Sales & Marketing news

• Warren Buffett dumped his entire stake in General Electric (GE)

  14-08-2017 23:09 via feedproxy.google.com
  Berkshire Hathaway dumped its entire $315.4 million stake in General Electric in the second quarter, according to filings.
  The firm owned about 10.6 million shares in the company.
  GE just recently promoted John Flannery to CEO, as Jeff Immelt stood aside. Flannery was head of GE's healthcare business before being tapped for CEO. Flannery was able to take hold of the healthcare division and grow it into a $18 billion business as its helm. 
  Berkshire Hathaway disclosed it closed its GE
  
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• David Tepper dumps all his shares of Snap

  14-08-2017 23:04 via feedproxy.google.com
  Appaloosa Management, the $7 billion hedge fund founded by David Tepper, sold off all of its 100,000 shares of Snap, Inc. during the second quarter, according to regulatory documents filed Monday.
  The stake is valued at around $1.26 million based on Monday’s closing price.
  The New Jersey-based fund purchased the shares of Snap at some point between the company’s IPO on March 2 and the end of the first quarter on March 31.
  Depending on when Appaloosa purchased the shares, and whe
  
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• The entertainment industry could become 'the Netflix industry' (NFLX)

  14-08-2017 22:48 via feedproxy.google.com
  Shonda Rhimes' move to Netflix is bad for all of network TV, not just ABC.It's another signal that broadcast TV is seen by big creators as limiting and less lucrative.
  TV networks need to discover new talent, or risk losing more viewers – and ultimately advertisers.
  Shonda Rhimes isn't just good at making good TV.
  The creator of hits like "Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal" is really good at making true broadcast TV.
  And if more people like Rhimes decide they don't like that medium as much as
  
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• VanEck filed to launch a Bitcoin ETF a day after a senior exec at the $25 billion fund called it 'a fad'

  14-08-2017 22:40 via feedproxy.google.com
  VanEck, the $24.7 billion money manager, has filed to launch a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
  The move comes amid a meteoric appreciation of the cryptocurrency's price.
  A day before filing with the SEC, a portfolio manager at the firm called bitcoin "a fad."
  A nearly 70-year-old financial giant appears to be warming up to the cryptocurrency space as the price of Bitcoin continues to hit new records.
  VanEck, the New York-based money manage
  
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• David Tepper pumped $520 million into Alibaba (BABA)

  14-08-2017 22:34 via feedproxy.google.com
  David Tepper's Appaloosa fund added a large stake in Alibaba in the second quarter.
  The fund added 3.69 million shares valued at $520.5 million, making it one of the top positions held by the fund.
  Alibaba has been a popular bet this quarter. Shares are up 74.48% this year and other funds, like Daniel Loeb's Third Point, have added positions in the company in the second quarter.
  Appaloosa also added positions in a Nasdaq 100 ETF from PowerShares and a Nasdaq Biotech ETF from iShares.
  
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• One eye-popping chart explains the state of retail jobs

  14-08-2017 22:33 via feedproxy.google.com
  Retail has seen quite the shake-up amid the rise of Amazon and other online distributors.
  The demand for "traditional" retail jobs — such as cashiers in malls — is drying up as companies continue to close physical stores.
  At the same time, more jobs are available in non-store retail positions (think: Amazon and others) as consumers transition to online shopping. However, those jobs only partially offset the other losses.
  The trend is well illustrated in a chart shared by Be
  
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• STOCKS RALLY: Here's what you need to know

  14-08-2017 22:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  Stocks rallied on Monday following the second-worst week of the year in which the S&P 500 fell 1.4%. 
  Here's the scoreboard: 
  Dow: 21,993.71, +135.39, (0.62%)
  S&P 500: 2,465.84, +24.52, (1.00%)
  Nasdaq: 6,340.23, +83.68, (1.34%)
  Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier resigned from President Donald Trump's manufacturing council after the president did not explicitly condemn white supremacists in a Saturday statement. "As CEO of Merck, and as a matter of personal conscience
  
