Business News

Wall Street analysts this week named a variety of stocks they believe offer quality and tremendous upside potential as investors try to navigate an uncertain market. These companies are attractively valued according to analysts and have many positive catalysts in the coming months. CNBC Pro combed through top Wall Street research to find stocks analysts say are in overdrive. These include Home Depot, Lowes, Vizio, Forge Global, CrowdStrike, and Northrop Grumman. Vizio Stephens analyst Nicholas Zangler has doubled shares of the TV maker. Zangler said in a note earlier this week that Vizio is a top idea and gave 20 reasons why. “The company’s 20+ year history, respected brand name and deep, long-standing relationships with key retailers have cemented a consistent ~15% market share position among TV OEMs,” he said. Vizio holds the number one shelf stake at Walmart and Target, according to Zangler, and has important relationships with Best Buy and Costco. Shelf share is the brand exposure that a product has in a store. The company went one step further, noting that even Amazon’s smart TV probably can’t compete with Vizio. “We believe that Amazon has lost its position and the company’s CTV (connected TV) operating system is losing market share over time,” Zangler said. Vizio, which went public in March 2021, also boasts a burgeoning advertising business with plenty of room for growth, he added. Zangler said companies like Vizio that control their own ecosystems are likely to emerge as winners. “Vizio is a TV hardware/CTV OS software pure play with unique positioning,” he said. Shares are up 5% over the past month. Forge Global The private markets trading and data platform company was awarded a market outperform rating by investment firm JMP Securities earlier this week. Forge’s shares are down 62% this year, but analyst Devin Ryan says the stock is too cheap to ignore. Forge went public during its merger with a SPAC in December 2020. “Forge is building a highly differentiated, technology-enabled marketplace that we believe is well positioned to capitalize on strong secular tailwinds and support long-term private market growth,” said Ryan. JMP highly praised Forge, comparing it to financial services firm Charles Schwab. Ryan said that while Schwab is focused on the public markets, Forge is building a “one-stop shop” for private markets investors. Many companies stay in the private market longer, too, Ryan added, and that makes Forge’s growth moat pretty big. Ryan noted that Forge comes from a very strong competitive position. The company’s dataset is also nearly second to none, as private market data is hard to come by, according to the company. “Data on the private markets has historically been difficult to source and access, but Forge’s history and relationships in this space uniquely position it to provide high-quality data,” wrote JMP. CrowdStrike shares ended the week lower, but at least one Wall Street analyst says the stock still has plenty of upside potential. “Robust cross-selling momentum continues to fuel growth,” Bank of America analyst Tal Liani said after CrowdStrike’s second-quarter results. CrowdStrike’s subscriber numbers remain impressive, Liani wrote, and retention was even higher than management anticipated. “Underlying demand for core offerings as well as emerging products remains strong, with ARR (annual recurring revenue) for this category growing 129% year over year to $219 million,” he said. According to the analyst, other catalysts are international expansion and “increased acceptance of identity and cloud security modules”. Collectively, CrowdStrike offers best-in-class exposure to the sector. “CrowdStrike’s platform is one of the few 100% cloud-based architectures and is uniquely positioned to displace incumbent vendors with its platform breadth, including advanced detection and remediation capabilities,” he wrote. Home Depot and Lowe’s – Atlantic Equities, Rating Overweight “Further evidence of the sector’s unique positioning. Robust 3-year comp trends from Home Depot (HD) and Lowe’s (LOW), despite cautious comments from multiple vendors, point to the companies’ unique position as diversified home improvement retailers primarily serving demand for large-scale projects and repair and maintenance activities are suspended. … . The current risk/reward ratio is therefore attractive and we reiterate our Overweight rating.” Northrop Grumman – RBC, Outperform rating “Space, strategic systems are driving upside and positive sentiment. We believe NOC’s strong position in the aerospace and strategic markets among leading defense companies is uniquely positioned to outpace industry growth… We expect industry fundamentals and execution to support elevated expectations… NOC is best positioned to benefit from the recapitalization of the US Vizio-Stephens, Buyer’s Review “VIZIO is a uniquely positioned TV hardware/CTV operating system software at its purest…. The company’s 20+ year history, renowned brand name and deep, long-standing relationships with key retailers have solidified stable market share p position of ~15% among TV OEMs. ….We believe Amazon has lost its position and the company’s CTV operating system is losing market share over time.” Forge Global Holdings – JMP, Market Outperform Rating “Forge is building a highly differentiated, technology-enabled marketplace that we believe in that it is well positioned to benefit from strong secular tailwinds and support private markets growth over the long term. … .Ultimately, similar to Schwab in the public markets, we believe that Forge is building a one-stop service provider for private market participants … .Data in the private markets has historically been difficult to source and access, but Forge is uniquely positioned to provide high-quality data given its history and relationships in space.” CrowdStrike – Bank of America, Rating Buy “Robust cross-selling dynamics continue to drive growth. … .Underlying demand for core offerings and post new products remains strong, with ARR for this category ending growing 129% yoy to $219 mn….CrowdStrike’s platform is one of the few 100% cloud-based architectures and is uniquely positioned to to oust incumbents with their platform breadth, including advanced detection and remediation capabilities….Favorite the ers CrowdStrike’s top-tier subscription growth and net retention rates and expect the company’s SaaS model and new offerings to deliver sustained high growth as the company invests to gain market share.”

