Pelosi says she’ll vote no on two-year budget deal

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she’ll vote against a two-year budget deal that would boost domestic and defense spending. The California Democrat has demanded a vote on protecting Dreamers, but the issue of undocumented immigrants isn’t in the budget measure. The Senate and House are expected to vote later Thursday on the bill, which would also stave off a government shutdown at midnight and suspend the debt limit through March 2019. Read: What’s in the budget deal.

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Ubiquiti Networks stock sinks on earnings miss

Shares of Ubiquiti Networks Inc. plunged 14% in Thursday morning trading after the company delivered fiscal second-quarter earnings that missed analysts’ expectations. Ubiquiti reported a net loss of $51.5 million or 66 cents per share, compared with a $60.6 million profit a year ago, or 74 cents on a per-share basis. The company attributed the loss to a $110.7 million tax charge incurred as a result of the new law. Adjusted net income was $59.6 million or 76 cents per share, down from $74.9 million and 92 cents, respectively, a year earlier. Analysts had been expecting adjusted net income of $71.8 million or 89 cents per share, according to FactSet. Revenue rose to $250.8 million from $213.5 million and came in ahead of expectations for $239.9 million. Looking ahead to the fiscal third quarter, Ubiquiti projected revenue of between $245 million and $260 million as well as adjusted EPS of between 92 cents and 99 cents. The midpoints of these ranges are below the FactSet consensus estimates calling for $255 million in revenue and 98 cents in EPS. Ubiquiti shares are up 6.6% over the past 12 months, whereas the S&P 500 Index has gained 17%.

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Salesforce to invest $2 billion in Canadian business over 5 years

Salesforce.com Inc. said Thursday it is planning to invest $2 billion in its Canadian business in the next five years. The announcement came ahead of a meeting between Salesforce Chief Executive Mark Benioff and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the company’s headquarters in San Franciso later Thursday. More than 6,000 Canadian companies use Salesforce’s software, the company said, including Air Canada, Husky Energy and TD Bank. Shares were slightly lower Thursday, but have gained 35% in the last 12 months, while the S&P 500 has gained 17%.

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Fed is ‘a long way away’ from having to raise interest rates due to wage pressure: Kashkari

The U.S. central bank is “a long way away” from having to raise interest rates due to higher inflation caused by higher labor costs, said Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari, on Thursday. In a moderated discussion in Pierre, South Dakota, Kashkari said the January jobs report, which caused the violent market reaction, was actually only “mixed” in terms of wage growth. “If you dig beneath the surface, wages went up a little but hours went down. And so it was not actually a resoundingly strong report in terms of the outlook for wages,” Kashkari said. “We need to see that wages are going to go up consistently across the board. We need to see that that is actually going to translate into inflation,” he said. He noted wages can rise without even sparking higher inflation. Kashkari is not a voting member this year. He dissented from all three rate hikes last year, saying the Fed should hold steady until inflation moves up toward the central bank’s 2% target.

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U.S. stocks open flat; Twitter soars after results

U.S. stocks were mostly unchanged at the open on Thursday, as investors weighed expectations for rising inflation and bond yields against an economic backdrop that is seen as solid. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 33 points, or 0.1%, to 24,865. The S&P 500 was up 1 point to 2,682. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 19 points to 7,072, a rise 0.3%. Wall Street has seen steep gyrations in each of the past several sessions, and major indexes remain sharply lower for the week. Among the most active sectors of the day, energy and tech both rose 0.3%, while financials fell 0.4%. In company news, Twitter Inc. jumped 27% after it reported better-than-expected quarterly results. 21st Century Fox Inc. was also higher in the wake of its results; the stock rose 0.3%.

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Goodyear Tires profit beats views as sales rise more than expected

Shares of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. were little changed in premarket trade Thursday, after the tire maker reported fourth-quarter profit and revenue that beat expectations. For the quarter to Dec. 31, the company swung to a net loss of $96 million, or 39 cents a share, from a profit of $561 million, or $2.14 a share, in the same period a year ago. Excluding non-recurring items, such as a $299 million non-cash charge related to recent tax legislation, adjusted earnings per share was 99 cents, beating the FactSet consensus of 76 cents. Revenue rose 9% to $4.07 billion from $3.74 billion, above the FactSet consensus of $3.96 billion, as tire unit volumes rose 2%, replacement tire shipments increased 3% and original equipment unit volumes fell 1%. “Our fourth-quarter results were highlighted by our performance in the 17-inch-and-larger segment in consumer replacement, which delivered nearly double the industry growth in the U.S. and Europe,” said Chief Executive Richard Kramer. “Our strong volume recovery in the quarter gives us positive momentum as we head into 2018.” The stock has climbed 14.5% over the past three months, while the S&P 500 has gained 3.4%.

