Welcome to Bloomberg’s Retail Monitor . Every Friday we’ll deliver you clear insights on industry trends, headwinds and emerging opportunities. Sign up now if you’re not already on the list. This week, we’ve got our eye on the Starbucks CEO , who’s trying to execute a turnaround under some tough circumstances. Estée Lauder is considering a deal that’s not getting a whole lot of support. We’ve also...
Welcome to Bloomberg’s Retail Monitor . Every Friday we’ll deliver you clear insights on industry trends, headwinds and emerging opportunities. Sign up now if you’re not already on the list. This week, we’ve got our eye on the Starbucks CEO , who’s trying to execute a turnaround under some tough circumstances. Estée Lauder is considering a deal that’s not getting a whole lot of support. We’ve also got a wardrobe change at Target , a possible Babylist IPO on the horizon and young cruise influencers . Check it all out here... — Tonya Garcia Market Snapshot Starbucks Corp $91.22 -1.6% Estee Lauder Cos Inc/The $69.75 -4.6% H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB $170.15 -0.4% Macy's Inc $18.49 -0.1% On Holding AG $32.11 -8.7% Market data as of 09:05 AM ET. Data is subject to provider delays. Expectations for Starbucks’ CEO confront reality Brian Niccol was considered a “dream hire” when Starbucks announced that he was taking the CEO role. The stock popped, analysts gushed, investors swooned. He led a turnaround at Chipotle. Now the coffee chain was offering him a pay package totaling a whopping $113 million to put it on a winning path. A year and a half later, there’s still confidence in his ability to stage a turnaround — results are showing signs of growth. But the massive enthusiasm has subsided. Analysts have realized, much to their surprise, that the challenges Starbucks faces run deeper than what may have been previously understood. And steering a large company into an about-face takes time. But to add to that, Starbucks finds itself trying to execute a turnaround amid an extraordinary level of uncertainty that’s impacting businesses across the consumer space. In its most recent earnings, department store retailer Macy’s cautioned about the impact of tariffs and conflict in the Middle East. And at airports, where Starbucks is a fixture, passengers who would normally go through security and then get a venti jolt of caffeine are waiting for hours on security lines due to the part...
Google released its TurboQuant AI memory compression algorithm, which is designed to reduce the memory requirements of large AI models. The announcement has raised new questions about long term AI memory demand for suppliers such as Micron Technology (NasdaqGS:MU). Memory stocks, including Micron, sold off as investors reassessed whether memory will remain the main bottleneck for AI workloads. At ...
Google released its TurboQuant AI memory compression algorithm, which is designed to reduce the memory requirements of large AI models. The announcement has raised new questions about long term AI memory demand for suppliers such as Micron Technology (NasdaqGS:MU). Memory stocks, including Micron, sold off as investors reassessed whether memory will remain the main bottleneck for AI workloads. At the same time, SK Hynix is preparing a U.S. ADR listing and expanding capacity, signaling more...
Escalation On All Fronts As Mediators Say Iran Hasn't Requested Pause On US Energy Strikes Summary No pause from Tehran, war footing deepens: Iran denies requesting Donald Trump’s 10-day halt Escalation on all fronts: IRGC HQ targeted by US-Israsel; Iran signals expansion by naming UAE targets, hitting Kuwait ports and sending drones on Riyadh Israel doubles down amid reports of manpower strain: I...
Escalation On All Fronts As Mediators Say Iran Hasn't Requested Pause On US Energy Strikes Summary No pause from Tehran, war footing deepens: Iran denies requesting Donald Trump’s 10-day halt Escalation on all fronts: IRGC HQ targeted by US-Israsel; Iran signals expansion by naming UAE targets, hitting Kuwait ports and sending drones on Riyadh Israel doubles down amid reports of manpower strain: IDF chief warns of manpower pressure even as Defense Minister Katz vows to "intensify and expand" strikes . Risk rises that Iran is holding back more advanced missiles for a prolonged war: WSJ writes "The US and Israel are pounding Iran’s missile-launching sites... But Tehran’s missiles keep flying." * * * Iran Didn't Request Trump's 10-Day Pause: WSJ Iran has not requested a 10-day pause on strikes on its energy plants, peace talk mediators have been cited in WSJ as saying, and has still not issued formal response to the 15-point US plan delivered via Pakistan. This as the Pentagon is moving thousands of Marines and Army Airborne soldiers into the region. The Wall Street Journal points out that "The U.S. and Israel are pounding Iran’s missile-launching sites, hitting some over and over across almost a month of war. But Tehran’s missiles keep flying." One pundit questions, are we 'winning' yet?... writing the following brief assessment of where things stand: IRGC Joint Staff headquarters under US-Israeli strikes. Iran naming UAE targets as Abu Dhabi enters the war. IDF Chief of Staff warning publicly the Israeli military could "collapse" from manpower shortages. Iran claiming over one million fighters mobilised with IRGC lowering the age for support roles to 12. Pentagon considering 10,000 additional ground troops within striking distance of Kharg. Trump pausing energy-plant destruction for 10 days until April 6. Iran denying it requested the pause. Houthis warning they will enter the war. Lavrov saying the quiet part: “Iran did not violate any of its international obligatio...
