested in renewing its contract Verizon served as the title sponsor for five years replacing IZOD in 2014
IndyCar will kick off its 17 race 2019 season in Florida with the Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg |
XOM | Imperial Oil IMO Q4 Earnings Meet Estimates Sales Lag | Imperial Oil NYSE IMO released fourth quarter 2019 results with adjusted earnings of 27 cents a share meeting the Zacks Consensus Estimate The quarterly earnings were driven by higher price realizations However the Canadian integrated oil and gas player s bottom line plunged significantly from the year ago quarter s reported figure of 82 cents due to turnarounds as well as lower refinery margins In the fourth quarter revenues of C 6 18 billion fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of C 6 7 billion Nevertheless the top line increased from the year ago quarter s figure of 6 0 billion Segmental InformationUpstream Revenues amounted to C 3 297 million that increased from prior year quarter s level of C 2 290 million Profit in the segment amounted to C 96 million against a loss of C 310 million in the year ago quarter The improved was induced by lower operating expenses of about C 70 million in the upstream segment and higher realizations of about 770 million Net production volumes during the quarter under review averaged 362 000 barrels of oil equivalent per day Boe d compared with 383 000 Boe d in the year ago quarter Total oil and NGL output amounted to 335 000 barrels per day BPD compared with 360 000 BPD in fourth quarter 2018 Net oil and NGL output from Kearl and Cold Lake totaled 142 000 bpd and 115 000 bpd respectively Syncrude output averaged 61 000 BPD down 31 5 from the year earlier quarter The downside was primarily caused by planned turnaround activity which began in August 2019 and was completed in November The turnaround activity impacted share of gross production in the quarter by an estimated 17 000 barrels per day Net natural gas production came in at 163 million cubic feet per day Mcf d higher than 138 Mcf d in the comparable quarter last year Bitumen accounting for 77 of the output price realizations totaled C 42 80 a barrel up from C 16 73 in the year ago quarter The company received average realized price of C 74 12 per barrel of synthetic oil compared with the year ago quarter s C 47 63 For conventional crude oil it received C 43 44 per barrel compared with the year ago quarter s figure of C 22 95 Prices of NGL and gas declined year over year to C 20 47 a barrel and C 2 02 per thousand cubic feet respectively Downstream Revenues totaled C 5 810 million down from 6 295 million in fourth quarter 2018 Also net income of C 225 million fell from C 1 142 million due to lower margins of about 680 million and planned turnaround activities of about 220 million Refinery throughput in fourth quarter 2019 averaged 321 000 BPD down from the prior year quarter s level of 408 000 BPD Capacity utilization of 76 deteriorated from 96 in the corresponding quarter of last year The downside was caused by planned turnaround activity at Nanticoke Petroleum product sales were 457 000 BPD compared with the prior year quarter s level of 510 000 BPD Chemical Revenues of C 226 million fell from C 331 million in fourth quarter 2018 Net loss was recorded at C 2 million compared with the year ago quarter s figure of C 55 million The decline was caused by lower margins Imperial Oil Limited Price Consensus and EPS Surprise
Total Costs Capex
Total expenses of C 7 795 million were higher than the year ago quarter s level of C 6 804 million In the quarter under review the company s total capital and exploration expenditures amounted to C 414 million lower than the year ago quarter s figure of C 493 million Of the total expenditure 66 was allotted to the upstream segment Financial PerformanceImperial Oil s cash flow from operating activities came in at C 1 024 million in the quarter under review The figure improved from the year ago quarter s level of C 871 million Importantly the company paid back C 467 million to its shareholders through dividends and share buybacks in the reported quarter Imperial Oil also paid out 22 Canadian cents as dividend per share compared with 19 Canadian cents a year ago Imperial Oil repurchased 9 million shares worth C 301 million including those bought from Exxon Mobil Corporation NYSE XOM As of Dec 31 the company held C 1 718 million in cash and cash equivalents Its total debt amounted to C 5 190 million representing a debt to capital ratio of 18 OutlookThe company foresees total production of roughly 415 000 Boe d in 2020 on the back of volume gains at Kearl associated with the supplemental crushers Throughput is expected at roughly 375 000 BPD in 2020 with nearly 400 000 BPD projected for first quarter 2020 Substantial planned maintenance is expected to be undertaken in the downstream segment An 11 week turnaround at Sarnia which is the largest turnaround at the chemical plant since 2011 is planned for the second quarter Similarly a turnaround is scheduled during the third and fourth quarters at Nanticoke and Strathcona lasting approximately 7 weeks and 8 weeks respectively Total capex for 2020 is earmarked in the range of C 1 6 C 1 7 billion Zacks Rank Other Stocks to ConsiderImperial Oil currentlycarries a Zacks Rank 2 Buy Other top ranked players in the energy space are California Resources Corporation NYSE CRC and Marathon Oil Corporation NYSE MRO Both the stocks carry a Zacks Rank 2 You can see California Resources Corporation has trailing four quarter positive earnings surprise of 711 1 on average The company s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters Marathon Oil Corporation has trailing four quarter positive earnings surprise of 197 8 on average The company s earnings beat the consensus mark in all of the last four quarters
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WMB | Tennis Andreescu emerges as Canada s next great hope for Grand Slam glory | By Frank Pingue TORONTO Reuters Canadian teenager Bianca Andreescu s Indian Wells triumph was not shown on television in her home country but that did not dampen the excitement across a nation where the future of women s tennis is suddenly looking as bright as ever Andreescu enjoyed an unprecedented run in the California desert where the 18 year old became the first wildcard to win the prestigious event that is widely regarded as the biggest tennis tournament outside of the four Grand Slams A STAR IS BORN screamed the front page headline of The Toronto Star on Monday above a picture of a grinning Andreescu with her eyes closed and arms around the winner s trophy The Candian first made waves in January when she beat former world number ones Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams NYSE WMB on consecutive nights in a tune up event for the Australian Open But Andreescu took her game to another level in California where her Cinderella run included wins over five seeded players including former world number one and three times Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber in Sunday s final The match however was not shown on TV in her homeland and many Canadians took to social media to blast the country s all sports networks for not securing broadcast rights to the event After becoming the first Canadian to win a WTA Premier Mandatory tournament Andreescu reflected on the journey she took to reach the biggest moment of her career A year ago during this period I had been struggling a lot with my tennis and with my body too So it s crazy what a year can do Andreescu told reporters after her 6 4 3 6 6 4 win I was playing 25Ks in Japan she said referring to the WTA s second tier tournaments and now I m the champion of Indian Wells It s crazy Crazy is the word of the tournament for me Just crazy HIGH RANKING The victory vaulted Andreescu to a dizzyingly high ranking of 24th in the world up 128 places since last December It is even more remarkable considering she entered 2019 with a now laughable goal of cracking the top 100 by year s end Andreescu s triumph even caught the attention of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who posted a congratulatory note on his Twitter account which she responded to by saying it is an honor to play for Canada The sudden flood of attention being directed at Andreescu is reminiscent of that given to other Canadians when they burst onto the tennis scene in recent years including former women s world number five Eugenie Bouchard and men s No 3 Milos Raonic Andreescu brimming with confidence will now face questions at every turn about whether she has what it takes to become the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles title For her part the teenager who is scheduled to get right back to work this week at the Miami Open is not about to put any added pressure on herself Like I said before you never know what next week can bring Maybe I ll have a bad day Maybe my opponent will play unbelievable said Andreescu
But if I go out there and play my best then I have no pressure I think the only pressure that comes to me is the pressure I put on myself I try not to think about the press the fans and anything |
WMB | NFL notebook Bengals release LB Burfict | Linebacker Vontaze Burfict was released by the Cincinnati Bengals after seven seasons the team confirmed Monday As we continue to build our roster for the 2019 season we felt it best to give both the team and Vontaze a fresh start head coach Zac Taylor said in a statement Burfict 28 had two seasons remaining on a 33 2 million contract extension but releasing him results in a cap charge of only 1 8 million Burfict appeared in only 43 games in the past five seasons encountering repeated head injuries seven documented concussions and three suspensions According to the Cincinnati Enquirer Burfict amassed more than 4 million in on field conduct fines Defensive lineman Haloti Ngata went to great lengths rather heights to announce his retirement The 13 year NFL veteran posted a heartfelt message along with a photo on Instagram showing him standing atop Mount Kilimanjaro holding a banner that read I m retiring from the NFL on top Just a man standing on top of the world with a heart full of gratitude Thank you Lord for letting play the game I love for 13 unforgettable years read the social media post by Ngata a 35 year old who played for the Philadelphia Eagles last season New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman said that he traded star wideout Odell Beckham Jr because the Cleveland Browns made an offer that was impossible to pass up We didn t sign him to trade him but things changed he said Frankly what changed is another team made us an offer we couldn t refuse The trade last Wednesday ended months of speculation that Beckham was on his way out of New York After signing Beckham to a five year 95 million contract in 2018 the Giants saw their season spiral downward Adrian Peterson is officially back with Washington after the Redskins announced his signing Multiple outlets reported last Wednesday that Peterson agreed to a two year 8 million deal Peterson rushed for 1 042 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 games for the Redskins last season He signed late in training camp after Derrius Guice sustained a torn ACL Free agent wide receiver Jordy Nelson will visit the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday ESPN reported The New England Patriots Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs reportedly are among other teams interested in Nelson He became available last week when the Oakland Raiders released him following their trade for former Pittsburgh Steelers star wideout Antonio Brown and the acquisition of Tyrell Williams NYSE WMB in free agency Kansas City agreed to sign cornerback Bashaud Breeland to a three year contract ESPN reported Breeland 27 played seven games with Green Bay last season starting five after originally agreeing to a three year 24 million free agent deal with the Carolina Panthers last March That agreement was nixed because of a failed physical foot Running back and kick returner Ameer Abdullah signed a one year deal with Minnesota Abdullah 25 was Minnesota s primary kick returner for the final seven games of last season after he was claimed off waivers from Detroit He returned 10 kicks for 258 yards with a long of 33 Philadelphia announced a one year deal with veteran strong safety Andrew Sendejo Sendejo spent the past eight seasons with Minnesota The 31 year old became a free agent earlier this month when the Vikings declined the 5 5 million 2019 option on his contract Washington signed free agent offensive tackle Ereck Flowers to a one year 4 million deal according to multiple reports Flowers was the ninth overall selection by the Giants in 2015 but didn t pan out as an impact lineman and was released last October He finished last season with Jacksonville where he started the final seven games of the season ESPN apparently is trying to convince Peyton Manning to join the Monday Night Football broadcast team The Hollywood Reporter revealed that ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro and content chief Connor Schell flew to Denver a week ago to meet with the future Hall of Fame quarterback It s unclear if 42 year old Manning is interested in assuming the analyst role The investigation into allegations of battery against Kansas City wide receiver Tyreek Hill remains open Steve Howe district attorney in Johnson County Kan acknowledged in a written statement that his office has received numerous requests for information about the status of the investigation into Hill but could provide no additional details
Hill 25 has not been charged with any crimes but is under investigation for an alleged battery incident involving a juvenile according to multiple published reports The Kansas City Star reported that Hill s 3 year old son sustained a broken arm in the incident Field Level Media |
