Category: Stock Market

(Bloomberg Opinion) — Just as some U.S. states begin to reopen and try to mend the virus-stricken economy, Warren Buffett delivered a harsh reminder that things may be anything but normal for a long time.The crisis has spooked America’s forever optimist so much so that he’s fled the airline industry entirely, and now even certain automobile and banking stocks, according to a regulatory filing Friday detailing Berkshire Hathaway Inc.’s investing moves for the first quarter. This included dumping 84% of Berkshire’s stake in Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and reducing its JPMorgan Chase & Co. position by 3%. Buffett, 89, said proudly just two weeks ago that he thinks “nothing can stop America,” but it’s getting harder to believe him. While Buffett made his about-face on airlines known during Berkshire’s atypically morose shareholder meeting two weekends ago, the near-exit of Goldman was the latest shocker. Shares of the investment bank dipped 2% in late trading and are down more than 25% for the year. Occasionally, some big Berkshire investment decisions have been made by Buffett’s deputies, Todd Combs and Ted Weschler; however, Buffett said exiting airlines was his call, and it’s fair to assume that selling all that Goldman stock wouldn’t happen without his blessing. Of course, we don’t know exactly when in the first quarter those sales were made, but they raise a red flag nonetheless.When it comes to banks, Berkshire itself is looking more and more like one as it sits on an ever-rising pile of cash. Its war chest stood at $137 billion as of March, and for what seems to be the first time ever, Buffett isn’t looking to spend it. “The cash position isn’t that huge when I look at the worst-case possibilities,” the billionaire told his virtual listeners on May 2 during the meeting, which was filmed from an empty Omaha auditorium that would normally be lined with some 40,000 of his devoted followers. Indeed, for one of the world’s most famous investors, he isn’t doing much investing lately. Still, Buffett did explain that the U.S. Federal Reserve’s extraordinary actions to help buoy financial markets are partly why he hasn’t been able to strike his usual sweetheart deals — like the Goldman stake he acquired during the 2008 financial crisis. Investors also may not have seen the worst of things yet; Buffett’s actions clearly suggest that he sees the possibility for further pain. If he saw buying opportunities, he’d be buying. The Fed even warned Friday in its financial-stability report that asset prices are “vulnerable to significant declines” if this public-health crisis worsens.Even if Buffett’s outlook for the coming months is quite bleak, there are some long-term holdings he seems comfortable holding onto: Berkshire’s sizable stakes in Apple Inc., American Express Co., Bank of America Corp., Coca-Cola Co. and Wells Fargo & Co. were all unchanged. That said, much has happened in the six weeks since the last quarter ended, so who knows.Buffett may always be America’s biggest cheerleader, but he’s an investor first and this is what that looks like. He’s also only an investor, as even he’ll admit, and only health officials can really say where we go from here. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Tara Lachapelle is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering the business of entertainment and telecommunications, as well as broader deals. She previously wrote an M&A column for Bloomberg News.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinionSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

from Yahoo Finance https://ift.tt/2z4Ze0j

The additional checks could be on the way, suggests Goldman Sachs.

from Yahoo Finance https://ift.tt/2YWJJSJ

Yahoo Finance’s Alexandra Canal breaks down the outlook for Disney+ as many remain bullish on the platform, with one analyst estimating that the streamer will surpass 200 million subscribers by 2025.

from Yahoo Finance https://ift.tt/2WZaumR

President Trump is getting his way, as many states begin to ease or entirely lift stay-at-home rules meant to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Yahoo Finance’s Rick Newman joins Jen Rogers, Myles Udland, and Akiko Fujita to discuss and gives this weeks Trump-o-meter reading.

from Yahoo Finance https://ift.tt/2yaoPEE

As more states begin to reopen, skepticism surrounding Abbott Laboratories’ coronavirus test and other companies’ antibody tests has risen on whether or not they are effect countermeasures for coronavirus. Yahoo Finance’s Anjalee Khemlani joins The Final Round to break down the latest news about the coronavirus.