Wachiwit/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Sony ( SONY ) has raised prices for the PlayStation 5 console worldwide as the Japanese conglomerate aims to offset high costs associated with sourcing memory chips due to the artificial intelligence boom and navigates a tumultuous macroeconomic landscape. The company has hiked prices for the standard and the digital versions of the console by $100, while...
Wachiwit/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Sony ( SONY ) has raised prices for the PlayStation 5 console worldwide as the Japanese conglomerate aims to offset high costs associated with sourcing memory chips due to the artificial intelligence boom and navigates a tumultuous macroeconomic landscape. The company has hiked prices for the standard and the digital versions of the console by $100, while the pro edition, which has a much higher performance capacity, will cost $150 more. The price for the PlayStation Portal, the handheld gadget that streams PS5 games from the console, will go up by $50. All price changes will be effective April 2. "With continued pressures in the global economic landscape, we’ve made the decision to increase the prices of PS5, PS5 Pro, and PlayStation Portal remote player globally," said Isabelle Tomatis, vice president, global marketing, Sony Interactive Entertainment. "We know that price changes impact our community, and after careful evaluation, we found this was a necessary step to ensure we can continue delivering innovative, high-quality gaming experiences to players worldwide." Earlier this month, analysts at Bernstein cut Sony's rating to “market perform” from “outperform” and pointed out that due to the rapid rise of AI memory demand, supply shortage issues are unlikely to be addressed anytime soon, which would be hurting PlayStation 5 hardware margins. More on Sony Sony Group Corporation (SONY) Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Sony Group Corporation 2026 Q3 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation Sony Group: A Joint Venture With TCL Looks Promising, But I'm Still Cautious Honda and Sony halt development of their joint electric vehicle Epic Games cuts 1,000 jobs as Fortnite engagement falls
Lesotho is seeking to open talks with South Africa over royalties and compensation for a water-sharing deal that accounts for about 10% of its economy. The nation, encircled by South Africa, sees talks starting in April, Lesotho’s Natural Resources Minister Mohlomi Moleko said in an interview. South Africa’s Department of Water and Sanitation didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on t...
Lesotho is seeking to open talks with South Africa over royalties and compensation for a water-sharing deal that accounts for about 10% of its economy. The nation, encircled by South Africa, sees talks starting in April, Lesotho’s Natural Resources Minister Mohlomi Moleko said in an interview. South Africa’s Department of Water and Sanitation didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on the talks. The negotiations over the 1986 accord will weigh on the 53 billion rand ($3.1 billion) Lesotho Highlands Water Project. The conduit is vital for South Africa, which is overhauling its dilapidated infrastructure to end a water crisis challenging the continent’s most-industrialized nation. “We have to go back and look at the impact of compensation,” Moleko said. “If you give somebody compensation, you don’t want the person’s life to be a worse off. It has to be higher. So we are going to revisit that.” Lesotho officials say the terms no longer reflect current economic conditions or development priorities. Johannesburg Needs $3.9 Billion Water Infrastructure Overhaul A $3 Billion Plan to Bring Water to Johannesburg Hits Snag Johannesburg to Tap Mountain Reservoir as Water Supplies Fall At the center is a 50-year compensation framework expiring in 2044: royalties are currently tied to South Africa’s cost savings before shifting to a system based largely on water volumes. The project has expanded well beyond its original scope. Since the completion of the Katse Dam in 1996, Lesotho now supplies about 780 million cubic meters of water annually, earning about $220 million in royalties. A new dam and transfer tunnel under construction since 2023 will push supply above 1 billion cubic meters. “These dams could have been built in South Africa,” Moleko said, adding that the review will assess whether returns adequately benefit the nation. The plan is critical to water security in South Africa’s Gauteng economic hub, giving Lesotho leverage as it pushes for revised terms.
In an ideal world, taxes would disappear for people in retirement. In reality, they can be a huge burden for older Americans, even among folks whose incomes go down once they stop working. There's one move in particular, though, to consider this year if you want to reduce your tax burden throughout retirement. And it could have more benefits than you'd think. Image source: Getty Images. Continue r...
In an ideal world, taxes would disappear for people in retirement. In reality, they can be a huge burden for older Americans, even among folks whose incomes go down once they stop working. There's one move in particular, though, to consider this year if you want to reduce your tax burden throughout retirement. And it could have more benefits than you'd think. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Madrigal (MDGL) saw its shares surge in the last session with trading volume being higher than average. The latest trend in earnings estimate revisions may not translate into further price increase in the near term.
Madrigal (MDGL) saw its shares surge in the last session with trading volume being higher than average. The latest trend in earnings estimate revisions may not translate into further price increase in the near term.