WMB | Tennis Canadian teen Andreescu keen to ensure injuries don t block her meteoric rise | By Frank Pingue Reuters Bianca Andreescu has brushed aside several big name players during her meteoric rise in women s tennis but the Canadian teenager is wary for now of injuries and not opponents becoming the biggest obstacle in her career Andreescu who has dealt with several injury setbacks in her young career needed to overcome nerves fatigue and arm and leg issues during her triumph over former world number one Angelique Kerber in Sunday s Indian Wells final The triumph made Andreescu 18 the youngest Indian Wells champion since Serena Williams NYSE WMB in 1999 and the first wildcard to take home the title from one of the biggest tennis tournaments outside of the four Grand Slams I ve never been in a situation like that before Never been in a final of a premier event playing a very high level opponent Andreescu said on Tuesday during a conference call from Florida where she is competing in the Miami Open So I think it was also all of the emotions and all of the tension that was going through my body that caused me to get even more tired than I usually would A struggling Andreescu called for her coach after falling behind 3 2 in the decisive third set of her win over three times Grand Slam champion Kerber and said her feet were burning and that she was having trouble moving on the court Andreescu who as a junior in 2016 missed six months due to stress fractures in her foot and last year missed action with back issues said she has already taken steps to try to find ways to avoid further injuries Tennis Canada has a great group of doctors and I ve been running some tests with them to see what the problem is said Andreescu But definitely after Miami I will take a good two or three weeks off just figuring out what to do better with my body and my nutrition and my mind Andreescu first made waves in January when she beat former world number ones Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams on consecutive nights in a tune up event for the Australian Open where fatigue seemed to play a factor in her second round loss Still the whirlwind start to the year a period in which Andreescu has shot to 24th in the world rankings from 152nd has given the Canadian a sense of confidence when competing against the world s best players Now that I am gaining more and more experience and getting more and more confident playing against these top level players I am definitely not starstruck anymore said Andreescu whose run in Indian Wells included wins over five seeded players
But I want to just go into every match not trying to focus on who s on the other side of the net and just focus on myself |
WMB | Economy center stage in April election in Canada s Alberta province | By Nia Williams NYSE WMB CALGARY Alberta Reuters The western Canadian province of Alberta will hold an election on April 16 kick starting a contest that many polls suggest will result in a change of government in the country s oil producing heartland as it struggles with a sluggish economy Premier Rachel Notley s left leaning New Democratic Party won a shock victory in traditionally conservative Alberta in 2015 ending 44 years of conservative rule but inherited a provincial economy rocked by the collapse of global oil prices Notley was initially an ally of Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and backed his attempts to please the oil industry and environmentalists by championing export pipelines while also introducing carbon pricing The relationship soured last year over efforts to expand the Trans Mountain pipeline prompting Notley to pull her support for Trudeau s carbon plan Ottawa bought the pipeline whose expansion remains delayed The opposition has criticized Notley for her alliance with Trudeau who is viewed by some Albertans as out of touch with the oil industry s woes Alberta s government has grappled with weak oil prices persistent budget deficits and a dearth of new export pipelines that left the landlocked province s crude building up in storage resulting in the discount on Canadian heavy crude blowing out to record levels last year As a last resort Alberta took the controversial step of curtailing oil production to help prop up prices and investing in railcars to move more crude to market a move that earned approval from some cash strapped producers in the province s dominant oil industry and outrage from critics Announcing the date of the election in the oil industry s corporate hub Calgary on Tuesday Notley emphasized her government s commitment to health and education and its efforts to revitalize Alberta s economy Since the oil price collapsed I know these last few years have been scary for a lot of families and I have worked day and night with my team to fight this recession and bring our economy back she told supporters Opinion polls suggest Notley could be the first one term premier in Alberta s history and cede power to opposition leader Jason Kenney of the United Conservative Party a former top federal cabinet minister The UCP have been consistently ahead in the polls since last year An Ipsos Global News poll on Tuesday said 53 percent of Albertans would vote for the UCP if an election were held today versus 35 percent for the NDP Notley criticized Kenney for recent allegations that he was involved in an ethically dubious campaign to discredit a rival in the UCP leadership contest in 2017 Kenney has denied any wrongdoing but some political analysts say the scandal will dog his party s election bid If you add up the number of actual UCP party members to come out and publicly speak against Jason Kenney this is significant said Lori Williams a political science professor at Calgary s Mount Royal University But is it going to be enough to shift undecided voters That remains to be seen In light of the allegations Notley and the NDP are likely to make issues of integrity equality and trust a central part of their campaign Williams said Kenney brushed off the scandal saying his party would be focused on jobs the economy and getting pipelines built
Are you better off than you were four years ago That s the question Albertans will be asking when they choose their new government he told reporters in Edmonton The NDP has to resort to the politics of personal destruction because they cannot defend the worst economic record in modern Alberta history |
WMB | Tennis Rain delays Miami Open start at new Hard Rock home | By Steve Keating MIAMI Reuters Rain wiped out the opening day play at the Miami Open on Tuesday delaying the start of the tournament at its new Hard Rock Stadium home Having outgrown the cramped quarters of Key Biscayne s Crandon Park and unable to secure the necessary approvals to renovate and expand the Miami Open has moved to the home of the NFL s Miami Dolphins but the day long rain spoilt the moment With a 25 percent jump in ticket sales tournament director James Blake the former world number four had been expecting a record crowd but instead the 14 000 seat temporary show court inside the stadium stood empty and the luxury boxes were silent Germany s Andrea Petkovic and 17 year old American Amanda Anisimova were scheduled to christen the action on the main show court with Mari Osaka the sister of Japanese world number one Naomi Osaka taking on Whitney Osuigwe in the nightcap Tuesday s first round play was supposed to be a dress rehearsal for Wednesday s official opening which will see Serena Williams NYSE WMB who is a part owner in the Dolphins Roger Federer and world number ones Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka taking part in a ribbon cutting ceremony When we get through the first day or two and see what we are in store for I have a feeling we will be announcing a lot of attendance records broken this year American Blake told Reuters in a pre tournament interview I don t want to be too pie in the sky but I do think we are going to break a records Once the rain disappears fans can expect a wide open tournament if the season follows the current trend There have been 19 ATP Tour events this season and 13 WTA events each producing a different winner Bianca Andreescu the 18 year old Canadian who stunned the field in Indian Wells last week to claim her first career win is on that list and comes to Miami looking to complete what would be an even more unlikely Sunshine Double Sloane Stephens the reigning Miami champion and Serena Williams an eight time winner of what she considers her home event can count on having the American crowd in their corner as will John Isner who is back to defend his crown Serena whose name is not among the 13 women s winners this season has sister Venus in her quarter of the draw along with the always dangerous second seeded Romanian Simona Halep The men s draw is also thick with former champions led by six times winner and world number one Djokovic and three time winner Federer The Swiss comes to Florida in superb form after collecting his 100th career win in Dubai and coming off a finals appearance in Indian Wells but will be on alert after crashing out in the first round here a year ago
World number one Osaka will also be wary with in form German Angelique Kerber a losing finalist in Indian Wells lurking in her quarter |
WMB | NHL roundup Caps alone atop Metro | Brett Connolly had a goal and an assist and the Washington Capitals defeated the New Jersey Devils 4 1 on Tuesday night in Newark N J to move into sole possession of first place in the Metropolitan Division Andre Burakovsky Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson also scored for Washington Nicklas Backstrom collected his 50th assist of the season and Pheonix Copley made 20 saves Kenny Agostino scored and Mackenzie Blackwood made 18 saves for the Devils who have lost two straight Blues 7 Oilers 2 Jaden Schwartz capped his hat trick with a power play goal at 18 48 of the third period as St Louis defeated visiting Edmonton David Perron added two goals and an assist and Alex Pietrangelo and Pat Maroon also scored for the Blues Jordan Binnington made 15 saves to improve to 14 3 0 in his past 17 starts Ryan Nugent Hopkins and Zack Kassian scored for the Oilers Mikko Koskinen stopped 17 of 20 shots before being pulled 5 42 into the second period after the Blues took a three goal lead Connor McDavid failed to tally a point ending his 12 game scoring streak Flames 4 Blue Jackets 2 Michael Frolik scored the winning goal in a two point night and David Rittich was sensational while making 31 saves as host Calgary defeated Columbus The Flames moved three points ahead of the San Jose Sharks for top spot in the Pacific Division and the Western Conference While Rittich had incredible fortune on his side with the Blue Jackets ringing four pucks off iron he was outstanding all game including a one sided third period in which he stopped 11 shots Andrew Mangiapane Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk added goals for Calgary which has won four of its past five games Zach Werenski and Oliver Bjorkstrand scored for the Blue Jackets Stars 4 Panthers 2 Alexander Radulov scored two goals including the winner with 9 28 to play in the third period and Tyler Seguin had four assists to lift host Dallas to a victory over Florida Dallas is now four points ahead of idle Arizona for the first wild card spot in the Western Conference Florida lost its second straight and is now 4 2 0 in its past six games Jamie Benn and John Klingberg collected the Stars other goals Aleksander Barkov tallied twice for the Panthers Avalanche 3 Wild 1 Philipp Grubauer made 36 saves Tyson Barrie Tyson Jost and Ian Cole scored and Colorado won at Saint Paul Minn The Avalanche won their second in a row to tighten the Western Conference wild card race Colorado moved within a point of the Wild and within two points of Arizona The Coyotes currently hold the second wild card spot Zach Parise had a goal and Devan Dubnyk stopped 35 shots for Minnesota The Wild have lost two in a row and they fell to 2 7 3 in their past 12 home games Predators 3 Maple Leafs 0 Brian Boyle Wayne Simmonds and Filip Forsberg scored goals Pekka Rinne stopped 22 shots and Nashville defeated visiting Toronto Rinne has four shutouts this season and the past two have been against the Maple Leafs He has 55 career shutouts Ryan Johansen had two assists for the Predators who managed only 20 shots on goal but won their third in a row Frederik Andersen finished with 17 saves for the Maple Leafs Bruins 5 Islanders 0 Sean Kuraly scored two goals in a regular season game for the first time in his career and Tuukka Rask stopped all 13 shots he faced as Boston cruised to a win at Uniondale N Y The Bruins have won two straight following a three game losing streak Boston allowed 15 goals in the skid but has given up just one goal in its last two games Jake DeBrusk Patrice Bergeron and Noel Acciari also scored for the Bruins The Islanders lost for the second time in three games 1 2 0 New York goalie Robin Lehner who played for the first time since sustaining what was believed to be a concussion on March 5 made 34 saves Hurricanes 3 Penguins 2 SO Dougie Hamilton scored on the first attempt of a shootout and that was enough for Carolina in a victory against Pittsburgh at Raleigh N C The Hurricanes made it past regulation when Justin Williams NYSE WMB scored the tying goal with 1 56 left in the third period after the Hurricanes opted to go with an extra skater Pittsburgh s Kris Letang scored with 4 37 remaining but the Penguins couldn t hold on Red Wings 3 Rangers 2 Jimmy Howard made 41 saves and Andreas Athanasiou scored twice as Detroit opened a five game road trip by holding on for a victory over New York Howard helped the Red Wings sweep the three game season series with the Rangers by making at least 40 saves for the fifth time this season and 21st time in his career Detroit s Frans Nielsen scored in the first period and Athanasiou tallied in the second before adding an empty net goal in the final minute Ryan Strome and Brendan Smith were the Rangers goal scorers Canadiens 3 Flyers 1 Goals from Brendan Gallagher Shea Weber and Max Domi carried Montreal to a win at Philadelphia Andrew Shaw tallied two assists and Carey Price stopped 32 shots for the Canadiens
Sean Couturier scored and Carter Hart made 33 saves for the Flyers who took a second straight home loss for the first time since early January Field Level Media |
