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VZ | U S Senate panel to hold hearing on Sprint T Mobile merger | By David Shepardson WASHINGTON Reuters A U S Senate committee plans to hold a hearing on June 27 on the proposed 26 5 billion merger of U S wireless carriers T Mobile US O TMUS and Sprint Corp N S No witnesses have been announced for the hearing to be held by the Senate Judiciary Committee s subcommittee that oversees antitrust issues announced on Wednesday However T Mobile Chief Executive John Legere and Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure met with the U S Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission earlier this month to tout the proposed tie up and are likely to testify officials said Few industries touch Americans daily lives as much as the wireless market Senator Mike Lee a Republican who chairs the subcommittee said in a statement I want to make sure that the proposed merger between T Mobile and Sprint benefits consumers in a manner consistent with existing antitrust law Senator Amy Klobuchar the ranking Democrat on the panel said in a statement the combination of T Mobile and Sprint raises serious antitrust issues Competition among the four largest cell phone carriers has led to lower prices better service and more innovation That s why it s critically important that we hold a hearing to ask serious questions about how this consolidation could affect American consumers Klobuchar said The deal capped four years of on and off talks between the third and fourth largest U S wireless carriers setting the stage for the creation of a company with 127 million customers that will be a more formidable competitor to the top two wireless players Verizon Communications Inc N VZ and AT T Inc N T A prior round of merger talks between the companies ended unsuccessfully in 2014 after the administration of then U S President Barack Obama expressed antitrust concerns
T Mobile and Sprint said they expected to complete their deal no later than the first half of 2019 an ambitious goal given the intense U S regulatory scrutiny it will be subjected to analysts have said |
WMB | Top Picks 2019 EVIO EVIO | I m extremely bullish on cannabis in case you couldn t tell This is the birth of an industry that is set to grow to epic proportions We re talking tens maybe even hundreds of billions of dollars a year asserts Jason Williams NYSE WMB editor of The Wealth Advisory
And we ve got the opportunity to invest in the future leaders of that industry on the ground floor So you shouldn t be surprised that my speculative pick for 2019 is also a cannabis stock But don t go thinking this is just some company that grows or sells marijuana It s far more important to the industry than only being a producer
This year many U S states and the entire country of Canada passed laws that require the testing of legal cannabis before it can be sold to dispensaries All the cannabis all the oils all the edibles everything has to be tested for pesticides and other various chemicals before it can make it onto store shelves
And few companies were ready for this move Most producers already had things like tetrahydrocannabinol THC and cannabidiol CBD levels tested so they could display it on their packages And flowers were given visual inspections for bugs and mold But nothing this stringent had been in place
So the industry was caught unprepared And for a while shelves were almost bare in some states as producers and the few labs that are out there rushed to get everything tested to meet the new standards
But there was one company that saw the industry growing and knew regulations would soon get around to what was in the products being sold So its management set out to become the largest cannabis testing company in the country And it s well on its way to accomplishing its goal
EVIO EVIO is the largest publicly traded cannabis tester And it s battling for the top spot overall It hasn t seen the kind of interest that the Canadian companies have It hasn t even seen the kind of interest that most U S companies have But that s because the growers are the focus right now Nobody is looking at the pick and shovel plays that keep the industry running Not yet at least
But once investors start looking for parts of the industry that aren t already saturated with cash testing labs will be one of the first places they go And EVIO is the best investment in that part of the cannabis market Its balance sheet is a little beat up right now because of the cost of such rapid expansion
But management plans to use proceeds from its operational labs in the U S and Canada to pay down debt and expand further This could be the year that cannabis becomes fully legal in the U S Established American companies will dominate the global market after that So getting invested now would set you up for massive profits down the road
Subscribe to The Wealth Advisory here |
WMB | Saints cornerback Williams charged with drunk driving | New Orleans Saints cornerback P J Williams NYSE WMB was arrested early Wednesday and charged with drunk driving according to multiple reports Police said Williams was driving on the Crescent City Connection bridge in the city when officers clocked him traveling 80 mph in a 50 mph zone They pulled Williams over and he refused to take a breath test police said He was booked on charges of driving while intoxicated improper lane usage speeding and failing to use a turn signal He was released a few hours later on his own recognizance This is not the first drunk driving arrest for Williams 25 In 2015 he was charged with DUI shortly before the NFL draft The charges were dropped when prosecutors said there wasn t enough video evidence to proceed The Saints took Williams a Florida State product in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft While at Florida State he also received two traffic tickets when he hit an oncoming car demolishing both vehicles He was not charged criminally in that case Williams is set to be a free agent in March and in an interview with The Times Picayune on Monday he said he showed his value with his play this season his most productive in the league He finished with 53 tackles an interception and two forced fumbles and he played 693 defensive snaps He earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors on Oct 31
It was huge for me especially it being the last year on my contract Williams said I proved to the league and proved to myself that I can play at a high level in this league Field Level Media |
WMB | U S government shutdown to crimp growth recession risk steady Reuters poll | By Manjul Paul and Indradip Ghosh BENGALURU Reuters U S economic growth will take a hit this quarter from the longest ever government shutdown keeping the Federal Reserve on the sidelines until at least its April 30 May 1 meeting a Reuters poll of economists showed But the probability of a U S recession in the next 12 months held steady from last month at 20 percent according to the median forecast while the chance of a recession in the next two years was also steady at a median 40 percent The latest Reuters poll of over 100 economists taken Jan 16 23 also showed a cut to the 2019 quarterly growth outlook in line with a recent run of weaker U S economic data pointing to rougher sledding for the economy this year than last year With the economy possibly easing and inflation not stirring in a meaningful way the case for additional tightening in monetary policy seems weak noted Michael Moran chief economist at Daiwa Capital Markets The partial government shutdown affecting 800 000 federal workers has lasted more than a month and is expected to hurt the already slowing economy The Senate is preparing for a vote on Thursday to fund the government for three weeks Nearly 60 percent of about 50 economists who answered an additional question said the shutdown will have a significant impact on first quarter gross domestic product growth When asked how much of an impact the shutdown would have on U S GDP for this quarter the median was for a 0 3 percentage point trim But forecasts ranged between 0 1 and 1 3 percentage points Reuters Poll Impact of US government shutdown on Q1 GDP Analysts expected the U S economy to grow at a 2 1 percent annualized pace this quarter down from 2 3 percent forecast last month followed by 2 3 percent in the second quarter and then slowing to 1 9 percent by the end of the year Growth forecasts were trimmed for each quarter this year If the shutdown were to last for the entire quarter it could subtract around a full percentage point from Q1 inflation adjusted output growth In a worst case scenario real GDP could indeed contract in Q1 if this Congressional impasse remains unresolved said Brett Ryan senior U S economist at Deutsche Bank DE DBKGn However we have not made any changes to our current quarter real GDP growth forecast given the uncertainty around these estimates A deep sell off in financial markets last month drove several U S stock indexes closer to bear market territory and pushed expectations for the Fed to slow the pace of its rate hikes Fed officials have also voiced growing concerns about the economy Last week New York Fed President John Williams NYSE WMB called for prudence patience and good judgment among policy makers The latest survey still predicted two rate hikes in 2019 in line with the December poll and the Fed s own dot plots However economists now expect the Fed to take rates higher in the second quarter instead of the first quarter as predicted in the previous poll But nearly one third of 105 economists predicted the U S central bank would either hike rates only once or keep the fed funds rate unchanged at 2 25 2 50 percent in 2019 That was notably higher than the 11 of 101 respondents in the previous poll Traders of U S short term interest rate futures expect no rate hikes in 2019 We agree that the environment has shifted from that in December when the Fed issued its latest dot plot and hinted at two additional tightenings noted Daiwa s Moran We have less confidence in our projection of two hikes but we will hold to that view at this time The core PCE price index the Fed s preferred inflation measure was expected to reach the Fed s target of 2 percent in the third quarter and then forecast to level out to average slightly above that at 2 1 percent in the final quarter It was 1 9 percent in November Over 80 percent of 52 economists who answered a separate question said a sell off in financial markets and a sharper slowdown in the U S economy pose the biggest challenges for the Fed in raising rates this year
Global weakness tightening financial conditions and quiescent inflation should lead the FOMC to pause their hiking cycle this year The timing of rate increases will depend crucially on incoming data but for now we expect the Fed to at least skip a Q1 hike noted James Sweeney chief economist at Credit Suisse SIX CSGN Polling by Sujith Pai and Manjul Paul Analysis by Sujith Pai Nagamani Lingappa and Mumal Rathore Editing by Ross Finley and David Gregorio |
WMB | Australian Open run was no fluke says Collins | By Ian Ransom MELBOURNE Reuters Danielle Collins s fairytale run at the Australian Open was crushed by the resurgent Petra Kvitova in the semi finals on Thursday but the unseeded American said she would take huge confidence into the rest of the season Florida born Collins battled hard in the first set on a stifling day at Rod Laver Arena but ended up steamrolled 7 6 2 6 0 by eighth seed Kvitova Few would have backed the 35th ranked to have been the last American woman standing out of a high quality batch featuring 23 times Grand Slam champion Serena Williams NYSE WMB and former U S Open winner Sloane Stephens Yet the former University of Virginia player thrashed 2016 Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber during her magical run after dumping out seeds Caroline Garcia and Julia Goerges All this after having never won a Grand Slam match let alone a WTA title since graduating in 2016 as the United States top ranked collegiate I definitely don t think anybody would have put their money on me to get this far in the tournament the feisty 25 year old told reporters I certainly have been a big underdog and I think I have held that title really well and fought my hardest There is a lot of positives to take away from this and yeah it s been an incredible run Unfortunately I wish the narrative could have been different for me today but a lot to be proud of and I think a lot to build off of A match that began in broiling conditions changed once the roof closed at 4 4 in the first set as part of the tournament s extreme heat policy Fans at Rod Laver Arena who had fried in the sunshine applauded the announcement but Collins was not cheering after losing the tiebreak and being thrashed in the second set Accustomed to Floridian heat she would have been happy to keep playing under the hot sun and felt the match was affected by the closed roof But she emphasized that Kvitova was the decisive factor in her defeat and pledged to learn from the match of her life I think I learned that experience plays a big role in tennis and Petra is an incredible champion she said of the Czech who will play Naomi Osaka in Saturday s final I think there is a lot to learn off of what she does on the court I think she went out and played fearless tennis so I think all credit to her Maybe some people thought I was a one hit wonder it was a fluke Clearly none of this has been a fluke So it s kind of showed me no matter what the situation I can handle it very well and compete my hardest and play my best tennis in important situations
I could probably write a whole book after this tournament |
WMB | Osaka digs deep against Pliskova to set up Kvitova final | By Sudipto Ganguly MELBOURNE Reuters U S Open champion Naomi Osaka staved off a fightback from Karolina Pliskova to reach her maiden Australian Open final with a 6 2 4 6 6 4 win on Thursday setting up a title clash with double Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova Osaka burnished her reputation as one of the cleanest hitters of the ball in women s tennis by smacking winners almost at will from both her forehand and backhand under the roof of the Rod Laver Arena which was closed due to extreme heat I like the heat so I was kind of sad about that No but like they have the roof open and I was like oh it s my time to shine Osaka said in an on court interview She scorched the court further with 56 winners often going down on one knee to generate immense power to leave former world number one Pliskova stranded The Czech could muster only 20 half of which came in the second set when she hung in to level the match despite the barrage of winners from her opponent I mean I kind of expected the comeback a little I was expecting a really hard battle said the Japanese who had won once in their three previous meetings before Thursday I just told myself to regroup in the third set and try as hard as I can Osaka has now won 59 straight matches when winning the first set and also trumped Pliskova on the service front Coming into the match as one of the biggest servers in the women s game Pliskova managed three aces in the match while the Japanese reeled off 15 often coming up with unreturned serves to win the crucial points I believe she played unbelievable match To be honest maybe her best in the life I don t think she can repeat match like this Pliskova told reporters Amount of winners what she had she just had very little mistakes I don t think I did actually something wrong Osaka broke Pliskova s service games twice while facing not a single breakpoint to canter through the first set Pliskova who had stunned Serena Williams NYSE WMB in the quarter finals showed lot of pluck to level the match with a second break at 5 4 after the players had an early trade of breaks Osaka converted her only breakpoint opportunity in the decider while her opponent wasted four and the 21 year old made it to her second straight Grand Slam final with her 15th ace to seal the match in an hour and 53 minutes She was however made to wait before she could celebrate her victory Osaka waited with folded hands after challenging the line call and then erupted in joy once the Hawkeye technology confirmed the ace I don t necessarily think I played the best I ve ever played Osaka told reporters I mean for me what I take away from this is that I never gave up and that s something that I m really proud of myself for There are moments in the match where I thought like this is getting really close I just thought I wouldn t forgive myself if I had like a little dip or a moment of accepting defeat
Osaka will meet another Czech in Kvitova who will compete in her first Grand Slam final in five years after defeating unseeded American Danielle Collins 7 6 2 6 0 in the first semi final |
WMB | Kvitova on the brink of crowning brave comeback | By Ian Ransom MELBOURNE Reuters Petra Kvitova stands on the verge of completing one of the bravest comebacks in tennis after ending the fairytale run of unseeded American Danielle Collins to reach her first Australian Open final on Thursday Two years after missing the tournament while recovering from an attack by a knife wielding home intruder the eighth seeded Czech booked her first Grand Slam final since her 2014 Wimbledon triumph with a decisive 7 6 2 6 0 victory at a scorching Melbourne Park To be honest I m still not really believing that I m in the final Kvitova told reporters after becoming the first Czech finalist in Melbourne since Jana Novotna in 1991 It s kind of weird as well that I didn t know even if I was going to play tennis again I think not very many people believed that I can do that again to stand on the court and play tennis and kind of play on this level The 28 year old lefthander will meet Japan s U S Open champion Naomi Osaka who held off seventh seeded Czech Karolina Pliskova in the other semi final in the title decider The tall Czech has not lost a set at Melbourne Park and will enter her first hard court Grand Slam final on an 11 match winning streak playing with the confidence and freedom that won her two Wimbledon titles Against the feisty Collins who stunned world number two and former champion Angelique Kerber during her magical run Kvitova survived a testing first set in stifling heat before clinically dismantling the American After trading breaks of serve the match was paused at 4 4 in the first set for a few minutes as the roof was closed to protect the players from the 38 degree Celsius 100F heat After resumption they slogged their way into the tiebreak where Kvitova quickly took command She fired a blazing backhand winner to cap a 16 shot rally and roared to a 5 1 lead before setting up four set points with an ace and converting the first with a serve volley Florida born Collins was left cold by the decision to close the roof which is mandatory under the tournament s new extreme heat policy when the conditions reach a high threshold They need to start the match the way it s going to finish I think I think they do that in football and I think it certainly changed a little bit of the rhythm in the match she said The first game of the second set was laden with drama as world number 35 Collins carped with chair umpire Carlos Ramos over a malfunctioning net cord sensor while on serve Already irked by a line call that went against her the 25 year old was further distracted when the sensor beeped in error twice on serve She was made to replay the point and after re starting with a second serve she gave up a backhand unforced error to concede two break points She saved one with a big backhand winner but netted a forehand on the second and from there things unraveled quickly Swinging her forehand as if felling trees with an axe the Czech ramped up her power game to roar to 5 0 The day after Serena Williams NYSE WMB gave up a 5 1 lead in the third set of her quarter final to be overhauled by Pliskova Kvitova was in no mood to wobble even after allowing the American to crawl back to 30 30 when serving for the match
The shell shocked Collins miscued a forehand to give up match point allowing Kvitova to fire her 30th winner for victory and the chance to crown her courageous comeback in Saturday s final |
WMB | Global economy in real danger if U S China trade war escalates Reuters poll | By Shrutee Sarkar BENGALURU Reuters A synchronized global economic slowdown is under way and any escalation in the U S China trade war would trigger a sharper downturn according to Reuters polls of hundreds of economists from around the world That is a major shift in sentiment from just a year ago when economists were optimistic about a significant global upturn But an escalation in trade tensions and tightening financial conditions have hurt activity in most economies and dragged China s growth last year to the weakest in 28 years Reuters surveys over the past two years have repeatedly highlighted trade protectionism as one of the prominent downside risks for the global economy In the latest Reuters polls of more than 500 economists taken this month growth this year was cut for 33 of 46 economies the respondents were asked about and left unchanged for 10 Predictions for only three smaller economies were marginally upgraded The outlook for inflation this year was trimmed for most economies too with lower lows and lower highs Over half of nearly 270 economists who answered an additional question said a further escalation in the U S China trade war will likely trigger an even sharper global economic slowdown this year With a March 1 deadline set by the White House for an agreement or risk of an escalation of tariffs on another 200 billion worth of Chinese goods both U S President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are still far apart on key structural elements critical for a deal Those concerns coincide with a growing sense of unease among market experts polled by Reuters who have consistently lowered their forecasts for various asset prices over the past few months from stock indexes to bond yields to oil Irrespective of the truce between Presidents Trump and Xi at their December meeting trade frictions are likely to weigh on activity in 2019 noted Janet Henry global chief economist at HSBC Further tariff increases have been postponed but there has been no mention of the existing tariffs being lifted and the possibility of U S tariffs being imposed on autos is still on the table Despite a 90 day truce reached in early December and Trump saying trade talks with China are going well concerns over the conflict have continued Don t tell me anyone is really buying the drivel that a great deal is imminent between the U S and China on trade we are in the early stages of a new Cold War noted Jan Lambregts global head of financial markets at Rabobank The global economy is forecast to expand 3 5 percent this year the second straight cut to the 2019 outlook after it was downgraded in the previous survey for the first time since polling began for that period in July 2017 In the last poll it was 3 6 percent That 3 5 percent lines up with the International Monetary Fund s growth outlook released ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos which highlighted the challenges policymakers face as they tackle the risk of a serious slowdown Major central banks too have changed tack on their monetary policy path as they wind down crisis era measures while still facing an array of daunting risks Despite predicting two rate hikes this year in line with the Federal Reserve s own dot plots economists now expect the U S central bank to take rates higher in the second quarter instead of the first with a significant minority forecasting either one hike or none A sharp slowdown in euro zone economic growth became more prominent after Europe s top economy Germany barely skirted a recession in the second half of last year That has increased the prospect for policy normalization to be delayed Global growth looks set to fall to its weakest pace since the financial crisis as slowdowns in the euro zone and China continue and the U S soon joins the mix said Andrew Kenningham chief euro zone economist at Capital Economics U S monetary policy tightening is pretty much over and the ECB seems set to miss the boat altogether in this cycle Indeed it won t be long before policy loosening comes back on the agenda But it is not just developed economies Growth in emerging markets were also forecast to take a hit this year And in an extraordinary U turn in policy the Reserve Bank of India was forecast to cut interest rates by mid year compared to a rate hike predicted just a month ago Markets are rightly still alert to the potential for a bigger growth hit from the trade frictions but fears regarding the inflation outlook have eased back since early October added HSBC s Henry The broader question is when considering how to respond to another economic downswing is which countries can increase leverage even as others are forced to retrench
For other stories from the Reuters global long term economic outlook polls package see Analysis and additional reporting by Indradip Ghosh and Mumal Rathore in Bengaluru Polling and reporting by the Reuters Polls team in Bengaluru and bureaus in Shanghai Tokyo London Milan Paris Oslo Istanbul Johannesburg Toronto Brasilia Mexico City Lima Buenos Aires Bogota Caracas and Santiago Editing by Ross Finley and Alison Williams NYSE WMB |
WMB | Tennis Fit focused Osaka has upper hand against Kvitova coach | By Ian Ransom MELBOURNE Reuters U S Open champion Naomi Osaka may be best known for her fierce power game but her coach Sascha Bajin believes the Japanese 21 year old s fitness and mindset should give her an edge in the women s final against Petra Kvitova Osaka will bid for her second Grand Slam title in succession against twice Wimbledon champion Kvitova on Saturday having claimed her maiden major in New York last year by upsetting Serena Williams NYSE WMB in the final Bajin said he wanted Osaka to take the game to lefthander Kvitova in the same way she did against another Czech in Karolina Pliskova in the semi final when she hammered 56 winners and clubbed 15 aces I kind of want her to approach the match like she approached Pliskova Kvitova is also a big server Just kind of like the opposite because she s a lefty Same mindset the German coach told reporters at Melbourne Park on Friday You know both of them are very dangerous off the first two three shots but I believe once the rally keeps going Naomi with her current state of mind and physique has the upper hand Osaka s mental strength has shown in the way she has avoided the trap of first time Grand Slam winners crashing at their next major and knuckled down to overcome three set tests to book her first final at Melbourne Park Bajin was impressed at how his fourth seeded charge had re started training for the new season after a short break Yeah she really wants it You know people say they want it but she really wants it he said You know we had an unbelievable great season last year but after having just two weeks break she came back and showed up and really worked her butt off Yeah she s a hard worker and she wants to be and that s why she s here Adding additional weight to Saturday s clash Kvitova and Osaka are also playing for the world number one ranking Osaka was crushed to miss out on winning her third career title at the Brisbane International warmup upset by Lesia Tsurenko in the semi finals but had taken lessons from the disappointment to Melbourne Bajin said I always think you learn more from your losses than from your wins Naomi is definitely one of those persons as well he said Obviously she takes losses very hard because it means a lot to her and she works really hard to keep winning and wants to win every match But there s not so much I have to say afterwards It s just more like emotional management just to be there for her and tell her that it s all right and losses happen to everybody But thankfully she learns from it a lot and it shows here |
VZ | T Mobile Sprint Strive To Achieve Pending Merger Approval | It seems like T Mobile US Inc NYSE S and Sprint Corp NYSE S are leaving no stone unturned to win regulatory clearance for their 26 5 billion merger The third and fourth largest U S wireless carrier by subscriber count are reportedly going to announce commitments to the federal government including asset sales and rural service guarantees The move is expected to help them in obtaining approval for their pending merger In late April the two companies extended the deadline for closing the deal by around three months to Jul 29 2019 Per media reports they are now planning to promise the sale of one of their prepaid brands a three year buildout of 5G network and a reiterated pledge to not increase prices while the network is being built Markedly the new promises would follow talks with the Federal Communications Commission FCC Such decisions are likely to help soothe the clearance process of the deal which is being reviewed over concerns of reduced competition in the U S wireless industry as the number of leading players would then decline from four to three The FCC and the U S Department of Justice are yet to have their final say on the transaction The companies have agreed to separate Sprint s Boost brand while retaining their Virgin Mobile and T Mobile s Metro businesses Notably these three make up the largest segment of the U S pay as you go market with around 42 share Story This FarIn April 2018 T Mobile and Sprint had entered into an agreement to merge in all stock transaction at a fixed exchange ratio of 0 10256 T Mobile shares for each Sprint share or the equivalent of 9 75 Sprint shares for each T Mobile share The successful transaction is anticipated to create thousands of jobs while providing the United States an upper hand over China in creating the next generation of mobile networks The combined firm New T Mobile would have about 127 million customers a strong closing balance sheet and a fully funded business plan It represents a total implied enterprise value of nearly 146 billion Subsequently T Mobile received approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States CFIUS for the deal Also Team Telecom gave its green signal Notably T Mobile got shareholder approval for this game changing merger This was considered as a step forward in creating the New T Mobile through which the company will bring robust competition to the 5G era The New T Mobile will have the network capacity to rapidly create a nationwide 5G network with the breadth and depth needed by U S firms and entrepreneurs to continue leading in the 5G era However T Mobile and Sprint were required to convince the Trump administration s antitrust regulators that there is plenty of room left for healthy competition in the wireless industry comprising the top two players Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ and AT T Inc NYSE T To Sum UpThe FCC and the U S Department of Justice are still investigating the impacts of the merger on U S consumers as they think that it would reduce the number of players in the industry The FCC is yet to take a call on whether to grant the deal regulatory approval and if it serves the public interest Meanwhile the two companies have been arguing that the deal would create a stronger rival to industry frontrunners like Verizon and AT T and would actually help and not hurt competition T Mobile and Sprint have committed to not increase prices on their plans for three years The companies have also stated that this deal would allow New T Mobile to provide wider and faster 5G coverage as well as improve competition in the in home broadband space While T Mobile a Zacks 2 Ranked Buy stock has a long term EPS growth expectation of 15 1 the same for Sprint a Zacks 3 Ranked Hold stock is 19 6 You can see Driven by proper execution of operational priorities shares of T Mobile and Sprint have recorded an average return of 31 8 and 19 8 respectively compared with the s rise of 9 2 over the past year This Could Be the Fastest Way to Grow Wealth in 2019Research indicates one sector is poised to deliver a crop of the best performing stocks you ll find anywhere in the market Breaking news in this space frequently creates quick double and triple digit profit opportunities These companies are changing the world and owning their stocks could transform your portfolio in 2019 and beyond Recent trades from this sector have generated 98 119 and 164 gains in as little as 1 month |
VZ | The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights T Mobile US Sprint Verizon Communications And AT T | For Immediate ReleaseChicago IL May 21 2019 Zacks com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets Stocks recently featured in the blog include T Mobile US Inc NYSE S Sprint Corp NYSE S Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ and AT T Inc NYSE T Here are highlights from Monday s Analyst Blog T Mobile Sprint Strive to Achieve Pending Merger ApprovalIt seems like T Mobile US Inc and Sprint Corp are leaving no stone unturned to win regulatory clearance for their 26 5 billion merger The third and fourth largest U S wireless carrier by subscriber count are reportedly going to announce commitments to the federal government including asset sales and rural service guarantees The move is expected to help them in obtaining approval for their pending merger In late April the two companies extended the deadline for closing the deal by around three months to Jul 29 2019 Per media reports they are now planning to promise the sale of one of their prepaid brands a three year buildout of 5G network and a reiterated pledge to not increase prices while the network is being built Markedly the new promises would follow talks with the Federal Communications Commission FCC Such decisions are likely to help soothe the clearance process of the deal which is being reviewed over concerns of reduced competition in the U S wireless industry as the number of leading players would then decline from four to three The FCC and the U S Department of Justice are yet to have their final say on the transaction The companies have agreed to separate Sprint s Boost brand while retaining their Virgin Mobile and T Mobile s Metro businesses Notably these three make up the largest segment of the U S pay as you go market with around 42 share Story This FarIn April 2018 T Mobile and Sprint had entered into an agreement to merge in all stock transaction at a fixed exchange ratio of 0 10256 T Mobile shares for each Sprint share or the equivalent of 9 75 Sprint shares for each T Mobile share The successful transaction is anticipated to create thousands of jobs while providing the United States an upper hand over China in creating the next generation of mobile networks The combined firm New T Mobile would have about 127 million customers a strong closing balance sheet and a fully funded business plan It represents a total implied enterprise value of nearly 146 billion Subsequently T Mobile received approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States CFIUS for the deal Also Team Telecom gave its green signal Notably T Mobile got shareholder approval for this game changing merger This was considered as a step forward in creating the New T Mobile through which the company will bring robust competition to the 5G era The New T Mobile will have the network capacity to rapidly create a nationwide 5G network with the breadth and depth needed by U S firms and entrepreneurs to continue leading in the 5G era However T Mobile and Sprint were required to convince the Trump administration s antitrust regulators that there is plenty of room left for healthy competition in the wireless industry comprising the top two players Verizon Communications Inc and AT T Inc To Sum UpThe FCC and the U S Department of Justice are still investigating the impacts of the merger on U S consumers as they think that it would reduce the number of players in the industry The FCC is yet to take a call on whether to grant the deal regulatory approval and if it serves the public interest Meanwhile the two companies have been arguing that the deal would create a stronger rival to industry frontrunners like Verizon and AT T and would actually help and not hurt competition T Mobile and Sprint have committed to not increase prices on their plans for three years The companies have also stated that this deal would allow New T Mobile to provide wider and faster 5G coverage as well as improve competition in the in home broadband space While T Mobile a Zacks 2 Ranked Buy stock has a long term EPS growth expectation of 15 1 the same for Sprint a Zacks 3 Ranked Hold stock is 19 6 You can see Driven by proper execution of operational priorities shares of T Mobile and Sprint have recorded an average return of 31 8 and 19 8 respectively compared with the s rise of 9 2 over the past year This Could Be the Fastest Way to Grow Wealth in 2019Research indicates one sector is poised to deliver a crop of the best performing stocks you ll find anywhere in the market Breaking news in this space frequently creates quick double and triple digit profit opportunities These companies are changing the world and owning their stocks could transform your portfolio in 2019 and beyond Recent trades from this sector have generated 98 119 and 164 gains in as little as 1 month Media ContactZacks Investment Research800 767 3771 ext 9339 Past performance is no guarantee of future results Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment legal accounting or tax advice or a recommendation to buy sell or hold a security No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor It should not be assumed that any investments in securities companies sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking market making or asset management activities of any securities These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks The S P 500 is an unmanaged index Visit for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release |
WMB | Pliskova pounds Muguruza to reach quarters | By Ian Ransom MELBOURNE Reuters Karolina Pliskova thrashed double Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza 6 3 6 1 on Monday to reach the Australian Open quarter finals for the third year in succession The Czech seventh seed broke former French Open and Wimbledon champion Muguruza five times in the one sided clash in the afternoon sunshine at Margaret Court Arena Needing only 24 minutes to win the second set Pliskova earned two match points on Muguruza s serve and sealed the win when the out of sorts Spaniard smashed a backhand long Pliskova will meet the winner of the showdown between top seed Simona Halep and Serena Williams NYSE WMB for a place in the semi finals as she continues her bid for a maiden Grand Slam The Czech has been one of a string of top women players in the past decade who have risen to the world number one ranking but failed to cement their spot with Grand Slam success She came close in 2016 when she was beaten in the final of the U S Open by Angelique Kerber The 26 year old has not surpassed the quarter finals at a Grand Slam since but looks in fine touch at her seventh main draw appearance at the Australian Open Of course I don t play the best tennis always in Grand Slams but I think I have been doing a good job to go through some matches in the first weeks which are always pretty tough because of this pressure Pliskova told reporters It s not that I m completely without stress I think everybody has it but the pressure here is a little bit bigger