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• Charlottesville proves the CEOs on Trump's councils are playing themselves

  14-08-2017 21:48 via feedproxy.google.com
  To the CEOs who joined President Trump's manufacturing council in the hope of advising the president about what's good for America's private sector I have one thing to say.
  Stop playing yourselves. Now is the time.
  In the past 24 hours, Trump has proven that he not only doesn't care about the values of the American workplace, but also that he doesn't respect your opinion about what those values should be.
  Not in my workplace
  I'm sure you're all aware of the heinous events that transpired in
  
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• A top Wall Street analyst expects Tesla to trade like it did after the Model S launch (TSLA)

  14-08-2017 21:43 via feedproxy.google.com
  Tesla is closing in on its all-time high on Monday, trading up 1.88% at $364.59 a share after a pair of Wall Street analysts raised their price targets for the stock.   
  One of those Wall Street upgrades was from Baird Research's Ben Kallo, who is the fifth best-rated Tesla analyst, according to Bloomberg.
  In a research note sent out to clients on Monday, Kallo said he was lifting his price target from $368 to $411 a share as the firm remains "positive on TSLA’s long-term pr
  
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• An activist hedge fund has amassed a $400 million stake in yogurt maker Danone

  14-08-2017 21:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  Activist hedge fund Corvex Management is loading up on shares of Danone, the $53 billion French conglomerate that sells yogurts like YoCrunch and Activia as well as Evian bottled water.
  Corvex recently bought a $400 million stake in Danone — known in the US for its Dannon subsidiary — claiming weak sales and stock performance of late have led investors to undervalue the firm, according to a Bloomberg report.
  Danone stock was up more than 4% through mid-afternoon Monday. 
  Corvex,
  
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• Russia is becoming more like America in a way that could be deeply divisive

  14-08-2017 20:50 via feedproxy.google.com
  The United States has become increasingly enmeshed with Russia in the wake of its meddling in the 2016 presidential elections. When it comes to the economy, and inequality specifically, the feeling turns out to be mutual.
  A country that presented a radical experiment in forced income equality under the Soviet Union, albeit with special treatment for Communist Party leaders, is now approaching American-style income and wealth gaps.
  That’s according to a new paper from some of the world&rsqu
  
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• 3 key charts show just how fragile stocks are right now

  14-08-2017 19:14 via feedproxy.google.com
  The most complacent stock market in history was shocked to attention last week after fiery comments from President Donald Trump about North Korea ratcheted up geopolitical tensions worldwide.
  The S&P 500 dropped 1.5%, the most since May, as investors sought the relative safety of Treasury bonds and gold, clearly shaken by the potential for military escalation.
  The benchmark index bounced back in a big way on Monday, climbing more than 1%, showing that there's still appetite fo
  
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• The 'pullback folks have been waiting for': Nvidia spikes as top analyst lifts his price target (NVDA)

  14-08-2017 19:08 via feedproxy.google.com
  Nvidia is closing in on its all-time high of $174.56, tradng up 5.91% at $165.17 a share, after one of Wall Street's top analysts on the stock raised his price target. 
  Canaccord Genuity's Matthew Ramsey, who is rated by Bloomberg as the third best analyst on the stock, lifted his price target to $190 a share and said that this is the "pullback that folks have been waiting for..." 
  Ramsey believes that shares were "priced to perfection" in the near-term, but that Friday's dro
  
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• Blue Apron pops as an investor who made $300 million on Whole Foods discloses a stake (APRN)

  14-08-2017 19:04 via feedproxy.google.com
  Blue Apron's stock price is on the rise after Jana Partners announced a sizable stake in the company.
  The fund, known for its activist investing, disclosed a 2% stake in the meal delivery company on Monday. The shares Jana acquired are worth about $5.6 million, according to an SEC filing.
  Blue Apron rose 4.30% after the news.
  Jana also announced it still held about 23.3 million shares of Whole Foods. That investment earned the firm $300 million when the upscale grocer a
  
