CVS Health beat fourth-quarter earnings forecasts, but its long-term care business took a $2.2-billion hit out of the company's performance, and its initial 2019 forecast was weaker than expected. CEO Larry Merlo said in a prepared statement that 2019 would be "a year of transition" as the company integrates the health insurer Aetna, which it purchased in a roughly $69 billion deal last year.A federal judge is still evaluating the acquisition. Earnings adjusted for one-time items totaled $2.14 per share, as revenue jumped more than 12 per cent to $54.24 billion. Analysts expected earnings of $2.09 per share and $54.61 billion in revenue.

Allergan plc issued a statement in response to a letter from one of its public shareholders, Appaloosa, disagreeing with the latter’s request of a separation of Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chairman roles, both currently held by Brent Saunders. Read more...

As a result, the airline has announced an ‘operational emergency’ due to the unusual number of grounded jets. Generally, the company plans to have as many as 20 aircraft removed from service for unexpected maintenance issues every day.'Hundreds' is a different story altogether, and signals bigger problems at the airline. This means that the percentage of out-of-service aircrafts among its available fleet of about 750 Boeing 737s has been at least double the daily average. The airline has subsequently announced a re-haul of its mechanics to address the maintenance items and quickly return aircraft to service.

Walmart published an impressive FY19 fourth quarter earnings report, recording revenue growth of over 3.1% on a y-o-y basis. The company’s comparable-store sales recorded an impressive 4.2% growth rate on a y-o-y basis – an acceleration from the 3.4% growth achieved in Q3.This is good news for Walmart as it suggests greater growth in its online sales than Target, although not on an exact quarter to quarter comparison. Other peers like Costco’s (COST) e-commerce sales recorded 28% y-o-y growth, while Amazon's (AMZN) revenue from online stores recorded only 14% y-o-y increase in the fourth quarter. In short, Walmart is looking good in its e-commerce segment and time will reveal how well it can beat competition from Target, Costco and Amazon.

Putting an end to its long struggle in South America, Ford Motors on Wednesday announced its plan to stop selling heavy trucks in the region in near future. According to the company, the decision is in-line with its newly adopted restructuring plan, whereby the company would take steps to trim its operations and overhaul its business in less successful regions.The plan will likely take years to take shape and is expected to cost $11 billion. Ford is likely to stop commercial production at its Sao Bernardo do Campo plant in Brazil this year, and would stop selling the Cargo lineup, F-4000 and F-350 trucks along with the Fiesta compact car once it sells all its inventory. This is expected to result in a record pre-tax special item charges of about $460 million for the second largest U.S. automaker. The automaker has been long struggling in the South American vehicle market, but this move does not mean a total pullback.

The dollar on Wednesday recovered from the previous sessions’ roughly two-week lows to trade slightly higher on the day within narrow ranges as traders remained cautious ahead of the release of U.S. monetary policy minutes.READ MORE...

British workers’ pay growth maintained its fastest pace in a decade in late 2018 and job creation stayed strong, data showed, suggesting the labor market was buoyant ahead of Brexit as the broader economy slowed.READ MORE...

stocks were little changed on Wednesday as investors weighed the latest developments in trade talks between the United States and China, while waiting for minutes from the Federal Reserve’s January policy-setting meeting.READ MORE...

Owens Corning Inc. beat fourth quarter earnings expectations, and also bumped up its dividend. The insulation, roof and fiberglass composites producer raked in adjusted earnings $1.38 per share for the quarter ending in December, thereby edging past Wall Street consensus estimate of $1.21 per share.  The company’s group sales increased +6.2%% year-over-year to touch $1.7 billion in the quarter, and narrowly exceeded the consensus estimate of $1.6 billion. Owens Corning raised its quarterly dividend to 22 cents per share.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk expects that the electric car maker will have the technology needed to essentially operate vehicles without drivers by the end of the year. Read More...

Oil prices were around 2019 highs on Wednesday, propped up by supply cuts led by producer club OPEC and by U.S. sanctions on Iran and Venezuela. Read More...

The first batch of 5G phones is right around the corner, but Qualcomm is already preparing for the follow-up.It's introducing a Snapdragon X55 modem that should make 5G more viable in the real world. READ MORE...

Shareholders of beleaguered electric utility PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG) got a big break today.With Citigroup upgrading the bankrupt utility stock to "buy," PG&E shares are up 16.1% as of 12:20 p.m. EST -- and climbing. READ MORE...

Walmart (WMT), the world’s largest retailer, reported stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter results on Tuesday. Fourth-quarter adjusted earnings per share came in at $1.41, surpassing analysts’ estimates of $1.33. READ MORE...  

CNBC commentator and CEO of digital currency investment firm BKCM LLC, Brian Kelly, believes that, “Bitcoin is about 50 percent undervalued.” However, just because it is undervalued is not a good enough reason for it to move up.Kelly opines that due to extreme negative sentiment, he will not be surprised even if Bitcoin drops to $1,500. READ MORE...

A new study published by EnergySage and the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners has found that just 12 percent of solar panel installers in the U.S. have Tesla Powerwall in-home batteries to install.READ MORE...

Walmart on Tuesday reported earnings and revenue for the holiday quarter that topped analysts' expectations, as its e-commerce sales surged 43 percent thanks to more shoppers using its online grocery delivery service and spending more per trip.READ MORE...

Pledges from Beijing to buy more American goods and fix some economic structural issues are meaningless victories for the U.S. if Donald Trump's administration doesn't also create ways to enforce a trade agreement with China, according to a top official from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.READ MORE...

Jeld-Wen Holding Inc. shares jumped +13.25% mid-day Tuesday, on news of the company beating fourth-quarter earnings estimates. The wood window and door manufacturing company reported adjusted earnings of 41 cents a share in the quarter, higher than analysts’ expectation of 36 cents a share.The figure, however, was below analysts’ estimate of $1.1 billion. Despite some headwind from unfavorable foreign exchange rates, acquisitions helped to boost the company's revenue and earnings.

On Monday, streaming giant Netflix cancelled its two superhero shows—The Punisher and Jessica Jones—marking an end to the five-year licensing agreement with Disney-owned Marvel. This, however, does not mean that Netflix is getting rid of its superhero content, as confirmed by its recent launch of The Umbrella Academy—a story of estranged siblings with superhuman powers.Millarworld, a comic book company acquired by Netflix in 2017, will be developing its first superhero series for the streaming giant called the Jupiter’s Legacy. But will the end of contract with Disney prove costly for Netflix? Research reveals that licensed content has attracted more customers to Netflix than its original shows.