As a seeded player I feel I should go far |
WMB | Serena edges top seed Halep to reach last eight | By Sudipto Ganguly MELBOURNE Reuters Serena Williams NYSE WMB staved off a spectacular fightback from world number one Simona Halep to reach the quarter finals of the Australian Open on Monday and remain on course for her first Grand Slam triumph since becoming a mother Williams thrilling 6 1 4 6 6 4 win was a major step towards the 37 year old American great equalling Australian Margaret Court s all time record of 24 Grand Slam wins as she set up a last eight meeting with Czech seventh seed Karolina Pliskova The seven time Australian Open champion was eight weeks pregnant when she won the last of her 23 Grand Slam titles at Melbourne Park and only returned to tennis last year after the birth of her daughter Alexis Olympia in September 2017 She made two more Grand Slam finals last year only to lose the finals at Wimbledon and the U S Open but this triumph over the world s leading player felt like another hugely significant step on the road to regaining her old dominance Williams showed she has lost none of her brutal power and athleticism against French Open champion Halep who has finished the last two years on top of the women s rankings The Romanian broke Williams serve in the first game but that was the only one she managed for the rest of the opening set as the American bulldozed her way through the set in 20 minutes serving it out with an ace Coming into the match with eight wins in her nine encounters against Halep it looked as if Williams would breeze through the match after the opening set mauling she handed out But the 27 year old fought back by forcing to move Williams more and drew level at one set apiece after breaking her a second time That s why she s number one She literally lifted her game to a new level I didn t I kind of stayed at the same level and I should have looked at my game as well Williams told reporters But it s a part of this journey on my way back It s 10 months so I can t be too upset at myself I felt like I did have an opportunity to win that in straight sets but then I m playing the number one player in the world The deciding set turned into a war of attrition as both players landed heavy groundstrokes and Williams had to save three break points for a crucial 3 3 hold Williams landed the decisive break in the next game before holding firm to seal the match in an hour and 47 minutes when Halep hit a forehand wide I will start with a joke I felt like I had been hit by a train in the first set Everything was too fast Halep said with a wide grin leaving reporters to burst out laughing I didn t get scared about the first set because I knew I have a better level After the first set I got fire inside myself and I said that now I start the match So it was much better Game by game I felt that my level is growing and I had more confidence to go through it For a place in the semi finals Williams will meet Pliskova who thrashed twice Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza 6 3 6 1 earlier on Monday We have had good matches She s beaten me on an occasion or two or three Williams said of her next opponent She s always someone that comes out and serves big and plays well
I ve got to return a little bit better the next day that we play but I will be ready I m ready She s ready Let s do it |
WMB | Battling Nishikori faces big test against bugbear Djokovic | Reuters Kei Nishikori s fighting spirit could face the ultimate test at the Australian Open on Wednesday when he takes on world number one Novak Djokovic in the quarter finals Nishikori overcame Spain s Pablo Carreno Busta in his third five setter in four rounds on Monday and has spent nearly 14 hours on court at Melbourne more than any other player Djokovic is aware of Nishikori s battling qualities having lost twice to the Japanese in 17 career meetings including a defeat in the 2014 U S Open semi finals He s a talented player One of the quickest players on the tour hard worker I expect a tough one Djokovic who beat Daniil Medvedev in four sets to reach the last eight said I have lots of respect for him Every year is different so every match that you play against each other is different I expect him obviously to come out to try something new Djokovic who took a tumble during his match with Medvedev was also hampered by a back strain towards the end but shrugged off the problem It was not particularly the fall It was just a little bit of fatigue a little bit of back Nothing major But there are a couple of things that have surfaced after a match like this Djokovic added I didn t feel so great in the last 20 minutes of the match or so we ll see how the body reacts but I m confident I can recover and I can be ready for next one Big serving Milos Raonic who cruised past Alexander Zverev in the previous round takes on Frenchman Lucas Pouille in another quarter final In the women s draw Serena Williams NYSE WMB will look to continue her progress but faces a potentially tricky opponent in Czech seventh seed Karolina Pliskova The American has dropped only one set so far in her quest to claim a record equalling 24th Grand Slam U S Open champion Naomi Osaka meets Elina Svitolina |
WMB | Explainer U S government shutdown leaves data vacuum in its wake | By Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON Reuters A partial shutdown of the U S government which enters its second month on Wednesday has delayed the publication of key economic data leaving investors and businesses to follow their intuition and gut instincts as they make critical decisions The shutdown which affects about a quarter of the federal government started on Dec 22 amid demands by President Donald Trump that Congress give him 5 7 billion this year to help build a wall on the country s border with Mexico The shutdown is now the longest in U S history Among agencies affected is the Commerce Department leading to the suspension of the publication of data compiled by its Bureau of Economic Analysis BEA and the Census Bureau The Labor Department has not been affected and its Bureau of Labor Statistics BLS continues to publish data including the closely watched monthly employment report Data gathered by non governmental organizations such as the U S Federal Reserve and Conference Board also continue to be published WHAT REPORTS HAVE BEEN AFFECTED The first casualties were November s new home sales advance trade wholesale and retail inventories reports which were scheduled for release in the last week of December Publication of these reports for December is also likely to be delayed Also postponed was November s construction report detailing the value of construction work on new structures or improvements to existing structures for private and public sectors Trade data for November was also delayed November business inventory data as well as the factory orders report has been delayed December s retail sales housing starts and building permits data have also not been released It is unlikely that December durable goods orders personal income and consumer spending reports will be published These reports constitute the source data for calculating U S gross domestic product the main measure of economic output The advance fourth quarter GDP report scheduled for release on Jan 30 will likely be delayed even if parts of the government hit by the lapse reopen this week WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS Businesses including manufacturers farmers retailers builders and others rely on these reports in making decisions on capital spending production and managing inventory among other activities Government and private economists count on them to assemble a full picture of the health of the U S economy and financial market participants need them to guide asset allocation decisions According to Robert Shapiro a former under secretary of commerce for economic affairs in the Clinton administration the shutdown has put all surveys on hold Shapiro who oversaw the data releases said it will take time to catch up GDP is the only standard gauge we have of the pace and direction of the overall economy and its major components and the measures that comprise it help shape long term business and financial planning and short term investment algorithms said Shapiro now a senior fellow at Georgetown McDonough School of Business in Washington Meanwhile several Fed officials have voiced concerns about having to make monetary policy decisions without key information including the bank s preferred measure of inflation Having good data is how we make our decisions New York Fed President John Williams NYSE WMB said last Friday The Fed is to hold its next policy meeting on Jan 29 30 The shutdown which has left about 800 000 federal employees without pay and private contractors working for many government agencies without wages is causing uncertainty and anxiety leading to a retrenchment in consumer and business confidence Consumer sentiment tumbled to a more than two year low in January and the New York Fed s business conditions survey weakened sharply this month WHAT ABOUT JANUARY S EMPLOYMENT REPORT The lapse in funding for the Census Bureau will not affect the January employment report even though BLS uses Census data for the household survey portion of the report from which the unemployment rate is calculated The collection of data for the household survey is mostly funded by the BLS and at this time is not affected by the lapse of appropriation it said Some employment related figures from Census will not be available however including granular data used to round out the full picture of the job market labor force and wage growth The Consumer Price Index data also will be published as scheduled The BLS however said its productivity and costs report for the fourth quarter due on Feb 6 will not be published in full if the GDP report is unavailable because it is the source data for some of that report s measures WHAT COULD HAPPEN WHEN THE SHUTDOWN ENDS Looking back to what happened after the October 2013 government shutdown the BEA and Census will probably publish a fresh schedule for the delayed data and some delayed reports could be released at the same time as current data For example December housing starts could be published simultaneously with the January report Some data covering November including new home sales construction spending factory orders advance trade wholesale and business inventories could be released within days of a government restart but it could take a while to publish the December data
There may be data which was collected for November there may be some data collected before the shutdown but we don t know how much said Shapiro As for December they would have to begin to collect the data for December They are going to be out for some time they will try to release them eventually |
WMB | Trading in the Dark 24 Economic Reports Delayed One that Came in Strong | The government shutdown is now the longest in history and it is delaying economic reports traders rely on as fundamental gauges on the economy says Don Kaufman
On Friday New York Fed President John Williams NYSE WMB stated the shutdown could cut economic growth by 1 That would cut growth by about half
The table below shows the list of economic reports that haven t come out because of the government shutdown This is in addition to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission s Commitments of Traders COT Report and numerous U S Department of Agriculture reports The Q4 GDP estimates could be off by more than usual because the economic reports from November and December have been delayed We will find out if they are correct in the next few weeks once the government shutdown is over It s possible that most Q4 GDP estimates are so close because the data from November and December hasn t been released yet I was mistaken to express as much confidence in the Q4 GDP estimates as I did in a previous article These delays explain why I am so confused by the rally in stocks How can you buy stocks when they are up so much in the past couple weeks and you don t know how the economy is doing
Great industrial production report
In the midst of this economic wilderness we received a great December Industrial Production report
As you can see from the chart below the hard industrial production manufacturing report showed improvement while the soft ISM manufacturing report showed slowing growth Hard data is much more important than soft data so this is great news
Specifically industrial production was up 0 3 month over month and 4 year over year This met expectations on a monthly basis However the monthly comp got easier because growth was revised from 0 6 to 0 4 in November
This report seems to have verified the stock market rally this year Obviously it s only one report but it is important enough to nullify all the weak soft data manufacturing surveys from December
Manufacturing was up an amazing 1 1 month over month which was the fastest growth since February 2018 That s better than the consensus of 0 1 and last month s 0 1 growth Year over year growth was 3 2 Finally capacity to utilization increased from 78 6 to 78 7
Because of this great report it is now inching closer to the cycle high which was 79 6
When you dig into the details this report was even better than it seems Headline growth was strong even though utility production was down 6 3 because of warm weather Mining production was up 1 5 This positive report was driven by vehicle production construction supplies and business equipment which were up 4 7 1 6 and 0 5 respectively Consumer goods were weak as monthly growth was flat and yearly growth was only 1
On a year over year basis vehicle production business equipment construction supplies mining and utilities growth were 7 8 5 2 1 13 4 and 4 3 respectively |
WMB | Plucky Pliskova stuns Serena with epic Australian Open fightback | By Ian Ransom MELBOURNE Reuters Serena Williams NYSE WMB squandered four match points and blew a 5 1 lead in the deciding set as seventh seed Karolina Pliskova produced a fightback for the ages to claim a 6 4 4 6 7 5 quarter final win over the American great at the Australian Open on Wednesday Williams chasing a milestone 24th Grand Slam triumph also saved two match points in the last game but netted on the third as the big serving Czech shocked a packed Rod Laver Arena with her remarkable rally from the brink of defeat The American s hopes of matching Margaret Court s all time record of Grand Slam singles titles and claiming a first since becoming a mother in 2017 were denied once more after she also lost in finals at Wimbledon and the U S Open last year While disappointed the 37 year old was philosophical in defeat and pledged to regroup for another tilt at the French Open It s definitely not easy for me From day one I expect to go out and quite frankly to win the seven times champion in Melbourne told reporters That hasn t happened But I do like my attitude I ve only been playing 10 months but I expect to win and if I don t it s disappointing I rather think of it that way and know that it s going to happen sooner or later than making an excuse for myself I don t like making excuses The brave Pliskova advanced to meet Naomi Osaka in the last four denying Williams a chance to avenge her controversial U S Open final defeat to the Japanese fourth seed Normally I m having a lot of comebacks but maybe from a set down or a break down so nothing like this I think it s the best comeback ever so far in my life an elated Pliskova told reporters after qualifying for her first Melbourne semi final This time I really believed like she s still a player I know she s the greatest ever but I don t want to put her somewhere where I would not have a chance to beat her BATTLE FOR TOP RANKING Pliskova avenged her quarter final loss to Williams at last year s U S Open and now holds an enviable 2 1 Grand Slam record against the American having beaten her in the 2016 semi finals at Flushing Meadows The 26 year old former world number one chasing her maiden Grand Slam title is the second Czech into the semi finals after double Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova thrashed home favorite Ashleigh Barty on Tuesday to book a match with Danielle Collins Locked in a three way battle with Osaka and Kvitova to take the world number one spot from Simona Halep Pliskova will emerge as the top ranked woman if she claims the title Williams seeded 16th as she continues her return from maternity leave rolled her ankle when serving for the match at 5 1 She promptly double faulted after missing a passing shot on her first match point and was broken after dumping a backhand into the net Pliskova held on grimly saving three more match points when serving to stay alive at 5 4 before breaking Williams to love and charging to 40 0 in the final game Williams saved two of the match points the second with a courageous backhand winner but Pliskova held firm to add another highlight to a tournament laden with upsets The American said her ankle was not a factor in defeat and credited Pliskova for playing unbelievable on match points
She literally played her best tennis ever on those shots she said |
WMB | Osaka reaches Melbourne semis for first time | By Sudipto Ganguly MELBOURNE Reuters U S Open champion Naomi Osaka managed to keep a lid on her simmering temper and powered to a 6 4 6 1 win over Elina Svitolina on Wednesday to book a spot in the Australian Open semi finals for the first time The 21 year old who will play Karolina Pliskova for a place in the final committed a string of unforced errors but still proved too strong for the sixth seeded Ukrainian Osaka wrapped up the win in an hour and 12 minutes to become the first Japanese woman to reach the last four at Melbourne Park since Kimiko Date in 1994 Osaka s first Grand Slam triumph at the U S Open last year was overshadowed by a row between Serena Williams NYSE WMB and umpire Carlos Ramos but there will be no rematch of that match at Melbourne Park Williams a 23 times major winner squandered four match points and blew a 5 1 lead in the decider to fall to seventh seed Pliskova 6 4 4 6 7 5 in the last quarter final of the women s draw I have played her Pliskova a couple times already She s really tough to play said Osaka I can barely read her serve so it s very difficult for me I see now that she doesn t hit too many unforced errors which is a little bit dangerous Osaka said Pliskova always seemed to stay calm on court something she struggles with For me today I had one goal it was to try as hard as I can and not get angry I didn t do that well in the past two rounds but I played well today she added INCONSISTENT FIRST SET Osaka s power was on full display against WTA Finals champion Svitolina with the Japanese thumping 31 winners to her opponent s 11 But she was also sloppy at times committing 25 unforced errors nine more than Svitolina Everyone knows my backhand was a little bit inconsistent in the first set Osaka said I think I was making too many unforced errors on the serve So in the second set I just tried to play more and see if she s gonna hit winners or not Ukrainian Svitolina 24 kept her errors in check to get two service breaks back and stay in the opening set at 4 5 Osaka blew three set point opportunities on Svitolina s next serve with three embarrassing errors berating herself with angry slaps on the thigh However the Japanese gathered herself and hit a crisp backhand to set up a fourth chance and converted it when Svitolina thumped a return into the net Svitolina took a medical timeout in the second set for neck and shoulder problems with Osaka up 3 0 but she was broken again after returning to the court I felt pain from the beginning of the tournament here and there It was going and coming back Svitolina said Unfortunately today was a little bit worse than I expected It s normal to have some tension during the Grand Slam and it happens but unfortunately I couldn t handle it today
Fourth seed Osaka served her eighth ace then converted her first match point with an overhead winner to seal the win |
VZ | Verizon VZ Upgraded To Buy Here s Why | Verizon Communications VZ appears an attractive pick as it has been recently upgraded to a Zacks Rank 2 Buy An upward trend in earnings estimates one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices has triggered this rating change
The Zacks rating relies solely on a company s changing earnings picture It tracks EPS estimates for the current and following years from the sell side analysts covering the stock through a consensus measure the Zacks Consensus Estimate
Since a changing earnings picture is a powerful factor influencing near term stock price movements the Zacks rating system is very useful for individual investors They may find it difficult to make decisions based on rating upgrades by Wall Street analysts as these are mostly driven by subjective factors that are hard to see and measure in real time
Therefore the Zacks rating upgrade for Verizon basically reflects positivity about its earnings outlook that could translate into buying pressure and an increase in its stock price
Most Powerful Force Impacting Stock Prices
The change in a company s future earnings potential as reflected in earnings estimate revisions has proven to be strongly correlated with the near term price movement of its stock That s partly because of the influence of institutional investors that use earnings and earnings estimates for calculating the fair value of a company s shares An increase or decrease in earnings estimates in their valuation models simply results in higher or lower fair value for a stock and institutional investors typically buy or sell it Their transaction of large amounts of shares then leads to price movement for the stock
Fundamentally speaking rising earnings estimates and the consequent rating upgrade for Verizon imply an improvement in the company s underlying business Investors should show their appreciation for this improving business trend by pushing the stock higher
Harnessing the Power of Earnings Estimate Revisions
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near term stock movements so it could be truly rewarding if such revisions are tracked for making an investment decision Here is where the tried and tested Zacks Rank stock rating system plays an important role as it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions
The Zacks Rank stock rating system which uses four factors related to earnings estimates to classify stocks into five groups ranging from Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy to Zacks Rank 5 Strong Sell has an impressive externally audited track record with Zacks Rank 1 stocks generating an average annual return of 25 since 1988 You can see the complete list of today s Zacks 1 Rank Strong Buy stocks here
Earnings Estimate Revisions for Verizon
This largest U S cellphone carrier is expected to earn 4 73 per share for the fiscal year ending December 2019 which represents a year over year change of 0 4
Analysts have been steadily raising their estimates for Verizon Over the past three months the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company has increased 1 9
Bottom Line
Unlike the overly optimistic Wall Street analysts whose rating systems tend to be weighted toward favorable recommendations the Zacks rating system maintains an equal proportion of buy and sell ratings for its entire universe of more than 4000 stocks at any point in time Irrespective of market conditions only the top 5 of the Zacks covered stocks get a Strong Buy rating and the next 15 get a Buy rating So the placement of a stock in the top 20 of the Zacks covered stocks indicates its superior earnings estimate revision feature making it a solid candidate for producing market beating returns in the near term
You can learn more about the Zacks Rank here
The upgrade of Verizon to a Zacks Rank 2 positions it in the top 20 of the Zacks covered stocks in terms of estimate revisions implying that the stock might move higher in the near term |
VZ | Exclusive T Mobile Sprint make progress in talks aim for deal next week sources | By Greg Roumeliotis Liana B Baker and Pamela Barbaglia Reuters U S wireless carriers T Mobile US Inc O TMUS and Sprint Corp N S have made progress in negotiating merger terms and are aiming to successfully complete deal talks as early as next week people familiar with the matter said on Thursday The combined company would have more than 127 million customers and could create more formidable competition for the No 1 and No 2 wireless players Verizon Communications Inc N VZ and AT T Inc N T amid a race to expand offerings in 5G the next generation of wireless technology T Mobile majority owner Deutsche Telekom DE DTEGn and Japan s SoftBank Group Corp T 9984 which controls Sprint are considering an agreement that would dictate how they exercise voting control over the combined company two of the sources said This could allow Deutsche Telekom to consolidate the combined company on its books even without owning a majority stake the sources added Deutsche Telekom owns more than 63 percent of T Mobile while SoftBank owns 84 7 percent of Sprint Deutsche Telekom and T Mobile are also in the process of finalizing the debt financing package they will use to fund the deal the sources said There is no certainty that a deal will be reached the sources cautioned The companies came close to a merger agreement in November before SoftBank s chief executive officer Masayoshi Son pulled out of the talks at the last minute The sources asked not to be identified because the negotiations are confidential Sprint T Mobile Deutsche Telekom and SoftBank did not immediately respond to requests for comment Sprint and T Mobile have market capitalizations of 24 billion and 55 billion respectively Sprint shares rose 9 percent in afterhours trading in New York while T Mobile shares were up 4 percent When the previous round of talks between the companies ended in November over valuation disagreements Deutsche Telekom Chief Executive Officer Tim Hoettges left the door open by saying You always meet twice in life Failure to clinch a deal had left SoftBank s Son a dealmaker who raised close to 100 billion for his Vision Fund to invest in technology companies in search of other options for Sprint SoftBank has been looking to trim its debt which reached 15 8 trillion yen 147 billion as of the end of December It has said it is planning to raise cash by taking its Japanese mobile phone unit public this year Even though Sprint s customer base has expanded under CEO Marcelo Claure growth has been driven by discounting Analysts have said that without T Mobile Sprint lacks the scale needed to invest in its network and to compete in a saturated market T Mobile under its Chief Executive Officer John Legere has fared better than Sprint even if it remains a distant third to Verizon and AT T It has managed to score sustained market share gains as innovative offerings improving network performance and good customer service attract new customers according to Moody s Investors Service Inc T Mobile became the first major U S carrier to eliminate two year contracts a shift quickly embraced by consumers and copied by competitors The company has also unsettled rivals with its unlimited data plans Another roadblock to the deal could be regulatory hurdles Sprint s and T Mobile s first round of merger talks ended in 2014 after U S President Barack Obama s administration expressed antitrust concerns about the deal
It is not clear how the Trump administration would view the combination AT T agreed to acquire U S media company Time Warner Inc N TWX in October 2016 for 85 billion The U S Department of Justice has sued to block the deal over concerns about the companies pricing power in the media market AT T and Time Warner are currently defending their deal in court |
VZ | T Mobile Sprint finalizing merger terms sources | By Greg Roumeliotis Reuters U S wireless carriers T Mobile US Inc O TMUS and Sprint Corp N S are finalizing terms as they seek to sign a merger by Monday that could value Sprint at around 26 billion people familiar with the matter said on Friday The combined company with more than 127 million customers would have added clout to challenge industry leaders Verizon Communications Inc N VZ and AT T Inc N T in the race to expand offerings in next generation 5G wireless technology T Mobile majority owner Deutsche Telekom DE DTEGn will own a little over 40 percent of the combined company but will have voting control so it can consolidate the company on its books the sources said The sources requested anonymity to discuss the confidential negotiations Sprint shares ended up 8 3 percent at 6 50 on the news first reported by Reuters close to where the deal values the company based on the implied stock exchange ratio tied to T Mobile s shares T Mobile shares rose 0 6 percent to 64 52 giving the company a market capitalization of 55 billion T Mobile and Sprint are aiming to announce the deal on Sunday though the timing could change the sources said Talks between Deutsche Telekom and Japan s SoftBank Group Corp T 9984 Sprint s controlling shareholder could still end unsuccessfully at the last minute the sources added Deutsche Telekom owns more than 63 percent of T Mobile while SoftBank owns 84 7 percent of Sprint Sprint T Mobile Deutsche Telekom and SoftBank did not respond to requests for comment The companies came close to a merger deal in November before SoftBank Chief Executive Masayoshi Son pulled out of the talks at the last minute over valuation disagreements Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Hoettges left the door open by saying You always meet twice in life Even though Sprint s customer base has expanded under CEO Marcelo Claure growth has been driven by discounting Analysts have said that without T Mobile Sprint lacks the scale needed to invest in its network and to compete in a saturated market T Mobile under CEO John Legere has fared better than Sprint even if it remains a distant third to Verizon and AT T It has scored sustained market share gains as innovative offerings improving network performance and good customer service attract new customers according to Moody s Investors Service Inc T Mobile became the first major U S carrier to eliminate two year contracts a shift quickly embraced by consumers and copied by competitors The company has also unsettled rivals with its unlimited data plans Regulatory hurdles could also block to the deal Sprint and T Mobile s first round of merger talks ended in 2014 after U S President Barack Obama s administration expressed antitrust concerns about it AT T agreed to acquire U S media company Time Warner Inc N TWX in October 2016 for 85 billion The U S Department of Justice has sued to block the deal over concerns about the companies pricing power in the media market AT T and Time Warner are defending their proposed merger in court
The U S government has also opened a probe into alleged coordination by AT T Verizon Communications and a telecommunications standards organization to hinder consumers from easily switching wireless carriers a person briefed on the matter said last week This signals U S regulators growing concern about consumer prices |
VZ | T Mobile Sprint CEOs Turn From Bitter Rivals to Kindred Spirits | Bloomberg There seemed no love lost between Marcelo Claure and John Legere a pair of chief executives who sniped at each other incessantly on Twitter at public events even in ads But behind the scenes the two telecoms moguls were bonding around a common cause
The fruits of that relationship became apparent this weekend when T Mobile US Inc agreed to acquire Sprint Corp for 26 5 billion Just months after a previous attempt collapsed under regulatory concerns Legere and Claure have again driven the No 3 and No 4 American carriers together realizing neither alone can outgun Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ and AT T Inc NYSE T in the coming era of blazing fast fifth generation wireless
The deal follows years of back and forth between Deutsche Telekom AG DE DTEGn the German company that controls T Mobile and SoftBank Group Corp Sprint s Japanese owner But it was only in the past month or so that Claure really intensified his lobbying calling SoftBank Chairman Masayoshi Son several times a week to reinforce the urgency of an alliance to take on the industry leaders according to people familiar with the matter Legere meanwhile worked on convincing Deutsche to come back to the table the people said asking not to be identified discussing the details
China is now racing ahead on 5G research and investment and the sense was that the Trump administration distrustful of the Asian power would be more inclined to green light a deal than its predecessor the people said The market dynamics were also changing Comcast Corp NASDAQ CMCSA was steadily gaining broadband users while other cable operators hovered on the margins With Legere on board the two CEOs had begun meeting in person and speaking regularly by phone the scene was set for the largest telecoms merger in years
We share a common vision on how the network will be built and we realized we need each other to be mega successful Claure said in an interview over the weekend We can t build a 5G network without T Mobile and T Mobile can t build it without Sprint
The new corporation certainly carries a lot more financial heft crucial if it s to remain competitive in costly 5G infrastructure development Operating as T Mobile it would have about 74 billion in annual revenue and 70 million wireless subscribers That s within shooting distance of Verizon s 88 billion in 2017 wireless revenue and 111 million subscribers and AT T s 71 billion and 78 million
Under terms of the deal Deutsche Telekom will end up with a 42 percent ownership stake while SoftBank will have 27 percent T Mobile s Mike Sievert will be president and chief operating officer The German company s chairman Tim Hoettges will serve in that role at the combined company while Legere becomes CEO and the board will include Claure and Son
But it s Claure and Legere that proved pivotal to resuscitating a deal the two men had grown increasingly certain they shared the same vision of 5G as the future the people familiar with the matter said
In some fashion the kernel of the thought of why these companies should come together never left either of us Legere said in an interview This time around I think the realization started with Marcelo and it was more 5G driven
It remains far from certain however if Washington will green light the deal the third time that Son has tried to bring the companies together Previous negotiations broke down also because the two sides couldn t agree on control of the combined entity people familiar with the matter said at the time They d dashed a plan to merge as far back as 2014 after meeting resistance in Washington Regulators said then that four major competitors in wireless fosters more choice price competition and innovation which proved to be largely true
Sprint and T Mobile will try to convince regulators that new entrants such as Comcast mean more competition not less Claure told analysts on a conference call that Comcast was now adding more wireless users on a net basis than AT T and Verizon combined The two carriers will thus argue a combination will spur bigger investments in 5G and put pressure on larger rivals even if the consumer benefits aren t immediately obvious
If Trump wants to see national 5G and the investment with it then I think the administration can spin a story to support this said Chris Lane a Hong Kong based analyst at Sanford C Bernstein
For Sprint which hasn t had a profitable year in more than a decade the merger is a bailout The company is four years into a go for broke turnaround effort launched when Claure took over and started slashing prices to stop customer losses And growth at T Mobile one of the more remarkable industry success stories of the past decade is slowing
This deal is a great example of what we will see more of in the telecoms space If you look at the capex that will be required as a result of 5G build out you need to create more economies of scale Steve Krouskos Ernst Young s Global Vice Chairman of Transaction Advisory Services told Bloomberg Television This particular deal will create a strong third player in the U S market |
VZ | Verizon s Oath signs distribution deal with Samsung | By Jessica Toonkel Reuters Verizon Communications NYSE VZ Inc s Oath Inc subsidiary has signed a deal to place four of its most popular apps on millions of Samsung KS 005930 devices across the U S and eventually globally the company told Reuters on Tuesday Under the terms of the deal Oath s Newsroom app Yahoo NASDAQ AABA Sports Yahoo Finance and Go90 mobile video apps will be pre populated on all of Samsung s Galaxy S9 and S9 devices Oath s deal with Samsung is part of an effort to get its content and partners ads in front of the growing number of TV viewers watching their favorite shows on mobile devices instead of through cable and satellite television Oath s chief executive officer Tim Armstrong told Reuters The amount of content consumption on phones is continuing to skyrocket and I think brands and consumers want more high quality content Armstrong said The number of viewers who watch video on smartphones is expected to jump 8 percent by 2020 to 196 4 million according to research firm eMarketer Meanwhile the number of TV watchers is expected to decrease more than half a percentage point to 295 9 million over the same period The agreement will also allow advertisers to place native ads or advertisements that blend in with the content where they appear within Oath s apps as Samsung s Galaxy app This gets ads one step closer to being direct to consumer Armstrong said You can t be more direct than being on the mobile phone home screen and app environment Samsung and Oath will share ad revenue Armstrong said declining to comment on the terms of the deal
Nine month old Oath was created after Verizon bought Yahoo and merged it with AOL Oath plans to announce its deal with Samsung as part of its presentation to media buyers in New York Tuesday evening outlining its strategy for the year |