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• Hedge fund titan Viking Global made a $680 million bet on scandal-plagued Wells Fargo (WFC)

  14-08-2017 18:56 via feedproxy.google.com
  One of the world's largest hedge funds made a huge bet that scandal-plagued Wells Fargo's worst days are behind it.
  Viking Global, a $30 billion asset manager founded by Swedish billionaire Andreas Halvorsen, disclosed Monday it had bought 12.3 million shares in the troubled bank, worth around $681 million, in the second quarter.
  The fund also cashed out its stake in JPMorgan Chase, selling 3.7 million shares worth $325 million, according to Bloomberg.
  The filings represent second quar
  
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• Viking Global, a $30 billion fund manager, dumped Alphabet

  14-08-2017 18:45 via feedproxy.google.com
  Viking Global Investors, a $30 billion hedge fund manager, sold off all of its 1.08 million shares of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, during the second quarter, according to regulatory documents filed Monday.
  The stake is valued at around $891.8 million.
  The Greenwich, Connecticut-based firm also acquired 1.1 million shares of China’s Alibaba valued at $155.1 million, bringing its total tech holdings to 46% of its portfolio.
  In June, Viking founder and CEO Andrea Halvorsen sa
  
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• Discounts disappearing from supermarket shelves as promotions fall to 10-year low

  14-08-2017 17:35
  The pressure on UK retailers to offer more transparent pricing has led to promotional activity falling to its lowest level in a decade.
  New research by market research firm IRI found that there was a 25% reduction in the number of items on offer in stores between November 2012 and April 2017. This year, the average number of grocery lines on promotion has declined by 13%, while volume is down by 6.4 percentage points – the fastest rate since the decline began in 2014 and the lowest rate in
  
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• Data Storytelling Awards return and are open for entry

  14-08-2017 11:00
  Marketing Week’s Data Storytelling Awards are back for a third year, bringing the industry’s outstanding data strategies, people and brands into the well-earned spotlight.
  Powered by Marketing Week in collaboration with Marketing Week Live and The Insight Show, the awards are unique in shining a spotlight on excellence in the use of data tools and techniques in insight and analytics.
  There will be 15 unique categories including loyalty, data integration and customer integration. You
  
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• Unilever, Topshop, Starbucks: Everything that matters this morning

  14-08-2017 08:50
  Unilever, Subway and Volvo get behind new viewability standards
  Brand safety and viewability have remained hot topics over the last couple of years, as the industry grapples with issues like ad fraud.
  Media agencies in particular have seen a lot of scrutiny, which is why GroupM, owned by WPP, decided to take action by rolling out global viewability standards.
  Viewability considers the area of the ad that can be seen within a browser or application and the duration of time that the pixels remain
  
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• Sainsbury’s, Aldi, P&G: Everything that matters this morning

  14-08-2017 08:50
  Plans stall for Sainsbury’s £130m Nisa takeover
  Sainsbury’s has put its £130m takeover of grocery wholesale group Nisa on hold over fears of intervention by competition authorities.
  According to the Guardian, the supermarket chain is reportedly rattled by the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) ongoing investigation into the proposed £3.7bn merger between Tesco and the grocery wholesaler Booker.
  The CMA has already warned that the Tesco Booker merger cou
  
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• Nokia, Argos, Apple: Everything that matters this morning

  14-08-2017 08:50
  Nokia attempts to revitalise brand with flagship smartphone launch
  Nokia is hoping to making a return to the smartphone market almost four years after it sold its phone business to Microsoft with the launch of a flagship smartphone, the Nokia 8.
  Unveiled at an event in London last night (16 August), Nokia hopes to compete with market leaders Apple and Samsung by pushing the ‘bothie’, an update on the selfie that allows users to film or take photos using both the front and rear camera
  
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• Carlsberg, Amazon, WhatsApp: Everything that matters this morning