WMB | Kuwait says U S Mideast peace plan should weigh regional considerations | By Sylvia Westall and Ahmed Hagagy KUWAIT Reuters Kuwait s foreign minister said on Wednesday that a long awaited U S peace proposal for the Middle East should be acceptable to all stakeholders and factor in regional considerations U S President Donald Trump s special adviser Jared Kushner visited several Gulf Arab states last month but not Kuwait to seek support from Arab leaders on the economic portion of the proposal that Trump is expected to unveil in the coming months Kushner Trump s son in law has given a broad outline of the plan saying it would address final status issues of the Israeli Palestinian conflict including establishing borders We hope the plan will take into account the situation in the region and all the relevant parties Sheikh Sabah Khaled al Sabah told a joint news conference with U S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo We believe the strong relationship between the United States and several countries will lead to an acceptable resolution to all parties and to reaching a political solution that has been long waited for Kuwait currently holds a non permanent seat in the U N Security Council where it has championed the Palestinian cause Pompeo is on a regional tour that will also take him to Israel and Lebanon The foreign minister of Kuwait said he had also discussed with Pompeo a Gulf dispute that has fractured the Gulf Arab bloc as well as Syria Iran Iraq and Yemen The United States and Kuwait have been trying to mediate in the bitter row that has seen Saudi Arabia the United Arab Emirates Bahrain and non Gulf state Egypt impose a political and economic boycott on Qatar since June 2017 over allegations it supports terrorism Doha denies the charges We are all working to find a solution It s not in the best interest of the region not in the best interest of the world We need Gulf countries all working together on the complex set of challenges that face each of them Pompeo said Sheikh Sabah said there is no option other than for the dispute to be resolved The United States an ally of the six nation Gulf bloc has said that regional unity is essential for a planned Middle East Strategic Alliance that would serve as a bulwark against Iran
Qatar is home to a major U S airbase and Kuwait also hosts U S troops Pompeo said his talks on Wednesday also focused on enhancing defense and cybersecurity cooperation with Kuwait Additional reporting and writing by Ghaida Ghantous Editing by Catherine Evans and Alison Williams NYSE WMB |
WMB | Netanyahu says Iran has sensitive information on rival Tehran denies hack | By Dan Williams NYSE WMB JERUSALEM Reuters Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alleged on Wednesday that Iran could blackmail his main election rival Benny Gantz after hacking the former armed forces chief s phone even as Tehran denied doing so Without providing any evidence or details Netanyahu said Iran had gleaned sensitive information His comments in a brief speech broadcast online from his official residence brought a new level of vitriol to the election race Polls put Netanyahu s right wing Likud and Gantz s centrist Blue and White party neck and neck with election day three weeks away Gantz has confirmed an Israeli TV report last week that the Shin Bet domestic intelligence service had detected that his cellphone had been hacked though the agency itself has not commented But he has not confirmed that the hackers are believed to be Iranian as reported and has said the phone contained no data that might compromise national security or his ability to carry out his duties if he were elected prime minister Iran denied that its intelligence services had hacked Gantz s phone The Israeli regime s officials are long used to spreading lies Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said according to the state news agency IRNA Gantz for his part has sought to focus public attention on the state s decision not to deem Netanyahu a suspect in a graft scandal over a German submarine deal Netanyahu who denies wrongdoing faces possible indictment in three other corruption cases Netanyahu said there was more to be revealed about the contents of the ex general s mobile phone What do the Iranians know about you that you are hiding from us Netanyahu said And above all else how would you as prime minister face up to Iran our number one enemy when Iran has sensitive information about you This is not a matter of gossip This is a matter of national security Netanyahu called on Gantz to come clean as the only way not to be vulnerable to blackmail Speaking to the Israeli News Company TV station on Tuesday Gantz said the Shin Bet had informed him six months ago that there was a small problem and I am taking care of it I have a wonderful family I have wonderful children My wife supports me from here until further notice he said
Asked if there was anything on the phone that could be used for blackmail Gantz said Nothing can have an influence over my performance |
WMB | Tennis Osaka sister act primed for Miami Open spotlight | By Steve Keating MIAMI Reuters Serena and Venus Williams NYSE WMB usually get top billing at the Miami Open but this year there is another sister act vying for the spotlight with world number one Naomi Osaka showing older sibling Mari the ropes The Williams sisters have hoisted the Miami trophy 11 times between them and all those victories were celebrated at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne But this year the tournament has moved to the suburbs and Hard Rock Stadium is Osaka country with Naomi and Mari growing up three miles away and learning to play tennis almost in the shadow of the Hard Rock home of the NFL s Miami Dolphins who are part owned by the Williams sisters Naomi will be joined in the draw by her 338th ranked sibling who needed a wildcard to get a place in the tournament It is a bit weird that I have to give her advice and she is my older sister Naomi told reporters on Wednesday But she has been doing like newbie mistakes Yesterday it rained out all day but she came here at 11 o clock and her match was the fourth on I mean like what are you doing Stuff like that I have to talk to her about The 21 year old U S based Japanese player has taken the tennis world by storm winning the last two Grand Slams and amassing 10 8 million in prize money while Mari one year older tries to claw her way up the rankings with 58 000 in career earnings While Naomi now holds sway over her older sister that was not always the case Up until I was 15 she was 6 0ing me it was ridiculous the Australian and U S Open champion said In the win loss record she is up by a million or something Naomi gets a first round bye while Mari starts her campaign on Thursday against another wildcard in American Whitney Osuigwe On opposite sides of the draw the only way the sisters could meet in Miami would be in an all Osaka final Even if Mari s stay ends up being short however Naomi is enjoying having her sister by her side It s nice because you can give each other advice especially if you have played the opponent Naomi said I really enjoy having her around most of the time we don t play the same tournaments For me I don t really talk to that many people and she is sort of the nicer one in this relationship Mari Osaka s focus will be getting past the first round and advancing any further would be considered a wild success but Naomi will have loftier objectives
I actually drove past this stadium a lot when I was a kid she said I grew up watching all these great players winning it so just to come from being a kid in the audience to being the one holding the trophy would mean a lot |
WMB | Rain again spoils Miami Open party wiping out play | By Steve Keating MIAMI Reuters Rain again spoiled the Miami Open party wiping out the evening session on Wednesday and adding to what has been a soggy and dejecting kickoff to a tournament looking for a new start A move from the cramped Crandon Park on picturesque Key Biscayne to the wide open spaces at Hard Rock Stadium was hoped to provide the Miami Open with a bright future But so far dark storm clouds have cast a wet shadow over proceedings Prior to the start of the tournament officials had boasted a 25 percent jump in ticket sales but the stands have been mostly empty through two days with only one of four sessions completed Organisers have now been left with a backlog of matches to schedule and sending out refunds Canadian teen sensation Bianca Andreescu who claimed a stunning victory at Indian Wells on Sunday was to be the headliner on the opening day but never made it onto the 13 800 seat stadium court to face Romania s Irina Camelia Begu Following a ceremonial ribbon cutting earlier in the day under sunny skies involving Serena Williams NYSE WMB Roger Federer and world number ones Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic action got underway with three time Miami champion Victoria Azarenka defeating Dominika Cibulkova 6 2 3 6 6 4 to christen the venue All of the 29 year old Belarusian s titles were celebrated at Crandon Park but the move to Miami suburbs did not have any affect on Azarenka as the twice Australian Open champion pounded 41 winners past her Slovak opponent I think the stadium is beautiful I think the logistics here work out pretty well said Azarenka a former world number one I feel the expansion of the tournament was first of all really necessary There is a lot more room There is a lot better facilities So I m pretty happy Before the rain began 17 year old American hope Amanda Anisimova gave the small crowd something to cheer about as she romped into the second round with 6 4 6 3 decision over Germany s Andrea Petkovic
Before Andreescu grabbed the spotlight Anisimova had appeared to be the teenager to watch after she started 2019 with a run to the quarter finals in Auckland and a fourth round appearance at the Australian Open |
VZ | Verizon Rises 3 | Investing com Verizon NYSE VZ rose by 3 28 to trade at 58 58 by 11 49 16 49 GMT on Tuesday on the NYSE exchange
The volume of Verizon shares traded since the start of the session was 8 61M Verizon has traded in a range of 57 05 to 58 62 on the day
The stock has traded at 58 6100 at its highest and 54 9000 at its lowest during the past seven days |
VZ | Verizon adds more phone subscribers than expected in fourth quarter | Reuters Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ on Tuesday beat Wall Street estimates for net new phone subscribers who pay a monthly bill adding 650 000 customers in the fourth quarter The largest U S wireless carrier was expected to add 355 600 new subscribers according to research firm FactSet The company has been investing heavily in its next generation 5G network which will become the backbone of its largest business Verizon said in December it was working with Samsung Electronics KS 005930 Co Ltd to launch 5G enabled smartphones in the first half of 2019 The company added a total of 1 2 million retail postpaid customers in the quarter Verizon said at the Citi 2019 Global TMT West investor conference This was above the average analyst estimate of 800 600 net additions
Shares of the company rose about 3 5 percent to 58 69 making it one of the top gainers on the Dow Jones Industrial Average Verizon is expected to report fourth quarter results on Jan 29 |
VZ | T Mobile adds more phone subscribers than expected in fourth quarter | Reuters T Mobile US Inc O TMUS on Wednesday beat Wall Street estimates for net new phone subscribers who pay a monthly bill adding 1 million customers in the fourth quarter The third largest U S mobile carrier was expected to add 857 900 new phone subscribers according to research firm FactSet Last month T Mobile won backing from two national security reviews for its deal to buy smaller rival Sprint Corp N S as it strives for more scale to compete with Verizon Communications Inc N VZ and AT T Inc N T The report on subscriber numbers comes a day after Verizon beat Wall Street estimates for net new phone subscribers who pay a monthly bill adding 650 000 customers in the fourth quarter T Mobile s postpaid phone churn or the percentage of subscribers who leave a service provider was 0 99 percent in the fourth quarter down from 1 02 percent in the quarter ended Sept 30 For the third quarter T Mobile exceeded analysts estimates for net new phone subscribers and profit driven by its competitive wireless plans and trade in offers for iPhones aimed at fending off its bigger rivals
The company s shares were up nearly 1 percent at 68 32 in morning trading |
XOM | Exxon Mobil XOM Q4 Earnings And Revenues Lag Estimates | Exxon Mobil XOM came out with quarterly earnings of 0 41 per share missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 0 44 per share This compares to earnings of 1 51 per share a year ago These figures are adjusted for non recurring items
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 6 82 A quarter ago it was expected that this oil and natural gas company would post earnings of 0 64 per share when it actually produced earnings of 0 68 delivering a surprise of 6 25
Over the last four quarters the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times
Exxon which belongs to the Zacks Oil and Gas Integrated International industry posted revenues of 67 17 billion for the quarter ended December 2019 missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2 79 This compares to year ago revenues of 71 90 billion The company has topped consensus revenue estimates just once over the last four quarters
The sustainability of the stock s immediate price movement based on the recently released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management s commentary on the earnings call
Exxon shares have lost about 7 2 since the beginning of the year versus the S P 500 s gain of 1 6
What s Next for Exxon
While Exxon has underperformed the market so far this year the question that comes to investors minds is what s next for the stock
There are no easy answers to this key question but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company s earnings outlook Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter s but also how these expectations have changed lately
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried and tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions
Ahead of this earnings release the estimate revisions trend for Exxon was mixed While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company s just released earnings report the current status translates into a Zacks Rank 3 Hold for the stock So the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future You can see the complete list of today s Zacks 1 Rank Strong Buy stocks here
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead The current consensus EPS estimate is 0 83 on 71 19 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and 3 45 on 276 69 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank Oil and Gas Integrated International is currently in the bottom 21 of the 250 plus Zacks industries Our research shows that the top 50 of the Zacks ranked industries outperform the bottom 50 by a factor of more than 2 to 1 |