WMB | Fed s Williams says rate policy must be patient data dependent | By Trevor Hunnicutt SOMERSET N J Reuters The U S Federal Reserve must be patient and guided by data when considering whether to raise interest rates New York Fed President John Williams NYSE WMB said on Friday in remarks reinforcing the central bank s commitment to a wait and see approach Williams said inflation pressures remain mild yet the economic tailwinds that boosted the economy in 2019 have lost their gust including due to an ongoing partial shutdown of the U S government If those pressures cause the economic outlook to deteriorate the Fed could pause rate hikes or adjust the path of balance sheet normalization Williams said The approach we need is one of prudence patience and good judgment the motto of data dependence is more relevant than ever he said in remarks prepared for delivery to the New Jersey Bankers Association If growth continues to come in well above sustainable levels somewhat higher interest rates may well be called for at some point However if conditions turn out to be less robust then I will adjust my policy views accordingly The remarks come as Fed policymakers have signaled a willingness to wait to deliver more rate hikes until they have a better handle on whether slowing global growth and financial market volatility will undercut an otherwise solid U S economic outlook In separate appearances in recent days policymakers from across the spectrum of views agreed the central bank should pause further rate hikes until it is clear how much the U S economy will be held back by larger risks like slowing growth in China and narrower ones like the ongoing budget stalemate in Washington Williams said the challenge facing policymakers in recent years is that inflation has been too low not too high suggesting that rate hikes used to slow price pressures may not be warranted Williams said he said expects inflation to be right at the Fed s 2 percent target with no signs the economy has pressure building in it that would push prices higher despite a strong labor market and rising wages But there is he said increasing anxiety in the markets about economic growth this year Since October when signs emerged that global growth is slowing financial markets have grown increasingly skeptical that the Fed can continue tightening much longer The Fed increased interest rates three times in 2017 and four times last year pushing them up to 2 25 percent to 2 5 percent at its final 2018 meeting in December It is signaling it would probably raise rates two more times this year
Fed Chair Jerome Powell and other U S central bankers who pushed the rate hikes last year have sought in recent weeks to project a more flexible approach this year |
WMB | Studious Shapovalov hopes Nadal videos can help topple Djokovic | Reuters Denis Shapovalov announced himself to the world by stunning Rafa Nadal two years ago in Montreal and the Canadian teenager will hope to draw from the Spaniard s tactical manual when he meets Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open third round on Saturday Having blitzed his way through the opening two rounds the 19 year old Shapovalov revealed he would study videos of fellow left hander Nadal to prepare for his first meeting with world number one Djokovic in the hope of sealing another big upset I m glad to hear that that he s doing his homework and research It s important for a young player an unworried Djokovic said of his opponent s due diligence He s impressive not just as a talented tennis player but also how he goes about his professionalism his commitments how he deals with pressure how confident he is on the court Nadal and him the only thing they re sharing I think is the left hand I don t think they share many similarities in their game I think it s quite different Serbian Djokovic is back to his dominant best having come back from elbow surgery last year to claim the final two Grand Slams of the season The 31 year old who thumped old rival Jo Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets on Thursday said he had been tracking world number 27 Shapovalov s progress since he toppled Nadal I ve been following him the last couple years Djokovic said Yeah he s very pumped He brings a lot of energy to the court which is great to see I expect a really interesting encounter He will not have anything really to lose so I m sure he s going to come out really pumped Germany s Alexander Zverev another of the next generation players hoping to make a mark on the biggest stage takes on Australia s Alex Bolt
Women s world number one Simona Halep faces a potentially tricky test against seven times major winner Venus Williams NYSE WMB while U S Open champion Naomi Osaka meets Taiwan s Hsieh Su Wei |
WMB | S P 500 Relief Rally is Exhausted | We called this market exhausted at our major three star resistance at 2603 2609 50 says Bill Baruch President of Blue Line Futures
E mini S P ESH
Yesterday s close Settled at 2635 25 up 22 00
Fundamentals We called this market exhausted at our major three star resistance at 2603 2609 50 and said we were comfortable to see our two overhead resistance levels at 2624 2626 and 2631 2633 get tested Through our exhausted narrative we have been keen to point out two types of market participants who could each be catalysts in higher price action First the many shorts who are trapped from 2500 and lower The second being under positioned portfolio managers A short covering pop was inevitable hence our comfort above major three star resistance Yelling fire in a crowded movie theatre has a negative connotation However the same theory applies when you have shorts who must cover and under positioned portfolio managers with FOMO fear of missing out who feel their job is on the line
Yesterday s news that the U S is weighing lifting the tariffs on China is exactly that The Treasury department and the U S Trade Representative s office denied reports that the U S was going to give in but the damage has already been done fire has already been shouted and the theatre has already been emptied Listen we understand that many times when there is smoke there is fire But the question is whether this is true substance ahead of the meeting between the U S and China later this month or is it the latest attempt at jawboning
The government shutdown heads into its fifth week This has slimmed out the economic calendar a bit but today brings a full dose New York Fed President Williams NYSE WMB speaks at 8 00 am CT Industrial Production is due at 8 15 am CT Michigan Consumer data is expected to dip due to the shutdown and will be closely watched at 9 00 am CT it is the freshest data point released each month At 10 00 am CT Philadelphia Fed President Harker speaks
Crude Oil CLH
Yesterday s close Settled at 52 36 down 25
Fundamentals The IEA released their monthly report this morning and said they expect U S production growth coupled with a slowing global economy to put downward pressure on Crude Oil in 2019 They did note that the impact of higher prices on demand has begun to dissipate Therefore they kept demand growth unchanged despite their expectations for the global economy to slow
Prices were under pressure early yesterday on reports that showed reinvigorating tensions between the U S and China on trade after lawmakers wanted to introduce a bill that would ban the sale of chips to Chinese companies that violated export laws However the tables were turned late in the afternoon after it was reported the U S is weighing lifting the tariffs on China Although these reports were denied this has provided a strong tailwind to risk sentiment This was so for Crude Oil as it coupled with the OPEC Monthly report that showed a drop in OPEC production of 751 000 bpd in December For now OPEC s jawboning coupled with trade tailwinds has drowned out a growing composite of inventories domestically
Gold GCG
Yesterday s close Settled at 1 292 30 down 1 50
Fundamentals Gold has slipped by nearly 1 This began after midnight as global equity markets are responding to yesterday s reports that the U S is weighing lifting the tariffs on China less demand for safe havens Gold and the Chinese Yuan have both recovered firmly since October which means that positive news on trade does not have the same impact in the past given that there is nothing for them to price in anymore NY Fed President Williams said this morning reiterated patience and data dependence He noted that uncertainties have risen the lack of data due to the shutdown and that it could also affect consumer spending Industrial Production beat expectations this morning which added pressures to the metal Michigan Consumer data will be crucial at 9 00 am CT and Philadelphia Fed President Harker speaks at 10 00 am CT |
WMB | Serena consoles Ukrainian teen after sailing into last 16 | By Ian Ransom MELBOURNE Reuters Serena Williams NYSE WMB powered into the fourth round of the Australian Open on Saturday with a 6 2 6 1 demolition of Dayana Yastremska then consoled the Ukrainian teenager after leaving her in tears The 37 year old Williams chasing a record extending eighth Melbourne title in the professional era barely broke sweat on a sunny afternoon at Rod Laver Arena as she racked up 20 winners and beat the 57th ranked 18 year old in a breezy 67 minutes As she was walking towards the net I could tell she was quite upset Williams told reporters I kind of liked that It shows she wasn t just there to play a good match she was there to win She wanted to win That really broke my heart I think she s a good talent It s good to see that attitude Yastremska rolled her right ankle midway through the match and took a medical time out to have her foot bandaged when trailing 4 1 in the second set It stalled defeat only briefly however as Williams broke her a third time in the set and claimed the match when the Ukrainian sprayed a cross court forehand wide Chasing her 24th Grand Slam title Williams has conceded only nine games at the tournament and not dropped a set but may finally have a test when she plays the fourth round She will face the winner of older sister Venus and top seed Simona Halep for a place in the quarter finals She mentioned Venus was one of the players that left her crying after defeat I remember one time in particular against Venus at Wimbledon as I was walking to the net I started bawling she said I couldn t help it Young girls young women just want to go out there and do their best and want to win Since returning to the tour after maternity leave Williams has yet to win a Grand Slam as a mother after two near misses in the finals at Wimbledon and the U S Open Seeded 16th in Melbourne she felt torn about who she might like to play next but said a match against top seed Halep would test her true level Yeah and I honestly would love to face the world number one she added At the same time I would love for Venus to win I think either way regardless I ll be ready for either opponent
Yeah it will be great I haven t played the world number one since I ve been back I don t think So yeah it will be good |
WMB | Top seed Halep marches on with clinical win over Venus | By Sudipto Ganguly MELBOURNE Reuters Top seed Simona Halep had the odds stacked against her ahead of the Australian Open but the Romanian proved her title credentials with a breezy 6 2 6 3 third round win over multiple Grand Slam winner Venus Williams NYSE WMB on Saturday The reward for the 27 year old Halep is probably the toughest challenge in the women s draw at Melbourne Park a fourth round date with the younger Williams sister Serena I think I have to play similar if I can Halep said referring to her clash against the winner of 23 Grand Slam titles I have to be smart aggressive I have to move her and give my best I will not super think about this because there is nothing to think just go there and play natural and with confidence French Open champion Halep was the finalist in Melbourne in 2018 but came to the year s first grand slam after playing only one match since September a 6 4 6 4 defeat by Australia s Ashleigh Barty at the Sydney International Halep has struggled for form and fitness since her first round defeat at the U S Open last August and came to Australia on a five match losing streak and without a coach after long serving Darren Cahill left for family reasons She was a set and a break down here in her opening round match against Kaia Kanepi who bundled her out in straight sets at the U S Open in August and needed to summon all her will power to see off the Estonian in two hours and 11 minutes In the second round Halep needed two hours and 31 minutes to survive another baseline dog fight against American youngster Sofia Kenin and win in three sets She started positively against seven times major singles champion Venus though and broke twice to take the first set Venus showed more fight in the second and there was an early trade of breaks before Halep broke again to go 4 3 up before converting her first match point with a forehand winner down the line to seal victory in an hour and 17 minutes The 38 year old Venus who won her last Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2008 complimented Halep for playing an almost perfect match I think she played pretty flawless today Only 12 errors Unfortunately I had almost three times as many Venus said
Just needed to keep my errors down But she played a great match I think she hit her first serve really well |
WMB | NBA roundup George Thunder edge Sixers in thriller | Paul George scored 31 points including a go ahead four point play with 5 1 seconds left to lift the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 117 115 win over the 76ers on Saturday in Philadelphia George s heroics came just moments after Jimmy Butler put the 76ers in front with a steal and a layup with 6 9 seconds remaining It was Oklahoma City s 19th consecutive win over the 76ers The Thunder have not lost to Philadelphia in more than a decade Russell Westbrook finished with 21 points 10 rebounds and six assists but fouled out with 14 9 seconds left when he fouled Joel Embiid shooting a 3 pointer at the top of the key Westbrook and Embiid were each critical of the other when speaking to reporters postgame with Westbrook saying defiantly that the two weren t cool Rockets 138 Lakers 134 OT Eric Gordon drilled a game tying 3 pointer with two seconds left in regulation and later converted four free throws inside the final 10 seconds of overtime to help carry Houston Rockets to victory over visiting Los Angeles Gordon finished with 30 points He served as a strong complement to James Harden who posted 48 points eight rebounds and six assists Gordon and Harden sank threes in succession to open the extra session with the Gordon trey supplying the Rockets their first lead of the game at 123 120 at the 4 49 mark Nuggets 124 Cavaliers 102 Nikola Jokic had 19 points 12 assists and 11 rebounds Jamal Murray scored 26 points and host Denver beat Cleveland Jokic recorded his sixth triple double of the season and fourth in January in just 28 minutes before sitting out the fourth quarter Trey Lyles had 16 points Monte Morris 15 and Paul Millsap scored 14 points for the Nuggets who closed out their four game homestand at 3 1 with routs of the two bottom teams in the Eastern Conference Chicago and Cleveland after falling to Golden State on Tuesday Kings 103 Pistons 101 Buddy Hield tossed in a 3 pointer at the buzzer and Sacramento erased a 13 point fourth quarter deficit to edge host Detroit Hield finished with 35 points nine rebounds and three assists De Aaron Fox had 14 points and 10 assists and Marvin Bagley III also scored 14 points Blake Griffin led Detroit with 38 points and Luke Kennard contributed 19 off the bench Celtics 113 Hawks 105 Kyrie Irving continued his hot shooting scoring 32 points to lead visiting Boston over Atlanta Boston won its third straight game ended a three game losing streak on the road and has beaten the Hawks three times this season The Celtics outscored the Hawks 30 16 in the fourth quarter and pulled away in the final minutes Things got testy in the third quarter after Marcus Smart was dealt his second technical foul and ejected The Celtics guard charged after DeAndre Bembry with whom he had exchanged words and needed to be held back by his teammates Hawks players and the referees Bucks 118 Magic 108 Eric Bledsoe s season high 30 points led visiting Milwaukee past Orlando Giannis Antetokounmpo added 25 points 13 rebounds and five assists and Malcolm Brogdon had 18 points for Milwaukee The Bucks own the NBA s best record and have won four straight outscoring opponents by an average 19 3 points during the stretch Nikola Vucevic led the Magic with 27 points and Terrence Ross added 16 points off the bench Orlando has lost three straight after blowing a 21 point second quarter lead against the Brooklyn Nets and falling to the Detroit Pistons in overtime Hornets 135 Suns 115 Kemba Walker led a balanced attack with 21 points and Charlotte rolled to an easy victory over visiting Phoenix Jeremy Lamb added 18 points for the Hornets and six others also scored in double figures Nicolas Batum scored 15 Marvin Williams NYSE WMB and Tony Parker scored 14 each Bismack Biyombo had 11 points 13 rebounds and five blocked shots and Michael Kidd Gilchrist and Miles Bridges chipped in 10 each Devin Booker led the Suns with 32 points including 22 in the first half and 11 assists Phoenix also got 24 points from Kelly Oubre Jr 16 from T J Warren and 10 from Deandre Ayton Raptors 119 Grizzlies 90 Danny Green scored 21 of his season best 24 points in the third quarter and matched his career best with eight 3 pointers as Toronto defeated visiting Memphis Serge Ibaka added 18 points for the Raptors who have won seven of their past eight games and nine straight home games Pascal Siakam added 17 points and eight rebounds Norman Powell 14 CJ Miles 13 and Kyle Lowry had 12 points and seven assists for the Raptors Jaren Jackson Jr had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Grizzlies who have lost 11 of their past 12 games Ivan Rabb added 13 points and 11 rebounds Shelvin Mack had 14 points and Mike Conley added 10 points for Memphis Pacers 111 Mavericks 99 Domantas Sabonis scored 10 of his 16 points during a second quarter runaway helping Indiana ease past Dallas at Indianapolis in a game that featured rookie star Luka Doncic s first career ejection Sabonis completed a double double with a team high 11 rebounds and Tyreke Evans led five Pacers in double figures with 19 points Making his first NBA visit to Indianapolis Doncic was ejected after getting nailed with a second technical foul for somewhat politely kicking the ball into the stands with 3 00 remaining in the third quarter Heat 117 Bulls 103 Josh Richardson scored a game high 26 points as Miami sent host Chicago to its 10th straight defeat The game marked Dwyane Wade s last visit to his hometown of Chicago as an active player The 37 year old shooting guard is retiring after this season
Wade had 14 points 10 rebounds and seven assists off the bench The Heat also got a season high 21 points from reserve shooting guard Dion Waiters who had complained earlier this week about a lack of playing time Field Level Media |
WMB | Unseeded Collins and Tiafoe make quarters on Super Sunday | By Sudipto Ganguly MELBOURNE Reuters Not many would have bet on unseeded Americans Danielle Collins and Frances Tiafoe making it to the Australian Open quarter finals but the duo won their respective fourth round matches to make it a Super Sunday for their country in Melbourne Tiafoe is the sole American left in the men s draw but the women s side could be set for a rich representation with Grand Slam winners Serena Williams NYSE WMB and Sloane Stephens and 2017 U S Open finalist Madison Keys still to play in the fourth round While Serena and Keys play on Monday 2017 U S Open champion Stephens seeded fifth in Melbourne will take on Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the day s last match The 25 year old Collins had not won a match in her previous five Grand Slam appearances but thrashed second seed Angelique Kerber 6 0 6 2 to reach the last eight in her first main draw showing at Melbourne Park Such was her dominance that the fourth round match lasted only 56 minutes with triple Grand Slam champion Kerber looking completely in awe of her opponent who peppered the Margaret Court Arena with 29 winners Collins s coach Mat Cloer said his charge was an instinctive player I think sometimes it depends a little bit on the opponent that she s playing but I think she s most comfortable playing offensive tennis Cloer told reporters Controlling the baseline really stepping in taking as much time as she can and she did a great job of that today Her mentality just her as a person she s aggressive So I think you want to let her be herself and let instincts take over and allow her to play as free as possible Collins graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016 as the top ranked college player in the United States She was ranked 167 in the world in 2017 before climbing to 36 last year After losing in the first round at all five Grand Slams previously she has won four matches at the year s first major I think it s just part of the learning curve to be very honest Cloer said I think it just takes a little bit of time getting familiar with the tour she didn t know she really belonged there It s just kind of taken a little bit of time and she s put in a lot of work It s just now the self belief taking over World number 39 Tiafoe celebrated his 21st birthday in style with a 7 5 7 6 6 6 7 1 7 5 win over Bulgaria s Grigor Dimitrov seeded 20th Tiafoe was born to immigrant parents from Sierra Leone and his father was a janitor at a tennis center Reaching the quarter finals of a Grand Slam was an emotional moment for the LeBron James fan I mean yeah it s crazy man Tiafoe said Obviously if you guys know anything about me the story in tennis I obviously wasn t a normal tennis story
The beginning of my career I was playing for them trying to do everything for my family Obviously now I put them in a great place Now I m trying to do it for me |
WMB | Halep not intimidated by Serena ahead of Melbourne showdown | MELBOURNE Reuters World number one Simona Halep said she does not feel intimidated by the prospect of facing Serena Williams NYSE WMB and will relish the opportunity of taking on the 23 times Grand Slam champion at Melbourne Park on Monday Halep outplayed Serena s older sister Venus in a 6 2 6 3 third round victory a performance she described as her best of the season but the Romanian knows Serena is the bigger obstacle She was intimidating when I was younger but now I don t feel intimidated anymore the 27 year old told reporters It s going to be huge challenge for me It s always great to play against Serena because every time I have to learn something from the match Halep has lost eight times in nine meetings with Serena which all came before the American took time off around the birth of her daughter in September 2017 Should Halep win on Monday she will join Martina Hingis and Justine Henin as the only players to knock out the Williams sisters in consecutive rounds of a major Despite being top of the rankings Halep does not feel like the superior player against seven times Melbourne champion Serena For sure she s the best player in the world because she won so many Grand Slams Halep added I cannot compare my results to her But in this moment I am confident that I am in this position and I m positive about it Men s top seed Novak Djokovic will continue his quest for a record seventh Australian Open title against 22 year old Russian Daniil Medvedev who has reached the last 16 of a Grand Slam for the first time
Germany s Alexander Zverev meets Canadian Milos Raonic in a battle of big hitters in the afternoon session on Rod Laver Arena |
WMB | NBA roundup Wolves Rose beats buzzer to bury Suns | Derrick Rose buried a 20 foot tie breaking jumper with nine tenths of a second remaining Sunday night delivering the Minnesota Timberwolves a 116 114 victory over the Phoenix Suns in Minneapolis The Timberwolves trailed 110 106 before Rose capped a 31 point performance by scoring eight of Minnesota s final 10 points over the closing 3 25 Karl Anthony Towns shot 13 for 13 from the free throw line in a 30 point 12 rebound double double for Minnesota which snapped a two game losing streak T J Warren had a team high 21 points for the Suns who completed a winless four game trip with two losses in two days Phoenix lost at Charlotte on Saturday Clippers 103 Spurs 95 Tobias Harris poured in 27 points and Patrick Beverley scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as Los Angeles held on to defeat host San Antonio The win snapped a season worst five game losing streak for the Clippers who controlled the game even without injured stars sixth man Lou Williams NYSE WMB and forward Danilo Gallinari LaMarcus Aldridge led all scorers with 30 points and pulled down a game high 14 rebounds for the Spurs who saw their two game winning snapped while losing their second straight home game Pacers 120 Hornets 95 Victor Oladipo scored 21 points as host Indiana won its second straight game and avenged a 127 109 loss at Charlotte in November The Pacers who have won 18 of their last 23 games jumped out to a 16 point lead in the first quarter led by 15 at halftime and stayed in control the rest of the game
Kemba Walker had 23 points and seven assists to lead the Hornets who had a three game winning streak snapped They were looking for their first four game winning streak of the season Field Level Media |
VZ | Here s Where I ll Buy Verizon | Taking a look at Verizon Communications NYSE VZ from a technical perspective we see that the stock will be range bound throughout 2019 with one opportunity for a great buy level As seen on the chart the high end of the stock s trading range has been near 61 while the low end of the range is near 52 This range is where investors should focus Recently the company reported earnings and raised its FY 19 EPS guidance to low single digit growth That tells me that the stock is not poised to take off anytime soon The weekly and monthly chart trends are still up so any major sell off should lead to a buying opportunity in the stock however the upside expected on the trade would be limited to the upper price range
While everyone continues to talk about the rollout of 5 G the technology still appears to be somewhat down the road Also other fundamental drivers such as the acquisitions of AOL and Yahoo NASDAQ AABA do not seem to be major stock price movers for the company in the near term And I m not sure they ever will be
All You Need To Know
The one thing to watch closely is the stock s lower range If it breaks lower through the 52 price point and tests 48 I believe that would be a screaming buy level After all while Verizon s performance may be on the range bound dull side the company is still the number one mobile provider in the United States and its long term performance leans in the upward direction |
VZ | J P Morgan Telecoms probe makes Sprint T Mobile deal less likely | The probe into potential collusion at the two U S wireless leaders means a much discussed potential tie up between Sprint S 1 8 and T Mobile TMUS 0 7 is a little less likely J P Morgan says We have never seen a substantial impact from DOJ IRS probes of fixed telecom companies and wireless providers in the past and it would be surprising to see a painful outcome for carriers in this one writes analyst Philip Cusick in weighing the impact on AT T T 0 1 and Verizon VZ 0 8 However it is worth noting that while we see the wireless industry as highly competitive a DoJ view that carriers are colluding could mean that a potential Sprint T Mobile merger would face higher scrutiny making us somewhat less optimistic about that deal he says Now read |
WMB | Tennis Top seed Halep digs deep against impressive Kenin to advance | By Sudipto Ganguly MELBOURNE Reuters Top seed Simona Halep staved off a spirited challenge from American youngster Sofia Kenin to prevail 6 3 6 7 5 6 4 in the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday and set up a showdown with former world number one Venus Williams NYSE WMB next The Romanian has struggled for form and fitness since her first round defeat at the U S Open last August and came into the year s first Grand Slam short of preparation after a back injury ended her 2018 season prematurely She was on a five match losing streak before the Australian Open and needed all her determination to snap that run in her opening round clash against Kaia Kanepi when she came back from a set and a break down to win 6 7 2 6 4 6 2 Halep again had to dig deep against 20 year old American Kenin who is ranked 37 in the world and came to Melbourne with a first WTA title under her belt from Hobart last week I think I fought and I fought hard and that s why I could win tonight It was a very tough one Halep told reporters She s very solid It was really tough to hit winners I think the level was very high The world number one broke her Moscow born opponent twice in the first set but Kenin fought back in the second from 3 0 down to level the match at 1 1 in the tiebreak Kenin then saved four break points to hold for 1 0 in the deciding set and with momentum in her stride converted her third chance in the sixth game to break Halep for a 4 2 lead But Halep who clutched the back of her right thigh a few times would not give up and got the set back on serve immediately before taking the crucial break to go up 5 4 She converted her second match point for the victory that took two hours and 31 minutes The next round might not be any easier for Halep who meets seven times Grand Slam winner Williams who beat Frenchwoman Alize Cornet 6 3 4 6 6 0 earlier on the Margaret Court Arena Asked to look ahead to her clash with Williams Halep pleaded with a big smile not tonight please but then said a little okay Tough one But for sure I m not going to run that much Because it s going to finish fast the points she said She s a great player champion It s always a big challenge for me to face the sisters So we will see how I will play how I m going to be on court But I will be confident because I played against her I know how she plays I have to be strong The 38 year old Williams who like Halep is also currently without a coach said she had done all the hard work before the tournament and will be ready to face the world number one
She s very consistent on the court and in her results So throughout the year she s playing at a really high level That s what keeps her ranking up Williams said She is always winning matches tournaments |
WMB | Serena juggles business motherhood before beating Bouchard | By Jonathan Barrett MELBOURNE Reuters Serena Williams NYSE WMB was responding to emails about her clothing line and reorganizing her schedule to spend time with her one year old daughter shortly before beating Eugenie Bouchard 6 2 6 2 in the Australian Open second round on Thursday Williams dubbed the Australian Open favorite by Bouchard shortly after the match is vying for a record equaling 24th Grand Slam singles title and will play 18 year old Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska in the third round The 37 year old said that while life was much more demanding than her earlier years on the tour it wasn t anything special I m just doing what I feel like working parents do said Williams who was pregnant when she was last at the Australian Open in 2017 which she won They make it work I m just like literally everyone else Playing at a level that mocks her sixteenth seeding the world s highest paid female athlete started fast in her second round match winning the first three games That wasn t the only ominous sign for her Canadian opponent a former Wimbledon finalist who has been trying to retrieve her stellar form of five years ago As Bouchard tried to claw her way back into the match she watched on helplessly as a powerful Williams groundstroke hit the net tape twice before dribbling over giving her no time to respond Easily beaten in the first set the Canadian Bouchard pressed early in the second to lead two games to one Williams responded in dominant fashion and did not drop another game on her way to ending the match with a drive volley winner
I always felt rushed a bit on the back foot she just has so much power so it was tough Bouchard said |
WMB | Halep hopes tough matches will provide route to rhythm | By Sudipto Ganguly MELBOURNE Reuters Simona Halep came to Melbourne with odds heavily stacked against her and faced two grueling matches in her first two rounds at the Australian Open but the world number one believes the long three setters will help her get ready for the rest of the year French Open champion Halep was the finalist at Melbourne Park in 2018 but came to the year s first grand slam after playing only one match since September a 6 4 6 4 defeat to Australia s Ashleigh Barty at the Sydney International She was a set and a break down in her opening round against Kaia Kanepi who bundled her out in straight sets at the U S Open in August and needed to summon all her will power to see off the Estonian in two hours and 11 minutes On Thursday she needed two hours and 31 minutes to survive another baseline dogfight against American youngster Sofia Kenin to prevail 6 3 6 7 5 6 4 and set up a third round clash against multiple Grand Slam winner and former number one Venus Williams NYSE WMB Of course I would prefer a normal tournament quicker matches Halep told reporters on Thursday But also these matches are good for me at the beginning of the year to get the rhythm to get the energy back to see that I am able to stay there for two hours more than two hours It s never easy to play long matches I will try to recover I will try to relax a little bit then to think about the third round Every win is important at this stage Even more in a Grand Slam I m just a positive person now and I m trying to be happy The Romanian has struggled for form and fitness since her first round defeat at the U S Open last August and came to Australia lacking match practice after a back injury ended her 2018 season prematurely She was on a five match losing streak before her first round clash against Kanepi while also being without a coach after Darren Cahill left for family reasons Halep a finalist in Melbourne last year said she was still not at her best but goes to court with an empty mind It s something natural on court When I m stepping on the court I want to win the match so everything I have in my head is that I just wait and see during the matches she said I cannot say I m going to win this match I have not said and I will never say that Every match is tough every opponent is working hard like me It s open every match we play
I like to fight till the end and to play with no regrets After the matches if I don t give up I feel happy even if I lose the match |
WMB | In third year U S women s marches turn to 2020 elections | By Amanda Becker WASHINGTON Reuters Two years after filling the streets of U S cities to protest the start of Donald Trump s presidency women will march again this weekend to try to build political pressure against him ahead of the 2020 elections The loose movement around the marches has splintered as it enters its third year and one of the various groups now involved has faced criticism it is anti Semitic which it denies But leaders of the groups say momentum has not slowed and the rallies will celebrate unprecedented gains for women in congressional and state races in last year s midterm elections Millions of people took part in the women s marches in Washington and other cities in the United States and abroad on Jan 21 2017 the day after the Republican president was sworn in Vanessa Wruble a co founder of the original Women s March on Washington who left to start March On a separate grassroots coalition said the movement has evolved from being a reaction to Trump s presidency It was essentially the resistance movement and now you see the movement being far more proactive she said Women s March a national nonprofit organization that evolved from the initial Washington march is using its WomensWave marches in Washington and elsewhere on Saturday to roll out a 10 part policy platform that includes raising the federal minimum wage and protecting reproductive rights Women are just not on the agenda in this current administration Women s March Chief Operating Officer Rachel Carmona said March On will kick off an initiative to mobilize women voters by hosting a March on the Polls 2020 on Saturday in dozens of cities including Boston and Denver Dozens of like minded organizations will host training sessions for activists and prospective candidates More than 400 women have applied to attend a candidate training session this weekend in Washington hosted by Emily s List an organization that works to elect women who support abortion rights said spokeswoman Tonya Williams NYSE WMB Wruble said the 2018 elections showed the movement had shifted the balance of power in American politics More women were elected to the U S Congress than ever before and many of the new Democratic women lawmakers cited Trump s presidency among the reasons they decided to run for office Of course women are not all united around the same causes The annual March for Life by anti abortion campaigners which takes place in Washington on Friday is a movement of people who broadly embrace Trump and Republicans GRASS ROOTS EFFORTS At the outset March On was bankrolled by leaders covering expenses out of pocket but it raised a sizeable amount of money in 2018 and aims to raise 2 million in 2019 Wruble said March On distributes funds to local affiliates for on the ground planning provides design assistance for websites and logos and gives access to a public relations firm In February and March the group s leaders will meet with affiliates to determine how best to support their efforts over the next election cycle This year is really going to be about increasing our tool chest of what we offer to them said March On s Natalie Sanchez an organizer of the 2017 Boston Women s March who is also with March Forward Massachusetts which is leading Saturday s march there The Women s March now counts national progressive groups like the American Civil Liberties Union ACLU Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Move On among its partners March On partners include the ACLU Rock the Vote and Emerge America which recruits Democratic women to run for office Women s March s Carmona said she spends 60 hours a week on planning calls including chapter calls with 30 to 45 local organizations The group did a 10 state tour ahead of last year s congressional elections and is developing a nationwide strategy that would train more local leaders ahead of the 2020 presidential contest she said There have been growing pains in a movement that grew out of hundreds of loosely affiliated marches in 2017 In cities such as New York there will be multiple events on Saturday hosted by different organizations largely due to calls by some religious leaders to boycott Women s March over criticism that some of its leaders are anti Semitic Women s March leader Linda Sarsour issued a statement condemning all forms of anti Semitism and bigotry Leaders Tamika Mallory and Bob Bland reiterated on ABC s talk show program The View this week that they were committed to a movement that fought all forms of oppression Leaders of Women s March and March On insist the divisions are not a weakness I know there have been controversies this year and rifts and divides and those may or may not affect numbers on particular marches but I haven t seen that have any effect on the movement s strength over all Wruble said