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New York Times reports better-than-expected Q4 results as digital subscriptions continue to grow

The New York Times Co. reported fourth-quarter earnings that were above consensus. The newspaper company reported a net loss of $57.84 million, or loss of 35 cents per share, after income of $37.63 million, or 23 cents per share during the same quarter a year ago. Adjusted earnings per share for the quarter was 39 cents, above the FactSet consensus of 29 cents. Total revenue was $484.1 million, up from $439.7 million the year earlier, and above the $467.0 million forecast of two analysts following the stock via FactSet. The company’s advertising revenue fell 1.3% year-over-year, but was offset by a 19.2% increase in subscription revenue. New York Times Chief Executive Mark Thompson said that advertising now represents just one-third of company revenue. The New York Times added 157,000 digital-only subscribers in the quarter. “We’re pleased with the continued rate of growth and particularly pleased to be seeing strong retention from the large group of new subscribers who came to the Times late last year,” Thompson said in a statement. “We believe there remains a large opportunity to continue to extend our subscription reach and will continue to invest in areas of the business that will allow us to achieve that growth.” The company said that fourth-quarter results included, among other things, $102.1 million in pension settlement charges. The company also have severance costs of $1 million in the quarter. New York Times shares have increased close to 50% in the last 12 months, while the S&P 500 index is up nearly 17% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up more than 24%.

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Grubhub shares rocket 25% as analyst says Yum deal ‘is a major win’

Shares of Grubhub Inc. shot up more than 25% in premarket trade Thursday, after the company announced a partnership with Yum Brands Inc. , under which Yum will acquire $200 million of its shares. The deal is aimed at driving online sales and delivery to Yum’s restaurants, including KFC and Taco Bell. “This will be an exclusive partnership, and according to the release, Grubhub will be integrated into the POS,” said Mizuho analysts. “This is a major win for Grubhub as it will likely be accompanied by a joint marketing campaign during the roll-out phase.” Stifel analysts agreed that the deal is a big win for Grubhub “and potentially a hit to its competitors in restaurant delivery.” Shares have gained 75% in the last 12 months, while the S&P 500 has gained 17%.

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NBA star Kevin Garnett named creative director for basketball brand AND1

NBA star Kevin Garnett has been named creative director and brand ambassador for basketball brand AND1. Garnett retired from the NBA in 2016 and is now an analyst on “Area 21,” which airs on the TNT network. AND1 is part of the Sequential Brands Group Inc. portfolio of names. AND1 is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and will launch a capsule collection designed with help from Garnett. He will appear in an accompanying advertising campaign. Sequential Brands shares are down nearly 60% for the last year while the S&P 500 index is up nearly 17% for the period.

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Kellogg reports sales that beat expectations

Kellogg Co. reported fourth-quarter net income of $428.0 million, or $1.23 per share, compared with a loss of$53.0 million, or 15 cents per share, for the same period last year. Adjusted EPS was 96 cents. Sales were $3.21 billion, up from $3.10 billion. The FactSet consensus was for EPS of 96 cents and revenue of $3.10 billion. The U.S. Snacks and U.S. Morning Foods categories were among those that experienced a sales decline for the quarter. Starting in 2018, Kellogg will change how it presents non-GAAP results, so that net sales will be renamed “organic” versus “currency-neutral comparable,” and non-GAAP earnings will be “adjusted.” The new “adjusted” earnings will no longer exclude integration costs. Revenue recognition adoption in the first quarter will impact 2017 adjusted EPS by negative two cents to three cents. And the interest cost, return on assets, and prior-year service cost components of the pension and post-retirement expense will move out of cost of goods sold and SGA (selling, general and administrative) expenses, and into other income and expense. Kellogg shares are down 1.5% in Thursday premarket trading, and down 12.6% for the past year. The S&P 500 index is up nearly 17% for the last 12 months.

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