WMB | NBA roundup Bucks rally from 23 down to rout Heat | The Milwaukee Bucks overcame a 23 point first quarter deficit to rally past the host Miami Heat 113 98 on Friday night Giannis Antetokounmpo tallied 33 points 16 rebounds and nine assists giving him his 49th double double Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe had 21 and 17 points respectively for the Bucks who top the NBA with 52 wins including 25 on the road The Bucks outscored the Heat 71 36 in the second half to seize control of the game and Milwaukee won its league best 16th game when trailing by more than 10 points in a game this season The Bucks won for the first time ever in 78 tries when trailing by at least 20 points at the half Justise Winslow scored 20 all in the first half and Hassan Whiteside had 14 Josh Richardson scored 11 while Dwyane Wade Bam Adebayo Dion Waiters and Kelly Olynyk each had 10 for the Heat who have won six of their past nine Rockets 108 Suns 102 James Harden recorded a double double with his final assist resulting in a critical basket that helped cement Houston s win over visiting Phoenix Harden posted 41 points and 11 assists and finished a rebound shy of a triple double He added six steals but his final assist a pass that resulted in a Danuel House Jr 3 pointer with just under a minute left provided the Rockets a 105 100 lead and sealed their 10th win in 11 games House seeing his first action since Jan 14 after a contract dispute punched his ticket back to the G League scored 18 points and finished 4 of 8 from behind the arc Spurs 109 Knicks 83 LaMarcus Aldridge scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in three quarters to lead a balanced scoring attack as San Antonio throttled visiting New York to capture its seventh straight victory The Spurs 40 29 have used their winning streak to fly up in the Western Conference standings and to move 11 games above 500 their best mark of the season San Antonio posted its ninth consecutive victory at home and dominated the hapless Knicks who have the NBA s worst record at 13 56 and have lost eight games in a row 76ers 123 Kings 114 All five starters scored 18 or more points propelling Philadelphia over visiting Sacramento Joel Embiid had 21 points and a game high 17 rebounds while teammate Jimmy Butler collected seven assists to complement a game high 22 points as the 76ers 44 25 moved back into a tie with idle Indiana 44 25 for the No 3 playoff position in the Eastern Conference Sacramento 33 35 lost a third straight contest including its second in two nights The Kings were beaten 126 120 at Boston on Thursday Trail Blazers 122 Pelicans 110 Damian Lillard and C J McCollum combined for 47 points as visiting Portland held off short handed New Orleans Lillard scored 24 points and passed current Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge for second place on Portland s all time scoring list Clyde Drexler is the Blazers all time leading scorer McCollum finished with 23 points Enes Kanter and Rodney Hood added 17 points each Zach Collins scored 12 and Jusuf Nurkic had 11 points and 12 rebounds as the Blazers improved to 8 3 since the All Star break Clippers 128 Bulls 121 Danilo Gallinari scored 27 points and Los Angeles continued to better its playoff chances with a win over visiting Chicago Montrezl Harrell scored 26 points off the bench and Lou Williams NYSE WMB had 21 in a reserve role for the Clippers who remain tied for eighth in the Western Conference with the Utah Jazz Los Angeles also moved six games ahead of the ninth place Kings for the final playoff spot Shai Gilgeous Alexander had 17 points seven rebounds and seven assists and fellow point guard Patrick Beverley finished with 13 points eight rebounds and seven assists for Los Angeles which has won six of seven Lakers 111 Pistons 97 Langston Galloway scored 23 points off the bench one shy of his season high and host Detroit downed depleted Los Angeles The Pistons snapped a two game losing streak while the Lakers lost for the seventh time in eight games Reggie Jackson had 20 points five rebounds and five assists while Andre Drummond powered for 19 points and 23 rebounds for the Pistons The Lakers rested superstar forward LeBron James after he scored 29 points in a loss to Toronto on Thursday Tyson Chandler neck Josh Hart knee and Lance Stephenson toe also sat out Hornets 116 Wizards 110 Kemba Walker scored 28 points Jeremy Lamb added 18 and visiting Charlotte defeated Washington Nicolas Batum and Tony Parker had 16 points each for the Hornets in a game between two of the teams chasing the Miami Heat for the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference Walker was coming off a 40 point effort in a loss to the Rockets
Bradley Beal who had 15 points in a loss at Charlotte last Friday had 23 by halftime Friday night and finished with 40 points on 15 of 29 shooting Field Level Media |
WMB | Nadal pulls out with injury before Federer semi final | Reuters Rafael Nadal withdrew from the Indian Wells tournament on Saturday with a knee injury shortly before his eagerly awaited semi final clash with great rival Roger Federer Federer bidding for his 101st career title and a record sixth Indian Wells crown received a walkover into the final where he will play Dominic Thiem a 7 6 3 6 7 3 6 4 victor over Milos Raonic in Saturday s only semi final Federer s scheduled meeting with Nadal would have been the 39th in their long rivalry and the first since 2017 leaving the Swiss to say it s a big letdown a sentiment felt by everyone at at Indian Wells I warmed up today and I felt that my knee was not good to compete at the level I needed to compete in semi final Spain s Nadal said in a statement It s tough for me to accept all these things that I m going through in my career Nadal said he would now return home to Mallorca and would not play in the upcoming Miami Open He hopes to return at the Monte Carlo Masters which begins on April 14 It was just the fifth time in Nadal s career that he had conceded a walkover and the first to Federer I am obviously excited to be in the finals but not this way said the 37 year old Federer We ve had so many epic battles and I know now that every one we have could be our last Was this our last chance I hope not The knee had begun to bother Nadal in the second set of his 7 6 2 7 6 2 victory over Karen Khachanov in the quarter finals on Friday He had not dropped a set in reaching the semi finals For me it is not about today only the world number two said It s about what it means for me to have to pull out in a tournament that I love so much like this one and in the semi finals after playing well during the whole tournament You can imagine that I can t be happy Nadal who has struggled with knee injuries throughout his stellar career was the second high profile player to withdraw from the tournament Last Sunday Serena Williams NYSE WMB retired from her match against Garbine Muguruza with what the tournament said was a viral illness THIEM PREVAILS Thiem saved the lone break point he faced against the big serving Canadian which came as he served for the match at 5 4 in the third set The Austrian did not make an unforced error in the first set and raced off to a 5 1 lead in the tiebreak The 25 year old fired 10 winners in the set winning 93 percent of the points when he got his first serve into play and eventually took the opener in a tiebreak lacing a backhand winner down the line Raonic rescued the only break point in the second set at 2 1 down before going on to force another tiebreak A fortunate bounce as a backhand clipped the tape and dribbled over gave him the crucial advantage at 5 3 and helped force a deciding set Thiem secured the first break for 3 2 in the deciding set and a volley winner finally secured the victory after an absorbing two and a half hours Now with a new coach Nicolas Massu the Austrian Thiem who hit 25 winners in advancing to the final will meet Federer for the fifth time with their head to head score locked at 2 2
Federer prevailed in straight sets in their most recent meeting in the ATP finals last year after Thiem had won back to back encounters in 2016 |
WMB | PG E close to reshaping leadership with investor backing WSJ | Reuters PG E Corp is close to naming a new chief executive officer and revamping its board backed by some of its largest investors the Wall Street Journal said on Saturday as the power utility restructures after filing for bankruptcy because of potential liabilities from California wildfires Bill Johnson who is set to retire as the CEO of Tennessee Valley Authority in April is the front runner to get the top job at PG E the Journal reported PG E has also made offers to 10 new independent board candidates and is expected to unveil the slate as soon as next week saying it has significant shareholder support according to the report Johnson s new role which could also be announced next week has not yet been finalized and other candidates were still being interviewed the newspaper added The utility filed for bankruptcy protection in January in anticipation of liabilities from the wildfires including the catastrophic 2018 Camp Fire that killed 85 people PG E declined to comment while no one was available at U S owned TVA to comment on Saturday A trio of activist investors that together own nearly 10 percent of PG E stock has been working with the company to change its management the Journal reported The three hedge funds Abrams Capital Management LP Knighthead Capital Management LLC and Redwood Capital Management LLC said in a filing on Friday they had agreed with PG E to work together to appoint a new CEO and refresh its board The board slate they have helped PG E assemble is expected to include experts on cyber security nuclear security and restructurings the Journal said PG E s previous CEO Geisha Williams NYSE WMB stepped down in January after less than two years on the job Last month the company said it expected only five of its current 10 strong board to stand for reelection at an annual shareholder meeting in May It also said it expected the board to include 11 independent directors by the time of the meeting without specifying how big the board would finally be
The Journal said the efforts of the three investors are separate from those of another PG E investor BlueMountain Capital Management which earlier in March named its own slate of 13 people it hopes to install as directors at the embattled power utility |
WMB | NHL roundup Killorn Lightning crush Caps | Alex Killorn recorded his first career hat trick Tampa Bay set a franchise record for wins in a season and the Lightning beat the visiting Washington Capitals 6 3 on Saturday in the first meeting this season between the Eastern Conference s two division leaders The Lightning notched their 55th victory and became just the fourth team in NHL history to win 54 games or more in consecutive seasons Tyler Johnson Erik Cernak and Yanni Gourde also tallied and Nikita Kucherov notched two assists for the Lightning who won their fourth straight Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 30 shots and won for the 13th time in his past 14 starts Alex Ovechkin had two goals and John Carlson added a marker and an assist for Washington which lost for just the third time in its past 15 games Braden Holtby allowed four goals on 33 shots Oilers 3 Coyotes 2 OT Connor McDavid scored his second goal of the game 58 seconds into overtime as Edmonton claimed a victory in Glendale Ariz Mikka Koskinen made 28 saves for the Oilers and Matthew Benning added a goal Alex Galchenyuk scored twice for Arizona Coyotes goalie Darcy Kuemper stopped 22 shots Bruins 2 Blue Jackets 1 OT Brad Marchand scored at 3 30 of overtime as Boston returned home and snapped a three game losing streak with a victory over Columbus Patrice Bergeron also scored for Boston and Jaroslav Halak made 24 saves The Bruins put together a streak of 19 straight games with a point the longest in the NHL this season before going 0 3 0 on a three game trip to Pittsburgh Columbus and Winnipeg Matt Duchene scored the lone goal for the Blue Jackets who had a two game winning streak snapped Columbus Joonas Korpisalo stopped 31 shots Blackhawks 2 Canadiens 0 Corey Crawford made a career high 48 saves in his hometown as visiting Chicago won its fifth in a row beating Montreal Connor Murphy and Brendan Perlini were the goal scorers both on assists from Alex DeBrincat Crawford who missed 28 games in the middle of the season due to concussion issues posted his second shutout of 2018 19 He owns a 1 48 goals against average during a five game winning streak The Canadiens are 6 10 1 following an impressive 8 1 1 stretch Blues 5 Penguins 1 Vince Dunn scored twice and Pat Maroon had a goal and an assist as St Louis ended a three game losing streak by winning at Pittsburgh Oskar Sundqvist and Jay Bouwmeester also scored and Colton Parayko and Robert Thomas each had two assists for St Louis which built a 4 0 lead through the game s first 23 minutes Jordan Binnington made 40 saves and is 17 4 1 in his first 22 NHL starts Dominik Simon scored for the Penguins who had won three straight and six of seven Matt Murray stopped nine of 13 shots before being relieved by Casey DeSmith who allowed one goal on 13 shots Red Wings 2 Islanders 1 Andreas Athanasiou scored a pair of goals as host Detroit snapped a four game losing streak with a victory over New York Danny DeKeyser assisted on both goals while Jonathan Bernier turned aside 41 shots Detroit avenged a pair of one goal losses to the Islanders earlier in the season Anders Lee scored the only goal for the Islanders who had won their previous two games Thomas Greiss made 20 saves for New York Panthers 4 Kings 3 Jonathan Huberdeau scored the go ahead goal with 1 56 left in regulation to lead Florida over host Los Angeles Huberdeau also had a game tying assist Evgenii Dadonov scored twice and had an assist Mike Hoffman added a goal and Aleksander Barkov posted three helpers for the Panthers Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar each had a goal and an assist and Brendan Leipsic also tallied for the Kings who are 2 11 4 in their past 17 games Jets 2 Flames 1 Mathieu Perreault s second period power play goal held up as the winner as host Winnipeg held on for a win over Calgary in a clash of Western Conference division leaders Connor Hellebuyck made 27 saves including 14 in the third period to record the victory for Winnipeg which has won two straight games Hellebuyck had some good fortune too as the Flames Johnny Gaudreau twice rang shots off the post and Mark Jankowski drilled the crossbar all in the opening frame Mark Scheifele gave the Jets a 1 0 lead in the first period and Jankowski tied the game with a short handed goal in the second period Mike Smith stopped 19 shots for the Flames Senators 6 Maple Leafs 2 Magnus Paajarvi scored two consecutive goals during the second period as Ottawa beat visiting Toronto Cody Ceci added a goal and an assist and Brian Gibbons Anthony Duclair and Oscar Lindberg also scored for the Senators who won their second straight Zack Smith added three assists for the Senators Morgan Rielly and John Tavares scored for the Maple Leafs who have allowed 23 goals while losing three of their past four games Hurricanes 4 Sabres 2 Rookie Andrei Svechnikov scored his third goal in three games as Carolina recorded its ninth straight win over Buffalo prevailing in Raleigh N C Jordan Staal scored to notch his 500th career point and Justin Williams NYSE WMB and Lucas Wallmark also tallied for the Hurricanes who improved to 8 2 1 in their past 11 contests Curtis McElhinney finished with 35 saves Former Hurricanes forward Jeff Skinner matched his career high with his 37th goal and Zemgus Girgensons also tallied for the Sabres who have dropped seven in a row 0 6 1 Wild 5 Rangers 2 Ryan Donato recorded his second career two goal game as Minnesota snapped a three game losing streak with a victory over New York in Saint Paul Minn Eric Staal also scored for the Wild who won for just the second time in their past 11 home games 2 6 3 since Jan 19 Jared Spurgeon added a power play goal and J T Brown scored an empty net tally for Minnesota Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich scored for the Rangers who went 0 3 1 on their four game road trip They lost their seventh straight road game and dropped to 2 6 5 in their past 13 games Predators 4 Sharks 2 Viktor Arvidsson scored twice and Filip Forsberg added a goal and an assist as Nashville won at San Jose Colton Sissons also scored for the Predators and goaltender Juuse Saros made 24 saves Nashville won its second straight and remained a point behind Winnipeg which beat Calgary 2 1 Saturday in the chase for first place in the Central Division