Carmona said there is a role for everyone no matter which group they join adding decentralized movements had a kind of power that is hard to strike at |
WMB | UK s Prince Philip 97 escapes unhurt from car crash | By Andrew MacAskill LONDON Reuters Queen Elizabeth s 97 year old husband Prince Philip escaped uninjured from a car crash while driving on Thursday near the Sandringham estate in eastern England Police said two people in a car that collided with that of the prince also known as the Duke of Edinburgh were both taken to hospital for minor injuries but later discharged Pictures from the scene showed a Land Rover overturned on the side of the road The accident occurred when Philip was pulling out of a driveway onto a main road the BBC reported quoting a witness saying he was very shaken Philip drove former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle to lunch during their state visit to Britain in 2016 Buckingham Palace confirmed Thursday s accident The Duke was not injured it added in a statement A palace spokeswoman later confirmed Philip was at the wheel and was checked by a doctor afterwards He did not go to hospital and was now back at Sandringham the private country residence owned by Queen Elizabeth in the county of Norfolk Famous for verbal gaffes but generally regarded with wry affection by Britons Philip married Elizabeth in 1947 and has been by his wife s side throughout her long reign Since retiring from official solo duties in 2017 he has appeared in public alongside the Queen and other members of the royal family at events and church services He had successful hip replacement surgery last year The former naval officer did not accompany the Queen to a church service on Christmas Day last month though a royal source said he was in good health Kate Williams NYSE WMB a royal historian said it would be a blow to Philip if the incident ended his driving days He really loves driving and takes a great pleasure in it and were he not allowed to drive he would find that quite painful she said There is no legal age in Britain to stop driving but after 70 people must renew their license every three years Outspoken yet intensely private Philip developed a reputation for brusque comments and often headline grabbing remarks during ceremonial events
A stray comment about slitty eyes during a visit to China in the 1980s became symbolic of his gruff and often unguarded manner Even into his 90s his off the cuff comments could still get him into trouble such as when he exasperatedly swore at a photographer during an event in 2015 |
WMB | Take five Conference championship keys | The bright side of a lackluster divisional round is a star studded conference championship weekend bringing us rematches of two of the regular season s best games We ll start at Arrowhead with the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs who might have won Round 1 in Foxborough if it had lasted much longer 1 How will Belichick adapt Despite intercepting Patrick Mahomes twice in the first half of Week 6 the Patriots and Bill Belichick couldn t pin him down Mahomes eventually caught fire hitting big shots to Tyreek Hill and creating off schedule plays outside the pocket to nearly pull the upset Belichick s favored mush rush approach against mobile quarterbacks isn t enough against Mahomes because he ll win from the pocket when not pressured However blitzes can produce scrambling lanes if done without discipline To contain AND pressure Mahomes the Patriots could use more of a tactic that worked in Week 6 Cover 0 with two lurkers Presnap they show all out blitz with one on one coverage everywhere the Cover 0 element forcing the offensive line to leave one rusher the furthest outside rusher unblocked But at the snap two inside defenders usually Dont a Hightower and Kyle Van Noy start to blitz before dropping into underneath zones O linemen must honor that initial rush leaving an outside rusher unblocked With scramble lanes up the middle jammed the free rusher forces a quick throw and the two droppers take away short throws inside This concept worked a few times in Week 6 and also foiled Philip Rivers at times last week Because pressure comes quickly and inside options are limited it often forces low percentage deep balls thrown before a target s route is defined leading to harmless incompletions Using this tactic early might unsettle Mahomes a bit enticing him to expect pressure and play too fast Using it often throughout the game would be riskier basically Russian roulette given Hill s speed and Travis Kelce s explosiveness but the reward could be more takeaway opportunities Either way Belichick must try something else against Hill who hounded New England against man and zone from the slot where he is extremely difficult to bracket The Patriots occasionally tried a bullseye tactic jamming him with a front seven defender but Hill was too quick Perhaps Belichick would consider a vice technique two defenders jamming at the line in certain situations 2 Chris Jones must dominate Jones strip sacked Tom Brady in just 1 9 seconds in Week 6 firing through a gap created by pulling left guard Joe Thuney on shotgun play action But otherwise Jones and the Chiefs pass rush barely breathed on Brady K C s other sack was one of Brady s worst plays in years he held the ball for 10 seconds and was stripped by Breeland Speaks Speaks famously let Brady out of a sack in the fourth quarter but the Chiefs didn t even hit him otherwise A major reason was a wealth of three man rushes one of coordinator Bob Sutton s preferred approaches against New England Brady likes to deliver quickly even when not pressured and dropping eight clogs throwing lanes underneath It also lets the Chiefs play Cover 1 man coverage one deep safety with not one but two lurkers who keep eyes on Brady and thwart inside routes Justin Houston is back after missing the first meeting but he often drops when K C rushes only three Dee Ford should have a few chances to reach Brady but his quick delivery often neutralizes edge pressure Jones will get doubled maybe even tripled on occasion but he s powerful enough to push through two men at times He doesn t necessarily have to get free for sacks and hits as long as he can get push through the middle to force Brady off the spot 3 Will Reid use the halfback seam again Remember Kareem Hunt s 78 yard touchdown in the 2017 season opener a seam route from the backfield that other teams including the Patriots and Rams quickly copied Andy Reid ran a variation of the same concept on the first drive in Week 6 this year Hunt came wide open behind Hightower but Mahomes missed the throw leading to a field goal instead of a 26 yard touchdown Hunt is gone but Damien Williams NYSE WMB or Spencer Ware if he plays is certainly capable of making the play Will Reid dress it up differently and run it yet again Will the Patriots be prepared to sniff it out Given how much attention Hill and Kelce draw it s not hard to imagine it working a third time 4 How Aqib Talib changes Rams D Nobody s going to shut down Michael Thomas one on one but Marcus Peters was a disaster against him in Week 9 12 catches 211 yards TD Talib s presence makes a big difference An ideal body type matchup he s strong in press coverage quick enough to hang with in breaking routes and lanky enough to thwart contested catches The Rams rarely travel their corners Talib usually plays the left Peters the right but Talib tracking Thomas would make sense That would still stress Peters however because it would leave him on the speedy Ted Ginn The Rams often bracketed Thomas and Alvin Kamara in the first meeting especially in the red zone but also on some third downs which could allow Ginn to exploit Peters deep To create time to attack deep expect the Saints to use six seven and even eight man protections They did this regularly in Week 9 often with slow developing play action that let tackles Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk block down on Aaron Donald Despite coming close Donald was mostly kept in check but he should be more dangerous with left guard Andrus Peat playing through a broken hand 5 Can Saints D win early downs Holding up against the run without Sheldon Rankins will be tough but far from impossible David Onyemata is nearly as reliable at 3 technique and the Saints limited the Rams outside zone in Week 9 by shooting a linebacker into a frontside gap while keeping another backside for the cutback We know the Saints must also be sharp against Sean McVay s signature deep designs off play action which toy with linebackers eyes A J Klein struggled with these in the first meeting which could mean more snaps for Alex Anzalone a second year backer who excels in coverage But New Orleans must also have a plan when Los Angeles uses tempo with empty formations a tactic that was deadly in Week 9 Rather than going no huddle the Rams would huddle but break from it quickly lining up in condensed empty sets and snapping the ball immediately Saints defenders were often late lining up and or still communicating at the snap and Jared Goff took advantage On 10 such plays he went 5 for 8 for 102 yards and a touchdown One incompletion was a gorgeous throw that Tyler Higbee dropped for a would be 18 yard TD Another play produced a first down for defensive holding and another was a 6 yard Goff scramble
The Saints improved against these looks after halftime but they must be sharper from the outset Sunday Goff remains up and down when forced to throw on third down so taking away easy early down completions is paramount David DeChant Field Level Media |
VZ | Verizon Communications VZ Expected To Beat Earnings Estimates Can The Stock Move Higher | The market expects Verizon Communications VZ to deliver flat earnings compared to the year ago quarter on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended March 2019 This widely known consensus outlook is important in assessing the company s earnings picture but a powerful factor that might influence its near term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates
The earnings report which is expected to be released on April 23 2019 might help the stock move higher if these key numbers are better than expectations On the other hand if they miss the stock may move lower
While the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management s discussion of business conditions on the earnings call it s worth handicapping the probability of a positive EPS surprise
Zacks Consensus Estimate
This largest U S cellphone carrier is expected to post quarterly earnings of 1 17 per share in its upcoming report which represents no change from the year ago quarter
Revenues are expected to be 32 19 billion up 1 3 from the year ago quarter
Estimate Revisions Trend
The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0 04 lower over the last 30 days to the current level This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period
Investors should keep in mind that the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts may not always get reflected in the aggregate change
Price Consensus and EPS Surprise
Earnings Whisper
Estimate revisions ahead of a company s earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out Our proprietary surprise prediction model the Zacks Earnings ESP Expected Surprise Prediction has this insight at its core
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier
Thus a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate However the model s predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only
A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy 2 Buy or 3 Hold Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70 of the time and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP
Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and or Zacks Rank of 4 Sell or 5 Strong Sell
How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Verizon
For Verizon the Most Accurate Estimate is higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate suggesting that analysts have recently become bullish on the company s earnings prospects This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of 0 02
On the other hand the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of 3
So this combination indicates that Verizon will most likely beat the consensus EPS estimate
Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue
While calculating estimates for a company s future earnings analysts often consider to what extent it has been able to match past consensus estimates So it s worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number
For the last reported quarter it was expected that Verizon would post earnings of 1 09 per share when it actually produced earnings of 1 12 delivering a surprise of 2 75
Over the last four quarters the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates four times
Bottom Line
An earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors Similarly unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss
That said betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success This is why it s worth checking a company s Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they ve reported
Verizon appears a compelling earnings beat candidate However investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release |
VZ | Why Verizon VZ Might Surprise This Earnings Season | Investors are always looking for stocks that are poised to beat at earnings season and Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ may be one such company The firm has earnings coming up pretty soon and events are shaping up quite nicely for their report That is because Verizon is seeing favorable earnings estimate revision activity as of late which is generally a precursor to an earnings beat After all analysts raising estimates right before earnings with the most up to date information possible is a pretty good indicator of some favorable trends underneath the surface for VZ in this report In fact the Most Accurate Estimate for the current quarter is currently higher than the broader Zacks Consensus Estimate of 1 17 per share This suggests that analysts have very recently bumped up their estimates for VZ giving the stock a Zacks Earnings ESP of 0 03 heading into earnings season Verizon Communications Inc Price and EPS Surprise Why is this Important A positive reading for the Zacks Earnings ESP has proven to be very powerful in producing both positive surprises and outperforming the market Our recent 10 year backtest shows that stocks that have a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank 3 Hold or better show a positive surprise nearly 70 of the time and have returned over 28 on average in annual returns see more Given that VZ has a Zacks Rank 3 and an ESP in positive territory investors might want to consider this stock ahead of earnings You can see Clearly recent earnings estimate revisions suggest that good things are ahead for Verizon and that a beat might be in the cards for the upcoming report Is Your Investment Advisor Fumbling Your Financial Future See how you can more effectively safeguard your retirement with a new Special Report 4 Warning Signs Your Investment Advisor Might Be Sabotaging Your Financial Future |
VZ | SoftBank CEO running out of time to clinch Sprint T Mobile merger | By Sheila Dang and Carl O Donnell Reuters SoftBank Group Corp CEO Masayoshi Son faces a closing window of opportunity to merge the Japanese company s debt laden U S wireless subsidiary Sprint Corp with Deutsche Telekom s U S wireless unit T Mobile U S Inc Sprint s latest round of merger talks with T Mobile reported earlier this week came just five months after their previous deal negotiations ended This is the companies third attempt to clinch a deal in the last four years While the time window for a deal is not clearly defined the companies need to act before a U S wireless spectrum auction in November Sprint s and SoftBank s deteriorating finances and the 2020 U S presidential election also make it unlikely they will get another chance sources close to the negotiations and analysts said The view is if they are going to pursue a merger now is the time Macquarie analyst Amy Yong said T Mobile can help them turn around the network SoftBank controls Sprint through its 85 percent stake Son pulled out of merger talks with T Mobile in November after he changed his mind on the valuation he would accept His willingness to entertain a deal again led to the negotiations restarting sources have said Sprint is saddled with long term debt of more than 32 billion and has also signaled that its capital investment is going to double as it seeks to build out its network to compete against T Mobile Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ and AT T Inc NYSE T Analysts have warned Sprint will struggle to handle this burden on its own unless it cuts a deal with T Mobile soon With a significant step up in their network capex of an incremental 1 5 billion to 2 5 billion year on year beginning in fiscal 2018 it is hard to see Sprint coming close to free cash flow breakeven much less cash flow positive in the foreseeable future MoffettNathanson LLC analyst Craig Moffett wrote in a note A Sprint spokeswoman declined to comment on whether the company was under time pressure to complete a merger with T Mobile T Mobile and SoftBank did not immediately respond to requests for comment SoftBank has its own mounting financial constraints following a string of acquisitions and needs to pay down debt which reached 15 8 trillion yen 147 billion as of the end of December It has said it is planning to raise cash by taking its Japanese mobile phone unit public this year The Federal Communications Commission has tentatively scheduled its next spectrum auction for November If either Sprint or T Mobile registered to participate in the auction they would be barred from merger talks until the auction results are disclosed Moffett said The previous spectrum auction put deal discussions on ice for about a year If Sprint waits longer the regulatory environment could become more hostile to a deal than it is currently The U S Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit to block AT T s 85 billion deal to acquire U S media company Time Warner Inc NYSE TWX over concerns over the pricing power of the combined company Sprint s and T Mobile s first round of talks was abandoned in 2014 after the Obama administration expressed concerns about prices for wireless customers rising should the No 3 and No 4 market players combine Any proposed deal would take at least a year for regulatory approval raising the question of how the next presidential election little more than two years away would affect a merger Recon Analytics analyst Roger Entner said
Sprint and T Mobile would be better off attempting a merger under the current Trump administration rather than risk the odds of a Democratic administration in 2020 Entner added |
VZ | Fox chose Disney over Comcast on regulatory stock fears filing | By Carl O Donnell and Ankur Banerjee Reuters Rupert Murdoch s Twenty First Century Fox Inc which agreed in December to sell most of its assets to Walt Disney Co for 52 4 billion had previously rejected a bid from Comcast Corp NASDAQ CMCSA over concerns about the regulatory risks and its stock value a regulatory filing on Wednesday showed The joint filing by Disney and Fox which outlines the timeline of their negotiations offers the most detailed insight yet into Fox s thinking as it goes head to head against Comcast a U S cable operator in its bid to acquire European pay TV company Sky Plc LON SKYB in which Fox holds a 39 percent stake Comcast announced in February it was working on a 31 billion bid that would top Fox s deal for Sky It has not made a new attempt to bid for the Fox assets after the Disney deal so investors are keen for information on the hurdles that prevented an agreement between Fox and Comcast The filing does not mention Comcast by name but refers to it as Party B Another bidder for the Fox assets U S wireless carrier Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ is referred to as Party A Verizon and Comcast representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment Comcast on Nov 14 offered to acquire most of Fox s assets in an all stock deal valued at 34 41 per share the filings said Fox ended up announcing an all stock deal with Disney for 29 54 per share Like Disney Comcast sought to buy Fox s entertainment networks movie studios television production and international assets the documents show In the filing Disney and Fox said the ongoing antitrust scrutiny of U S telecommunications provider AT T NYSE T Inc s planned merger with media conglomerate Time Warner Inc NYSE TWX heightened concerns about potential regulatory hurdles to Comcast s bid The U S Department of Justice has sued AT T and Time Warner to thwart their deal and the case is in court The companies added that unlike Disney Comcast declined to offer a reverse deal termination fee which would compensate Fox in the event that regulators stymied a deal Disney offered a reverse termination fee of 2 5 billion The companies also said that Fox saw Disney s stock as more valuable than Comcast s based on historic prices and felt that a deal between Disney and Fox would generate greater long term value The Roberts family controls Comcast through a dual class stock structure Comcast s proposal on the other hand would reduce the compensation offered to Fox shareholders in the event that asset sales were required to reassure antitrust regulators increasing the potential risk to Fox shareholders the filing said
Verizon s bid was rejected because it offered to acquire Fox at market value without a meaningful premium according to the filing |
WMB | No clear path for California as massive PG E utility nears bankruptcy | By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO Calif Reuters PG E Corp s announcement that it will file for bankruptcy citing massive potential liability from deadly wildfires puts California politicians in quandary whether to offer a bailout or risk allowing the state s largest private utility to fail Governor Gavin Newsom a Democrat told reporters late on Monday his team was discussing the possibility of helping PG E N PCG stay solvent but no decisions had been made And lawmakers in the state legislature who last year approved a bill making it easier for PG E to bill ratepayers for the costs of wildfires sparked by its equipment in 2017 said that there was less support this year for extending additional financial assistance to the company We would like to see it bankruptcy avoided but we are not naive Newsom said I m cognizant of the taxpayers and I m cognizant of the ratepayers and I m absolutely cognizant of those who lost everything PG E s announcement on Monday that it intends to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as early as this month citing potential liability exceeding 30 billion due to wildfires came a day after its chief executive officer Geisha Williams NYSE WMB was ousted from her post PG E which ranks as the largest U S power utility by number of customers supplies electricity to 40 percent of Californians The state Newsom said is determined to keep service running to those customers But the utility s power equipment has been linked to the ignition of more than a dozen wildfires in the past two years and is a suspected cause of the deadliest fire in state history which swept through the town of Paradise in November killing 86 people and destroying 90 percent of homes and businesses there Mark Toney executive director of consumer advocate group the Utility Reform Network said the atmosphere had cooled considerably toward PG E in recent months making a bailout politically more difficult for lawmakers PG E is going to have a much harder time because it doesn t appear that they ve learned any lessons Toney said MIXED SIGNALS The legislature and the governor could decide to allow PG E to pass along the costs associated with victim lawsuits and other fire losses to ratepayers as they did last year for a series of deadly northern California blazes in 2017 Such legislation would also let utilities shift some future fire related costs to consumers so long as regulators find no negligence on the companies part But state lawmakers have given mixed signals about what they might do about liability stemming from the deadly Camp Fire of November 2018 that incinerated most of Paradise Legislators representing areas devastated by wildfires have opposed any bailout for PG E saying its investors should absorb the costs even if that means the company is bankrupted PG E s safety record has come under sharp scrutiny before State Senator Jerry Hill whose district includes the site of the deadly 2010 San Bruno gas pipeline explosion determined to have been caused by PG E s criminal negligence said support for the utility was softer this year
I think there s less chance less thought of a bailout this year than we saw last year certainly said Hill who has the names of the nine people killed in the San Bruno blast framed in his office |
WMB | Ruthless Serena makes strong start in Melbourne return | By Sudipto Ganguly MELBOURNE Reuters Serena Williams NYSE WMB made a ruthless start to her quest for a record equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title with a 6 0 6 2 victory over unseeded German Tatjana Maria in the first round of the Australian Open on Tuesday Playing her first Grand Slam since her infamous rant against the umpire at last year s U S Open final the 37 year old Williams seemed to have decided to move on from last September s incident that caused a furor across the world She was handed a warning by chair umpire Carlos Ramos for a on court coaching violation before being deducted a point for smashing her racquet and later a game for a heated argument during her loss to Naomi Osaka Her coach Patrick Mouratoglou told Reuters last week he expects on court coaching to continue virtually unchecked at the Grand Slams despite the hue and cry over the issue But Williams refused to be drawn in I like literally have no comment Williams wearing a black T shirt with the message Until We All Win at her post match news conference said The seven time Australian Open champion was eight weeks pregnant when she won the last of her 23 Grand Slam titles at Melbourne Park and returned to tennis last year after the birth of her daughter in September 2017 She has kept a low profile in Melbourne and did not appear before the media before the start of the Jan 14 27 tournament but was enthusiastic to talk about topics more softer like how her daughter s black doll was named Qai Qai Spending a lot of time with my daughter I think that s the priority for me And I feel like literally every moment I get I practise and then I go home she said It s kind of what I do in Florida I train and I go right home and I spend the rest of the day with my daughter For now as a working mom I feel guilty And I understand that that s normal but and these are years I ll never get back I just try to spend every moment that I can when I m not working with her And for me that s super important FIT AND STRONG Williams showed on Tuesday she has lost none of her brutal power and athleticism in the match between the two mothers at Rod Laver Arena She peppered the court with her heavy groundstrokes and also advanced to the net whenever she had an opportunity losing only 24 points against Maria and she concentrated on being consistent and cutting down on unforced errors It was nice to be back out there Last time I was out there was a great moment especially internally for me it was even a better moment she added I think it was a good match today Williams finished the match in just 49 minutes on her second match point when Maria who is also her neighbor sent a backhand wide and the American will next play Canadian Eugenie Bouchard who beat Peng Shuai of China 6 2 6 1 It will be a great match She plays really well Williams said of Bouchard who reached the Australian Open and French semi finals and the Wimbledon final in 2014 She does everything well and I really like that she doesn t quit Williams said
You know people write her off and she doesn t let that bother her She continues to fight and do what she needs to do I think that s really not good |
WMB | Venus Williams secures come from behind win | SYDNEY Reuters Venus Williams NYSE WMB celebrated her 19th main draw appearance at the Australian Open with a come from behind 6 7 3 7 6 3 6 2 victory over 25th seed Mihaela Buzarnescu on Tuesday marking a successful day for some of the sport s oldest active competitors The 38 year old who is unseeded for the first time since 2014 and is the oldest player in the women s draw will meet France s Alize Cornet in the second round It was a good day for some of the veterans of the sport after big serving 39 year old Ivo Karlovic the oldest male player served his way into the second round against Poland s Hubert Hurkacz a man 18 years his junior
Title contender Roger Federer aged 37 comfortably won his first round match on Monday |
WMB | Osaka clubs her way into Australian Open second round | By Jonathan Barrett MELBOURNE Reuters Japan s Naomi Osaka clubbed her way into the Australian Open second round by beating Poland s Magda Linette 6 4 6 2 late on Tuesday It was Osaka s first Grand Slam match since her breakthrough U S Open triumph last year which was partly overshadowed by a row between her final opponent Serena Williams NYSE WMB and umpire Carlos Ramos Osaka s heavy ball striking makes it very difficult for opponents to trade blows with her For me I m aware of people saying anyone in the top 10 can be No 1 right now but for me that s not really my goal Osaka the fourth seed told reporters I just want to play well in this tournament Linette tried to mitigate her rival s power by standing up near the baseline during rallies to avoid getting pushed too far back The tactic worked in part until the Polish player s error count rose too quickly such is the risk reward for such a valiant ploy The balls were really heavy Linette told Reuters I m just like 59 kilos so what can I do Despite possessing more firepower in almost every facet of the game Osaka s modest paced second serve allowed her 80th ranked opponent a strong opening into baseline exchanges The two players average second serve speed was almost identical at around 125 kmh which is significantly slower than the service speed of Williams who is the standard bearer Osaka will play 21 year old Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia in the second round |
WMB | NFL notebook Eagles still committed to Wentz | Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson didn t waste any time putting an end to speculation about the team s quarterback situation next year Carson Wentz is the quarterback going forward Pederson said at a press conference Tuesday And in Nick Foles case listen we d love to have everybody back throughout the roster but as I ve said many times it s not about one guy it s about the team and we re going to do what s best for the team Foles 29 led the team in the postseason each of the past two years with Wentz out injured The Eagles hold a 20 million option on Foles for 2019 but the quarterback can buy it out for 2 million to become a free agent barring a franchise tag The New York Jets will hire former Cleveland Browns interim coach Gregg Williams NYSE WMB as defensive coordinator ESPN reported ESPN adds the Washington Redskins whose defense Williams coordinated from 2004 07 also pursued Williams but the Jets had more interest Washington still has Greg Manusky under contract as defensive coordinator but reports have connected the team to various other options The Denver Broncos agreed to hire former Chicago Bears defensive backs coach Ed Donatell as defensive coordinator according to multiple reports Donatell has worked under Vic Fangio since 2011 when they were both in San Francisco He also had two previous tenures in Denver as the secondary coach Fangio is still expected to call plays on Sundays The Arizona Cardinals are interviewing former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter for the same position ESPN reported According to multiple reports the Cardinals also interviewed John DeFilippo who has also interviewed for the Jacksonville Jaguars opening on Sunday The Jaguars are interviewing former Cardinals offensive coordinator Mike McCoy for the same position ESPN reported McCoy 46 was fired by the Cardinals in October marking the second consecutive season in which he was fired midseason The Broncos let him go midway through 2017 The Indianapolis Colts parted ways with offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo while assistant offensive line coach Bobby Johnson is leaving to take the lead job for the Buffalo Bills The Colts allowed an NFL low 18 sacks in 2018 but DeGuglielmo is out after just one year because head coach Frank Reich wants to hire his own guy NFL Network reported DeGuglielmo was hired by Josh McDaniels last year before the latter backed out of the Colts head job The Dallas Cowboys will keep Marc Colombo as their offensive line coach full time Colombo took over for Paul Alexander who was fired just seven games into his first year with the Cowboys at the end of October The Browns are hiring Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Chris Jones per multiple reports TSN reports Jones will serve as senior defensive specialist Jones and new head coach Freddie Kitchens have a relationship dating back to 1997 when Jones was a graduate assistant at Alabama in Kitchens final season at quarterback for the Crimson Tide The Kansas City Chiefs activated right guard Laurent Duvernay Tardif from injured reserve and waived safety Ron Parker Duvernay Tardif landed on IR after sustaining a spiral fracture in his fibula in Week 5 an injury that required surgery The New Orleans Saints signed free agent defensive tackle Tyrunn Walker per multiple reports Walker 28 began his career in New Orleans as an undrafted free agent and played 23 games with the Saints from 2013 14 He ll help replace Sheldon Rankins IR Achilles Atlanta Falcons defensive end Takkarist McKinley was undergoing a mental evaluation after being detained by police in Los Angeles according to TMZ Sports He reportedly was involved in an undisclosed incident at a hotel and a friend who was with McKinley became worried and called the police TMZ reported McKinley was not arrested Instead police encouraged him to seek help and he agreed and went with police The NFL announced the Los Angeles Chargers and Dallas Cowboys staffs will coach the Pro Bowl in Orlando on Jan 27 Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck will replace injured Chargers QB Philip Rivers in the Pro Bowl Other Pro Bowl replacements announced Tuesday included Ravens defensive tackle Brandon Williams for Geno Atkins 49ers defensive tackle DeForest Buckner Fletcher Cox Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch Luke Kuechly and Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins Landon Collins John Parry will be the referee for Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta his second Super Bowl as referee and third as an official Longtime NFL coach Mike Smith announced on Sirius XM radio he is retiring to spend more time with his family The San Francisco 49ers are hiring former Broncos defensive coordinator Joe Woods as their passing game coordinator per multiple reports
New York Giants rookie quarterback Kyle Lauletta pleaded guilty to a disorderly persons offense stemming from an October incident ESPN reported Field Level Media |
WMB | Back where it all began Djokovic renews Tsonga rivalry | Reuters Eleven years after their first meeting in the Australian Open final Novak Djokovic and Jo Wilfried Tsonga will take a trip down memory lane on Thursday to renew their rivalry in the second round in Melbourne Djokovic went on to win that memorable match in 2008 for the first of his 14 Grand Slam trophies while Tsonga has struggled to convert his early potential into titles on the biggest stage having never reached a Grand Slam final since While inconsistency has dogged Tsonga throughout his career knee surgery forced the former world number five out of action for seven months last year to leave him outside the top 200 for the first time since 2007 Tsonga who has clawed his way back to 177 in the world needed a wildcard to enter the season s first major and powered past Slovakia s Martin Klizan 6 4 6 4 7 6 5 in the first round to set up the meeting with Djokovic It s funny I mean 11 years after our first Grand Slam final here it feels like a lot has happened for both of us Djokovic who had elbow surgery last year before returning to claim the last two Grand Slams said He also struggled with injuries lately It s good to see him playing well It s good to see him back The Serb who beat qualifier Mitchell Krueger 6 3 6 2 6 2 to advance is aware of the lurking threat Tsonga poses having lost to the Frenchman six times in 22 career meetings I know what to expect I lost to him in Rod Laver I think back in 2010 six times Australian Open champion Djokovic added I m going to approach it as any other match Optimistic but also respectful trying to do whatever I can to win it In the women s draw Serena Williams NYSE WMB will look to continue her charge towards a record equaling 24th Grand Slam when she faces Eugenie Bouchard in the second round while top ranked Simona Halep takes on unseeded American Sofia Kenin |