• Alice Everdeen, 31, worked 60-hour weeks as a content manager for a supplement company.
• She decided to quit two years ago to pursue her part-time voiceover job full-time, CNBC reported.
• Everdeen is now making up to $15,000 a month despite working far fewer hours.

Loading Something is loading.

A millennial who hated her unfulfilling job at a company decided two years ago to quit and pursue her sideline full-time as a voice actress.

Alice Evergreen, 31, told CNBC Make It that making just $42,000 a year working a 60-hour week as a content manager for a supplement company doesn’t make her happy.

She works fewer hours and now makes way more voiceovers for clients like Amazon, Southwest Airlines, and OnlyFans. CNBC reviewed documents showing she made $102,000 last year.

“I would say [I work] about 3 to 5 hours a day,” Everdeen told the broadcaster.

She also renovated a school bus with her husband so they could travel across the United States. She told CNBC she put the extra money she earned into the modifications and they plan to begin their journey next week.

“We feel like we’ve made it by our standards as adults,” Everdeen said. “We want to follow our dreams and not what we are told.”

In recent weeks, “quiet quitting” gained traction after Insider published a story on “Coasting Culture” earlier this year about the idea of ​​setting work-life boundaries while collecting a paycheck.

Evergreen told CNBC she learned how to set hard boundaries to avoid exhaustion and complacency years ago when she worked as a producer for MSNBC and put in a lot of overtime.

“It’s not good if I want to stay at work longer. It means I distract myself and not deal with what’s going on. I realized that when I’m not feeling fulfilled in life, I put myself into my work,” she told CNBC.

Evergreen said she relies on the freelancer platform Fiverr for 80% of her income and sometimes searches for jobs there at night. “I used to get notifications from Fiverr, and when the noise went off, it triggered this dopamine release in my brain where I was like, ‘Money!'”

However, she said working fewer hours doesn’t mean she’s less passionate: “It took a long time to learn how to let go of what doesn’t matter. Paying $4,000 a month rent and then working 60 hours a week isn’t what I want to do.”

A Brazilian fisherman survived 11 days in his freezer after watching his ship sink.

Romualdo Macedo Rodrigues, 44, had to find a solution quickly when he saw his boat taking on water, according to the HuffingtonPost.

After inspecting his freezer and noting that there were no cracks, he decided to jump in and try to survive as long as possible.

O pescador Romualdo Macedo Rodrigues ficou 11 dias à deriva em um freezer no meio do Atlântico após o barco dele naufragar. O resgate ocorreu por navegantes que encontraram o eletrodoméstico boiando no mar, ja no Suriname.#UOL

📹Reproduction pic.twitter.com/a1caYdMRfe

— UOL (@UOL) September 1, 2022

“When I saw that there was no way out, I grabbed the freezer and left,” says the fisherman on the series Domingo Espetacular

The Brazilian press estimated it would have drifted for 11 days and traveled more than 450 kilometers before being fished by a group of Surinamese fishermen.

He would have survived in that freezer with no water and no food in the middle of the Atlantic.

The E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce from Wendy’s fast food restaurants has spread to New York and Kentucky, parts of six states where the disease has been detected.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are at least 97 reported cases in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky and New York. More than half of the infections are in Michigan.

“The actual number of sick people in this outbreak is likely higher than the reported number, and the outbreak may not be limited to states with known diseases,” the CDC warned in its statement.

Some cases had more serious consequences, including 43 people who were hospitalized. Most of the diseases occurred in Michigan, with only one each in New York and Kentucky.

Of the 97 reported cases, 43 people have been hospitalized and 10 have developed haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication that can lead to kidney failure. No deaths were reported, according to the CDC.

The outbreak has been linked to the restaurant chain’s romaine lettuce. Corbis via Getty Images

E. Coli is a bacterium that lives in the digestive tract of animals and humans, while most species are harmless, some can cause serious illnesses. Symptoms include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting. Some people experience high fevers and many develop life-threatening conditions.