Timo Meier and Joe Thornton scored for the Sharks and Martin Jones stopped 26 of 29 shots The Sharks lost their second straight following a six game winning streak Field Level Media |
WMB | Bottas and Mercedes dominate Australian opener | By Ian Ransom MELBOURNE Reuters Valtteri Bottas capitalized on a late pitstop to upset his world champion team mate Lewis Hamilton and clinch the season opening Australian Grand Prix for Mercedes on Sunday with the best race of his life Starting second behind pole sitter Hamilton Bottas got the jump on the Briton during a typically messy start at Albert Park and ended up cruising to his fourth win by some 20 80 seconds after delaying a tyre change Runner up Hamilton who switched to the medium compound tyres seven laps earlier than Bottas had to battle to hold off third placed Max Verstappen and was fortunate the Red Bull driver took a late skid in the grass to lose vital seconds Bottas claimed his first race win since Abu Dhabi in 2017 and added icing to the cake by securing a bonus point for the fastest lap at the lakeside circuit in one minute 25 580 seconds I don t know what just happened The start was really good it was definitely my best race ever said the overwhelmed Finn I just felt so good and everything was under control The car was so good today so truly enjoyable I need to enjoy today I m just so happy and can t wait for the next race Hamilton complained mid race on the team radio about his early pitstop and said he was worried his tyres would not last But he was magnanimous about the result and his team will have been thrilled that their raw pace was enough to blitz the chasing pack It was a good weekend for the team said Hamilton Valtteri drove an incredible race today so he deserved it I ve just got work on my starts more For Ferrari NYSE RACE however it was a sobering day as fourth placed Vettel and fifth placed new boy Charles Leclerc were reduced to fighting each other for a minor position The Scuderia had posted the fastest times during winter testing just pipping Mercedes but both cars finished nearly a minute behind Bottas Four times champion Vettel held the podium spot for most of the race but ended up easily picked off by Verstappen as Red Bull celebrated a positive debut with Honda engines I had to overtake Seb to get onto the podium which is not easy here but I was happy to pull that move off said the Dutchman who secured Honda a first podium in the V6 turbo hybrid era In the midfield battle Kevin Magnussen was sixth for Haas ahead of Renault s seventh placed Nico Hulkenberg Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen was eighth in his debut for Alfa Romeo the team formerly known as Sauber while ninth placed Lance Stroll and 10th placed Daniil Kvyat grabbed the remaining points for Racing Point F1 and Toro Rosso respectively It was a terrible Renault PA RENA debut for home hope Daniel Ricciardo as he rolled wide into the grass straight out of the grid and destroyed his front wing over a bump He was forced to pit immediately to replace it and ended up back in the garage midway through the race his third retirement in his home race McLaren driver Carlos Sainz also retired after easing into pit lane on the 11th lap with his car on fire Haas who lost both cars due to botched tyre changes in last year s race showed they were not free of their pit stop gremlins as a poor stop caused Romain Grosjean to lose two places The Frenchman was later forced to retire with a reliability problem In his first Formula One race in more than eight years Williams NYSE WMB driver Robert Kubica was last of the 17 cars that finished one behind rookie team mate George Russell McLaren s Lando Norris was the best of the F1 debutants finishing 12th
Prior to the start drivers and officials stood for a minute s silence at the grid in tribute to the late F1 racing director Charlie Whiting and in remembrance of victims of a mass shooting at two mosques in New Zealand on Friday |
WMB | Fed looks to avoid crossed signals at policy meeting | By Trevor Hunnicutt and Ann Saphir NEW YORK SAN FRANCISCO Reuters Only two things will really matter when Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell strides to the podium for his press conference on Wednesday after the end of the U S central bank s latest two day policy meeting Dots and bonds That Powell and his colleagues will leave the Fed s benchmark overnight interest rate unchanged in a range of 2 25 percent to 2 50 percent and stick to their pledge of a patient approach to monetary policy is effectively a given The big reveal though will be whether policymakers will have sufficiently lowered their interest rate forecasts to more closely align their notorious dot plot a diagram showing individual policymakers rate views for the next three years in little blue shaded circles with that pledge of patience And just as importantly what new details will they share on a plan to stop culling the Fed s holdings of nearly 3 8 trillion in bonds It s going to be new information for the market to trade whether it s the Fed s intention or not said Ben Jeffery a strategist at BMO Capital Markets Dissatisfaction with Powell s remarks in December regarding the balance sheet threw markets for a spin and helped lead to the Fed s pause on rates a month later Since then the Fed chief has explicitly said one of his aims is to avoid needless market disruptions Traders currently expect there will be no rate hikes this year and are even building in bets for a rate cut in 2020 Any gap between that view and the Fed s could send markets lower So too could a sharp drop in policymakers rate hike expectations especially if coupled with a softer economic outlook Graphic Federal Open Market Committee target rate projections Wrong or confusing signals on either the rate forecasts or the Fed s bond portfolio could upend the market calm the central bank in large part has engineered despite nosediving economic forecasts Making Powell s task even harder A jumble of economic data including a sharp slowdown in jobs growth last month that was accompanied by rising wages Uncertainty on the outlook for the world economy and global trade as well as a sharp U S growth slowdown expected by a range of forecasters mean that markets are on a hair trigger for signals from the Fed FED S GUIDANCE In January the Fed pivoted from hiking rates quarterly to pledging patience before making more moves Powell has also said the central bank could stop shedding bonds this year The central bank s last official policy statement offered no hint about whether rates will rise or fall The statement from the March 19 20 meeting is likely to do the same Asked if they would support rate hikes this year Fed policymakers have been offering less information Patience is basically saying we re not going to give a lot of guidance to what we re expecting down the road because there s enough uncertainty that we just have to see how things evolve Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren told a National Association of Corporate Directors chapter on March 5 But guidance is exactly what the Fed offers in its Summary of Economic Projections slated for release alongside the policy statement on Wednesday That document could show the central bank expecting a rate hike if the economy delivers the strong 2019 growth most policymakers still forecast Some Fed officials voiced concern at the Jan 29 30 policy meeting that the projections could send a misleading statement about what the central bank is doing according to the records from that meeting Powell warned on March 8 against reading too much into the forecasts So far the Fed s on guard and guarded communication has given markets new confidence A gauge of swings expected in U S government bond prices over three months hit its lowest levels in 17 years Stock markets have reacted as well with the S P 500 index up more than 12 percent this year With little sign of an inflation pickup there would seem to be no urgency to raise U S borrowing costs and investors have all but written off the possibility of a hike this year especially with signs that slowing European and Chinese growth might weigh on the United States BALANCE SHEET Meanwhile the Fed faces pressure to elaborate on piecemeal statements that it will stop cutting bond holdings this year The Fed bulked up its books with bank reserves in order to buy trillions of bonds and further stimulate the economy once rates neared zero in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis To restore policy to normal the Fed began shrinking its balance sheet in late 2017 by not replacing as many bonds when they mature Now with the central bank ending that process Fed policymakers face a number of questions Some for instance have said they would not want the balance sheet policies which might tighten financial conditions to work at cross purposes with the more cautious rate policy Graphic Federal Reserve bond holdings New York Fed President John Williams NYSE WMB told Reuters earlier this month that there is no clear answer to exactly how large the balance sheet needs to be Investors will be looking for answers as soon as this week Powell is likely to be pressed on the subject at his press conference on Wednesday
Cliff Corso executive chairman at investment manager Insight North America LLC said markets are looking for confirmation and comfort about their assumptions about the size and composition of the Fed s assets Any deviations around that might create a little bit of volatility he said |
WMB | Israel s top court disqualifies far rightist approves Arab party for ballot | By Dan Williams NYSE WMB JERUSALEM Reuters Israel s top court disqualified on Sunday a far right Jewish politician from next month s national election and approved the candidacy of a disputed Arab party overturning March 6 decisions by the election board a court statement said The Supreme Court rulings were widely expected and unlikely to shake Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s efforts to craft a rightist alliance that might secure him a record fifth term But they deepened the vitriol of a campaign in which his camp has cast itself as the victim of judicial over reach and media bias and has in turn been accused by center left rivals of race baiting and fear mongering The court found in favor of appellants who argued that Michael Ben Ari of the Jewish Power party had displayed anti Arab racism That view was backed by Israel s attorney general Other members of Jewish Power a small faction that is part of an ultra nationalist list which last month forged an election alliance with Netanyahu s Likud party remain eligible to run The Central Elections Committee a monitoring body made up of delegates of parties in the current parliament last month approved Ben Ari s candidacy while disqualifying Raam Balad a joint party list representing some of Israel s 20 percent Arab minority Israel has in the past prosecuted two Balad figures for contacts with Palestinian militants and accused a former party leader of helping Hezbollah during the 2006 Lebanon war The court voided the ban on Raam Balad a mix of Islamists and Arab nationalists which describes itself as a democratic movement NEWCOMER Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked a fellow rightist in Netanyahu s outgoing coalition said in a statement that the court s blocking of Ben Ari while declaring terror backing parties kosher is a crass and misguided interference in the heart of Israeli democracy Netanyahu s bid for reelection has been challenged by a centrist newcomer former armed forces chief Benny Gantz Their escalating exchanges of allegations have included corruption bigotry forsaking national security and abetting Israel s foes The premier s partnership with Jewish Power also drew rare censure from the U S pro Israel lobby and normally staunch Netanyahu backer AIPAC which branded the party racist and reprehensible A poll aired by public broadcaster Kan on Sunday put Likud narrowly in the lead to form the next coalition government with a projected 31 of parliament s 120 seats against 30 for Gantz s Blue and White party If reelected Netanyahu will become Israel s longest serving premier in July That bid was dealt an unprecedented blow last month when Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced a plan to indict Netanyahu for bribery and breach of trust Netanyahu denies wrongdoing and could forestall formal charges in a review hearing after the election
Raam Balad which held eight seats in the last parliament said the Supreme Court had upheld its fundamental right to represent our electorate while Netanyahu and Gantz compete to see who can incite more powerfully against the Arab public |