WMB | NFL notebook Steelers don t expect Brown return | Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II said he still hasn t talked to disgruntled wideout Antonio Brown but has left the door open a crack for a reconciliation In a wide ranging discussion with Pittsburgh area media Wednesday Rooney discussed a number of topics But much of the conversation focused on Brown Rooney said he would be willing to discuss Brown s return to the Steelers but there are not that many signs out there that that s going to happen Rooney told reporters he and Brown have not talked since the end of the season and he doesn t expect him to return It is expected the Steelers will trade Brown though Rooney said the team has not engaged in any trade talks Brown caught 104 passes for 1 297 yards and a career best 15 touchdowns in 2018 Atlanta Falcons defensive end Takkarist McKinley is back home in Oakland Calif after being taken for a mental evaluation Tuesday by Los Angeles police There is no reason to believe that this was anything serious team spokesman Brian Cearns told the Atlanta Journal Constitution He s back home in Oakland with his family Police were called to a Los Angeles hotel by a friend who was concerned about McKinley s well being The 23 year old player was not arrested as police encouraged him to seek help and he complied The Buffalo Bills signed veteran linebacker Lorenzo Alexander and offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles to one year contract extensions Alexander 35 played in all 16 games in 2018 and registered 6 5 sacks 74 tackles 11 tackles for loss and a career high two interceptions He was set to become a free agent Sirles 27 joined the Bills as a free agent in Week 5 of the season and played in 12 games five starts across the offensive line Former NFL offensive lineman Jonathan Martin was ordered to stand trial on three felony counts by a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge stemming from an incident last February in which he allegedly threatened former NFL teammate Richie Incognito and two former high school classmates Martin s social media post from Feb 22 was ruled to possess enough evidence for the 29 year old Martin to answer to the charges judge Shellie Samuels said at a preliminary hearing according to the New York Daily News The Instagram post displayed Martin with a 12 gauge shotgun resting on a motel bed with 19 shells scattered around the weapon The social media handles for Incognito fellow former Dolphins teammate Mike Pouncey and two former classmates at Harvard Westlake School in Los Angeles were tagged into the post which featured MiamiDolphins on the gun handle and HarvardWestlake on the barrel The New York Jets officially named Gregg Williams NYSE WMB as their defensive coordinator Williams spent the last two seasons in Cleveland serving as defensive coordinator before taking over as interim head coach midseason last year when the Browns fired Hue Jackson The Jets also confirmed that new head coach Adam Gase is retaining special teams coordinator Brant Boyer The Detroit Lions have hired former Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell to run their offense the team announced Bevell 49 replaces Jim Bob Cooter whose contract was not renewed after Detroit finished 24th in total offense and 25th in scoring offense in 2018 Bevell was out of coaching last season He was fired by the Seahawks in January 2018 after seven seasons as their offensive coordinator and did not land another position The Jacksonville Jaguars announced they have hired John DeFilippo as their offensive coordinator DeFilippo 40 spent 2015 with the Cleveland Browns as offensive coordinator then was the quarterbacks coach in Philadelphia in 2016 17 The Minnesota Vikings hired DeFilippo as offensive coordinator just days after the Eagles won Super Bowl LII then fired him after a 21 7 loss to Seattle in Week 14 The Denver Broncos have hired Rich Scangarello as their new offensive coordinator the team announced
Scangarello 46 served as the San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach the past two seasons He has never been a coordinator at the NFL level but he held the OC position in the college ranks at Wagner in 2016 and at Northern Arizona from 2012 14 Field Level Media |
WMB | Graf backs Williams to surpass Court s Grand Slam record | Reuters Serena Williams NYSE WMB will eventually overtake Margaret Court s record of 24 Grand Slam titles even if the American fails to equal the mark at the ongoing Australian Open according to former world number one Steffi Graf Williams was eight weeks pregnant when she captured her 23rd Grand Slam trophy at Melbourne in 2017 but missed opportunities to equal Australian Court on her return from maternity leave losing in the final of Wimbledon and the U S Open last year I don t know if she can do it here equal the record but I believe she can absolutely Graf who won 22 majors in her career told Melbourne s Herald Sun newspaper Her game her serve being such an incredible weapon I think she at any time is dangerous With the experience she s had she s still so determined and if she enjoys it why not If her body holds up I do believe she has a big chance to pass Court Court won 13 of her 24 Grand Slams before the women s game became fully professional in 1968 Graf acknowledged Williams had achieved her success in the more competitive Open era and said she would eventually finish her career as the game s greatest player
I d probably say with the career she s had that she s not even finished at this point then yes I d say so Graf added |
WMB | NBA roundup Nets shock Harden Rockets in OT | Spencer Dinwiddie converted a three point play with 28 seconds remaining in overtime and the Brooklyn Nets erased a seven point deficit in the extra session for a 145 142 victory over the host Houston Rockets on Wednesday Dinwiddie scored 25 of his 33 points in the fourth period and overtime including three 3 pointers in the final 27 seconds of regulation allowing Brooklyn to overcome a season high 58 points from Houston s James Harden Harden recorded his second consecutive 50 point game and he added 10 rebounds and six assists The Rockets set an NBA record with 70 3 point attempts with PJ Tucker hitting a 3 pointer with 1 09 left in regulation to bypass the old mark of 61 Brooklyn s Treveon Graham added 21 points while Jarrett Allen piled up 20 points and 24 rebounds Warriors 147 Pelicans 140 Stephen Curry led a comeback with seven 3 pointers in a 23 point third quarter as Golden State rallied past New Orleans in Oakland Calif Curry finished with 41 points and Kevin Durant scored 30 as the Warriors capped an impressive sweep of Denver on the road and New Orleans at home on consecutive nights Anthony Davis finished with 30 points 18 rebounds and seven assists and Nikola Mirotic bombed in six 3 pointers in a 29 point effort for the Pelicans New Orleans lost to the Warriors for the 22nd time in their past 24 regular season meetings Celtics 117 Raptors 108 Kyrie Irving made a go ahead jumper and added a 3 pointer during an 11 0 run late in the fourth quarter as Boston defeated visiting Toronto Irving finished with 27 points and a career best 18 assists as the Celtics ended a three game losing streak and snapped Toronto s five game winning streak Al Horford contributed some big points down the stretch in a 24 point game for the Celtics and Gordon Hayward added 18 Kawhi Leonard scored 33 points to top Toronto which led by four in the middle of the fourth quarter and was tied 106 106 with 2 1 2 minutes to go Serge Ibaka added 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors Spurs 105 Mavericks 101 San Antonio relied on its bench to rally from a 19 point deficit and win at Dallas Marco Belinelli led the bench charge in the second half and he topped the Spurs in scoring with 17 points Patty Mills had 14 and Davis Bertans added 12 points including a dagger 3 pointer with 1 42 to play Rookie Luka Doncic led Dallas with 25 points eight assists and eight rebounds Bucks 111 Grizzlies 101 Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded 27 points and 11 rebounds as Milwaukee posted a victory at Memphis Eric Bledsoe added 16 points as the Bucks won for the 14th time in the past 17 games D J Wilson scored a career best 13 points for Milwaukee which led by as many as 31 points Omri Casspi scored 17 points for Memphis which has dropped nine of its past 10 games and 16 of 20 JaMychal Green had 14 points and 10 rebounds Pistons 120 Magic 115 Blake Griffin scored 30 points including the last seven in overtime and host Detroit emerged with a win over Orlando The Pistons blew an 11 point lead in the fourth quarter before pulling out the victory Andre Drummond had 14 points and 22 rebounds and Luke Kennard contributed 14 points off the Detroit bench Terrence Ross and Nikola Vucevic had 24 points apiece for the Magic and Vucevic pulled down 13 rebounds Jazz 129 Clippers 109 Rudy Gobert had 23 points and 22 rebounds to lead Utah to its season high fifth consecutive win a blowout at Los Angeles The Clippers lost their fourth in a row to match their season worst skid Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points to surpass his season scoring average 21 5 for the seventh straight game He is averaging 29 7 points in that stretch Utah also received 23 points from Jae Crowder and 19 from Kyle Korver both players coming off the bench Derrick Favors added 11 points and 10 rebounds and Royce O Neale contributed 10 points Lou Williams NYSE WMB scored 23 points off the bench to lead the Clippers Trail Blazers 129 Cavaliers 112 Damian Lillard scored 33 points to lead Portland past visiting Cleveland CJ McCollum added 19 points and Jusuf Nurkic finished with 10 points 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his first career triple double for the Trail Blazers who won their fifth straight home contest
Jordan Clarkson came off the bench for 22 points and Rodney Hood added 20 for the Cavaliers who lost for the 13th time in 14 games Field Level Media |
VZ | Why Verizon VZ Is Poised To Beat Earnings Estimates Again | Looking for a stock that has been consistently beating earnings estimates and might be well positioned to keep the streak alive in its next quarterly report Verizon Communications VZ which belongs to the Zacks Wireless National industry could be a great candidate to consider
When looking at the last two reports this largest U S cellphone carrier has recorded a strong streak of surpassing earnings estimates The company has topped estimates by 2 64 on average in the last two quarters
For the last reported quarter Verizon came out with earnings of 1 12 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 1 09 per share representing a surprise of 2 75 For the previous quarter the company was expected to post earnings of 1 19 per share and it actually produced earnings of 1 22 per share delivering a surprise of 2 52
Price and EPS Surprise
With this earnings history in mind recent estimates have been moving higher for Verizon In fact the Zacks Earnings ESP Expected Surprise Prediction for the company is positive which is a great sign of an earnings beat especially when you combine this metric with its nice Zacks Rank
Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank 3 Hold or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70 of the time In other words if you have 10 stocks with this combination the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier
Verizon currently has an Earnings ESP of 0 17 which suggests that analysts have recently become bullish on the company s earnings prospects This positive Earnings ESP when combined with the stock s Zacks Rank 3 Hold indicates that another beat is possibly around the corner We expect the company s next earnings report to be released on April 23 2019
With the Earnings ESP metric it s important to note that a negative value reduces its predictive power however a negative Earnings ESP does not indicate an earnings miss
Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate but that may not be the sole basis for their stocks moving higher On the other hand some stocks may hold their ground even if they end up missing the consensus estimate
Because of this it s really important to check a company s Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they ve reported |
VZ | Verizon Communications VZ Stock Moves 0 05 What You Should Know | Verizon Communications VZ closed at 58 71 in the latest trading session marking a 0 05 move from the prior day This change was narrower than the S P 500 s 0 06 loss on the day Elsewhere the Dow lost 0 1 while the tech heavy Nasdaq lost 0 1
Prior to today s trading shares of the largest U S cellphone carrier had gained 1 36 over the past month This has lagged the Computer and Technology sector s gain of 5 14 and the S P 500 s gain of 4 3 in that time
VZ will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release which is expected to be April 23 2019 The company is expected to report EPS of 1 17 unchanged from the prior year quarter Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of 32 23 billion up 1 45 from the year ago period
VZ s full year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of 4 66 per share and revenue of 132 24 billion These results would represent year over year changes of 1 06 and 1 05 respectively
It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for VZ These revisions help to show the ever changing nature of near term business trends As a result we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company s business outlook
Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near term share price momentum We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear actionable rating model
The Zacks Rank system which ranges from 1 Strong Buy to 5 Strong Sell has an impressive outside audited track record of outperformance with 1 stocks generating an average annual return of 25 since 1988 The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0 06 higher within the past month VZ is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of 3 Hold
In terms of valuation VZ is currently trading at a Forward P E ratio of 12 6 For comparison its industry has an average Forward P E of 36 3 which means VZ is trading at a discount to the group
Meanwhile VZ s PEG ratio is currently 2 62 This popular metric is similar to the widely known P E ratio with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company s expected earnings growth rate The Wireless National was holding an average PEG ratio of 1 73 at yesterday s closing price
The Wireless National industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 200 putting it in the bottom 22 of all 250 industries
The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups Our research shows that the top 50 rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1
To follow VZ in the coming trading sessions be sure to utilize Zacks com |
VZ | Verizon claims successful test of Cisco Information Centric Networking | In collaboration with Cisco Systems CSCO 0 2 Verizon VZ 0 1 says it s wrapped a successful test of Hybrid Information Centric Networking that could simplify next gen networks The approach focuses network communication around named data rather than traditional location based addressing such as Internet Protocol addresses The test validated the benefits of Cisco s open source ICN software for optimized mobile video delivery over standard TCP IP networks Now read |
VZ | MoviePass and Moviefone join forces | Helios and Matheson Analytics NASDAQ HMNY announces that it acquired Moviefone from Verizon NYSE VZ subsidiary Oath Inc in what the company calls a natural alignment with its MoviePass business The company says Oath will continue to sell Moviefone s digital ad inventory Oath and Verizon have taken an ownership stake in MoviePass through equity in Helios in connection with the transaction This investment in digital content expands MoviePass reach further into multiple Hollywood touchpoints says MoviePass exec Khalid Itum We believe the acquisition will allow us to connect studios and brands with potential new subscribers capture their attention and convert them into paying subscribers he adds Source Press Release Shares of Helios are up 11 75 premarket to 3 33 Now read |
WMB | Israel claims Syria air strike says hunt for Hezbollah tunnels over | By Dan Williams NYSE WMB JERUSALEM Reuters Israel acknowledged on Sunday that it carried out a weekend air strike on what it called an Iranian arms cache in Syria and that it also completed a hunt for cross border tunnels dug by Tehran allied Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas Long wary of publicity around its operations against Iran linked targets on its northern front Israel has been lifting the veil in recent days a sign of confidence in a campaign waged amid occasional tension with Syria s big power backer Russia Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may also be playing up his security credentials as he seeks re election on April 9 We have been taking action with impressive success to arrest Iran s military entrenchment in Syria Netanyahu told his cabinet in televised remarks saying this entailed hundreds of attacks over the past several years of Syria s civil war in which Iranian and Hezbollah forces have backed the Damascus government against rebels and Islamist insurgents In just the last 36 hours the air force struck Iran s warehouses containing Iranian arms in Damascus international airport he added referring to a Friday night sortie that Syria said it had answered with anti aircraft fire Syrian state media said at the time of the attack that the damage was limited to a hit on a warehouse at Damascus airport Netanyahu also cited an Israeli search and dismantle mission against suspected Hezbollah attack tunnels along the border with Lebanon that was launched in December and deemed completed on Sunday The Israeli military said a sixth tunnel was found on Saturday 55 meters yards deep and reaching a few tens of meters into Israeli territory from 800 meters within Lebanon According to our assessments there are no longer any tunnels crossing into Israel military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said He added that Hezbollah retained underground facilities on the Lebanese side Hezbollah has not commented on the tunnels the existence of several of which was confirmed by U N peacekeepers in Lebanon Hezbollah and Israel last fought a war in 2006 While they have at times traded blows within Syria and the Israeli occupied Golan Heights the Israel Lebanon border has mostly been quiet
Citing intelligence assessments Israel s outgoing armed forces chief Lieutenant General Gadi Eizenkot told a local TV station on Saturday that the tunnels were prepared in secret over a period of years He said this was part of a Hezbollah plan to send as many as 1 500 fighters to infiltrate Israeli border communities during any future war |
WMB | PG E could tell workers about possible bankruptcy as soon as Monday report | PG E NYSE PCG may notify employees it is preparing for a potential bankruptcy filing as soon as Monday Bloomberg reports and Reuters says PG E is in talks with investment banks about a multi billion dollar bankruptcy financing package The utility is planning to send the notice to fulfill a state law that requires it to alert workers at least 15 days before a change of control according to Bloomberg a move that would not necessarily make a bankruptcy filing certain Reuters reports PG E is in touch with large banks about debtor in possession financing that could total 3B 5B although the exact figure remains in flux Update PG E says CEO Geisha Williams NYSE WMB has departed to be replaced by Executive VP and General Counsel John Simon on an interim basis Now read |
WMB | Saints hunt another Super Bowl after ending Eagles long run | Reuters Comeback kings the New Orleans Saints are hoping a return to the National Football Conference NFC title game next weekend will be a lucky charm The Saints who overcame the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles for a 20 14 divisional victory on Sunday took home the league trophy themselves the last time they made the conference championship in the 2009 season playoffs Drew Brees and company the NFC top seeds will meet the Los Angeles Rams in New Orleans next Sunday for the conference title with a shot at football s biggest prize on the line The winners of that contest will face the AFC champion team either the Kansas City Chiefs or the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII on Feb 3 in Atlanta On Sunday in New Orleans Philadelphia and magical backup quarterback Nick Foles put the Saints in a 14 0 first quarter hole but the Eagles were unable to get another point on the board Brees the most valuable player in the Super Bowl XLIV triumph shook off an early interception to throw for 301 yards and two touchdowns We just had to find our rhythm said Brees whose team finally took the lead at 17 14 on a two yard pass from the quarterback to Michael Thomas late in the third quarter Foles who stepped in for injured Carson Wentz to lead Philadelphia to the Super Bowl last year was never going to give up and he had the Eagles at the New Orleans 27 in the fourth quarter before an interception ended their dreams The Rams meanwhile simply ran over the Dallas Cowboys to make the title game with a franchise playoff record 273 rushing yards in Saturday s 30 22 divisional win in Los Angeles Veteran C J Anderson pitched in with 123 yards and two scores while Todd Gurley added another 115 yards as the Los Angeles offensive line dominated the Cowboys defense The NFC second seed the Rams will be seeking their fourth conference title but a first since moving back to Los Angeles from St Louis in 2016 Sunday s Patriots Chiefs game will match one of the league s best young quarterbacks Kansas City s Patrick Mahomes against five time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady of New England OCTOBER SHOOTOUT The two locked up in a shootout in October with the Patriots winning a 43 40 thriller when Stephen Gostkowski hit a 28 yard field goal as time expired New England will be going for their eighth consecutive conference title and 11th overall while top seeded Kansas City will be looking for their second as the Chiefs line up in the conference championships for the first time since 1994 Rookie Sony Michel had 129 yards rushing and three touchdowns to spur the fast starting Patriots to a 41 28 divisional win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday The 41 year old Brady added 343 yards passing and running back James White made it into the record book when he tied the NFL record for receptions in a postseason game with 15 for 97 yards Kansas City s defense clamped down on Indianapolis in the other divisional game on Saturday with Mahomes throwing for 278 yards and running for a touchdown in a 31 13 win The Chiefs also got plenty of help from running back Damien Williams NYSE WMB who tore through the Colts defense for 129 yards Looking on next Sunday is expected to be a Good Samaritan named Dave who helped Chiefs guard Jeff Allen free his car from snow before Saturday s win over Indianapolis Allen neglected to obtain Dave s contact information and took to Twitter on Sunday in search for his last name
Thousands responded before Dave who had not realized Allen was an NFL player was located and the offensive lineman was able to offer the nice guy tickets to the title game |
WMB | CEO exits as PG E faces fire liabilities bankruptcy preparations | By Liana B Baker and Mike Spector Reuters PG E Corp N PCG Chief Executive Geisha Williams NYSE WMB has stepped down the company said on Sunday as pressure from potentially crushing liabilities linked to catastrophic wildfires have pushed the California utility owner to the financial brink and prompted it to make bankruptcy preparations Williams who took the helm of the provider of electricity and natural gas to millions of customers in March 2017 will be replaced by General Counsel John Simon on an interim basis the company said She also resigned from the boards of both PG E and its utility subsidiary Pacific Gas and Electric Co While we are making progress as a company in safety and other areas the Board recognizes the tremendous challenges PG E continues to face We believe John is the right interim leader for the company PG E Chairman Richard Kelly said in a statement Our search is focused on extensive operational and safety expertise and the board is committed to further change at PG E PG E is reeling from the November Camp fire that began in the California mountain community of Paradise and swept through the town eventually killing at least 86 people in the deadliest and most destructive blaze in state history The company faces widespread litigation government investigations and liabilities that could potentially reach 30 billion according to analyst estimates when accounting for the carnage and damage from last year s fire and blazes in 2017 The company is under pressure from the California Public Utilities Commission to make operational changes The power provider announced on Jan 3 that it was reviewing its structural options and looking for new directors with safety experience The management shake up comes as PG E is in discussions with banks for a multibillion dollar bankruptcy financing package to aid operations during bankruptcy proceedings and the company prepares to alert employees as soon as Monday to its preparations for a potential Chapter 11 court filing people familiar with the matter said PG E which carries a hefty debt load of more than 18 billion is expected to disclose soon a large financial charge related to liabilities resulting from the November blaze The employee notification plans are not yet finalized and a communication could come later the sources said State law requires PG E to notify employees at least 15 days before any bankruptcy filing For PG E a bankruptcy filing would represent a last resort if the company is unable to get government relief that would allow it to pass on liabilities to customers a maneuver enacted into law to help the company grapple with 2017 fires the sources added California lawmakers have not yet moved to pass legislation that would give PG E similar flexibility for the 2018 blazes California Governor Gavin Newsom said last week he was having discussions with PG E executives and that he wanted a healthy utility investing in environmentally friendly strategies That s in an ideal world he said That s not the case today PG E said in November it could face significant liability in excess of its insurance coverage if its equipment was found to have caused the Camp fire in Northern California Both Moody s and S P have cut PG E s credit rating deeper into junk territory citing a challenging environment for the power provider related to the wildfires and the need for dramatic intervention from state officials Companies negotiate debtor in possession loans often with existing lenders when they are seriously considering bankruptcy protection so they can continue operations while working through court proceedings PG E s bankruptcy financing should it be needed could total between 3 billion and 5 billion although the exact figure remains in flux and could end up being higher said people familiar with the discussions If it seeks bankruptcy protection the new money could prove critical for PG E which spends roughly 6 billion annually |
WMB | NHL roundup Islanders jump on Lightning early in win | The New York Islanders scored three times in the first five minutes the fourth line scored twice and Thomas Greiss made 38 saves in a 5 1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Brooklyn N Y on Sunday Brock Nelson Cal Clutterbuck Devon Toews Casey Cizikas and Josh Bailey scored for the Islanders who won for the 11th time in 14 games moved to 17 7 4 against the Eastern Conference and became the first Metropolitan Division team to beat Tampa Bay in 13 games this season Greiss earned his 13th win Matt Martin had two assists and linemates Cizikas and Clutterbuck added assists as the Islanders broke a stretch of playing in five straight one goal contests The Islanders are 6 0 0 in the second game of back to backs Ryan McDonagh scored Tampa Bay s goal and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 23 saves The Lightning had their three game winning streak end and are 21 3 1 in their last 25 Hurricanes 6 Predators 3 Sebastian Aho scored a hat trick as Carolina thumped visiting Nashville snapping the Predators seven game point streak The result gave first year Carolina coach Rod Brind Amour a win in his first game at the helm of the Hurricanes against Nashville coach Peter Laviolette who was behind the Hurricanes bench when Brind Amour was captain of the 2006 Stanley Cup championship team Saku Maenalanen Justin Williams NYSE WMB and Lucas Wallmark also scored for the Hurricanes who ve won seven of their last eight games Filip Forsberg scored twice and Colton Sissons had a goal for Nashville Roman Josi had two assists Jets 4 Ducks 3 OT Bryan Little scored with 11 seconds left in overtime to lift Winnipeg over visiting Anaheim Blake Wheeler Patrik Laine and Ben Chiarot also scored for the Jets and Connor Hellebuyck made 28 saves The Ducks lost their 11th straight game 0 7 4 They have led in six of the past eight losses including three times by multiple goals Carter Rowney assisted on all three goals for the Ducks as Brian Gibbons Rickard Rakell and Andrew Cogliano scored Flames 7 Coyotes 1 Mark Giordano collected two goals and one assist to move into the top 10 on the franchise s all time points list in host Calgary s rout of Arizona In his 800th career game Giordano moved ahead of Jim Peplinski on Calgary s all time point list with his 425th Goalie Mike Smith made 22 saves for the Western Conference leading Flames who are riding a five game winning streak and snapped Arizona s three game winning streak Matthew Tkachuk scored twice and Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan both netted one goal and one assist for the Flames while Jordan Osterle scored Arizona s only goal Coyotes goalie Adin Hill who grew up in Calgary made 19 saves Blue Jackets 7 Rangers 5 Cam Atkinson scored the tiebreaking goal with six minutes left in the second period Nick Foligno scored twice and Columbus held on against visiting New York Atkinson snapped a 2 2 tie when he scored his 26th goal on a deflection of defenseman Zach Werenski s shot from the right point It was one of three goals in the second period for the Blue Jackets who improved to 11 3 1 in their last 15 games and 8 3 1 in their last 12 games against the Rangers Mats Zuccarello scored twice for the Rangers who lost for the sixth time in seven games Canucks 5 Panthers 1 Ben Hutton s goal at 7 20 of the third period sparked Vancouver over visiting Florida Hutton gave the Canucks a 2 1 lead as he one timed Troy Stecher s long rebound past Florida goaltender Roberto Luongo The Canucks then added three more goals en route to their first win in four games Loui Eriksson led the Canucks with a goal and two assists
The Panthers who got their goal from Frank Vatrano bore their sixth straight loss Field Level Media |
WMB | Pompeo meets Saudi leaders cancels Kuwait visit | By Lesley Wroughton and Stephen Kalin RIYADH Reuters U S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Saudi Arabia s king and crown prince in Riyadh on Monday but will cut short the rest of his Middle East trip to attend a family funeral a State Department spokesman said Pompeo will return home after meetings in Oman instead of traveling on to Kuwait deputy spokesman Robert Palladino said U S officials said the death was in the family of his wife who accompanied him on the trip and will return with him The top U S diplomat met separately with King Salman for 35 minutes and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for another 45 minutes according to reporters traveling with him The U S Embassy in Riyadh tweeted that Pompeo and the crown prince had agreed on the need for a continued de escalation in Yemen and adherence to agreements made last month at talks in Sweden to end a nearly four year civil war between Yemen s Saudi backed government and the Iranian aligned Houthis Pompeo has said he would also discuss the investigation into the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October but no details of that discussion were immediately available A CIA assessment has blamed Prince Mohammed for ordering the killing of Khashoggi a longtime royal insider who had become a critic of the crown prince though Saudi officials deny the prince ordered the murder The killing has sparked the kingdom s worst political crisis in a generation strained ties with Western allies including the United States and focused attention on Prince Mohammed s domestic crackdown on dissent and the war in Yemen Additional reportingn by Sylvia Westall and Alexander Cornwell Editing by Alison Williams NYSE WMB |
WMB | Tennis Halep faces tricky test against Kanepi in Melbourne opener | Reuters Simona Halep begins her Australian Open campaign against Kaia Kanepi on Tuesday in a rematch of their U S Open meeting which the world number one lost in straights sets The Romanian has struggled for form and fitness since that first round defeat at Flushing Meadows last year and comes into the year s first Grand Slam short of preparation after a back injury ended her 2018 season prematurely Defeat to local hope Ashleigh Barty in the opening round of the Sydney International last week means Halep has played only one match ahead of a potentially tricky test against world number 71 Kanepi The top seed has recovered fully from a herniated disk that she aggravated at the China Open in September but said that she was feeling a bit behind the curve I m motivated But it s a little bit different because last year I had about 10 15 matches before Melbourne now I have one which I lost said Halep who reached the final at Melbourne Park last year I took the risk staying home a little bit longer I rested because I felt like I m exhausted after those tournaments and also the year that I had Kanepi will be out to prove that her victory over the French Open champion was no fluke but the 33 year old could be short of match practice herself having not featured since reaching the fourth round in New York after aggravating an existing injury Serena Williams NYSE WMB who resumes her quest for a record equaling 24th Grand Slam title plays unseeded German Tatjana Maria at Rod Laver Arena in the second match on Tuesday
Top seed Novak Djokovic who made a spectacular return to form last year and won the last two Grand Slams takes on American Mitchell Krueger in the evening session |
WMB | PG E prepares bankruptcy filing after California wildfires | By Liana B Baker Mike Spector and Jessica DiNapoli Reuters PG E Corp N PCG owner of the biggest U S power utility by customers said on Monday it is preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as soon as this month amid pressure from potentially crushing liabilities linked to California s catastrophic wildfires in 2017 and 2018 PG E which provides electricity and natural gas to 16 million customers in northern and central California faces widespread litigation government investigations and liabilities that could potentially exceed 30 billion due to the fires the company said The most recent fire last November killed at least 86 people in the deadliest and most destructive blaze in California history Its shares plunged 52 percent on Monday to 8 38 giving it a market capitalization of less than 4 5 billion The stock is down more than 80 percent from late 2017 before wildfires devastated PG E s service areas Bond prices also fell sharply on Monday PG E s chief executive officer was replaced on Sunday by General Counsel John Simon on an interim basis San Francisco based PG E is working on lining up roughly 5 5 billion in so called debtor in possession financing to help operations during bankruptcy proceedings The utility said the bankruptcy process would not affect electric or natural gas services for customers Company advisers expect that it may take up to two years to emerge from bankruptcy In theory California politicians could avert PG E s bankruptcy with legislative action Last year the state approved a law helping utilities recoup costs from fires in 2017 but not blazes in 2018 Lawmakers and regulators may both be constrained in how much more they can help PG E at least by allowing it to further raise electricity rates California s average rate is 16 cents per kilowatt hour while those in neighboring Oregon and in Washington state are about half as much according to data from the U S Energy Information Administration provided by energy consulting firm McCullough Research The U S average is 10 cents per kilowatt hour SIGNIFICANT LIABILITY PG E said in a securities filing it could potentially raise more money and avoid seeking bankruptcy protection but argued such a move would be complex uncertain and expensive Moody s and Standard Poor s recently cut PG E s credit rating into junk territory citing concerns about wildfire liabilities On Monday Moody s and S P cut PG E s ratings again and Fitch downgraded the California power company and its Pacific Power Gas Co unit to junk A bankruptcy filing could help the company deal with such fundamental problems as the prospect of continually being exposed to financial fallout from future wildfires the company said Many PG E customers live near dry forests where rain has become increasingly rare conditions for potential future blazes PG E s regulator the California Public Utilities Commission began in late December to investigate whether the company should make significant structural changes including becoming owned by the state or splitting up its businesses The company said it was looking for new members for its board of directors with safety experience PG E said it could face significant liability in excess of its insurance coverage if its equipment was found to have caused the Camp Fire that swept through the California mountain community of Paradise last November PG E s liabilities from that fire could be catastrophic if authorities determine its equipment caused the blazes Under California law utilities are exposed to liability from wildfires regardless of their negligence The company decided to prepare to file for bankruptcy in part to address that issue known as inverse condemnation In a regulatory filing it questioned whether it could continue to operate in the years ahead as a so called investor owned utility by being exposed to that risk Investors might avoid the company if questions around that risk remain unanswered A federal judge last week proposed restricting PG E from using power lines deemed unsafe during high winds in this year s fire season Energy companies that supply PG E could be hit by its bankruptcy One of the most exposed is Kinder Morgan Inc N KMI the second largest North American pipeline operator analysts said PG E plans to seek court protection from creditors around Jan 29 the company said It alerted employees on Monday in order to comply with California law The company s board ousted CEO Geisha Williams NYSE WMB and decided to undergo a restructuring at a meeting over the weekend in San Francisco according to a source familiar with the matter Williams had served as CEO since March 2017 before the fatal blazes
PG E which drew down remaining amounts on credit lines totaling 3 3 billion in November had about 1 5 billion of liquidity as of Friday |
VZ | Why Is Tegna TGNA Up 7 1 Since Last Earnings Report | A month has gone by since the last earnings report for Tegna TGNA Shares have added about 7 1 in that time frame outperforming the S P 500
Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release or is Tegna due for a pullback Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late let s take a quick look at its most recent earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts Higher Political Ad Subscription Revenues Aid TEGNA s Q4TEGNA reported fourth quarter 2018 non GAAP earnings of 74 cents per share which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2 cents The figure surged 131 on a year over year basis owing to operating income growth and lower tax rates On a GAAP basis revenues increased 31 year over year to 642 million Top line growth was primarily driven by increase in political and subscription revenues However the figure came below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 643 9 million Notably GAAP revenues had a negative impact of 10 million in the reported quarter due to Premion refunds given in the previous quarters Due to certain system issues Premion s service was not fully delivered to a few end users following which the company had to issue refunds TEGNA s adjusted revenues which exclude political advertising were up 5 year over year to 478 6 million Top Line in DetailAdvertising and marketing services 43 2 of total revenues The category generated 277 1 million down 6 5 on a year over year basis The year over year decline was primarily due to significant demand for political advertising However advertising and marketing services revenues increased in low single digits after eliminating the effect of political revenue demand and Premion adjustment Growth in advertising revenues from medical retail telecom services and home was offset by packaged goods automotive and restaurants However revenues from packaged goods automotive and restaurants improved sequentially Subscription 34 This category generated 218 5 million in the reported quarter up 22 4 from the year ago quarter This was driven by growth in contract rate hike and higher paid subscribers of both multichannel video programming distributor MVPD and new virtual MVPD services Moreover increase in subscribers and revenues from OTT streaming services and increasing presence in larger markets boosted paid subscriber growth Further TEGNA noted that in the reported quarter it has negotiated higher rates in its new agreements Political 21 8 This category generated 139 9 million in fourth quarter 2018 compared with 9 9 million in fourth quarter 2017 The year over year growth was primarily driven by solid political advertising revenues Notably political ad revenues increased 51 from the previous mid term election in 2014 taking into account Premion adjustment of 5 million Other 1 TEGNA generated 6 8 million of revenues from this category up 19 6 year over year Operating DetailsNon GAAP adjusted EBITDA surged 61 2 year over year to 273 1 million Adjusted EBITDA margin was 42 5 up 800 basis points bps year over year Non GAAP operating expenses 61 of total revenues in the fourth quarter were 391 5 million up 15 year over year primarily due to increased programming fees primarily higher reverse compensation fees Excluding costs to generate revenues Premion investments and higher programming fees operating expenses were up not more than 2 Notably reimbursement of 2 4 million for Federal Communications Commission FCC spectrum repacking lowered operating expenses in the reported quarter Non GAAP operating income surged 66 4 year over year to 250 7 million Operating margin expanded 830 bps from the year ago quarter to 39 primarily due to strong political revenues that aided the top line Balance Sheet Cash FlowAs of Dec 31 2018 total cash was 135 9 million compared with 23 8 million as of Sep 30 2018 The increase was due to cash acquired to complete the acquisition of WTOL a CBS affiliate in Toledo OH and KWES a Comcast NASDAQ CMCSA owned NBC affiliate in Midland Odessa TX from Gray Television on Jan 2 2019 Also long term debt outstanding was 2 9 billion compared with 3 billion in the last reported quarter In the fourth quarter TEGNA generated 194 5 million of cash from operations compared with 37 7 million in the prior year quarter Non GAAP free cash flow was 166 9 million compared with 24 7 million in the year ago period Increase in free cash flow was primarily driven by record political and subscription revenues and lower tax payments made TEGNA noted that it was able to invest in new opportunities and initiatives and lower its debt burden owing to the record free cash flow generated in the reported quarter Recent UpdatesIn the first quarter fiscal 2019 TEGNA renewed a multi year affiliation deal with Disney owned ABC Entertainment till 2023 The deal covers all ABC affiliated stations that TEGNA owns and operates in nine markets nationwide Notably the nine markets serve about 8 million households and cover nearly 7 of U S users Additionally following the acquisition TEGNA now covers one third of the United States TV households and about 87 of Texas population Moreover in December 2018 the company extended its multi year carriage agreements with both Dish TV and Verizon NYSE VZ We believe that TEGNA s deal with its affiliates is expected to expand its content offerings and boost user engagement levels thereby attracting advertising dollars Further renewals in existing agreements and ongoing repricing of about 65 subscribers from fourth quarter 2018 to the end of 2019 are expected to boost its cash flow TEGNA is witnessing strong advertising spending for the 2020 U S presidential elections Therefore the company expects strength from political ad revenues to continue in the upcoming quarters which is a positive GuidanceFirst Quarter 2019TEGNA expects GAAP revenues to increase in the low single digit range Non GAAP revenues excluding Olympics and political are anticipated grow in the mid to high single digit range Total operating expenses are anticipated to increase in mid single digits 2019TEGNA expects subscription revenues to increase in mid teens on a year over year basis Total capital expenditures are anticipated in the range of 70 75 million Management expects about 5 to 6 of its stations to be upgraded to the latest Advanced Television Systems Committee ATSC 3 0 broadcasting standard
How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then
In the past month investors have witnessed a downward trend in fresh estimates |
VZ | Race For 5G Intensifies As U S Matches Stride With China | Per the latest report by the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association which represents the U S wireless communications industry both the United States and China are currently on equal footing for 5G readiness This represents a marked improvement from the last year when the United States was trailing way behind China and South Korea This was made possible through continued investments from the industry and a prod from the top policymakers to update networks faster With a holistic top down approach the United States was able to expedite the process to set up the required infrastructure and back it up with testing and launching of early networks in key locations What s the Fuss About 5G 5G is billed as the technology of the future with faster download speed and seamless transfer of data Leveraging state of the art communication network architectures 5G is touted to be the primary catalyst for next generation IoT services These include connected cars coupled with augmented reality and virtual reality platform smart cities and connected devices that revolutionize key industry verticals Moreover 5G is likely to augment the scalability security and universal mobility of the telecommunications industry which is expected to propel the wide proliferation of IoT The telecom firms are facilitating its customers to move away from an economy of scale network operating model to demand driven operations and seamlessly migrate to 5G by offering easy programmability and flexible automation Rollouts of next generation 5G networks are anticipated to improve market conditions significantly in 2019 and beyond Meredith Attwell Baker CEO and president of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association observed 5G is the platform for tomorrow s economy It s going to transform everything from education to AI to medicine and the industry is so competitive because of that According to data from research firm IHS Markit 5G is expected to result in 12 3 trillion of global economic output by 2035 Hence it is obvious that both the United States and China would like to gain a greater pie in this market to have a political economical and technological advantage How Will 5G Change Our Daily Lives 5G is likely to form the basis of numerous intelligent technologies that will redefine our daily lives A few of these developments are Smart Homes Smart Homes help remote monitoring and management of Internet connected appliances and systems such as lighting and heating This provides homeowners security comfort convenience and energy efficiency by allowing them to control smart devices through a smartphone app or other networked device on a real time basis As the entire process require large bandwidth hitherto unavailable in existing 4G networks 5G has emerged as the perfect option to achieve the desired results with its super fast data transfer speed Self Driving Cars The growing autonomous vehicle fleet is a testament to the fact that driverless vehicles are getting closer to being a common feature on public roads This requires seamless data connectivity and AI to control vehicle speed according to road traffic and sensitive areas to prevent any road casualties Smart Cities Improving the quality of life for residents of the city reducing environmental impact and increasing operational efficiency are three prime factors that have led to the evolution of Smart Cities The essence of a Smart City is connectivity where embedded telecom infrastructure works as a mesh in which data flows seamlessly and enables tasks with the least human intervention in the smartest possible way Smart Farming The farming industry is using remote sensors and drones as key tools to test and collate data for the latest farming technologies Drones with 5G capabilities have been used to boost potato production in the Netherlands through precision agriculture tests 5G sensors artificial intelligence and cloud computing methods are also being adopted in Japan to monitor water temperature and salt concentration in oyster farms Read More How are Telecom Firms Pitching in As the 5G race appears to head for a photo finish leading telecom firms across the country are working tirelessly to contribute in their own possible ways to make sure that the United States does not cede its leadership position Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ aims to launch the 5G Ultra Wideband network in Chicago and Minneapolis on Apr 11 while gearing up to increase the tally of 5G Ultra Wideband mobility cities to 30 in 2019 Sprint Corporation NYSE S is planning to launch commercial 5G services spanning more than 1 000 square miles across nine U S cities in May In addition to 5G deployments in select markets Sprint is field testing standards based 5G services in Los Angeles with Nokia HE NOKIA Corporation NYSE NOK and in Atlanta with Ericsson NASDAQ ERIC AT T Inc NYSE T has introduced mobile 5G networks in parts of 12 cities and is further planning to bring mobile 5G in certain areas of seven more cities in the first half of 2019 In order to have a seamless transition among Wi Fi LTE and 5G services AT T intends to deploy a standards based nationwide mobile 5G network in early 2020 Road AheadAs the battle for 5G supremacy intensifies various countries are increasingly devising newer avenues to outsmart rivals These include out of the box ideas for innovative product concepts to redefining strategies within a framework in accordance with the changing demands of customers It remains to be seen which country achieves the coveted technological dominance in this race Is Your Investment Advisor Fumbling Your Financial Future See how you can more effectively safeguard your retirement with a new Special Report 4 Warning Signs Your Investment Advisor Might Be Sabotaging Your Financial Future |
VZ | Facebook s EU regulator says WhatsApp yet to resolve data sharing issue | DUBLIN Reuters WhatsApp has still not brought forward proposals to address EU regulators concerns over the messaging service s sharing of user data with parent company Facebook NASDAQ FB Facebook s European regulator said on Wednesday The popular messaging service changed its privacy policy over a year ago to start sharing users phone numbers and other information with Facebook That drew widespread regulatory scrutiny across Europe and WhatsApp subsequently suspended the data sharing for EU users The Irish data protection authority DPC which has jurisdiction over Facebook because the company s European headquarters are in Dublin said last April it hoped to reach a deal with WhatsApp on the data sharing in a matter of months With no proposals forthcoming the DPC said it had maintained its insistence that WhatsApp s EU personal data not be shared with Facebook for the management of advertising campaigns and product enhancement purposes until it was satisfied there was a lawful basis for doing so At this point the ball is in their court to bring forward what would be a credible process to legitimize the processing and no such options to this point have been presented to us Ireland s Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon told Reuters in an interview In fact WhatsApp reconfirmed with us recently that moving into GDPR in May it would continue to observe the pause on processing of data for these purposes she said referring to the EU General Data Protection Regulation GDPR which from May will require firms to give customers more control over their online information European Union privacy regulators criticized WhatsApp in October for not resolving the concerns a year after they first issued a warning A spokeswoman for Facebook Ireland was not immediately available for comment The DPC also said it was approaching a conclusion in its investigation into a massive 2014 data breach at U S Internet company Yahoo NASDAQ AABA now part of Oath that led to the theft of data from 500 million users Yahoo whose assets were mostly acquired by Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ last year only revealed in late 2016 that hackers had stolen the data in 2014 prompting criticism from U S politicians into the delay in notifying customers
We re literally in the final stages of completing that report it s very imminent at this stage Dixon said adding the results would be given to Oath and that her office also intended to publish a summary of its findings |
VZ | Verizon Straight Path pay 614 million civil penalty to U S FCC statement | By David Shepardson WASHINGTON Reuters Verizon Communications Inc N VZ and its Straight Path Communications Inc unit paid a 614 million civil penalty as part of a January 2017 settlement with the U S Federal Communications Commission the agency said on Wednesday The telecommunications regulator said the settlement resolved an investigation into allegations that Straight Path failed to use the spectrum it was awarded and in doing so violated the FCC s rules in connection with approximately 1 000 licenses The settlement required Straight Path to sell those licenses and remit 20 percent of the overall proceeds Verizon said on Wednesday it had completed its 3 1 billion acquisition of the company it announced in May 2017 The settlement represents the largest civil penalty paid to resolve an FCC investigation A Verizon spokesman declined to comment The settlement resolved conduct from before Verizon s announced acquisition The sales proceeds does not include a separate 15 million penalty that Straight Path paid to the FCC in January 2017 The licenses are important to emerging 5G technology that will allow for much faster wireless networks and could usher in advances like remote surgical procedures and self driving vehicles The FCC said in January 2017 that Straight Path was squatting on spectrum licenses and that was fundamentally inconsistent with the public good The FCC probe was prompted by allegations of fraud in November 2015 by an anonymous short seller of the company s stock Reuters reported earlier
Verizon outbid AT T Inc N T which made a bid to buy Straight Path in April 2017 valued at 1 6 billion With the completion of Verizon s acquisition of Straight Path the company s shares were delisted from the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday |
VZ | Verizon Straight Path pay record 614M FCC penalty | Verizon NYSE VZ and its newly incorporated Straight Path wireless unit NYSEMKT STRP have paid a 614M civil penalty in an FCC settlement the largest such penalty ever paid That resolves a probe into allegations that Straight Path violated FCC rules by failing to use spectrum it was awarded conduct that came before Verizon announced its acquisition The resolution called for Straight Path to sell about 1 000 licenses in question and remit 20 of overall proceeds This is separate from a 15M penalty that Straight Path paid in January 2017 Previously Straight Path Verizon deal closes Feb 28 2018 Now read |
VZ | U S Congress to vote on allowing spectrum auction for 5G networks | By David Shepardson WASHINGTON Reuters Republican and Democratic lawmakers have reached agreement to allow for the sale of spectrum to speed up the introduction of next generation 5G wireless networks congressional leaders said on Friday The U S House of Representatives will vote on the measure on Tuesday leaders in both parties said Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai on Monday said the regulator plans new auctions of high band spectrum starting later this year for 5G networks to improve internet services across the United States Wireless carriers have spent billions of dollars acquiring spectrum and beginning to develop and test 5G networks which are expected to be at least 100 times faster than 4G networks and cut latency to less than one thousandth of a second from one hundredth of a second in 4G the FCC has said Pai said he plans to hold an auction of spectrum in the 28 GHz band in November followed immediately by an auction of spectrum in the 24 GHz band but must first get congressional approval by May 13 to proceed The bill unveiled on Friday includes a technical fix to allow the auction to proceed to allow the FCC to deposit upfront payments from spectrum bidders with the U S Treasury Under current law the FCC must deposit such payments with private banks in interest bearing accounts but regulations make that impossible The bill puts consumers first and solidifies the nation s critical telecommunications infrastructure giving the U S a global edge in the race to 5G and improving internet services Senators John Thune a Republican Bill Nelson a Democrat and Representatives Greg Walden a Republican and Democrat Frank Pallone said in a statement The bill includes new provisions to identify more spectrum for private sector use and reduces bureaucratic hurdles connected with building wireless networks lawmakers said Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ has announced it will begin its first 5G commercial rollout in Sacramento California this year AT T Inc NYSE T said its first 5G commercial launches in Atlanta Dallas and Waco Texas later this year The bill authorizes funds to address a shortfall to relocate TV broadcasters who are relocating on the spectrum after the 2017 low band spectrum auction The FCC and law enforcement will be better able to protect consumers from fraudulent telephone calls according to the bill
The biggest issue it sidesteps is so called net neutrality Republicans have urged Democrats to negotiate to enshrine some internet protections in the law but set limits on the FCC s ability to regulate internet providers Democrats argue that net neutrality rules inacted in 2015 should remain in place |
VZ | Judge U S breach victims can sue Yahoo | A judge has ruled that Yahoo NASDAQ AABA meaning Verizon VZ 0 5 can be sued by victims of a data breach that compromised all 3B accounts on the service Plaintiffs allegations are sufficient to show that they would have behaved differently had defendants disclosed the security weaknesses of the Yahoo Mail System Judge Lucy Koh has ruled Verizon had moved to dismiss many claims including those for negligence and breach of contract But an amended complaint came from plaintiffs after Yahoo lifted its estimate of the number of compromised accounts Plaintiffs could try to show liability limits in Yahoo s terms were unconscionable in the face of allegations that Yahoo knew its security was deficient and did little to remedy that Now read |
VZ | Data breach victims can sue Yahoo in the United States judge | By Jonathan Stempel Reuters Yahoo NASDAQ AABA has been ordered by a federal judge to face much of a lawsuit in the United States claiming that the personal information of all 3 billion users was compromised in a series of data breaches In a decision on Friday night U S District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose California rejected a bid by Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ which bought Yahoo s Internet business last June to dismiss many claims including for negligence and breach of contract Koh dismissed some other claims She had previously denied Yahoo s bid to dismiss some unfair competition claims Yahoo was accused of being too slow to disclose three data breaches that occurred from 2013 and 2016 increasing users risk of identity theft and requiring them to spend money on credit freeze monitoring and other protection services The breaches were revealed after New York based Verizon agreed to buy Yahoo s Internet business and prompted a cut in the purchase price to about 4 5 billion A Verizon spokesman had no immediate comment on Monday A lawyer for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to requests for comment The plaintiffs amended their complaint after Yahoo last October revealed that the 2013 breach affected all 3 billion users tripling its earlier estimate Koh said the amended complaint highlighted the importance of security in the plaintiffs decision to use Yahoo Plaintiffs allegations are sufficient to show that they would have behaved differently had defendants disclosed the security weaknesses of the Yahoo Mail System Koh wrote She also said the plaintiffs could try to show that liability limits in Yahoo s terms of service were unconscionable given the allegations that Yahoo knew its security was deficient but did little In seeking a dismissal Yahoo said it has long been the target of relentless criminal attacks and the plaintiffs 20 20 hindsight did not cast doubt on its unending efforts to thwart constantly evolving security threats Last March U S prosecutors charged two Russian intelligence agents and two hackers in connection with one of the Yahoo breaches One accused hacker Karim Baratov a Canadian born in Kazakhstan pleaded guilty in November to aggravated identity theft and conspiracy charges The other defendants remained at large in Russia
The case is In re Yahoo Inc Customer Data Security Breach Litigation U S District Court Northern District of California No 16 md 02752 |
WMB | Serena still the force on Melbourne return | By Sudipto Ganguly MELBOURNE Reuters Serena Williams NYSE WMB was eight weeks pregnant during her 2017 Australian Open triumph and while she has failed to add to her tally of 23 Grand Slam titles the American is still regarded as the dominant force in women s tennis on her return to Melbourne The 37 year old took a year off after the birth of her daughter Alexis Olympia in September of that year before returning to action last season when she reached the finals at Wimbledon and the U S Open Her quest for another major fell at the final hurdle on both occasions however with defeats to Germany s Angelique Kerber in London and rising Japanese star Naomi Osaka in New York The losses left Williams still seeking a 24th Grand Slam singles title to equal Margaret Court s all time record and she will have another tilt at that milestone during the Jan 14 27 event despite entering the tournament ranked 16th in the world While Williams achieved her victory over sister Venus in the final two years ago the challenge this year is expected to come from a vast array of players Chris Evert has described trying to pick a women s singles champion in Melbourne as a crapshoot with the last eight Grand Slam titles having been won by different players World number one Simona Halep has had a fractured lead up to the tournament with a back injury cutting short her 2018 season in September She will be without a coach for the first few months of the season after Darren Cahill left for family reasons and if that setback was not enough she was outplayed by unseeded Australian Ashleigh Barty in the second round of the Sydney International The Romanian who lost the 2018 Australian Open final to Caroline Wozniacki could rue her lack of competitive matches but remained upbeat while saying she had low expectations for the year s first Grand Slam I think I played a good level of tennis No pain at all I m happy about that It s a great sign Halep told reporters after her loss to Barty SABALENKA LURKS A second Australian Open title for Kerber who denied Williams in the 2016 final will be a perfect birthday gift for the world number two who turns 31 during the first week of the tournament She looked sharp at the Hopman Cup maintaining a 100 percent singles record even though Germany lost to Roger Federer s Switzerland in the final Defending champion Wozniacki has been battling rheumatoid arthritis but the 28 year old Dane will remain a contender as will 21 year old Osaka who jumped into the spotlight with her ruthless victory over a fired up Williams in New York Belarussian Aryna Sabalenka has emerged as a dark horse with many observers including American great Evert tipping the 20 year old to make her Grand Slam breakthrough in 2019 Sabalenka surged up the WTA rankings last year with her first two titles and arrived in Melbourne fresh from winning another tournament in Shenzhen I have no reason to believe that Sabalenka will not win more than one Grand Slam Why I see two things I see hunger and I see boldness 18 times major singles champion Evert said in a conference call looking ahead to the Australian Open
Whether that s fearlessness or what It s tied up the boldness fearlessness confidence That s her swagger I see that Like this girl wants it You can see it in her eyes She s pretty intense |
WMB | Top Picks 2019 Innovative Industrial Properties IIPR | The past year saw the legal cannabis market explode Canadian cannabis stocks were the hot investment of 2018 And they went on a ridiculous ride observes growth stock expert Jason Williams NYSE WMB editor of The Wealth Advisory
Many went from their initial price offerings IPOs to 20 billion companies within a few weeks and back down to the ground over the following months So it might seem odd that my conservative pick for 2019 is in the same industry But it ll all make sense when you hear what this company is doing and where
Canadian cannabis is last year s news The U S is where the real money will be made in the future Our industry is expected to reach 10 billion this year And according to Marijuana Business Daily it could get as high as 22 billion by 2022
And it s still illegal in the U S But over 30 states now allow medical marijuana use and seven states plus Washington D C allow recreational use And that will likely increase in 2019
But there will be a lot of volatility out there And there will be rallies fueled by speculation just like there were with the Canadian companies So you need an investment that s immune to those kinds of wild swings but will still profit every time another state votes yes
Innovative Industrial Properties IIPR is that kind of investment It s a real estate investment trust that owns marijuana cultivation and processing facilities and rents them to cannabis operations The leases are triple net which means that IIPR s tenants pay all the bills all the taxes make the repairs and pay rent to Innovative Industrial That s not a bad deal
The stock is up by more than 100 since last year It s one of the best performing cannabis stocks out there now that the high flying growers are coming back to earth Plus because it s a REIT it has to pay at least 90 of its pretax profits to investors It s like you re getting paid every time someone gets high
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WMB | Leaner mature Osaka stays grounded in Melbourne | By Sudipto Ganguly MELBOURNE Reuters Naomi Osaka is no longer a shy introvert youngster and the newest Grand Slam winner in women s tennis says she owes her maturity to last year s U S Open triumph Last September the Florida based Japanese player beat Serena Williams NYSE WMB at Flushing Meadows denying her childhood idol a record equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title Known for her humility and introverted nature in the past Osaka left the attending media in splits at her pre Australian Open press conference on Saturday I think it would be bad if I changed in like three months the 21 year old said brimming with smile I don t really feel that much different I think one of the biggest things is that I go into the main media room now so that s changed I feel like I m more comfortable talking to people I ve sort of been put in the position that I have to It s not something I can avoid any more Standing on the podium at the U S Open waiting to be handed her trophy and a winner s check after defeating Williams in an ill tempered final Osaka heard only boos from an angry and frustrated crowd That would have wilted most nerves of steel but it prompted Osaka to work more on the mental aspects of her game during the off season One of my biggest goals is to be more mature like to mature as a person she said And I feel like in a way I am but in other parts I m very like three year old mentality you know I feel like it s just leveling that out is one of my biggest goals I had during the off season She has also lost weight during the off season but strictly to help her improve her game I want to be faster It s not for looks or anything I feel like it helps me play better Like I get to the ball faster and I m not as sore she said Melbourne Park remains a special place for Osaka as the Australian Open was the first Grand Slam where she got into the main draw through the qualifiers in 2016 Things have changed significantly since then but Osaka is not getting too much ahead of herself I mean I feel like of course I have to take it one step at a time No one wants to lose in the first round of a slam I think That would be my immediate goal she said From there I ve been in the third round 100 million times already That would be my next goal Hopefully semis after that Then I can think about like the finals and winning There s so many good players in this draw I know that everyone wants to win this tournament My first immediate thought isn t to win Osaka s compatriot and former U S Open finalist Kei Nishikori has had a good run in the leadup to the Australian Open and overcame Daniil Medvedev in the Brisbane International final on Sunday for his first ATP title in nearly three years Three times a quarter finalist at Melbourne Park Nishikori missed last year s Australian Open with a wrist injury and hopes he can progress further this year
That s going to be my goal this year to do better in the Grand Slams all the Grand Slams the 2014 U S Open finalist said This one hope I can go farther than quarter final |
WMB | Tennis Kerber feels solid again with new coach Schuettler | By Sudipto Ganguly MELBOURNE Reuters New coach Rainer Schuettler s experience as a former player at the top level has been invaluable for Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber and the world number two believes her poor end to last season is truly behind her Kerber a triple Grand Slam winner parted ways with coach Wim Fissette ahead of the WTA Finals in Singapore due to differences of opinion regarding the future A month later Kerber announced former Australian Open finalist Schuettler as her new coach I think he is my first coach that also played Kerber said on Saturday during her pre Australian Open news conference He knows how it is to being under pressure to having the emotions on court He understands my thinking On court he is also a hard worker he loves the sport like me We are both really trying to do our best We have the passion To me it s great to have Rainer on my team I have a great team I m looking forward to the season right now After denying Serena Williams NYSE WMB a record equalling 24th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in July Kerber suffered a third round loss at the U S Open suffered early exits at four other tournaments and failed to progress from her group at the WTA Finals prompting the change in coaching personnel She looked sharp again at the Hopman Cup in Perth last week winning all four of her singles matches even though Germany lost to Roger Federer s Switzerland in the final I think I cannot compare this because you know after a long season you are just trying to survive at the end trying to push yourself playing still good tennis she said But now we have a new season coming and the motivation is really high again You know for me it s important to go on court and try to making the transit in my practice sessions to the match ones I was really working hard in the pre season and now I m looking forward to the competition and playing matches again The German who turns 31 next week won her maiden Grand Slam title at Melbourne Park in 2016 but she was not putting too much pressure on herself or looking too far ahead I m not putting too much expectation on me I m here to like always at the Grand Slams find my rhythm play the first round try to do my best and then look day by day she said I know that I am playing good right now that I had good matches that I have the confidence But still it s not easy to being here The tournament starts from zero
You never know what s going to happen Also the conditions are never so easy here in Melbourne But yeah I m looking forward |
WMB | NHL roundup Penguins rally past Ducks | Jake Guentzel had a hat trick and Phil Kessel delivered the go ahead goal in the third period Friday as the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins rallied from a three goal deficit to earn a 7 4 victory and send the Anaheim Ducks to their 10th consecutive defeat Tanner Pearson scored a pair of third period goals as the Penguins won for the 10th time in their past 11 games a run that started after they lost a 4 2 decision on Dec 17 at home to the Ducks Anaheim has not won since that date going 0 7 3 and dropping all six games on their just completed homestand 0 3 3 Kessel scored the game winner unassisted at 10 21 of the third period when he forced a Ducks turnover in the Anaheim zone and beat goaltender John Gibson for his 18th of the season Evgeni Malkin had a goal and three assists for the Penguins Daniel Sprong Nick Ritchie and Ryan Getzlaf scored for the Ducks Flames 4 Panthers 3 Michael Frolik collected one goal and two assists to lead the offensive attack and David Rittich made 24 saves as host Calgary erased a two goal deficit to beat Florida Frolik has collected eight points in seven games since being a healthy scratch for the Western Conference leading Flames who have won four straight games and are riding a 7 1 1 roll Mark Giordano Matthew Tkachuk and Sean Monahan also scored for the Flames Mike Hoffman Jonathan Huberdeau and Evgenii Dadonov found the net for the Panthers Jets 4 Red Wings 2 Winnipeg scored the game s first three goals then staved off a rally from visiting Detroit The Jets won for the third time in four games while the Red Wings lost for the ninth time in 10 games 1 7 2 Kyle Connor had a goal and two assists to lead Winnipeg which also got goals from Brandon Tanev Blake Wheeler and Bryan Little Jets backup goalie Laurent Brossoit made 33 saves for the win with Connor Hellebuyck taking the night off after seven consecutive starts Luke Glendening and Dennis Cholowski scored for Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jonathan Bernier stopped 23 shots Hurricanes 4 Sabres 3 Sebastian Aho scored twice as Carolina defeated Buffalo in Raleigh N C ruining the return to PNC Arena of former Hurricanes standout Jeff Skinner Micheal Ferland and Justin Williams NYSE WMB also scored for Carolina Ferland and Teuvo Teravainen provided two assists each
Skinner Jason Pominville and Kyle Okposo scored for the Sabres who had a three game winning streak snapped Field Level Media |
WMB | Cleveland officially names Kitchens as coach | The Cleveland Browns officially named Freddie Kitchens as the team s new head coach on Saturday Kitchens 44 becomes the 17th full time head coach in franchise history He replaces Hue Jackson who was fired in October after compiling a 3 36 1 record in two plus seasons Kitchens was featured in a short video clip on Twitter announcing the deal After parting ways with Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley in October the Browns promoted Kitchens from running backs coach to offensive coordinator and named defensive coordinator Gregg Williams NYSE WMB as interim head coach Williams has been relieved of his duties and is no longer with the team His departure is one of several from the Browns previous coaching staff Per multiple reports Cleveland released several other coaches including special teams coordinator Amos Jones position coaches Ken Zampese QBs Bob Wylie OL Blake Williams LBs and Greg Seamon TEs and special teams assistant Josh Cribbs a former Pro Bowl player for the Browns Cleveland also is working to hire former Arizona Cardinals coach Steve Wilks as defensive coordinator according to NFL Network s Ian Rapoport The Browns also will have a different organizational structure according to multiple reports Kitchens will report to general manager John Dorsey rather than owner Jimmy Haslam a departure from the structure for previous coaches The team s confidence in Kitchens was boosted by the play of rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield under his watch In eight games with Kitchens as OC Mayfield threw for 2 254 yards 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions and was sacked just five times A quarterback at Alabama from 1993 97 Kitchens coached in the college ranks from 1999 2005 as an assistant at Glenville State LSU North Texas and Mississippi State He broke into the NFL as tight ends coach with the Dallas Cowboys in 2006 and held the same role with the Arizona Cardinals from 2007 12 He served as Arizona s quarterbacks coach from 2013 16 and as the Cardinals running backs coach in 2017 Field Level Media OLUSSPORT Reuters US Online Report Sports News 20190112T183321 0000 |