from Yahoo Finance https://ift.tt/2AAd37l

from Yahoo Finance https://ift.tt/2LAKoBc

As you might know, Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:APDN) last week released its latest second-quarter, and things…

from Yahoo Finance https://ift.tt/3dRQnxL

(Bloomberg) — The House passed a $3 trillion Democratic economic stimulus bill Friday that Republicans and President Donald Trump have already rejected and isn’t likely to trigger bipartisan negotiations any time soon.The measure, passed 208-199, would give cash-strapped states and local governments more than $1 trillion while providing most Americans with a new round of $1,200 checks. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it should be the basis of talks with the GOP-controlled Senate and White House, which have called for a “pause” to allow earlier coronavirus recovery spending to work.“A horrible virus has made a vicious attack on the lives and livelihoods of the American people, and indeed on the life of our democracy,” Pelosi said on the House floor before the vote. “It’s always interesting to see how much patience some people have with the pain and suffering of other people.”Pelosi this week has repeatedly invoked Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who has said Congress will have to inject more fiscal stimulus into the economy to prevent a prolonged recession. The U.S. has more than 1.4 million coronavirus cases, and more than 86,000 have died.But Republicans also cite the Fed chief, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell saying Powell hasn’t explicitly said how quickly Congress must act. He and other Republicans have dismissed the House Democrats’ bill as a liberal wish list and are using it to attack Democrats, whom polls give an increasing chance of holding the House and taking the Senate in November’s election.“This is much more about political messaging than effective legislating,” Republican Representative Tom Cole of Oklahoma said.GOP members said some provisions don’t belong in a virus bill, such as reductions in immigration enforcement, providing stimulus checks to undocumented immigrants, money for the troubled U.S. Postal Service and a national requirement to hold elections by mail.Trump and Republican congressional leaders have acknowledged, however, that some sort of further economic stimulus will likely be necessary as the economy continues to shed jobs. The number of people filing for unemployment benefits since March now exceeds 36 million.“Phase four is going to happen but it’s going to happen in a much better way for the American people,” Trump old reporters Friday. He said he holds leverage over Democrats in any future talks.“We have all the cards because we have the cards of the American people. I know what they want,” the president said.House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said he anticipates another bill eventually.Senate to Evaluate“I would not wait for December,” McCarthy told reporters. “But I would not pass a bill without having any hearings, from the standpoint, without any feedback.”The Senate plans to ignore the House proposal next week, focusing instead on confirming Trump administration nominees. Aides say that in June, the chamber may consider legislation to give businesses protection from virus-related lawsuits, and that bill could be combined with some limited economic aid.McConnell said Thursday it will take time to evaluate the nearly $3 trillion in spending already enacted by Congress to combat the virus and its economic effects.“The chairman of the Fed is correct and we do anticipate having to act again at some point,” McConnell said in an interview on Fox News. “I do think though in terms of timing, the chairman of the Fed didn’t say how quickly, and we need to verify how we have done so far and make sure whatever mistakes we have made we don’t want to repeat.”Democratic QualmsA group of the most vulnerable Democrats in swing districts voted against the bill, arguing that they preferred a bipartisan approach to the virus.“I could not in good conscience vote to accept this Washington gamesmanship, or vote to approve unrelated wastes of taxpayer dollars, while Iowa sees its Covid-19 case rates climbing and parts of my district become a national hot spot,” said Iowa freshman Democrat Cindy Axne.Oklahoma’s Kendra Horn said in an interview that in addition to opposing the inclusion of provisions such as those on immigration, she objected to spending $3 trillion without committee hearings and being given an 1,800-page bill only three days before a vote.“I know there are many of us who are concerned about the size of this package and the scope that goes beyond direct response,” Horn said. “We need to have a transparent process that allows for bipartisan agreement.”Horn said Congress should work out a compromise bill focused on state and local aid, fixing small business loans and defeating the virus.SALT DeductionOther Democrats, though, backed Pelosi’s decision to expand the plan’s reach to include priorities such as eliminating the tax code’s cap on state and local deductions for individuals, as well as expanded employee-retention tax credits.But the speaker decided against several costly items sought by progressives including recurring stimulus payments to Americans linked to future unemployment. She said Congress could vote on more rounds of aid later if necessary.Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chairwoman Pramila Jayapal opposed the bill, citing its lack of funds to guarantee paychecks. She had proposed direct federal payments to employers to rehire furloughed workers.“At the core, our response from Congress must match the true scale of this devastating crisis. The Heroes Act — while it contains many important provisions — simply fails to do that,” Jayapal said in a statement.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

from Yahoo Finance https://ift.tt/2ybSqxy

The snub comes as Musk has sparred with officials in Alameda County over his plans to resume production at the Tesla plant there, which was stopped because of the coronavirus. Five members of California’s Employment Training Panel voted to reject the proposal and two voted for it, with one member absent, after discussing Musk’s tweets on Tesla’s reopening and media reports of layoffs at SpaceX’s Hawthorne, California headquarters in recent years.

from Yahoo Finance https://ift.tt/3bFvm7Q