WMB | NBA roundup Sixers down Bucks despite Giannis 52 | Joel Embiid scored 40 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the visiting Philadelphia 76ers past the Milwaukee Bucks 130 125 on Sunday It was Embiid s 52nd double double and the 25th time he has scored at least 30 points and swept 10 rebounds in a game He scored 18 points alone in the fourth quarter Jimmy Butler had 27 and JJ Redick 19 for the Sixers who won their fourth in a row and officially clinched a playoff spot Giannis Antetokounmpo was terrific for the Bucks with a career high 52 points to go along with 16 rebounds and seven assists Khris Middleton added 19 points Rockets 117 Timberwolves 102 Chris Paul Clint Capela and James Harden recorded double doubles and host Houston turned a blistering third quarter shooting display into a victory over Minnesota Paul paired 25 points with 10 assists and matched his single game high of six 3 pointers while Capela recorded 20 points and 13 rebounds in grappling with Timberwolves All Star center Karl Anthony Towns 22 points 10 rebounds six assists Rookie forward Josh Okogie scored 21 points for the Timberwolves who have dropped 7 of 10 Taj Gibson chipped in 15 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for Minnesota Houston improved to 11 2 since the All Star break Clippers 119 Nets 116 Reserve Lou Williams NYSE WMB hit a 3 pointer at the buzzer as host Los Angeles pulled out a dramatic win over Brooklyn for its seven win in its last eight games Williams whose game winner was the first of his career scored 11 of his team high 25 points in a fourth quarter that featured wild runs by both teams The Clippers 41 30 won for the seventh time in eight games and moved into a virtual tie with Utah for seventh in the West and a half game behind sixth place San Antonio Danilo Gallinari and Montrezl Harrell added 20 points apiece for the Clippers D Angelo Russell scored a game high 32 points but the Nets 36 36 fell 1 1 2 games behind sixth place Detroit in the Eastern Conference and lead eighth place Miami by just 1 1 2 games Pistons 110 Raptors 107 Blake Griffin scored 25 points to lead host Detroit past Toronto to sweep their three game regular season series Trailing 110 107 with 2 4 seconds left Toronto had a glimmer of hope after Griffin missed two free throws Griffin intentionally fouled Toronto s Kawhi Leonard on the rebound with 1 4 seconds remaining but Leonard missed the first throw After Leonard intentionally missed the second Pistons center Andre Drummond gathered the rebound and the clock ran out Reggie Jackson scored 20 points for the Pistons and Drummond added 15 points and 17 rebounds Leonard put up a game high 33 points to go with 10 rebounds while Fred VanVleet scored 17 points and Marc Gasol grabbed 11 rebounds Knicks 124 Lakers 123 Emmanuel Mudiay highlighted his 28 point performance with a pair of late free throws as NBA worst New York erased an 11 point deficit late in the fourth quarter to knock off visiting Los Angeles Damyean Dotson scored 25 points and Kevin Knox chipped in 19 for the Knicks who benefited from a season high 41 point first quarter to post their first win since a 108 103 victory against Orlando on Feb 26 LeBron James scored 33 points after sitting out Friday s 111 97 setback versus Detroit for what the team called load management connected to the groin injury that sidelined him for 17 games earlier this season Magic 101 Hawks 91 Nikola Vucevic scored 17 of his 27 points in the first quarter and host Orlando remained in the chase for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference by beating Atlanta The Magic 33 38 trail Miami 33 36 by one game for the eighth spot in the playoffs They meet one last time this season in Miami on March 26 Orlando also got 22 points and eight rebounds from Aaron Gordon and 14 points and seven rebounds from reserve Wes Iwundu Trae Young led Atlanta with 20 points and five assists Kings 129 Bulls 102 Buddy Hield made his only 3 pointers of the game in a 14 point second quarter flurry that allowed host Sacramento to beat Chicago and end a three game losing streak The Kings 34 35 retained a slim hope of reaching the Western Conference playoffs this season Sacramento sits in ninth place in the West six games behind the Jazz and Clippers who are tied for seventh In just his third game back from a knee injury Marvin Bagley III shot 9 of 14 and led Sacramento with 21 points and nine rebounds in 21 minutes Zach LaVine 18 points was the top scorer for the Bulls Heat 93 Hornets 75 Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic came off the bench to combine for 22 points in the fourth quarter to boost host Miami to a win over Charlotte Dragic finished with a team high 19 points and Wade added 17 Bam Adebayo had 16 points and nine rebounds and Dion Waiters added 12 points for the Heat who have won eight of their past 10 against Charlotte
Jeremy Lamb scored a game best 21 Frank Kaminsky had 13 Nicolas Batum added 12 and Tony Parker chipped in 11 while leading scorer Kemba Walker had just 10 for Charlotte which is 2 5 in its last seven games Field Level Media |
VZ | Verizon Communications VZ Q3 Earnings And Revenues Beat Estimates | Verizon Communications VZ came out with quarterly earnings of 1 25 per share beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 1 24 per share This compares to earnings of 1 22 per share a year ago These figures are adjusted for non recurring items
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 0 81 A quarter ago it was expected that this largest U S cellphone carrier would post earnings of 1 20 per share when it actually produced earnings of 1 23 delivering a surprise of 2 50
Over the last four quarters the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times
Verizon which belongs to the Zacks Wireless National industry posted revenues of 32 89 billion for the quarter ended September 2019 surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0 55 This compares to year ago revenues of 32 61 billion The company has topped consensus revenue estimates just once over the last four quarters
The sustainability of the stock s immediate price movement based on the recently released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management s commentary on the earnings call
Verizon shares have added about 7 8 since the beginning of the year versus the S P 500 s gain of 20 1
What s Next for Verizon
While Verizon has underperformed the market so far this year the question that comes to investors minds is what s next for the stock
There are no easy answers to this key question but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company s earnings outlook Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter s but also how these expectations have changed lately
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried and tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions
Ahead of this earnings release the estimate revisions trend for Verizon was favorable While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company s just released earnings report the current status translates into a Zacks Rank 2 Buy for the stock So the shares are expected to outperform the market in the near future You can see the complete list of today s Zacks 1 Rank Strong Buy stocks here
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead The current consensus EPS estimate is 1 14 on 34 37 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and 4 81 on 131 30 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank Wireless National is currently in the top 27 of the 250 plus Zacks industries Our research shows that the top 50 of the Zacks ranked industries outperform the bottom 50 by a factor of more than 2 to 1 |
VZ | FCC affirms that wireless carriers can block unwanted text messages | By David Shepardson WASHINGTON Reuters The Federal Communications Commission voted on Wednesday to clarify that wireless carriers have the authority to block unwanted or spam text messages but Democrats warned the decision would allow carriers to block or censor texts that customers send The FCC voted 3 to 1 to classify text messages as an information service rather than a telecommunications service which it said would have limited the ability of wireless carriers to combat robotexts and spam messages The FCC said text messages have become a trusted form of communication as wireless providers like AT T Inc NYSE T Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ and Sprint Corp successfully eliminated most spam texts In 2017 1 77 trillion text messages were exchanged in the United States FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the commission s decision would allow wireless providers to continue taking action against unwanted text messages But FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel a Democrat said the vote means you no longer have the final say on where your text messages go and what they said That means your carrier now has the legal right to block your text messages and censor the very content of your messages The FCC said the decision addressed bulk messaging and did not affect individuals sending messages or blocking specific senders Pai said the FCC shouldn t make it easier for spammers and scammers to bombard consumers with unwanted texts And we shouldn t allow unwanted messages to plague wireless messaging services in the same way that unwanted robocalls flood voice services The declaration was prompted after Twilio Inc which sends texts for companies in 2015 asked the FCC to declare that text messages are telecommunications services Twilio asked the FCC for the declaration to prohibit what it said was wireless providers unfettered blocking of text messages Public Knowledge an advocacy group said carriers could discriminate against text fundraising campaigns or by political campaigns and marketing firms The group argues the action undermines the public s right to use text messaging without undue interference from wireless companies Last week nine Democratic U S senators said the vote would stifle free speech and cited Verizon s 2007 decision to briefly block mass text messages from a group supporting abortion rights before reversing itself
CTIA a wireless industry trade group praised the FCC for protecting consumers from an avalanche of messaging spam and allowing them to continue to benefit from a flourishing and competitive messaging ecosystem |
VZ | Deutsche Telekom reviews Huawei ties Orange says no on 5G | By Douglas Busvine and Gw na lle Barzic FRANKFURT PARIS Reuters Huawei HWT UL faces fresh challenges in Europe after Germany s Deutsche Telekom DE DTEGn announced it would review its vendor strategy and Orange PA ORAN said it would not hire the Chinese firm to build its next generation network in France The shift by the national market leaders both partly state owned follows Huawei s exclusion on national security grounds by some U S allies led by Australia from building their fifth generation 5G mobile networks U S officials have briefed allies that Huawei is ultimately at the beck and call of the Chinese state while warning that its network equipment may contain back doors that could open them up to cyber espionage The Deutsche Telekom review comes as U S regulators scrutinize the proposed 26 billion takeover by its T Mobile US O TMUS unit of Sprint Corp N S which is controlled by Japan s Softbank 9434 T Softbank which is days away from listing its wireless unit in Tokyo plans to replace its 4G network equipment from Huawei Nikkei has reported Huawei says the security concerns are unfounded Tensions have been heightened by the arrest of Huawei s chief financial officer in Canada for possible extradition to the United States We don t foresee calling on Huawei for 5G Orange CEO Stephane Richard told reporters in Paris We are working with our traditional partners they are Ericsson BS ERICAs and Nokia Richard said the security concerns were legitimate I absolutely understand that all of our countries and the French authorities are preoccupied We are too Responding Huawei said it was not a supplier to Orange s existing 4G network in France and would not feature in the company s 5G plans in France Huawei does supply Orange s networks outside France and expects to be involved in 5G there it said U S EXPOSURE Deutsche Telekom Europe s largest telecoms company said it was reviewing its vendor plans in Germany and the other European markets where it operates given the debate on the security of Chinese network gear Deutsche Telekom takes the global discussion about the security of network equipment from Chinese vendors very seriously the company said in response to a Reuters query Telekom already pursues a multi vendor strategy relying above all on equipment from Ericsson ST ERICb Nokia HE NOKIA Cisco O CSCO and Huawei Nevertheless we are reassessing our procurement strategy it said The shift is significant because German officials have said they see no legal basis to exclude any vendors from the buildout of fifth generation networks in response to the warnings from Washington Economy Minister Peter Altmaier in an interview with Reuters on Friday confirmed that stance when asked about the prospect of Huawei building 5G networks in Germany There are no concerns about individual companies Altmaier said in Berlin But each product each device must be secure if it is going to be used in Germany Nearly half of the German company s revenues come however from its fast growing U S unit T Mobile which is hoping to win U S approval to take over Sprint in a deal that would create a close challenger to leading duo Verizon N VZ and AT T N T A source at one competitor said This looks like an appeasement strategy towards the U S government over the Sprint deal Other German telecoms players say meanwhile that they are continuing talks with Chinese vendors as they draw up proposals to take part in Germany s auction of 5G licenses in early 2019 We are watching the discussion very closely but we will not participate in the current speculation said Telefonica MC TEF Deutschland DE O2Dn Germany s No 3 operator that has existing relationships with Huawei and ZTE SZ 000063 another Chinese vendor United Internet DE UTDI a potential new entrant that is weighing bidding for a 5G license said it was in talks with two vendors on its strategy one of which is Chinese A spokesman declined to identify the vendor but according to media reports it is ZTE Analysts say German telecoms operators depend heavily on Huawei meaning it will be hard to rip out and replace its existing gear or to cope without the Chinese company the world s top network supplier in building their 5G networks If the Chinese companies are excluded this would reduce the number of vendors and that could drive costs higher said Hans Schotten of the Technical University in Kaiserslautern