On August 21, Wendy’s removed the lettuce from its Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania restaurants. The CDC noted that Wendy’s uses a different type of romaine lettuce for salads than it does for its sandwiches.

Travelzoo Editor-in-Chief Gabe Saglie discusses flight protection for travelers in the event of a cancellation or delay to Cavuto: Coast to Coast.

Hundreds of flights by major US airlines were delayed ahead of the Labor Day holiday.

There were 2,000 delays within, to or from the US and 118 cancellations as of Saturday, according to cancellation tracker FlightAware.

This tally includes 567 delayed flights by Southwest Airlines, 256 by American Airlines, 185 by Delta Air Lines, 129 by JetBlue Airways and 165 by United Airlines.

These delays come as the American Automobile Association forecasts that about 32% of Americans will be traveling this Labor Day weekend.

WORKINGDAY HOLIDAY FLIGHTS WILL COST 20% MORE THIS YEAR, REPORT SAYS

FILE PHOTO: A Southwest Airlines plane flies past the U.S. Capitol before landing at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, USA January 24, 2022. (Portal/Joshua Roberts/File Photo / Portal Photos)

The association predicts this will be the busiest Labor Day travel weekend in three years and will reach pre-pandemic status, according to Fox Weather.

After months of frustrating cancellations and delays, the Department of Transportation announced Thursday that it had rolled out an airline customer service dashboard, prompting “significant changes” at all but one of the top 10 US airlines.

An electronic arrivals board displays a canceled Southwest Airlines flight from Philadelphia to travelers at Denver International Airport as the Labor Day holiday approaches on Tuesday, August 30, 2022 in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski / AP Newsroom)

“Passengers deserve transparency and clarity about what to expect from an airline when there is a cancellation or disruption,” Transportation Sec said. Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “This dashboard gathers that information in one place so travelers can easily understand their rights, compare airline practices, and make informed decisions.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT FOX BUSINESS

“The ministry will continue to support passengers and hold airlines accountable for meeting their customer obligations,” he promised.

Previous summer cancellations have been attributed to staff shortages, particularly among airline pilots.

Travelers queue at Denver International Airport’s southern security checkpoint as the Labor Day holiday approaches on Tuesday, August 30, 2022 in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski / AP Newsroom)

While federal officials have accused airlines of understaffing, airlines have pointed to staffing problems at the Federal Aviation Administration.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

The cancellation rate has increased by about a third compared to the same point in 2019.

The rate of delayed flights has increased by almost a quarter.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

By Ag Metal Miner – September 02, 2022 2:00pm CDT

• Due to the ongoing energy crisis, stainless steel plants are closing across Europe.
• Around three million tons of European stainless steel capacities are at risk.
• This kind of “commodity” spacing is far from ideal.

Stainless steel prices continue to struggle as we approach the final quarter of the year. Meanwhile, nickel prices are hovering just above their 2021 average, closing August at $21,320/mt. Both indices appear to be pointing to an overly cautious market, with buyers and sellers seemingly waiting to see what the other will do.

This kind of “commodity” spacing is far from ideal. MetalMiner has recommended that flat-rolled stainless steel buyers expect lower transaction prices as we head into the fall. Finally, alloy surcharges are low and competition between service centers is greater. In fact, many US flat mills have no customers on offer due to imports affecting overall supply.

Yet the battle between supply and demand is an endless one. And in a tight market full of people looking to maximize their dollar, anything can happen.

Stainless steel plants are closing across Europe

What would happen if the stainless steel market suddenly lost millions of tons of production? We don’t have to wait long to find out the answer because it’s already happening. At the end of August, more and more reports came in about European stainless steel producers who had to scale back their production or stop it altogether.

Of course, Europe faces a catastrophic energy crisis. While many economists remain focused on the coming winter, Putin’s retaliatory gas shutdown has already done a lot of damage. So far, around three million tons of European stainless steel capacity are at risk. With rising energy costs, many businesses simply cannot afford to “leave the lights on,” so to speak.

At the beginning of August, the Belgian Aperam mill closed its mill in Genk. Soon after, they reduced production at their Chatelet mill. The Spanish company Acrinox recently announced that it would cut production and put around 85% of its employees on short-time work. Obviously all eyes are now on other big European manufacturers, many of whom have just as much incentive to cut and run.

By AG Metal Miner

Other top reads from Oilprice.com:

Download the free Oilprice app today

Back to home page

The Queen of Pop posted a video titled “50 Questions with Madonna” to her YouTube channel on Tuesday, and in the six-minute clip, she answered all sorts of questions while strolling the grounds of her mansion.

