The death of George Floyd has sparked national outrage, with protests both peaceful and violent taking place in major American cities. Those feelings boiled over on May 25, the day Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after a police officer held Floyd down by the neck with his knee.Among the protests over the past week, many big and small businesses have been ransacked, with busted windows, stolen inventory and some storefronts even set on fire. In the corporate world, Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) has taken center stage.What Happened To George Floyd? On May 25, Floyd was arrested on the south side of Minneapolis for reportedly trying to use a fake $20 bill at a local deli. Officer Derek Chauvin, flanked by three other officers, pinned Floyd down by his neck for more than 8 minutes. In smartphone video capturing the arrest, Floyd can be heard yelling "I can't breathe."Floyd was declared dead at a local hospital shortly after arrival.The city erupted this week and it didn't take long for things to turn ugly. Amid the mostly peaceful marches and demonstration, local stores were looted. The one that seemed to capture the most attention on social media was a local Target store.What To Know About Target The Target we know today launched in Minnesota in 1962, and the corporate headquarters are located in Minneapolis.Target is one of the largest retailers in the country, with a market cap of over $62 billion. It's a shopping haven for middle-class families everywhere — that retail sweet spot between luxury and discount.The Target store that was looted may simply be a victim of circumstance — it's located across the street from the Minneapolis Police Department's third precinct — but it also may have a more symbolic meaning.An Easy Bullseye? "In 2004, Target donated $300,000 to the city's police department to set up surveillance cameras throughout downtown Minneapolis–reportedly covering a roughly 40-block radius–as part of its SafeZone Collaborative program," AdWeek's Monica Marie Zorrilla wrote."It later evolved into a nonprofit called the Downtown Improvement District, and while it no longer relies on Target's donations, Target still supports and hosts initiatives with police (like its decade-long Heroes and Helpers program).The store hit in Minneapolis was completely destroyed inside.> Here's the cleanup effort inside Target on Lake Street today. pic.twitter.com/apV49QPPbd> > — Taylor Lawson (@tay1aw) May 31, 2020Zorrilla spoke with local residents to try to better understand Target's history with the community."Locals suggested the Midway location may have been targeted because it sits in what used to be St. Paul's largest black neighborhood, Rondo, which served as a vibrant cultural and civil actions center for the Twin Cities' African American community for over a century before it was disrupted and decimated by the construction of an interstate highway," she wrote."Rondo residents resisted construction efforts between 1956 and 1968, but police forcibly removed them from their homes. By the time I-94 opened, the booming mixed-income neighborhood had been fractured, displacing thousands in a discriminatory housing market."How Is Target Responding? Target CEO Brian Cornell released a statement this week addressing the death of Floyd, as well as the company's near-term reaction."We are a community in pain. That pain is not unique to the Twin Cities — it extends across America. The murder of George Floyd has unleashed the pent-up pain of years, as have the killings of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. We say their names and hold a too-long list of others in our hearts. As a Target team, we've huddled, we've consoled, we've witnessed horrific scenes similar to what's playing out now and wept that not enough is changing. And as a team we've vowed to face pain with purpose."With protests breaking out from New York to California and many cities in between, Target announced the temporary closure Sunday of six stores nationally: two in Minneapolis, one in Chicago, one in Atlanta, one in Philadelphia and one in Oakland, California. The company said employees impacted by these closures will be paid for up to 14 days of scheduled hours during store closures and will have the option to work at other nearby Target locations."It's hard to see now, but the day will come for healing–and our team will join our hearts, hands and resources in that journey," Cornell said. "Even now, Target leaders are assembling community members, partners and local officials to help identify what more we can do together and what resources are required to help families, starting right here in Minnesota."> Spent my afternoon cleaning the Target store that was on Lake Street in Minneapolis. To see everyone coming together in solidarity, even a father and his small daughter joining in the clean up, really shows the spirit of our city. BlacklivesMaters JusticeForGeorgeFlyod pic.twitter.com/lpsuACsiSU> > — kali (@kmwhylan) May 31, 2020A man stands on a burned-out vehicle Thursday in the Lake Street area of Minneapolis. Photo by Lorie Shaull via Wikimedia. See more from Benzinga * 'I Was Wrong': Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Sold B Of Airline Stock In April * Warren Buffett Praises Fauci After Berkshire Hathaway Posts Record Loss Amid Coronavirus Pandemic * Elon Musk Calls Bay Area's Shelter-In-Place Order 'Fascist' In Vulgar Conference Call Rant(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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Stock futures opened lower Sunday evening, dropping against a backdrop of protracted protests in some of the nation’s largest cities, many of which had already been struggling to reopen amid the coronavirus outbreak.

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(Bloomberg) — U.S. stock futures fell as investors weighed the violent protests in some American cities that have stoked concerns about a reacceleration in infection rates and a damper on the economic recovery.The yen and gold edged up. S&P 500 futures opened lower. With Amazon scaling back deliveries and Apple closing some stores Sunday, investors are gauging how violence over the weekend will affect the reopening of the world’s largest economy. Crude oil fell. China’s markets will be taking in President Donald Trump’s latest barrage of China criticism, which stopped short of tough sanctions over Hong Kong.Traders on Monday will also take stock of a slew of manufacturing PMIs due, including from South Korea and Taiwan, after Chinese data over the weekend showed a continued bumpy recovery. The demonstrations in the U.S. could add another layer of complexity after a two-month rally in global equities from March lows.“The reopening could be disrupted and that can affect local state economies that just began to emerge from the pandemic,” said Ben Emons, managing director for global macro strategy at Medley Global Advisors.Here are some key events coming up:Australia’s central bank is expected to keep its main policy programs unchanged on Tuesday. So too is the case for Canada, which has options to add stimulus but will probably stand pat on Wednesday to allow more time to evaluate the progress of policy action.In Europe, the ECB is expected to top up its rescue program with an additional 500 billion euros of asset purchases. Anything less than an expansion at Thursday’s meeting would be a big shock, Bloomberg Economics said.The U.S. labor market report on Friday will probably show American unemployment soared to 19.6% in May, the highest since the 1930s.These are the main moves in markets:StocksFutures on the S&P 500 Index declined 0.8% as of 7:04 a.m. in Tokyo. The index climbed 0.5% on Friday.Futures on Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.1% on Friday, when Hang Seng futures advanced 0.6%. Futures on Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index slid 0.4%.CurrenciesThe yen rose 0.1% to 107.69 per dollar.The euro bought $1.1119, up 0.2%.The offshore yuan was steady at 7.1361 per dollar.The Australian dollar slid 0.1% to 66.58 U.S. cents.BondsThe yield on 10-year Treasuries fell four basis points to 0.65% on Friday.CommoditiesWest Texas Intermediate crude fell 1.7% to $34.90 a barrel.Gold rose 0.3% to $1,736.52.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.

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In this article you are going to find out whether hedge funds think Evofem Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:EVFM) is a good investment right now. We like to check what the smart money thinks first before doing extensive research on a given stock. Although there have been several high profile failed hedge fund picks, the consensus picks […]

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The latest 13F reporting period has come and gone, and Insider Monkey is again at the forefront when it comes to making use of this gold mine of data. We at Insider Monkey have plowed through 821 13F filings that hedge funds and well-known value investors are required to file by the SEC. The 13F […]

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Journal Editorial Report: But will the Republicans offer an alternative? Image: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

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