For that reason many operators would be reluctant to do without Huawei |
VZ | Verizon Falls 3 | Investing com Verizon NYSE VZ fell by 3 09 to trade at 53 23 by 10 09 15 09 GMT on Monday on the NYSE exchange
The volume of Verizon shares traded since the start of the session was 2 68M Verizon has traded in a range of 53 21 to 55 02 on the day
The stock has traded at 57 5000 at its highest and 53 2300 at its lowest during the past seven days |
WMB | Cannabis constituency Israeli election rivals warm to pot | By Dan Williams NYSE WMB JERUSALEM Reuters Marijuana has becoming an election issue in Israel now that an upstart far right party that favors legalizing the drug seems to be drawing voters away from conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Opinion polls originally showed the party Zehut would fail to win even a single seat in parliament in the April 9 ballot But its ultranationalist leader s focus on decriminalizing cannabis has resonated with voters Polls this week predicted Zehut would take at least four seats in the 120 member legislature giving it a possible linchpin role in the formation of a future coalition government A cartoon in one Israeli newspaper depicted Zehut s leader Moshe Feiglin holding a lit joint with a Pied Piper like trail of liberal voters rapt at their new unexpected champion Usually focused in his campaign on national security challenges Netanyahu said he is pondering the issue Asked on a TV channel run by his right wing Likud party about decriminalization Netanyahu said I am now looking into the question that you raised I will give you an answer soon In the meantime he said Israel has increased the use of medical cannabis to one of the highest levels in the world Medicinal use is allowed with a doctor s permission But as a country with large religious Jewish and Muslim communities Israel had long frowned on drug use of any kind Admission of pot smoking could once disqualify a young Israeli from mandatory military service or a civil servant from office Recreational use remains illegal if not frequently enforced People face a potential 3 years jail for possessing an amount for personal use up to 15 grams Trafficking level possession carries a maximum 20 year jail term On Tuesday Israel s police said they had arrested 42 people suspected of using TeleGrass an encrypted messaging service for selling drugs that enabled Israelis to use an app on their smartphone to order marijuana delivered to their door Likud and its strongest challenger the centrist Blue and White party which has not taken a position on marijuana legalization are locked in a closely contested race Joining the debate Avi Gabbay head of the center left Labour party said on Army Radio that he himself had smoked pot and it was time to get out and join real life in keeping up with Western leniency on its recreational use Israel s parliament in December approved the export of medical cannabis a field that the finance and health ministries estimate could reap 265 million in taxes a year There are eight cannabis cultivation companies in Israel
Shares of medical cannabis firm Tefen jumped 13 percent while other cannabis producers were 2 6 percent to 7 percent higher on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange after Netanyahu s remarks |
WMB | Mercedes look to burst Ferrari s bubble in Melbourne | By Ian Ransom MELBOURNE Reuters High hopes of a meaningful Formula One title race will face their first test at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday as five times champion Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team seek to crush the pre season optimism surrounding Ferrari NYSE RACE Under different management and after a positive winter testing Ferrari have arrived in Melbourne with a fast car and plenty of buzz raising expectation of a genuine challenge to five years of Mercedes dominance Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff says the Ferrari threat is very real Last year we had to give it absolutely everything to come out on top From what we have learned so far this year will be even tougher he added Judging from the performance in Barcelona testing it looks like we will have a proper fight on our hands in Melbourne If Hamilton winner of four of the last five championships is feeling the pressure the Briton is doing well to conceal it A day before arriving Down Under on Monday the 34 year old indulged his new sky diving hobby jumping out of a plane over the Qatar desert Having won 11 of 21 races last season another F1 title would put Hamilton one shy of Michael Schumacher s record of seven and stir the debate about the greatest racer of all time The pressure is arguably heavier on the shoulders of German rival Sebastian Vettel who won just five races last year and saw his challenge evaporate with a string of mistakes on track The four times champion will bid for a third successive win at Albert Park s season opener having foiled pole sitter Hamilton amid a virtual safety car deployment last year I feel Melbourne is the perfect place to start the championship said the 31 year old German now in his fifth season with the glamor team I ve got great memories of this track With 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen having switched to Alfa Romeo the team formerly known as Sauber Vettel s new partnership with highly rated Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc will be under scrutiny The 21 year old Leclerc Ferrari s youngest race driver since 1961 is one of a number of tyros seeking to make an early impression in Australia Max Verstappen who at 17 was the youngest driver ever to start a race is now a 21 year old veteran in his fifth season and the main man at Red Bull who also have 23 year old Frenchman Pierre Gasly racing for them Red Bull the best of the rest behind Mercedes and Ferrari last season have ambitions of higher honors after partnering up with Honda engines The team said on Tuesday it had expedited an upgrade for the RB15 car in time for Sunday s race a month earlier than scheduled Our optimism is not unfounded said Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko I see us behind Ferrari over the race distance but ahead of Mercedes Daniel Ricciardo will also hope for better luck at his home race in the yellow and black of Renault PA RENA having missed a maiden podium in Melbourne with Red Bull last year when he was hit with a three place grid penalty for a minor technical infringement It will also be an emotional weekend for Pole Robert Kubica who reboots his F1 career with the struggling Williams NYSE WMB team eight years after being seriously injured in a rally car accident At a bumpy street circuit where overtaking has been difficult F1 bosses will hope the introduction of new rules can inject spice
The cars feature new front and rear wings aimed at making it easier for them to get closer and overtake while the driver that sets the fastest lap can earn an additional championship point so long as he finishes in the top 10 in Sunday s race |
WMB | Value Doesn t Die | A I and machine learning are changing the face of finance but the underlying principles of investment remain the same Mark Yusko CIO and managing director of Morgan Creek Capital Management outlines to Grant Williams NYSE WMB both the changes that are taking place and the opportunities provided by this fast moving financial landscape Filmed on February 7 2019 in Grand Cayman This video was published on Real Vision on February 18 2019 |
WMB | Israel says Hezbollah suspect in U S troop deaths now active on Golan | By Dan Williams NYSE WMB JERUSALEM Reuters Israel on Wednesday accused a suspected Lebanese Hezbollah operative who was previously held in Iraq over the killing of five U S military personnel of now setting up a Syrian guerrilla network for cross border attacks on Israeli targets The accusations against Ali Mussa Daqduq came as Israel seeks U S recognition of its claim of sovereignty over parts of the Golan Heights a strategic plateau on the Syrian frontier which it captured in a 1967 war and deems a key security buffer With Syrian President Bashar al Assad reasserting control after an 8 year insurgency Israel has also been lobbying his big power backer Russia to keep Hezbollah and Damascus other Iranian aligned reinforcements away from the Syrian held parts of Golan Israel s acting foreign minister was quoted as saying such U S recognition would be an appropriate response to what he said was increased Hezbollah activity on the Golan In statements based on what it described as previously classified intelligence the Israeli military said Hezbollah had mobilized a few operatives Syrians as part of a new terror network on the Syrian Golan Heights aimed at striking Israel The military said it believed Daqduq to be the network s mastermind IRAQI DETENTION Daqduq was released from detention in 2012 in Iraq where he had been accused by the United States of orchestrating a 2007 kidnapping that resulted in the killing of five U S military personnel The United States had handed Daqduq over to Baghdad in 2011 after failing to secure a custody deal ahead of the U S military s withdrawal from Iraq Washington said it had received Baghdad s assurances Daqduq would be prosecuted but he was later cleared by an Iraqi court and repatriated to Lebanon There was no immediate response to Israel s allegations on Wednesday from Hezbollah Syria or the U S and Russian embassies in Israel U S diplomats have said they are in talks with Israel about its request to recognize its sovereignty on the Golan a status that has yet to win any formal endorsement among world powers Israel s Mako news site quoted acting Foreign Minister Israel Katz of saying that such recognition by the United States would be an appropriate and required response to the allegations about Hezbollah s activity on the Syrian Golan I hope that this will soon happen during the prime minister s upcoming visit to Washington Katz was quoted as saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to address the pro Israel lobby group AIPAC in the U S capital in late March In the past Russia has spoken in favor of other foreign forces leaving Syria though it plans to keep a garrison there
Israel has carried out scores of air strikes against suspected Iranian targets on Syrian Golan and further into the country and threatened to continue such operations as required |
WMB | NFL transactions notebook NT Mebane agrees to deal with Chargers | Nose tackle Brandon Mebane remained with the Los Angeles Chargers after agreeing to a two year deal on Wednesday according to the team Mebane had 40 tackles and one sack in 12 games last season his third with the franchise He has 17 5 career sacks in 12 NFL seasons with the Seattle Seahawks 2007 15 and Chargers OT Daryl Williams NYSE WMB re signed with the Carolina Panthers for one year in a deal worth 7 million according to the NFL Network Williams played in just one game last season after dislocating his right kneecap during training camp He has played in 40 games 29 starts in four seasons with the Panthers The Seattle Seahawks are re signing linebacker Mychal Kendricks on a one year 4 million deal per multiple reports Kendricks 28 joined Seattle during the 2018 season and had 19 tackles four for loss and two sacks in four games He pleaded guilty to insider trading charges last year and could face significant jail time with his sentencing scheduled for April TE Jared Cook will visit the New Orleans Saints on Thursday according to NFL Network Cook who turns 32 in April is coming off his first Pro Bowl appearance after posting career highs of 68 catches for 896 yards and six touchdowns with the Oakland Raiders last season RB Jay Ajayi will visit the Indianapolis Colts next week NFL Network reported Ajayi 25 is coming off a torn ACL after posting 184 yards and three scores on 45 carries with the Philadelphia Eagles last season He has 2 516 yards 4 5 yards per carry and 13 touchdowns in four NFL seasons S Ha Ha Clinton Dix is visiting with the Chicago Bears according to NFL Network while the Washington Redskins still hope to re sign him Clinton Dix 26 was acquired by Washington for a fourth round pick before the 2018 trade deadline He posted three interceptions six pass breakups and 93 tackles last season CB Jason Verrett is visiting with the San Francisco 49ers Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs in that order according to the Houston Chronicle The former first round pick of the Chargers has played in just five games over the past three seasons due to injuries He reached the Pro Bowl in 2015 The New England Patriots will re sign DE John Simon to a two year deal per multiple reports and also picked up the 2019 option for special teams ace Matthew Slater ESPN reported Simon 28 had two sacks and three QB hits in 11 games two starts last year Slater will make 2 4 million in 2019 the final year of his contract The 33 year old is a seven time Pro Bowler and one time first team All Pro selection The Patriots are also expected to bring back former RB Brandon Bolden per reports after he spent last year in Miami The Dolphins announced the release of four time Pro Bowl G Josh Sitton who sustained a season ending shoulder injury last season and played in just one game with the team Miami will save 5 million by releasing Sitton who signed a two year contract prior to last season The Dolphins also agreed to terms with TE Clive Walford according to multiple reports The Dallas Cowboys re signed swing tackle Cameron Fleming to a two year 8 5 million deal according to NFL Network Fleming 26 played in 14 games last season making three starts in place of injured LT Tyron Smith The Buffalo Bills agreed to sign All Pro return man Andre Roberts according to multiple reports Roberts a 31 year old wideout was named first team All Pro and to the Pro Bowl with the New York Jets last season after leading the league in punt return average 14 1 and scoring on a punt and kick return OL Ted Larsen signed a one year contract to rejoin the Bears after playing the last two seasons with the Dolphins Larsen started eight games at right guard for Chicago in 2016 LB Adarius Taylor agreed to a two year 5 million deal with 2 55 million guaranteed with the Cleveland Browns Cleveland com reported The Browns are also expected to sign former Chiefs tight end Demetrius Harris to a two year deal per NFL Network DT Mitch Unrein was waived by the Buccaneers with a failed physical designation Unrein sustained a concussion during training camp last season and spent his lone season with Tampa Bay on injured reserve The Bucs also re signed running back Peyton Barber on a one year 2 025 000 deal per ESPN The Packers re signed tight end Marcedes Lewis to a one year deal according to multiple reports Lewis 34 joined Green Bay last season after 12 years in Jacksonville serving primarily as a blocker The Jets re signed linebacker Neville Hewitt to a one year deal according to multiple reports Hewitt who turns 26 in April had 39 tackles and 1 5 sacks in 16 games four starts last season