WMB | NFL notebook Fitzgerald pondering Cardinals return | Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald said he is undecided if he will retire or play in 2019 which would be his 16th season in the NFL He told ESPN s Adam Schefter he intends to take some time to mull the decision Fitzgerald committed to playing the 2018 season last February but it turned out to be a tough year in Arizona The Cardinals finished the season with an NFL worst 3 13 record and head coach Steve Wilks was fired New head coach Kliff Kingsbury said last week he hopes Fitzgerald will return In 2018 the 35 year old appeared in all 16 games and caught 69 passes for 734 yards and six touchdowns The Cleveland Browns officially named Freddie Kitchens as the team s new head coach on Saturday Kitchens 44 becomes the 17th full time head coach in franchise history He replaces Hue Jackson who was fired in October after compiling a 3 36 1 record in two plus seasons After parting ways with Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley in October the Browns promoted Kitchens from running backs coach to offensive coordinator and named defensive coordinator Gregg Williams NYSE WMB as interim head coach Williams has been relieved of his duties and is no longer with the team Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett whose job security was in question when the team was 3 5 at midseason now is expected to receive a long term contract extension according to NFL Network s Ian Rapoport Garrett s current contract runs through 2019 but his work leading the Cowboys to a 10 6 finish apparently has owner Jerry Jones ready to commit to him beyond then Garrett is in his ninth season and is 77 59 since taking over in Dallas midway through the 2010 season Jones gave Garrett a vote of confidence amid the team s midseason struggles and teased a potential extension earlier this week during an interview on 105 3 The Fan Cowboys wide receiver Cole Beasley and tight end Blake Jarwin were both active for the team s divisional playoff game at the Los Angeles Rams Both players missed practice all week due to ankle injuries but both were expected to give it a go during pre game warmups and both received the go ahead to play Beasley aggravated his ankle issue last week but played through it as the Cowboys beat the Seattle Seahawks Defensive tackle Maliek Collins and guard Xavier Su a Filo who were also questionable with ankle injuries were also active Safety Darian Thompson groin was inactive for Dallas after being listed as questionable and the Rams were fully healthy The Denver Broncos are expected to be one of several teams interested in trading for Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Antonio Brown this offseason NFL Network s Ian Rapoport reports The report adds that there have been no moves toward reconciliation with the team on Brown s part and the Steelers may actively seek a trade rather than merely listening to offers New Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians is making a concerted effort to keep wide receiver DeSean Jackson on the team NFL Network reports Per the report Arians intends to re recruit Jackson and convince him he can be a big part of the offense after the wideout reportedly soured on his fit with the Bucs in 2018 ESPN reported before the season finale that Jackson told the team he wants out of his contract so he can play elsewhere in 2019 Jackson 32 remains under contract for 10 million in 2019 the last year of his deal but he has no guaranteed money remaining The Jacksonville Jaguars are interested in Denver Broncos coach personnel man Gary Kubiak for their offensive coordinator vacancy according to an ESPN report Kubiak who is currently under contract in Denver s personnel department was expected to become the Broncos offensive coordinator under new head coach Vic Fangio but those plans changed due to philosophical differences Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry heel and running back Spencer Ware hamstring were both inactive for the team s AFC divisional playoff game against the visiting Indianapolis Colts However Chiefs wideout Sammy Watkins foot was active for the first time since Week 11 For all the grief Chicago Bears kicker Cody Parkey received for missing what would have been a winning 43 yard field goal in the playoffs last week many others in the Windy City might express some sympathy after knowing what it feels like
Among the 101 contestants who tried the kick from the same yardage in tough wintery conditions in Chicago not one put it through the uprights in what was called the Cody Parkey challenge Field Level Media |
WMB | Serena ready to claim first Slam as a mum coach | By Ian Ransom
MELBOURNE Reuters Serena Williams NYSE WMB is ready to win her first Grand Slam title as a mother having arrived at the Australian Open in her best condition since coming back from maternity leave according to her coach Patrick Mouratoglou
Frenchman Mouratoglou who has guided Williams to the last 10 of her 23 Grand Slam titles felt the American great was in decent shape when she reached last year s finals at Wimbledon and the U S Open
However her fitness had since gone up a notch and Margaret Court s all time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles may well be in peril at Melbourne Park he said
First of all last year she made an incredible effort to come back in shape after having a baby and actually she came back in a decent shape quite fast Mouratoglou told Reuters in an interview
It was a big deal She had a lot of medical issues after the delivery but she definitely was not 100 percent
She reached two Grand Slam finals She was fit
I am knowing her now for a few years so I knew she could be much fitter but it s just a question of time
And I think she s fitter now You can see it it s quite obvious when you see her on the court how she moves
I think she came back to a very very high level of fitness
So she s ready She s ready to compete and when Serena s ready to compete she s ready to win
While two months pregnant Williams claimed a record seventh Australian Open title in the professional era in 2017 but missed out on her title defense while on maternity leave
She returned to the tour at Indian Wells last year and had a roller coaster season forced to pull out of the French Open fourth round with a pectoral muscle injury and was later beaten by Angelique Kerber in the final at Wimbledon
She then revealed a personal battle with postpartum depression before closing her season in disappointment and acrimony with a loss to Naomi Osaka in a U S Open final marred by a huge row with the chair umpire Carlos Ramos
Seeded 16th in Melbourne Williams warmed up for the year s first Grand Slam by winning all three of her singles matches at the Hopman Cup in Perth She plays unseeded German Tatjana Maria in her first round match on Tuesday
Williams has a tough road to an eighth title with world number one and French Open champion Simona Halep a potential quarter final opponent followed by Osaka in the semi finals if the seeds hold sway
Mouratoglou said seedings and rankings would mean little if Serena brought her best form
I feel when she s playing at her best she s the best player in the world he said
Of course she s not number one in the world and I have a lot of respect for the number one but I still feel that if Serena plays her tennis and she s herself 100 percent I still think she s the best But she has to show it now
I think it might happen Mouratoglou said of Williams hopes for a 24th Grand Slam title
We ll do everything for it to happen this year |
VZ | U S telecom agency plans new spectrum auction to speed 5G networks | By David Shepardson WASHINGTON Reuters The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission said on Monday the agency plans to launch new auctions of high band spectrum starting later this year to speed the launch of next generation 5G networks FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a speech in Barcelona Spain that he plans to hold an auction of spectrum in the 28 GHz band in November followed immediately by an auction of spectrum in the 24 GHz band but must first get congressional approval by May 13 to proceed We aspire to lead the world in 5G Pai said at the Mobile World Congress I am hopeful that we ll be able to kick off a major spectrum auction in November Republicans praised the planned auctions The race to 5G is a sprint not a marathon and the proposed spectrum auctions will help ensure the United States remains at the forefront of this emerging technology said U S House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden and Representative Marsha Blackburn in a joint statement Walden s panel unanimously approved a bill this month allowing the FCC to deposit upfront payments from spectrum bidders with the U S Treasury Under current law the FCC must deposit such payments with private banks in interest bearing accounts but current regulations make that impossible Carriers have spent billions of dollars acquiring spectrum and beginning to develop and test 5G networks which are expected to be at least 100 times faster than current 4G networks and cut latency to less than one thousandth of a second from one hundredth of a second in 4G the FCC has said The technology could allow for eventual virtual surgery or controlling machines remotely and 5G networks allow for use of new bands of spectrum for mobile broadband Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ has announced it will begin its first 5G commercial rollout in Sacramento California in the second half of 2018 Pai noted AT T Inc NYSE T earlier this month announced its first 5G commercial rollouts launch in Atlanta Georgia and Dallas and Waco Texas planned for later this year Last week the FCC granted to Samsung Electronics KS 005930 Co the world s first regulatory approval of 28 GHz base stations which will be used for Verizon s planned 5G launch
CTIA a U S trade group said the wireless industry needs the certainty of a spectrum pipeline and Chairman Pai s commitment is a critical next step to meeting the United States 5G ambitions |
WMB | NBA roundup Raptors down Pacers without Leonard | Norman Powell scored a season best 23 points off the bench and the Toronto Raptors playing without Kawhi Leonard but with Kyle Lowry back in the lineup defeated the visiting Indiana Pacers 121 105 Sunday night Lowry had 12 points and eight assists after missing six straight games with a stiff back It was the Pacers 11th regular season loss in a row in Toronto dating to March 2013 Serge Ibaka added 18 points and Danny Green chipped in 15 for the Raptors who beat the Bucks in Milwaukee on Saturday night Bojan Bogdanovic had 21 points and nine rebounds to lead the Pacers who saw their six game winning streak end Domantas Sabonis scored 16 points and had 11 rebounds and Victor Oladipo added 16 points Timberwolves 108 Lakers 86 Jeff Teague contributed a pair of 3 pointers to a game opening 15 1 run that paved the way for host Minnesota to rout Los Angeles which is still without LeBron James The win came shortly before head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau was fired ending his tenure midway through his third season in Minnesota The team announced the move after the game with assistant Ryan Saunders being named interim head coach Teague finished with 15 points and a game high 11 assists while Karl Anthony Towns added 28 points and a game high 18 rebounds for the Timberwolves Lance Stephenson came off the bench for 14 points and six assists to lead the Lakers who lost for the fifth time in six games since James suffered a groin injury in a Christmas Day win over the Golden State Warriors Clippers 106 Magic 96 Host Los Angeles played one of its best defensive games of the season to beat Orlando The Clippers are 24th in defense giving up an average of 114 7 points per game but they held the Magic to 37 1 percent shooting from the floor Tobias Harris had 28 points and nine rebounds and Lou Williams NYSE WMB scored 17 off the bench for the Clippers who have won six of their last nine Nikola Vucevic had 16 points and 24 rebounds for the Magic who have lost three of their last four and seven of their last 10 games Wizards 116 Thunder 98 Bradley Beal scored 25 points including seven in the decisive third quarter to lead Washington past host Oklahoma City despite a triple double from Russell Westbrook Washington broke an eight game road losing streak and had never won in Oklahoma City Their last road win against the franchise came in March 2008 at Seattle s Key Arena against the SuperSonics Otto Porter added 20 off the bench for the Wizards who also got 16 from Jeff Green and 15 from Tomas Satoransky Westbrook finished with 22 points 15 rebounds and 13 assists his 12th triple double of the season and his third in the last four games Paul George added 20 points Nets 117 Bulls 100 D Angelo Russell scored 28 points as Brooklyn pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat host Chicago Russell scored at least 20 points for the fourth straight game to match the longest streak of his career He shot 10 of 19 from the floor and made six 3 pointers Reserve DeMarre Carroll added 20 points for the Nets Zach LaVine scored 27 points to lead the Bulls who lost their fourth straight and dropped to 5 11 under new coach Jim Boylen Reserve Bobby Portis added 17 in his return from a right ankle sprain Hornets 119 Suns 113 Kemba Walker scored 29 points including 18 in the final 4 26 and Charlotte snapped a two game losing streak with a victory over host Phoenix Walker scored 18 of the Hornets last 19 points Charlotte didn t take the lead for good until a free throw by Walker with one minute remaining gave them a 112 111 edge Tony Parker and Willy Hernangomez came off the bench to spark the Hornets with Parker scoring 20 and Hernangomez adding 19 points and nine rebounds T J Warren led the Suns with 23 points Josh Jackson scored 22 Deandre Ayton 19 and Jamal Crawford 16 The Suns lost their sixth straight all at home to start a seven game homestand Hawks 106 Heat 82 Veteran point guard Jeremy Lin came off the bench to score 11 of his 15 points during a third quarter run that sparked host Atlanta over Miami DeAndre Bembry who started his third game for the Hawks finished with 17 points 16 of them in the second half John Collins tallied 13 points and 13 rebounds nine in the first half to secure his 13th double double over the last 16 games
Derrick Jones Jr came off the bench to lead Miami with 14 points and Justise Winslow added 13 points five rebounds and three assists Dwyane Wade playing his final game in Atlanta scored 11 points with four rebounds and three assists Field Level Media |
WMB | NHL roundup Pacioretty wins it again as Knights edge Devils | Max Pacioretty scored the game winning goal for the second straight game and Malcolm Subban had 36 saves to pick up his first home win of the season as the Vegas Golden Knights moved back into a first place tie in the Pacific Division with a 3 2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas Brayden McNabb scored his first goal of the season and Ryan Reaves also scored for Vegas which extended its win streak to six games Subban making his first home start of the season had 20 saves in the third period and picked up his second win in seven starts 2 5 0 for the Golden Knights who extended their home point streak to 11 games 9 0 2 Vegas last fell in regulation at T Mobile Arena on Nov 16 a 4 1 loss to St Louis Defenseman Ben Lovejoy who had no goals and three assists in 37 games entering the contest finished with a goal and an assist and Nico Hischier also scored a goal for New Jersey Goalie Keith Kinkaid finished with 25 saves Capitals 3 Red Wings 2 Michal Kempny scored the game winning goal on a shot from the point that went off the stick of Detroit forward Tyler Bertuzzi with 3 52 remaining to lift visiting Washington Tom Wilson and Travis Boyd also scored for the Capitals who avoided their first three game losing streak of the season Goalie Braden Holtby stopped 23 of 25 shots Anthony Mantha and Filip Hronek scored for the Red Wings who lost all three games against the Capitals this season Jimmy Howard made 31 saves for Detroit Blackhawks 5 Penguins 3 Dylan Strome scored a tiebreaking third period goal as Chicago snapped a two game losing streak while ending host Pittsburgh s eight game winning streak Alex DeBrincat Chris Kunitz Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews also scored for the Blackhawks and Patrick Kane added three assists including one on Strome s go ahead goal Goaltender Cam Ward stopped 31 of 34 Pittsburgh shots Patric Hornqvist Jake Guentzel and Derick Brassard scored for the Penguins who got 26 saves from goalie Casey DeSmith Jets 5 Stars 1 Host Winnipeg scored five unanswered goals through the second and third periods and Connor Hellebuyck turned away 26 shots in beating Dallas The Stars scored first on a power play goal from Alexander Radulov early in the second period but Adam Lowry and Tyler Myers scored later in the period for Winnipeg and Kyle Connor Josh Morrissey and Bryan Little scored in the third period The Jets are 4 4 0 in their past eight games after a five game winning streak and enjoy a six game home win streak against Dallas Ben Bishop stopped 25 of 29 shots for Dallas which had a two game winning streak snapped Coyotes 5 Rangers 0 Conor Garland scored twice and Alex Galchenyuk had a goal and two assists as Arizona snapped a three game losing streak at the expense of New York which lost its third in a row in Glendale Ariz Coyotes goaltender Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves in posting his first shutout of the season His best stop came on a Chris Kreider breakaway midway through the second period Arizona s Rick Tocchet got his 100th career NHL coaching victory Clayton Keller and Mario Kempe also scored for the Coyotes Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist was pulled at 16 38 of the second period after allowing five goals on 32 shots It was the second consecutive start that Lundqvist did not finish Oilers 4 Ducks 0 In a battle of slumping divisional rivals Edmonton scored three times in the first period and Cam Talbot made 39 saves in his first shutout of the season in beating host Anaheim Connor McDavid posted his team high 24th goal and Jesse Puljujarvi and Kyle Brodziak added markers in the opening period for the Oilers who won for just the second time in their last nine games John Gibson stopped 20 of 24 shots in his seventh consecutive start and the Ducks lost their eighth straight 0 6 2 Offense continued to be the biggest problem for Anaheim which has just 11 goals in its last eight games Hurricanes 5 Senators 4 Justin Williams NYSE WMB scored on a power play for the game s only third period goal as Carolina stretched its winning streak to four games by beating host Ottawa Justin Faulk Brock McGinn Jaccob Slavin and Dougie Hamilton scored earlier for Carolina Hurricanes goalie Petr Mrazek made 27 saves facing only two shots in the third period despite the Senators going on a late game power play
Ottawa dropped its eighth game in a row 0 7 1 despite goals from Matt Duchene Ryan Dzingel Rudolfs Balcers and Jean Gabriel Pageau Ottawa goalie Marcus Hogberg was pulled after giving up three goals on 16 shots in 26 13 Anders Nilsson stopped 11 of 13 shots while in his second game for the Senators since last week s trade from Vancouver Field Level Media |
WMB | Reports Browns eye Kitchens Stefanski in HC search | Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens and Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski are finalists for the Browns head coaching job according to an NFL Network report Tuesday It is unknown if there are other finalists per the report According to multiple reports Stefanski is heading back to Cleveland on Tuesday for a second interview after first meeting with the team last week NFL Network adds Kitchens remains in the building and is getting strong consideration Cleveland com reported Tuesday that Kitchens has a good chance of being named the team s next head coach The report added that several assistant coaches already have been asked to stay aboard a sign that the Browns could stay inside the organization for the hire The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports the Browns have asked Stefanski about what his staff would look like in Cleveland That report also indicated a return to the Vikings is still on the table for Stefanski whose contract expired after the regular season Last year Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer blocked Stefanski from interviewing to become offensive coordinator of the New York Giants The Giants hired then Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur as head coach Because Stefanski was under contract and the Vikings offensive coordinator position was vacant he was not cleared to interview with Shurmur Stefanski was promoted to offensive coordinator in December when Zimmer fired John DeFilippo Kitchens 44 interviewed with the Browns on Monday and interim head coach Gregg Williams NYSE WMB also interviewed for the job last week It s unclear if Williams remains in the running for the job Last week multiple outlets reported that the Browns blocked several NFL teams from interviewing Kitchens who remains under contract for their offensive coordinator positions so Cleveland could keep him either as head coach or offensive coordinator Kitchens was promoted from Cleveland s running backs coach to offensive coordinator his first time holding a coordinator position in Week 9 of the regular season and rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield thrived after the change In eight games with Kitchens as OC Mayfield threw for 2 254 yards 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions and was sacked just five times Field Level Media |
WMB | NHL roundup Vasilevskiy Lightning blank Jackets | Brayden Point had two goals and an assist Tuesday and newly named All Star Andrei Vasilevskiy made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season as the Tampa Bay Lightning started a new points streak with a 4 0 victory against the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets Mathieu Joseph and Nikita Kucherov also scored for the Lightning who had their 16 game point streak snapped Saturday with a 5 2 loss at San Jose Tampa Bay improved to 11 0 0 this season against teams from the Metropolitan Division Earlier in the day Vasilevskiy was added to the Atlantic Division roster for the Jan 26 NHL All Star Game in San Jose as an injury replacement for Montreal s Carey Price Vasilevskiy will join Lightning teammates Kucherov and Steven Stamkos on the Atlantic Division squad Columbus goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 15 of 19 shots before he was replaced in the third period Joonas Korpisalo stopped all three shots he faced in relief Bruins 4 Wild 0 Tuukka Rask made 24 saves for the shutout and Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand each had three points as Boston shut down visiting Minnesota The Bruins extended their winning streak to a season high five games and they won for the 16th time in 21 home games this season Minnesota s three game winning streak and four game unbeaten streak in road games came to an end Just 24 hours removed from a game in Montreal the Wild came out flat against the Bruins particularly in a first period in which the Wild allowed three goals and were outshot 15 6 Golden Knights 4 Rangers 2 Marc Andre Fleury stopped 27 shots to pick up his league leading 25th victory and Brandon Pirri scored his seventh goal in eight games to lead host Vegas to its seventh straight victory a win over New York in Las Vegas Cody Eakin Jonathan Marchessault and Ryan Carpenter also scored goals for Vegas which moved into a tie with idol Calgary for first place in the Pacific Division Mika Zibanejad scored his 12th goal of the season and Jesper Fast netted his sixth for New York Alexandar Georgiev had 27 saves for the Rangers who lost their fourth straight game getting outscored 22 5 during that span Sharks 7 Oilers 2 Evander Kane and Joonas Donskoi each scored twice as host San Jose walloped Edmonton Aaron Dell needed only 20 saves to record the Sharks fourth consecutive win San Jose defenseman Erik Karlsson collected three assists to extend his franchise record point streak to 14 games during which he has one goal and 24 assists Brent Burns had a goal and an assist and Marcus Sorensen and Joe Thornton also scored for the Sharks Alex Chiasson and Milan Lucic netted the goals for Edmonton which fell to 2 8 0 in its past 10 games Sabres 5 Devils 1 Jeff Skinner recorded his 29th tally in an explosive five goal second period as host Buffalo defeated New Jersey The Sabres winger trails only Washington s Alex Ovechkin for the league lead in goals Skinner tied the game early in the middle period and C J Smith and Casey Mittelstadt made it 3 1 as Buffalo took full control Jake McCabe scored a short handed goal and Lawrence Pilut sniped in a goal to round out the period s scoring Blake Coleman scored a goal and Keith Kinkaid made 28 saves for the Devils who lost their second straight and finished 1 3 0 on a road trip Jets 7 Avalanche 4 Blake Wheeler had a goal and three assists and Mark Scheifele and Jacob Trouba each had a goal and two assists as host Winnipeg beat Colorado Mathieu Perreault Kyle Connor Bryan Little and Andrew Copp also had goals for the Jets who won their sixth straight home game against the Avalanche Connor Hellebuyck stopped 36 shots to improve to 6 1 2 all time against Colorado Gabe Landeskog scored twice Carl Soderberg had a goal and an assist and Ryan Graves also scored for the Avalanche Philipp Grubauer made 14 saves for Colorado which has gone 1 5 2 in its past eight games Penguins 5 Panthers 1 Bryan Rust scored twice including one of Pittsburgh s two short handed goals and the Penguins earned an easy win over visiting Florida Tanner Pearson LON PSON and Riley Sheahan scored Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist and Marcus Pettersson notched two assists for the Penguins who have won nine of 10 Goaltender Matt Murray stopped 36 of 37 Florida shots to run his personal winning streak to eight games Aleksander Barkov scored for Florida which lost its third straight 0 2 1 Roberto Luongo allowed four goals on 16 shots before yielding to James Reimer who stopped 14 of the 15 shots he faced Stars 3 Blues 1 Tyler Seguin scored two goals linemate Alexander Radulov added a pair of assists and goaltender Ben Bishop turned away 26 shots as visiting Dallas defeated St Louis Seguin has six goals and three assists in a six game points streak for the Stars who have won seven of their past 11 games John Klingberg also scored for Dallas and David Perron scored for St Louis St Louis playing the second game of a road and home back to back after a victory in Philadelphia on Monday was worse for the wear especially in the first 26 minutes but fought back The Blues challenged Bishop with 12 shots on goal in the third period but could not find the net Canadiens 3 Red Wings 2 Brendan Gallagher and Joel Armia scored early in the second period and visiting Montreal held off Detroit as Antti Niemi stopped 30 shots Jeff Petry notched the other goal for Montreal which had lost its previous two games Andreas Athanasiou scored both goals for the Red Wings who lost for the eighth time in nine games 1 6 2 Jimmy Howard made 22 saves Detroit was 1 for 5 on the power play and is now 2 for 25 on man advantages over the past nine games Montreal came up empty in two power play chances The Canadiens blocked 19 shots 10 more than Detroit Capitals 5 Flyers 3 Jakub Vrana and T J Oshie scored two goals apiece as host Washington cruised past Philadelphia The Capitals have won two games in a row while the Flyers have dropped eight straight The Capitals took command with three goals in just over 6 1 2 minutes of the second period With the score tied at 1 1 Oshie put Washington in front and then Vrana added two more Vrana also had a first period assist and John Carlson added two assists Washington played without center Nicklas Backstrom who hadn t been feeling well the past few days so he was held out Hurricanes 4 Islanders 3 Justin Williams NYSE WMB scored the tiebreaking goal with 2 42 left for visiting Carolina which remained red hot by edging surging New York in Uniondale N Y Saku Maenalanen scored his first NHL goal and Greg McKegg also scored in the first period for the Hurricanes who have won five straight Jaccob Slavin added what proved to be the winning goal by scoring on the power play with 1 07 left in the game Carolina goalie Curtis McElhinney made 28 saves The Islanders got two goals from Brock Nelson and one from Devon Toews Thomas Greiss stopped 20 shots Field Level MediaBrayden Point had two goals and an assist Tuesday and newly named All Star Andrei Vasilevskiy made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season as the Tampa Bay Lightning started a new points streak with a 4 0 victory against the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets Mathieu Joseph and Nikita Kucherov also scored for the Lightning who had their 16 game point streak snapped Saturday with a 5 2 loss at San Jose Tampa Bay improved to 11 0 0 this season against teams from the Metropolitan Division Earlier in the day Vasilevskiy was added to the Atlantic Division roster for the Jan 26 NHL All Star Game in San Jose as an injury replacement for Montreal s Carey Price Vasilevskiy will join Lightning teammates Kucherov and Steven Stamkos on the Atlantic Division squad Columbus goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 15 of 19 shots before he was replaced in the third period Joonas Korpisalo stopped all three shots he faced in relief Bruins 4 Wild 0 Tuukka Rask made 24 saves for the shutout and Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand each had three points as Boston shut down visiting Minnesota The Bruins extended their winning streak to a season high five games and they won for the 16th time in 21 home games this season Minnesota s three game winning streak and four game unbeaten streak in road games came to an end Just 24 hours removed from a game in Montreal the Wild came out flat against the Bruins particularly in a first period in which the Wild allowed three goals and were outshot 15 6 Golden Knights 4 Rangers 2 Marc Andre Fleury stopped 27 shots to pick up his league leading 25th victory and Brandon Pirri scored his seventh goal in eight games to lead host Vegas to its seventh straight victory a win over New York in Las Vegas Cody Eakin Jonathan Marchessault and Ryan Carpenter also scored goals for Vegas which moved into a tie with idol Calgary for first place in the Pacific Division Mika Zibanejad scored his 12th goal of the season and Jesper Fast netted his sixth for New York Alexandar Georgiev had 27 saves for the Rangers who lost their fourth straight game getting outscored 22 5 during that span Sharks 7 Oilers 2 Evander Kane and Joonas Donskoi each scored twice as host San Jose walloped Edmonton Aaron Dell needed only 20 saves to record the Sharks fourth consecutive win San Jose defenseman Erik Karlsson collected three assists to extend his franchise record point streak to 14 games during which he has one goal and 24 assists Brent Burns had a goal and an assist and Marcus Sorensen and Joe Thornton also scored for the Sharks Alex Chiasson and Milan Lucic netted the goals for Edmonton which fell to 2 8 0 in its past 10 games Sabres 5 Devils 1 Jeff Skinner recorded his 29th tally in an explosive five goal second period as host Buffalo defeated New Jersey The Sabres winger trails only Washington s Alex Ovechkin for the league lead in goals Skinner tied the game early in the middle period and C J Smith and Casey Mittelstadt made it 3 1 as Buffalo took full control Jake McCabe scored a short handed goal and Lawrence Pilut sniped in a goal to round out the period s scoring Blake Coleman scored a goal and Keith Kinkaid made 28 saves for the Devils who lost their second straight and finished 1 3 0 on a road trip Jets 7 Avalanche 4 Blake Wheeler had a goal and three assists and Mark Scheifele and Jacob Trouba each had a goal and two assists as host Winnipeg beat Colorado Mathieu Perreault Kyle Connor Bryan Little and Andrew Copp also had goals for the Jets who won their sixth straight home game against the Avalanche Connor Hellebuyck stopped 36 shots to improve to 6 1 2 all time against Colorado Gabe Landeskog scored twice Carl Soderberg had a goal and an assist and Ryan Graves also scored for the Avalanche Philipp Grubauer made 14 saves for Colorado which has gone 1 5 2 in its past eight games Penguins 5 Panthers 1 Bryan Rust scored twice including one of Pittsburgh s two short handed goals and the Penguins earned an easy win over visiting Florida Tanner Pearson and Riley Sheahan scored Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist and Marcus Pettersson notched two assists for the Penguins who have won nine of 10 Goaltender Matt Murray stopped 36 of 37 Florida shots to run his personal winning streak to eight games Aleksander Barkov scored for Florida which lost its third straight 0 2 1 Roberto Luongo allowed four goals on 16 shots before yielding to James Reimer who stopped 14 of the 15 shots he faced Stars 3 Blues 1 Tyler Seguin scored two goals linemate Alexander Radulov added a pair of assists and goaltender Ben Bishop turned away 26 shots as visiting Dallas defeated St Louis Seguin has six goals and three assists in a six game points streak for the Stars who have won seven of their past 11 games John Klingberg also scored for Dallas and David Perron scored for St Louis St Louis playing the second game of a road and home back to back after a victory in Philadelphia on Monday was worse for the wear especially in the first 26 minutes but fought back The Blues challenged Bishop with 12 shots on goal in the third period but could not find the net Canadiens 3 Red Wings 2 Brendan Gallagher and Joel Armia scored early in the second period and visiting Montreal held off Detroit as Antti Niemi stopped 30 shots Jeff Petry notched the other goal for Montreal which had lost its previous two games Andreas Athanasiou scored both goals for the Red Wings who lost for the eighth time in nine games 1 6 2 Jimmy Howard made 22 saves Detroit was 1 for 5 on the power play and is now 2 for 25 on man advantages over the past nine games Montreal came up empty in two power play chances The Canadiens blocked 19 shots 10 more than Detroit Capitals 5 Flyers 3 Jakub Vrana and T J Oshie scored two goals apiece as host Washington cruised past Philadelphia The Capitals have won two games in a row while the Flyers have dropped eight straight The Capitals took command with three goals in just over 6 1 2 minutes of the second period With the score tied at 1 1 Oshie put Washington in front and then Vrana added two more Vrana also had a first period assist and John Carlson added two assists Washington played without center Nicklas Backstrom who hadn t been feeling well the past few days so he was held out Hurricanes 4 Islanders 3 Justin Williams scored the tiebreaking goal with 2 42 left for visiting Carolina which remained red hot by edging surging New York in Uniondale N Y Saku Maenalanen scored his first NHL goal and Greg McKegg also scored in the first period for the Hurricanes who have won five straight Jaccob Slavin added what proved to be the winning goal by scoring on the power play with 1 07 left in the game Carolina goalie Curtis McElhinney made 28 saves
The Islanders got two goals from Brock Nelson and one from Devon Toews Thomas Greiss stopped 20 shots Field Level Media |
WMB | Serena s legacy secure despite infamous U S Open umpire row Evert | By Frank Pingue Reuters The legacy of Serena Williams NYSE WMB who next week will compete in her first Grand Slam since her fiery clash with a U S Open umpire will not be harmed by the infamous feud that tarnished the New York final American great Chris Evert said on Wednesday When it comes to Williams who is seeking a record equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title at the Jan 14 27 Australian Open Evert believes it is her remarkable journey from the hardscrabble courts in Compton where she learned the game to the top of the tennis world that will be remembered most The fact that she dominated for so long and could break the record of Grand Slams I think that will overshadow everything at the end of the day former world number one Evert who will be part of ESPN s coverage of the Australian Open told a conference call But there will be a sidenote that Serena has a lot of passion and that she has at times lost her cool on the courts but I don t think for one minute it s going to tarnish her whole reputation Williams was handed a warning by U S Open chair umpire Carlos Ramos last September for a coaching violation before being deducted a point for smashing her racket and later a game for a heated argument during her loss to Naomi Osaka Williams is no stranger to such confrontations but the incident during which she called Ramos a liar and a thief and said he treated her differently than male players during her loss to Osaka divided the tennis world It s yet another chapter in the incredible story of Serena Williams ESPN tennis analyst and former professional Patrick McEnroe said about Williams U S Open episode There s a lot of positives there s a few negatives There s no doubt that was a negative but there s no doubt that also last year when you look at the bigger picture the fact that she came back from having a child she was really nowhere near 100 percent and she still made the finals of Wimbledon and the U S Open was incredible Williams 37 captured her seventh Australian Open title in her last appearance in Melbourne in 2017 when she in the early stages of her pregnancy with daughter Alexis Olympia Williams reached the Wimbledon and U S Open finals after her return last year but lost both leaving her one short of Australian Margaret Court s tally of major singles titles But McEnroe said Williams looked good and appeared to be in a great state of mind during last week s Hopman Cup in Perth He expects her to be in the title mix going forward
I am looking ahead to more great things from Serena said McEnroe That was disappointing what happened in New York but overall I am really looking forward to seeing her back on the court this year and see if she can win another major or two |
WMB | Reports Williams among Jets DC candidates | The New York Jets are aiming high to fill their defensive coordinator position under reported new coach Adam Gase considering a trio of former head coaches for the role including Gregg Williams NYSE WMB multiple outlets reported Thursday Williams was just let go by the Cleveland Browns earlier this week when the club named Freddie Kitchens its new head coach Williams went 5 3 as the interim coach in Cleveland after Hue Jackson was fired at midseason Williams was also head coach in Buffalo from 2001 03 NFL com is reporting that deposed Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph is also under consideration by the Jets and CBSSports com reports that former Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano is also on the list Joseph is considered a candidate for the head coaching vacancy in Cincinnati too per reports Pagano is also being considered by other teams including the Browns and Arizona Cardinals who are looking for DC to put alongside new head coach Kliff Kingsbury Pagano was defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens in 2011 and coach of the Colts from 2012 2017 Williams joined the Browns as defensive coordinator prior to the 2017 season He has been defensive coordinator with five other teams most notably with the New Orleans Saints where he was embroiled in the Bountygate scandal which led to a one year suspension It was reported Wednesday night that the Jets are hiring Gase to replace the ousted Todd Bowles who went 24 40 over four seasons Gase 40 was fired Dec 31 after three seasons in Miami where he went 23 25 while battling a wealth of injuries including to quarterback Ryan Tannehill The Dolphins went 5 1 against the Jets during Gase s tenure including 2 0 this season