When asked, “When I think about it, what decision did you make, maybe wasn’t the best idea?” She bluntly replied, “Getting married…both times.”

The American singer was married to Oscar winner Sean Penn between 1985 and 1989 and to British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, father of their 22-year-old son Rocco, between 2000 and 2008.

In her video, Madonna answered many of the questions she was asked with “sex,” including her biggest sin, her zodiac sign, her “current favorite obsession,” her mantra, and her secret to success.

In her Q&A session, Madonna also said she had dreams of “working with Britney again” after their 2003 Me Against the Music collaboration, that if she hadn’t gotten into music, she would have become a teacher, and that Like A Prayer is her favorite song to perform.

The 64-year-old star also called Rebel Heart the most stressful album to make as it had “too many guest spots”, called Die Another Day the most difficult music video to make as she had to learn to fencing, and replied: ” my six amazing kids,” when asked what she’s most proud of. In addition to Rocco, Madonna is also the mother of Lourdes (25), David (16), Mercy (16) and twins Stelle and Estere (10).

The biggest story in America that almost nobody talks about continues: Real wages and workers’ living standards are falling.

Today’s jobs report indicates that real wages fell by 3.3% last year. Americans are getting poorer by the day, with President Joe Biden and Congressional Democrats at the helm — a stark contrast to the strong wage growth they experienced during the Trump administration. This embarrassing trend anathemas to Americans’ birthright to ever-improving quality of life. It needs to be covered this Labor Day weekend.

As usual, the White House pointed to top-line job creation, which has slowed over the past month, and the unemployment rate, which has risen to 3.7%, to pretend the job market is in great shape. But these figures overlook low labor force participation. The labor force participation rate is still one percentage point below its pre-pandemic peak and has only returned to March 2022 levels in the past month. (RELATED: SHEFFIELD: As Biden blames others for his failures, the American economy continues its nosedive)

If we apply the pre-pandemic employment rate to today’s working-age population, we find that 2.7 million fewer Americans are in the labor force. If these people on the fringes of employment were counted as unemployed, the unemployment rate would be around 40% higher than today’s rate suggests.

In addition to misleading reporting of Biden’s “strong” job market, the mainstream media this Labor Day long weekend will be filled with editorials championing Democrats’ counterproductive labor policy proposals. These include a $15 federal minimum wage, restrictions on independent contracting, and increased unionization through unfair PRO Act policies like card checks.

Little or no mention is made of the overarching theme dominating discussions around kitchen tables and barbecue grills this weekend: Americans continue to fall behind as historic inflation sweeps wages.

To reduce runaway inflation, boost real wages and pull the economy out of recession, policymakers must commit to reviving small business economies. More new and expanding businesses will increase the supply of goods and services needed to bring prices down and accelerate wages and economic growth.

Unfortunately, policy makers are working at cross purposes towards this goal. Last week, the Biden administration announced a student loan bailout that will bring nearly $1 trillion to the economy and fuel the inflationary fire. (The Job Creators Network Foundation is currently evaluating their legal options to block this illegal, unfair and counterproductive action.)

Congress recently passed the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act, which increases taxes on small businesses and doubles the size of the Internal Revenue Service to harass them with audits. The nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that most of the tax revenue in the bill will be paid indirectly by those earning less than $400,000 a year — small business’s top customers — as businesses are forced to pay higher taxes in the form of higher taxes pass on prices.

And Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell appears to be completely ignoring the importance of fiscal policy in curbing inflation. In his speech last week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, he didn’t even mention how economic growth, reckless government spending, tax increases and energy policies can affect rising prices.

Powell, Congress and the Biden administration need to think beyond the primitive tool of raising interest rates to fight inflation. Higher interest rates hurt small businesses by making access to credit more expensive.

Even Powell urged companies to prepare for “some pain.” To reduce inflation without worsening the ongoing recession, Congress and the Biden administration must find smart, small-business-friendly fiscal solutions.

Step One: Put the inflationary student loan bailout on hold. Step Two: Make the small business tax cuts permanent in the Tax Cuts and Employment Act. Its immediate spending provision, which allows small businesses to write off all purchases in full, expires at the end of this year. A new analysis from the Tax Foundation concludes that immediate spending boosts economic growth, capital accumulation and jobs — just what the economy needs right now.

Don’t hold your breath. Never has there been a clearer gulf between the problems facing ordinary Americans and those addressed by Congress and the mainstream media.

Alfredo Ortiz is President and CEO of Job Creators Network.

The views and opinions expressed in this comment are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available free of charge to any eligible news publisher capable of reaching large audiences. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].