The Pittsburgh Steelers re signed linebacker Anthony Chickillo and punter Jordan Berry on two year deals Chickillo had 1 5 sacks last season while playing primarily special teams Berry ranked 26th in net punting average 38 8 yards per punt Field Level Media |
WMB | Superdry founder urges shareholders to vote him to board | Reuters Julian Dunkerton the founder and former boss of British fashion group Superdry urged shareholders on Thursday to elect him and industry veteran Peter Williams NYSE WMB to the company s board at its upcoming shareholder meeting in April Dunkerton in a letter to shareholders said he would work to restore double digit percentage earnings before income tax EBIT margins and rebuild profitability in two to three years He also pledged not to sell his shares in the company for at least two years In early March Dunkerton and Superdry s co founder and former brand and design director James Holder said they wanted to place Williams current chairman of online fashion retailer Boohoo on the company s board and called for a shareholder meeting Superdry whose shares slumped 68 percent over the last year has already said that it does not want Dunkerton back and has asked shareholders to vote against him and Williams
Dunkerton owns 18 4 percent of Superdry |
WMB | Andreescu continues fairytale run to reach Indian Wells final | Reuters Bianca Andreescu became the youngest player to reach the final at Indian Wells in 20 years after the teenager beat Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6 3 2 6 6 4 at the BNP Paribas PA BNPP Open on Friday The 18 year old Canadian continued her magical run by overcoming sixth seeded Svitolina to set up a final with three time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber who beat Belinda Bencic 6 4 6 2 This past week it s been a dream come true playing in front of these amazing crowds Andreescu said in a courtside interview after putting her name alongside Serena Williams NYSE WMB who reached and won the 1999 final at 17 Today I believed in myself playing against these top players I ve watched them play so many times on TV so it s so incredible to play against them and win Andreescu has shown a knack for competing against top players having beaten Caroline Wozniacki in Auckland earlier this year Against Svitolina she survived two hours and 12 minutes of rollercoaster tennis to prevail Svitolina broke Andreescu s service twice in the first three games to storm to a 3 0 lead But the youngster stormed back with aggressive groundstrokes to win six straight games and the opening set where she claimed 26 of the last 35 points Svitolina refused to squander another fast start in the second set though where she dominated In the decider Andreescu showed resilience by saving nine of the 10 break points against her and breaking Svitolina twice out of her three chances to win In the third set I kept my composure at least tried to I pumped myself up Andreescu said It was a crazy match It was a roller coaster I m really happy I pulled through Kerber reached the final by overcoming the red hot Bencic who defeated world number one Naomi Osaka this week and was coming off a win in Dubai last month Kerber overcame a 4 2 deficit in the opening set to reach her first career final in Indian Wells
I was trying to focus only on my side of the court I was trying to play concentrated and going for it when I had the chance Kerber said I m really happy to be in the final for the first time now The Swiss Bencic made 27 unforced errors to just 14 winners |
VZ | Nokia NOK Misses On Q3 Earnings Cuts 2019 2020 Outlook | Nokia HE NOKIA Corporation NYSE NOK reported mixed third quarter 2019 financial results wherein the top line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate but the bottom line missed the same The company s gross margin was impacted by product mix a high cost level associated with its first generation 5G products profitability challenges in China pricing pressure in early 5G deals and uncertainty related to the announced operator merger in North America Net IncomeReported profit for the quarter was 82 million 91 2 million or 0 01 1 cent per share against loss of 79 million or loss of 0 02 per share in the year ago quarter The improvement was mainly driven by progress in Nokia s cost savings program and a gain on benefit plan amendments Non IFRS profit came in at 264 million 293 5 million or 0 05 6 cents per share compared with 309 million or 0 06 per share in the prior year quarter The bottom line marginally missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1 cent Nokia Corporation Price Consensus and EPS Surprise SalesOn reported basis net sales for the September quarter increased 4 2 year over year to 5 686 million 6 321 million The performance was driven by improved industry demand and competitiveness of Nokia s end to end portfolio coupled with growth across four out of six regions and all customer types While net sales increased in Asia Pacific Europe Latin America and North America up 14 6 6 and 7 respectively it declined in Greater China and Middle East Africa down 21 and 7 respectively Quarterly non IFRS net sales grew 4 2 year over year to 5 688 million 6 323 2 million surpassing the consensus estimate of 6 307 million Segment ResultsIn Networks net sales increased 4 year over year to 4 434 million 4 929 2 million This was driven by Mobile Access and IP Routing partly offset by Fixed Access and Optical Networks Growth in Mobile Access was due to 5G radio technologies and network deployment services partly offset by decrease in legacy radio technologies Growth in IP Routing was primarily due to the company s market leading portfolio and improved supply chain execution The segment s gross margin fell 500 basis points bps to 29 1 Operating margin decreased 130 bps to 2 9 Net sales at Nokia Software were up 9 year over year to 677 million 752 6 million driven by the timing of completion and acceptance of certain projects as well as improved product and go to market capabilities with growth in both core networks and applications The segment s gross margin grew 460 bps to 52 9 Operating margin jumped 1 100 bps to 23 mainly due to lower SG A expenses which was led by the integration and streamlining of core networks into Nokia s existing specialized software salesforce Net sales at Nokia Technologies were up 2 year over year to 358 million 398 million primarily driven by higher one time licensing sales While the segment s gross margin declined 190 bps to 97 8 due to a one time sale of patent assets its operating margin contracted 50 bps to 82 1 In Group Common and Other net sales remained flat year over year at 236 million 262 4 million This reflects growth in Alcatel Submarine Networks primarily led by ramp up of new projects offset by a decline in Radio Frequency Systems due to absence of a large customer roll out The segment s gross margin was 3 4 down 1 190 bps Other DetailsOverall non IFRS cost of sales increased to 3 682 million from 3 320 million year over year Non IFRS gross profit declined 6 3 year over year to 2 006 million Non IFRS operating profit was 478 million compared with 487 million in the year ago quarter Further Nokia has launched 15 live 5G networks with customers including Sprint Corp NYSE S Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ AT T Inc NYSE T and T Mobile in the United States Vodafone LON VOD Italy and Zain in Saudi Arabia as well as SKT KT and LGU in Korea Cash Flow LiquidityDuring the first nine months of 2019 Nokia utilized 1 199 million of net cash in operating activities compared with cash utilization of 1 026 million in the year ago period As of Sep 30 2019 the Finnish telecom network equipment maker had 4 721 million 5 153 6 million in cash and equivalents with 4 063 million 4 435 3 million of long term interest bearing liabilities compared with the respective tallies of 4 799 million and 2 766 million a year ago Outlook LoweredDue to margin pressure and additional 5G investments Nokia has lowered its full year 2019 and 2020 guidance For 2019 the company currently expects non IFRS earnings per share of 0 21 3 cents which was previously projected in the range of 0 25 0 29 Non IFRS operating margin is anticipated 8 5 1 percentage point clipped from earlier forecast of 9 12 For 2020 non IFRS earnings per share are expected to be 0 25 5 cents previously anticipated in the range of 0 37 0 42 Non IFRS operating margin is likely to be 9 5 1 5 percentage point trimmed from previous estimate of 12 16 The company expects long term 3 to 5 years non IFRS operating margin between 12 and 14 Nokia currently carries a Zacks Rank 2 Buy You can see Conversion rate used 1 1 111672 period average from Jul 1 2019 to Sep 30 2019 1 1 091626 as of Sep 30 2019 Today s Best Stocks from ZacksWould you like to see the updated picks from our best market beating strategies From 2017 through 2018 while the S P 500 gained 15 8 five of our screens returned 38 0 61 3 61 6 68 1 and 98 3 This outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon From 2000 2018 while the S P averaged 4 8 per year our top strategies averaged up to 56 2 per year |
VZ | Can Solid WarnerMedia Margins Drive AT T s T Q3 Earnings | AT T Inc NYSE T is scheduled to report third quarter 2019 results before the opening bell on Oct 28 For the third quarter the company is likely to have recorded lower revenues due to adverse foreign currency translation despite solid performance of the WarnerMedia business Factors at PlayThe WarnerMedia segment represents the various business units of the erstwhile Time Warner namely Turner Home Box Office and Warner Bros It also includes AT T s Regional Sports Networks in the Turner division and Otter Media AT T is leveraging WarnerMedia s Turner business to offer enriching advertising content and data analysis to customers This is likely to get reflected in third quarter results The company is improving the relevancy of advertising by pooling a unique set of assets valuable consumer data and insights advanced advertising capabilities and engaged passionate fanbases which is likely to have translated in higher ad revenues in the quarter WarnerMedia is also expected to have monetized branded content on Turner network by extending ad campaign across Xandr s addressable TV advertising footprint spanning 15 million households Key Q3 DevelopmentsAT T announced that WarnerMedia is likely to roll out a streaming service in spring 2020 with an unrivaled bouquet of premium and exclusive content for an impressive direct to consumer experience across various age groups The combination of WarnerMedia s huge ad inventory with the data provided by AT T s large scale networks offers significant upside potential Overall ExpectationsOperating income from WarnerMedia is expected to be 2 388 million up from 1 970 million reported in the previous quarter EBITDA from the segment is expected to be 2 567 million compared with 2 061 million recorded in the previous quarter The Zacks Consensus Estimate for total revenues for the company is pegged at 45 006 million indicating a decline of 1 6 from 45 739 million reported in the prior year quarter due to adverse foreign currency translation from Latin American operations The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is currently pegged at 93 cents per share up from 90 cents reported in the year earlier quarter Read More Earnings WhispersOur proven model predicts an earnings beat for AT T for the third quarter The combination of a positive and a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy 2 Buy or 3 Hold increases the chances of an earnings beat This is perfectly the case here Earnings ESP Earnings ESP which represents the difference between the Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate is 0 50 You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they re reported with our AT T Inc Price and EPS Surprise
Zacks Rank AT T has a Zacks Rank 3 Other Stocks to ConsiderHere are some other companies that you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ is set to release quarterly numbers on Oct 25 It has an Earnings ESP of 0 03 and a Zacks Rank 2 You can see The Earnings ESP for T Mobile US Inc NYSE T is 0 55 and it carries a Zacks Rank of 2 The company is set to report quarterly numbers on Oct 28 The Earnings ESP for Sprint Corporation NYSE S is 27 78 and it carries a Zacks Rank of 3 The company is likely to report quarterly numbers on Oct 30 Today s Best Stocks from ZacksWould you like to see the updated picks from our best market beating strategies From 2017 through 2018 while the S P 500 gained 15 8 five of our screens returned 38 0 61 3 61 6 68 1 and 98 3 This outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon From 2000 2018 while the S P averaged 4 8 per year our top strategies averaged up to 56 2 per year |
VZ | Former U S Attorney General Barr may return to job source | WASHINGTON Reuters Former U S Attorney General William Barr who served under former President George H W Bush is the leading candidate for the job as a permanent replacement for Jeff Sessions a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday
The Washington Post reported earlier on Thursday that President Donald Trump could choose his nominee for attorney general in coming days and that Trump had told advisers he plans to nominate Barr
Sessions departed from the role last month and Trump named Matthew Whitaker as the government s top lawyer on an interim basis With the current session of Congress set to soon end anyone Trump nominates may have to wait until well into 2019 for confirmation
Barr has worked in the private sector since serving as attorney general from 1991 to 1993 retiring from Verizon Communications N VZ in 2008 |
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