The Jets are still seeking their first playoff appearance since reaching back to back AFC Championships after the 2009 and 10 seasons They won 10 games in 2015 but missed out on the postseason due to a tiebreaker Field Level Media |
WMB | Serena mentor sees no crackdown on courtside coaching | By Ian Ransom MELBOURNE Reuters Serena Williams s coach Patrick Mouratoglou expects on court coaching to continue virtually unchecked at the Grand Slams despite the furor during last year s U S Open final when he attempted to guide her mid match Mouratoglou gestured to Williams NYSE WMB in the stands during her tempestuous defeat by Japan s Naomi Osaka at Flushing Meadows leading to a code violation and sparking a heated row between the American great and the chair umpire Williams who denied seeing Mouratoglou s signaling was incensed at the official s strict interpretation of the rule and said post match that she felt a victim of sexism The Australian Open has followed the U S Open s lead by trialing on court coaching during qualifying this year but the practice remains banned for the main draw events starting Monday Mouratoglou however believes the rule will remain patchily enforced at Melbourne Park and the other three Grand Slams and coaches will not feel extra pressure to comply As you know 99 percent of the matches it s tolerated Mouratoglou told Reuters in an interview at Melbourne Park on Thursday It s something that people don t even think about it just do it every match And it doesn t make any problem If it becomes really really obvious umpires will call the player or tell her the coach is really coaching too much can you ask him to slow down otherwise I will have to give you a warning Everybody s careful and it s fine So I don t see any stress from players or coaches with coaching during the matches to be honest Mouratoglou was speaking after promoting Tennis Manager 2019 an app based game that he helped create with French developer Rebound CG SIMULATOR NICHE The game seeks to tap into the popular sports management simulator niche which has spawned big selling titles like the Football Manager series for soccer and Out of the Park Baseball Pointedly Tennis Manager allows gamers to conduct on court coaching to the tennis players they manage in their simulations to seek an edge during matches Mouratoglou expects to see the practice eventually legalized at the real world Grand Slams which he felt would improve the show and help stoke interest among younger fans However the Frenchman is not holding his breath It s very difficult for the tennis reigning bodies to make change because this sport is very conservative so it will have to go step by step he said But I see progress I feel that a lot of people would like on court coaching most of the players would like it also because they like to exchange with their coach and they feel it would add something during the match Ironically Mouratoglou said he and Williams had decided not to do any on court coaching even at the tournaments on the professional women s WTA circuit where it is permitted It s not that she doesn t want it he said of 37 year old Williams who is bidding for a record equaling 24th Grand Slam title and eighth at Melbourne Park after missing last year s tournament while on maternity leave I think her number one quality is to be the best competitor ever and I don t want to think that suddenly she needs someone to be a better competitor That would make her weaker
So for me it doesn t make sense for someone like her |
WMB | NBA roundup Aldridge s 56 lead Spurs past Thunder in 2 OTs | LaMarcus Aldridge poured in a career high 56 points and Derrick White had a huge bucket a blocked shot and a steal late in the second overtime as the San Antonio Spurs outlasted the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder 154 147 on Thursday Even with Aldridge s performance and a record showing by the Spurs from beyond the arc hitting their first 14 3 point attempts Oklahoma City never wavered The Thunder tied the game at 130 on a layup by Jerami Grant off a Russell Westbrook assist with 5 6 seconds to play in regulation Aldridge finished 16 of 16 from the free throw line and the Spurs made their final 23 foul shots to end up 26 of 29 Aldridge made 20 of 33 field goal attempts White added 23 points for San Antonio Westbrook had his 13th triple double of the season with 24 points 13 rebounds and a career high 24 assists also a season high in the NBA Paul George led the Thunder with 30 points while Grant finished with a career high 25 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out midway through the second overtime Nuggets 121 Clippers 100 Nikola Jokic finished with his second consecutive triple double 18 points 14 rebounds and 10 assists and Jamal Murray scored 23 points as host Denver beat Los Angeles Mason Plumlee had 17 points and 12 rebounds and Malik Beasley scored 15 points for Denver which has won seven of its past eight games On Tuesday Jokic put up 29 points 11 rebounds and 10 assists as the Nuggets won at Miami Tobias Harris had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers Lou Williams NYSE WMB scored 19 points and Danilo Gallinari had 18 against his former team Heat 115 Celtics 99 Dwyane Wade scored a team high 19 points off the bench as host Miami ended Boston s winning streak at four Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 22 points for Boston which also had its streak of least 30 assists end at five games Miami had a season high 33 assists 13 more than Boston The Heat had six double figure scorers including Josh Richardson with 18 points Justise Winslow added 13 and a game high and career high 11 assists The Celtics got 18 points from Marcus Smart and 17 points each from Marcus Morris and Jayson Tatum Kings 112 Pistons 102 Buddy Hield De Aaron Fox and Iman Shumpert hit 3 pointers in a 13 2 game opening flurry and host Sacramento never trailed while handing Detroit its fourth straight loss Hield led seven Kings in double figures with a game high 18 points Sacramento took advantage of Pistons standout Blake Griffin having the night off to rest with an emotional meeting with his former team the Los Angeles Clippers set for Saturday afternoon
Stanley Johnson had a team high 16 points for the Pistons who were playing the second half of a back to back after losing 113 100 in Los Angeles to the Lakers on Wednesday night Field Level Media |
VZ | Verizon Boosts Network Detection With ProtectWise Buyout | In a concerted effort to expand its product offering and augment cybersecurity platform Verizon Communications Inc NYSE VZ recently completed the acquisition of ProtectWise Inc for an undisclosed amount The transaction is likely to facilitate Verizon to build an ecosystem that enables superior endpoint to network visibility and eliminate threats Based in Denver CO ProtectWise offers cloud delivered Network Detection Response to detect and promptly respond to security threats Leveraging advanced analytics in enterprise cloud and industrial environments with real time and retrospective detections it provides an additional layer of security cover Seamlessly integrating with other existing security products it focuses on the network level to observe attacks and trace them back to the source considerably reducing the time to detect and respond to these Verizon aims to tap these functionalities to improve its capacities and capabilities as it expands 5G footprint The acquisition will further help the company to boost its enterprise security portfolio underscoring the ease and cost savings of an on demand deployment model for consolidated multiple disconnected point products With one of the most efficient wireless networks in the United States Verizon continues to deploy the latest 4G LTE Advanced technologies to deliver faster peak data speeds and capacity for customers driven by customer focused planning disciplined engineering and constant strategic investment The company has been aggressively forging ahead to expand its fiber optics networks to support 4G LTE and upcoming 5G wireless standards as well as wireline connections Backed by these initiatives the company has reportedly generated 1 2 million retail postpaid net additions in fourth quarter 2018 with phone churn rate of 0 82 indicating continued strong customer loyalty Moreover Verizon has an attractive fundamental outlook based on increasingly favorable growth prospects for its Wireless business and the possibility of improved performance from its Wireline operations Verizon will continue to achieve growth and profitability with a focus on gaining share in the retail post paid market increasing penetration of smartphones and selling more Internet devices such as tablets Management also remains bullish on the company s ability to grow revenues from smartphones tablets and cloud computing and has reiterated its earlier guidance Verizon currently carries a Zacks Rank 3 Hold Some better ranked stocks in the industry are Gogo Inc NASDAQ GOGO and GCI Liberty Inc NASDAQ GLIBA carrying a Zacks Rank 2 Buy and Telenav Inc NASDAQ TNAV sporting a Zacks Rank 1 Strong Buy You can see Gogo beat earnings estimates in each of the trailing four quarters the average being 34 4 GCI Liberty is currently trading at a forward P E of 124 6x Telenav beat earnings estimates in each of the last four quarters the average being 23 7 Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2019In addition to the stocks discussed above wouldn t you like to know about our 10 finest buy and holds for the year From more than 4 000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank these 10 were picked by a process that consistently beats the market Even during 2018 while the market dropped 5 2 our Top 10s were up well into double digits And during bullish 2012 2017 they soared far above the market s 126 3 reaching 181 9 This year the portfolio features a player that thrives on volatility an AI comer and a dynamic tech company that helps doctors deliver better patient outcomes at lower costs |
VZ | Solid Backlog To Aid MasTec MTZ Amid Stiff Competition | MasTec Inc NYSE MTZ is riding high on strong backlog strategic acquisitions along with robust performance of the Power Generation and Industrial segment On a further encouraging note solid pipeline business in the Oil Gas segment bodes well for its future prospects Shares of MasTec have gained 15 in the past three months comparing favorably with its s rally of 7 1 However intense competition a fragmented industry along with risk of project delays and higher ramp up costs are likely to impact its bottom line going forward Let s delve deeper into other factors that substantiate its Zacks Rank 3 Hold Catalysts Driving GrowthMasTec s top line is likely to gain from significant project awards across segments In 2018 the company came up with a record 18 month backlog of 7 7 billion up 9 year over year marking the third consecutive year of noteworthy financial performance The company s strong demand in its end markets will help it to post improved 2019 results MasTec projects 2019 annual revenues at a record level of 7 6 billion primarily on the back of Communications Transmission and Power Generation segments Notably its Communications segment will benefit from fiber deployments and the execution of 5G rollouts in 2019 MasTec s wireless business has significant potential given expected substantial investments in wireless infrastructure related to the densification associated with 5G deployment Fiber expansion continues to be a growth driver in wireline markets The company expects strong nationwide fiber deployment projects from both telephone and cable TV companies to provide it with significant opportunities in 2019 and beyond The company expects approximately 20 growth in both wireline and wireless market in 2019 Its strategic acquisitions bode well for its overall performance MasTec focuses to capitalize on rising demand in order to expand its geographic and customer base In 2018 MasTec acquired a construction management firm specializing in steel building systems as well as a wind turbine services company as part of the Power Generation and Industrial segment Acquisitions contributed approximately 2 2 to total consolidated revenues of the company in 2018 Its Power Generation and Industrial segment has been a significant driver of revenues and margins over the last few quarters In 2018 the segment s revenues increased 5 and backlog surged an impressive 172 to 610 million from 354 million at the end of 2017 The positive performance was backed by operational improvements carried out in the segment Causes of ConcernMasTec operates in a highly competitive and fragmented industry with only a few barriers to entry in the markets Any organization that has adequate financial resources and access to technical expertise may become its competitor The company faces risk of project delays which might result in additional costs or claims The company s Oil Gas pipeline segment has been suffering from such risks due to regulatory imposed work delays and hurricane flooding disruptions at a few large projects Its new initiatives such as 5G FirstNet and Verizon NYSE VZ One Fiber will be in various stages of ramping during 2019 thereby incurring higher costs The company s 2019 guidance includes the impact of expected ramp up costs from the Communications segment related to wireless and wireline fiber initiatives as MasTec is expected to incur high costs Key PicksSome better ranked stocks in the industry are Great Lakes Dredge Dock Corporation NASDAQ GLDD North American Construction Group Ltd TO NOA and EMCOR Group NYSE EME While Great Lakes and North American Construction sport a Zacks Rank 1 EMCOR carries a Zacks Rank 2 Buy You can see Great Lakes has an expected earnings growth rate of 170 6 for 2019 North American Construction s 2020 earnings are projected to grow 17 2 EMCOR is expected to record earnings growth of 6 9 in 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 | Verizon touts quiet 5G network test at Super Bowl | Verizon VZ 0 7 used the loud occasion of the Super Bowl to run a quiet 5G test in stadium for a live demo of the technology Using a pre commercial connection in stadium the company and affiliates demonstrated 180 degree stereoscopic live action broadcast using VR headsets along with a virtual in stadium experience including high res replays on secondary screens The company also touted a recent latency test where two football players using only 5G connected goggles and helmet cameras were able to throw catch and deflect passes as though playing with the naked eye Now read |
WMB | NHL roundup Habs Price returns blanks Canucks | Carey Price returning from a three game injury absence stopped 33 shots for his second shutout of the season as the Montreal Canadiens blanked the visiting Vancouver Canucks 2 0 Thursday night Price thrived in his return from an undisclosed lower body injury that bothered him for several weeks He has now won nine of his past 12 games Jordie Benn and Jonathan Drouin scored for the Canadiens in their first home game since Dec 17 The Canadiens posted their fifth win in six games and 10th in the past 14 The Canucks suffered only their fifth loss in 14 outings The Canucks lost rookie center Elias Pettersson the club s top scorer to an apparent leg injury 5 48 into the second period Pettersson s right leg twisted awkwardly as he became entangled with Montreal rookie center Jesperi Kotkaniemi Blues 5 Capitals 2 Alex Pietrangelo finished with one goal and one assist as St Louis defeated visiting Washington The Blues snapped a two game losing streak and ended Washington s five game road winning streak Tyler Bozak Colton Parayko Oskar Sundqvist and Robert Thomas also scored for St Louis while Alex Ovechkin and Brett Connolly replied for the Capitals Ovechkin ended a six game stretch without a goal by scoring in the first period It was his 30th goal this season and he joined former Capital Mike Gartner as the only NHL players to reach that mark in each of their first 14 seasons Lightning 6 Kings 2 Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point each scored goals on a two man advantage less than two minutes apart in the first period as Tampa Bay extended its points streak to 16 games with a victory at Los Angeles After going 13 0 1 in December to become just the eighth team in the last 10 years to avoid a loss in regulation during a calendar month the Lightning made it 1 0 0 in the new year Only five other teams in the past 10 years have gone on points streaks of at least 16 games Steven Stamkos added a goal and two assists while Kucherov also had three assists as Tampa Bay earned its seventh win in a row Islanders 3 Blackhawks 2 OT Devon Toews scored his first NHL goal 1 48 into overtime as surging New York edged Chicago in Uniondale N Y Toews who was playing in his fifth career game put back the rebound of his own shot to give the Islanders their fifth consecutive win New York is also 3 0 1 in four games at Nassau Coliseum where it will play 16 more regular season contests Mathew Barzal scored both goals in regulation for the Islanders Robin Lehner recorded 19 saves in winning his sixth straight decision Dominik Kahun and Patrick Kane scored for the Blackhawks who got 47 saves from Collin Delia Hurricanes 5 Flyers 3 Teuvo Teravainen had two goals and an assist and Dougie Hamilton and Sebastian Aho had each two points as visiting Carolina held off Philadelphia Hamilton Justin Williams NYSE WMB and Warren Foegele scored one goal each and Aho recorded two assists for the Hurricanes Carolina goaltender Petr Mrazek who was playing in his 200th career NHL game stopped 34 shots Wayne Simmonds Sean Couturier and James van Riemsdyk each scored in the third period for the Flyers who cut the deficit to 4 3 before dropping their fifth consecutive game Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek had two assists apiece Bruins 6 Flames 4 Jake DeBrusk and Brad Marchand each scored two goals 11 different Boston players registered points and the Bruins beat visiting Calgary David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist and John Moore also scored Torey Krug David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron each added a pair of helpers for the Bruins who won their third straight Jaroslav Halak stopped 33 of 37 shots and recorded his third assist this season on Pastrnak s tally Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and an assist and Michael Frolik Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund also scored for the Flames whose two game winning streak and four game point streak came to an end Sabers 4 Panthers 3 Jeff Skinner scored two goals leading host Buffalo past Florida Skinner s 28 goals rank second in the NHL behind Ovechkin s 30 He has already overshadowed his performance last season when he had 24 goals in 82 games with the Hurricanes The Sabres who also got goals from Tage Thompson and Sam Reinhart snapped a three game winless streak 0 2 1 Buffalo s Linus Ullmark made 35 saves to improve his season record to 9 1 3 Frank Vatrano Mike Hoffman and Aleksander Barkov scored for Florida Roberto Luongo made 29 saves for the Panthers Wild 4 Maple Leafs 3 Zach Parise scored early in the third period and Minnesota held on to earn a comeback win at Toronto Jared Spurgeon notched a goal and two assists for the Wild and Charlie Coyle had a goal and an assist Mikko Koivu added a goal and Parise also had an assist
Mitch Marner scored twice for the Maple Leafs who led 2 0 and 3 2 William Nylander also scored a goal and John Tavares added two assists for Toronto Field Level Media |
WMB | WTA roundup Pliskova into Brisbane semis | Fifth seeded Karolina Pliskova made her third straight Brisbane International semifinals with a 6 1 1 6 6 1 win against Ajla Tomljanovic on Friday in Australia It was a very strange match today but the beginning of the sets was very important said Pliskova I ve never had a match like this but I m just happy that I m back in the semifinals Pliskova of the Czech Republic overcame a rough second set to win in one hour and 23 minutes Pliskova will face Donna Vekic of Croatia in the semifinals Vekic dominated Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6 2 6 0 in Friday s other quarterfinal ASB Classic Teenage qualifier Bianca Andreescu continued her stunning run in Auckland New Zealand on Friday with a 6 7 1 6 1 6 3 win over Venus Williams NYSE WMB to reach the semifinals The 18 year old Canadian ranked 152nd in the WTA rankings was coming off an upset of top seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 6 4 6 4 the day before Andreescu will face third seeded Su Wei Hsieh of Chinese Taipei in the semifinals Hsieh advanced with a 6 3 6 2 win over Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain Shenzhen Open Top seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus sent fifth seeded Maria Sharapova packing when the Russian retired from their quarterfinals match in Shenzhen China Sabalenka was leading 6 1 4 2 when Sharapova called it quits citing a left thigh injury
Next up for Sabalenka is Wang Yafan of China a 2 6 7 6 4 6 1 winner over Romanian qualifier Monica Niculescu in the other quarterfinal Field Level Media |
WMB | NFL coaching carousel Packers reportedly to interview Gase | The Green Bay Packers have been active in trying to fill their head coaching vacancy and plan to interview fired Miami Dolphins coach Adam Gase according to a report Friday though a time and place have not been finalized According the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the team s brain trust of president CEO Mark Murphy and general manager Brian Gutekunst are interested in Gase because of his prowess as an offensive play caller who flourished as an assistant coach with Peyton Manning with the Denver Broncos Like Manning the Packers have another of the most accomplished passers in recent years 35 year old QB Aaron Rodgers The Journal Sentinel reports that Murphy and Gutekunst spent Friday interviewing both the offensive and defensive play callers for the New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and linebackers coach Brian Flores The Packers duo will fly to New Orleans Saturday for a pair of interviews with Saints assistants offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael and tight ends coach Dan Campbell The Dolphins fired Gase 40 on New Year s Eve after Miami s second straight losing season at 7 9 Gase led the Dolphins to a 10 6 mark in his first season but went just 13 19 in his final two seasons Gase interviewed with the New York Jets on Friday after talking to the Arizona Cardinals on Wednesday In other coaching news Friday The Dolphins announced that they concluded an interview with the Patriots Flores with Miami planning to interview Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen on Saturday Allen was head coach for Oakland from 2012 14 Campbell who has interim head coaching experience going 5 7 in 12 games with the Dolphins in 2015 interviewed with the Cleveland Browns on Friday one day after he met with the Cardinals The Browns have also interviewed interim coach Gregg Williams NYSE WMB former NFL coach Jim Caldwell and Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski The former Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions head coach Caldwell had a formal interview with the Cardinals on Thursday per ESPN Caldwell previously met with the Browns and Packers and reportedly plans to talk to the Jets as well The Jets are reportedly interested in speaking with Baylor head coach Matt Ruhle about their head coach opening according to ESPN
NFL Network reported that the Cincinnati Bengals met with a pair of Los Angeles Rams assistant coaches quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor and tight end coach passing game coordinator Shane Waldron Field Level Media |
WMB | NBA roundup Celtics rip Mavs wire to wire | Jaylen Brown scored a game high 21 points to lead the Boston Celtics to a 114 93 wire to wire victory over the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Friday night Jayson Tatum added 18 points and Marcus Smart had 17 including five 3 pointers to pick up the scoring slack for Boston with leading scorer Kyrie Irving missing a second consecutive game with eye irritation Gordon Hayward added 16 points 11 rebounds and eight assists The Celtics also played without forward Marcus Morris who hurt his neck after a scary fall during a Wednesday game against the Minnesota Timberwolves Harrison Barnes led Dallas with 20 points Boston was challenged only once when its 53 36 second quarter lead got whittled down to 58 57 early in the third But after Mavs rookie sensation Luka Doncic drained a 3 pointer to make it a one point game his 3 point attempt to grab the lead missed everything The Celtics answered with a 21 6 run Knicks 119 Lakers 112 Kevin Knox gave New York the lead for good by sinking two free throws with 3 45 remaining and the Knicks held host Los Angeles without a field goal for the next 2 1 2 minutes en route to a victory that snapped an eight game losing streak New York s Tim Hardaway Jr led all scorers with 22 points and he made three 3 pointers in a 22 5 game opening flurry Brandon Ingram had 21 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers who lost for the fourth time in five games since LeBron James sustained a groin injury on Christmas Day The Lakers announced before the game that James also will not travel with the team for games at Minnesota on Sunday and at Dallas and Monday Thunder 111 Trail Blazers 109 Paul George and Russell Westbrook combined for 68 points to lift Oklahoma City to a victory at Portland George scored 37 points and Westbrook added 31 as the Thunder snapped a six game losing streak in their series with the Trail Blazers Oklahoma City earned its third consecutive victory Damian Lillard finished with 23 points and eight assists and Jusuf Nurkic collected 22 points and eight rebounds for the Trail Blazers who had won two straight Bucks 144 Hawks 112 All five Milwaukee starters scored in double figures and the Bucks presented coach Mike Budenholzer with a resounding win over his former team thumping visiting Atlanta The Bucks got 19 points each from Khris Middleton and Atlanta native Malcolm Brogdon 16 points from Giannis Antetokounmpo 14 from Eric Bledsoe and 10 from Brook Lopez None of the starters played more than 22 minutes Atlanta lost its third straight game The Hawks got 19 points from DeAndre Bembry 14 points from Dewayne Dedmon and 13 points and 10 assists from Trae Young Clippers 121 Suns 111 Marcin Gortat had season highs of 18 points and 13 rebounds and visiting Los Angeles extended its head to head winning streak over Phoenix to 11 games Danilo Gallinari and Lou Williams NYSE WMB scored 21 points each Tobias Harris and Patrick Beverley each had 16 and Montrezl Harrell scored 15 for the Clippers Devin Booker scored 23 points and T J Warren had 20 for the Suns who dropped their fifth game in a row all five at the start of a season high seven game homestand Richaun Holmes scored 16 points off the bench and Mikal Bridges Jamal Crawford and Josh Jackson finished with 10 points apiece for Phoenix Timberwolves 120 Magic 103 Jeff Teague s return from an ankle injury boosted Minnesota to a win over Orlando in Minneapolis Teague was back in the starting lineup after a nine game absence and he had 23 points and 10 assists in 28 minutes Karl Anthony Towns added 29 points and 15 rebounds for Minnesota Towns is averaging 28 3 points and 16 8 rebounds over his past six games Nikola Vucevic led the Magic with 22 points and seven rebounds and Evan Fournier added 21 points Orlando has lost two of its past three and is 3 6 in its past nine games The Timberwolves are 5 9 in their past 14 games but have now won four of their past seven Pacers 119 Bulls 116 OT Victor Oladipo scored a game high 36 points including a 3 pointer from the top of the key with 1 2 seconds remaining in overtime and visiting Indiana held on to win over Chicago Oladipo banked in the go ahead shot to give Indiana its sixth win in a row Domantas Sabonis contributed a double double with 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Pacers Thaddeus Young 16 points Bojan Bogdanovic 13 and Tyreke Evans 10 also scored in double digits Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 31 points Lauri Markkanen added 27 points and nine rebounds and Kris Dunn finished with 16 points and 17 assists for Chicago which dropped its third in a row LaVine drilled a 3 pointer with 3 9 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to force OT and he sank another that could have tied the game at the end of overtime but it came just after the buzzer Heat 115 Wizards 109 Hassan Whiteside posted 21 points 18 rebounds and two blocks leading host Miami to a win over Washington Whiteside helped the Heat enjoy a 62 46 edge in paint points Bradley Beal who scored a game high 33 points closed the Wizards deficit to 110 109 on a 3 pointer with 67 seconds left Beal added nine rebounds and seven assists in a stellar all around effort Miami s Justise Winslow converted from forward to point guard a couple of weeks ago when 2018 All Star Goran Dragic had knee surgery had a double double with 13 points and a game high 10 assists Nets 109 Grizzlies 100 D Angelo Russell totaled 23 points and 10 assists as visiting Brooklyn made enough plays down the stretch to record a victory over slumping Memphis Russell shot 7 of 16 from the floor and he amassed at least 20 points and 10 assists in consecutive games for the first time in his career He became the first Net to get at least 20 points and 10 assists in consecutive games since Deron Williams in the 2012 13 season Mike Conley led all scorers with 31 points after going scoreless for the first time in more than three years on Wednesday in a loss to the Detroit Pistons Conley shot 10 of 20 but his performance was not enough as Memphis lost its fourth straight and fell for the 11th time in 14 games Jazz 117 Cavaliers 91 Donovan Mitchell scored 18 points and Jae Crowder tallied 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter as Utah notched a victory over host Cleveland Ricky Rubio added 15 points while Rudy Gobert and Joe Ingles had 12 apiece for the Jazz who snapped a six game losing streak in Cleveland Dante Exum had 11 points as Kyle Korver and Derrick Favors each scored 10 points Gobert five and Favors three combined for eight of Utah s nine blocked shots
Alec Burks scored 17 points for the Cavaliers who dropped their eighth consecutive game and their 10 in their past 11 Field Level Media |
WMB | WTA roundup Pliskova into Brisbane final | Fifth seeded Karolina Pliskova advanced to her second career Brisbane International final with a 6 3 6 4 win over Donna Vekic of Croatia on Saturday in Australia I felt like I have control about everything I am doing said Pliskova who won here in 2017 Pliskova of the Czech Republic overcame a rough start to win in one hour and 20 minutes Vekic broke Pliskova for an early 2 1 lead before the former No 1 found her stride In the final Pliskova will face Ukraine s Lesia Tsurenko who stunned No 2 seed Naomi Osaka 6 2 6 4 in the other semifinal Pliskova has a 3 2 lead in her overall series against Tsurenko ASB Classic Teenage qualifier Bianca Andreescu is into her maiden final after stunning No 3 seed Su wei Hsieh 6 3 6 3 on Saturday in Auckland New Zealand The 18 year old Canadian who is 152nd in the WTA world rankings was coming off wins over top seed Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams NYSE WMB Andreescu will face No 2 seed Julia Goerges of Germany in the final Georges advanced with a 6 1 7 6 6 win over Viktoria Kuzmova in the other semifinal Shenzhen Open Top seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus rallied to beat American Alison Riske 4 6 7 6 2 6 3 to win her third career title in Shenzhen China
With play having been delayed two days earlier both Sabalenka and Riske had to win semifinal matches earlier in the day to set up the final Riske s third in the event Field Level Media |
WMB | NBA roundup Curry Warriors win 3 pointer battle with Kings | Stephen Curry connected on 10 3 pointers as part of a 42 point performance Saturday night helping the Golden State Warriors outlast the host Sacramento Kings 127 123 in a game that featured the most combined 3 pointers in NBA history The Warriors went 21 for 47 from beyond the arc while the Kings made a franchise record 20 in 36 attempts The 41 3 pointers were one more than the previous record of 40 set in a game last season between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland Cavaliers Curry who finished 14 for 26 from the field and 10 for 20 on 3 pointers scored 20 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter none bigger than a three point play off a Draymond Green assist that put Golden State ahead for good at 123 121 with 2 03 to go Kevin Durant backed Curry with 29 points and nine assists while Klay Thompson added 20 points Buddy Hield buried a career high eight 3 pointers in 13 attempts to account for most of his scoring on a 32 point night for the Kings Raptors 123 Bucks 116 Kawhi Leonard finished with 30 points six rebounds six assists and five steals as Toronto which was coming off a disappointing loss at San Antonio on Thursday defeated host Milwaukee Pascal Siakam added a career best 30 points for the Raptors Serge Ibaka finished with 25 points and nine rebounds and Fred VanVleet chipped in with 21 points as Toronto defeated the Bucks for the first time in three meetings this season Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 43 points and grabbed 18 rebounds for the Bucks who had won five in a row and six straight at home Trail Blazers 110 Rockets 101 Jusuf Nurkic scored 25 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as host Portland ended both Houston s six game winning streak and James Harden s five game run of scoring at least 40 points CJ McCollum scored 24 points and Damian Lillard contributed 17 points and 12 assists for the Trail Blazers Harden finished with 38 points after missing a layup in the closing seconds Austin Rivers scored 21 points and Clint Capela added 13 points and 21 rebounds for the Rockets who lost for only the third time in the last 11 meetings with the Blazers Nuggets 123 Hornets 110 Nikola Jokic had 39 points and 12 rebounds Paul Millsap scored 18 points and host Denver topped Charlotte Gary Harris added 17 off the bench for Denver which has won five straight and nine of its last 11 Kemba Walker led Charlotte with 20 points while Marvin Williams NYSE WMB Bismack Biyombo and Malik Monk scored 16 apiece Jazz 110 Pistons 105 Donovan Mitchell racked up 26 points five rebounds five assists and three steals and visiting Utah defeated Detroit Ricky Rubio contributed 18 points Joe Ingles had 16 and Derrick Favors added 13 for Utah The Jazz erased an early 18 point deficit Blake Griffin led Detroit with 34 points 10 rebounds and five assists Reggie Bullock supplied 19 points and Andre Drummond playing in his 500th career game had 15 points and 18 rebounds 76ers 106 Mavericks 100 Furkan Korkmaz buried a key 3 pointer with 1 34 remaining to stall a Dallas rally helping host Philadelphia hold on for the win Ben Simmons recorded a triple double with 20 points a game high 14 rebounds and a game high 11 assists while Joel Embiid provided a double double with a game high 25 points and 12 rebounds leading the 76ers to a third consecutive win despite the absence of Jimmy Butler who missed the game with an illness Wesley Matthews connected on four 3 pointers to account for a majority of his team high 18 points for the Mavericks Pelicans 133 Cavaliers 98 Jrue Holiday and Julius Randle scored 22 points each as visiting New Orleans handed reeling Cleveland its ninth consecutive loss Seven Pelicans scored in double figures Anthony Davis had 20 points and 10 rebounds Elfrid Payton scored 13 points and E Twaun Moore added 10 Randle also had 12 rebounds and eight assists Jordan Clarkson led the Cavaliers with 23 points Jalen Jones and Collin Sexton had 15 each Cedi Osman scored 13 and Tristan Thompson had 10 points and 11 rebounds Spurs 108 Grizzlies 88 Derrick White scored 19 points on 8 of 9 shooting from the floor and LaMarcus Aldridge added 18 points as San Antonio bested visiting Memphis to earn its fourth straight victory San Antonio led by 20 points at the half and by 88 66 after three quarters and survived a 14 0 run by Memphis early in the final quarter before cruising to its 12th win in the past 15 games Patty Mills added 15 points for the Spurs with DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl scoring 12 and 11 points respectively
Mike Conley led Memphis with 21 points while Jaren Jackson Jr and Dillon Brooks added 15 each for the Grizzlies Marc Gasol grabbed a game high 11 rebounds while JaMychal Green pulled down 10 boards Field Level Media |
WMB | Tennis Goerges rallies past teen Andreescu to retain Auckland title | WELLINGTON Reuters Defending champion Julia Goerges rallied from the brink of defeat to end Canadian teenager Bianca Andreescu s fairytale run at the Auckland Classic on Sunday The 30 year old German clinched a 2 6 7 5 6 1 victory on her third championship point when her exhausted opponent netted a backhand after an hour and 45 minutes on court Qualifier Andreescu ranked 152 in the world had beaten former world number ones Venus Williams NYSE WMB and Caroline Wozniacki on her way to the final but simply ran out of steam as Goerges battled back after falling a set behind Bianca gave me a hard time today and I m sure we re going to hear a lot more about her the world number 14 said after winning seventh career title I used my experience today and really went for it in the important moments Andreescu returned brilliantly to take the opener and led 5 4 in the second set despite struggling with a lower back problem that forced her to take an injury timeout My body is honestly a mess the 18 year old said At 5 4 in the second set it was really hard for me to stay in the moment I was like I m one game away from winning the tournament but Julia dominated at that point and started going for her shots Earlier on Sunday Roberto Bautista Agut joined fellow Qatar Open finalist Tomas Berdych in withdrawing from this week s men s tournament in Auckland The Spanish world number 24 who beat Czech Berdych 6 4 3 6 6 3 in the Doha final on Saturday would have been unable to get to New Zealand for the Australian Open warm up until Monday evening organizers said |
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