  14-08-2017 08:50
  Carlsberg first-half earnings beat estimates on cost-cutting
  Carlsberg reported first-half profit that beat analysts’ estimates as the brewer reduced costs and cut debt.
  Earnings before interest, taxes and one-time items rose 20% to 4.13bn kroner ($652m). Analysts had expected 3.82bn kroner.
  The Danish brewer maintained its full-year guidance of mid-single-digit organic growth in operating profit even after earnings on that basis rose 15% in the first half.
  READ MORE: Carlsberg First-Half
  
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• Asda, Clarks, Hilton: Everything that matters this morning

  14-08-2017 08:50
  Clarks accused of everyday sexism for ‘Dolly Babe’ shoe
  Shoe retailer Clarks has been accused of “everyday sexism” for naming a girls’ school shoe ‘Dolly Babe’, while the boys’ version is called ‘Leader’.
  The girls’ shoe also features a heart-patterned insole, while the boys’ has footballs.
  Clarks has removed the ‘Dolly Babe’ shoe from its website after several people, including Scotland’s first minister Ni
  
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• Ending the stigma of taking a career break

  14-08-2017 08:00
  Developing a strong pipeline of female leaders is a serious concern for the marketing industry as it strives to become more diverse both in age and gender.
  Aside from the widening gender pay gap, one of the biggest issues facing female marketers is the penalty being imposed on their careers for taking a break to raise their children.
  Whether they choose to step away from work for three, five or even 10 years, women contemplating a return to the workplace face a number of barriers, ranging from r
  
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• Hack your commute: Write a letter for a good cause

  14-08-2017 07:00
  You may well already donate to charities, either personally or through corporate fundraising, and therefore might feel there’s no space in your life for another one. But not all causes need to be supported financially and not all require you to give up valuable free time.
  Indeed, some could benefit from you simply making use of dead time sitting on delayed public transport.
  A number of charities cite writing a letter as an important means of support. Among them is Post Pals, supported by C
  
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• US grocery shoppers buck online trend

  14-08-2017 02:00 via warc.com
  WASHINGTON DC: E-commerce is booming in many business sectors, but it appears the trend has not yet affected grocery shopping in the US because just 9% of Americans report ordering their groceries online at least once a month.And the proportion...
  
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• UK news magazines make readership gains

  14-08-2017 02:00 via warc.com
  LONDON: Private Eye, the fortnightly satirical magazine, has emerged as the most-read news and current affairs title in the UK, according to the latest circulation figures.In its report covering the first half of 2017, the
  
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• How Kia drove chatbot success

  14-08-2017 02:00 via warc.com
  SAN DIEGO: Kia, the automaker, saw success by leveraging a chatbot on Facebook Messenger as part of the launch campaign for its Niro hybrid vehicle.Eugene Santos, Senior Manager/Digital and Social Media Marketing at Kia Motors America, discussed...
  
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• Five principles for targeting brand growth

  14-08-2017 02:00 via warc.com
  LONDON: For a brand to grow, it must understand its target market, become the first brand that people see as they move towards a purchase, and stimulate demand – though not necessarily through advertising – an industry figure has argued....
  
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• BuzzFeed News plans new live show with Twitter

  14-08-2017 02:00 via warc.com
  NEW YORK: BuzzFeed News, the media company popular with millennials, has teamed up with Twitter to launch a new, live-streamed, weekday morning show.Called “AM to DM”, the new show will debut on September 25 and is reported to have...
  
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• Aussie adland rallies to marriage equality cause

  14-08-2017 02:00 via warc.com
  MELBOURNE: Australia’s advertising industry has been quick to jump on board the fight to legalise same-sex marriage in the country, with hundreds of industry professionals pledging not to work on anti-marriage equality campaigns.Last week,...
  
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• Alibaba takes further steps against fake goods

  14-08-2017 02:00 via warc.com
  BEIJING: Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant, has unveiled several significant enhancements to its Intellectual Property Protection (IPP) Platform as it seeks to reassure brands that its online marketplaces are safe from counterfeiters.At its...
  
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