Fed will continue to expect more ‘than ever before’ from directors of large banks, Powell says

The Federal Reserve will continue to expect much more from ever before from directors of large banks, said Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell, on Wednesday. In a speech at a conference sponsored by the Chicago Fed, Powell reminded the audience that, during the financial crisis, large banks incurred “massive losses” from esoteric products that were not even on the radar of bank boards. He said the Fed would work with bank directors who feel buried under paper from regulations put in place post-crisis, but said the central bank would not back away from requiring that bank boards be strong and effective. “Our reforms were designed to assure that boards of directors understand and approve the strategy of the company and the risks inherent in that strategy, and that the institution has the capital, liquidity, and risk management capabilities necessary to manage those risks,” Powell said. The Fed governor did not comment on the outlook for interest rates or the economy in his prepared remarks.

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Expedia leads investment round in ALICE in what may be CEOs last deal at the company

In what may be the last deal Dara Khosrowshahi led as chief executive of Expedia , the company announced an investment of $26 million in ALICE, a hotel technology platform for staff, concierge and guests. Expedia was the lead investor in ALICE’s series B round and also led its series A round in 2015. Khosrowshahi, who has been CEO at Expedia since 2005, was officially announced as chief executive of Uber Technologies Inc. Monday night. With this round, ALICE has raised total funding of $39 million. Shares of Expedia were relatively flat in premarket trade.

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Vera Bradley shares pop more than 12% premarket, as company takes more aggressive approach to refining business

Shares of Vera Bradley Inc. rose more than 12% in premarket trade on Wednesday after the women’s clothing company reported earnings for the second quarter that were better than Wall Street expected. Net income for the quarter was $2.2 million, or 6 cents per share, compared with $5.1 million, or 14 cents per share during the same period a year ago. Adjusted earnings per share were 13 cents, above FactSet’s consensus of 10 cents per share. Revenue hit $112.4 million in the quarter, down from $119.2 million in the year-earlier period. FactSet’s revenue consensus was $112.0 million. Vera Bradley Chief Executive Robert Wallstrom, while noting sales were in line with the company’s expectations, mentioned the pressure on the retail industry. “Although comparable sales trends improved over those in the first quarter, challenges in the retail environment continued into the second quarter,” Wallstrom said in a statement. He went on to talk about the steps the company has made to strengthen the business, but ultimately said the progress so far has not been at the pace the company hoped. Vera Bradley will ramp up refining its business and strategic plan by taking a more aggressive approach to turn around the business in the next three years. “We have engaged an outside consulting firm, working alongside our team, in performing a comprehensive review of our business model, existing strategic plan and historic performance to provide us with in-depth analysis and research on critical components of our business,” Wallstrom said. Among some of its business initiatives, Vera Bradley plans to reduce the amount of clearance items in order to restore customer pricing perception, and it also plans to streamline its offering. The company expects revenue for the third quarter to be in the range of $112 million to $117 million, compared with FactSet’s consensus of $120 million. Per-share earnings for the third quarter are expected to be in the range of 13 cents to 15 cents. FactSet’s consensus is for earnings of 16 cents per share. Vera Bradley shares have declined 14% in the year to date, while the S&P 500 index is up more than 9%.

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Barnes & Noble Education shares slump after earnings miss

Shares of Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. were down 3.2% in premarket trade Wednesday after the company missed first-quarter earnings expectations. It reported a net loss of $34.8 million, or a loss per share of 75 cents, wider than a loss of $27.9 million, or a loss per share of 60 cents in the year-earlier period. The FactSet consensus was for a loss per share of 55 cents. Sales were $355.7 million, up from $239.2 million in the year-earlier period and below the FactSet consensus of $393 million. Shares of Barnes & Noble Education have fallen 28% in the past three months, while the S&P 500 has gained 1.4%.

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Shares of Jack Daniel’s parent Brown-Forman rise premarket after company’s better-than-expected Q1 earnings report

Shares of alcohol company Brown-Forman Corp. were up 1.6% in premarket trade on Wednesday after the company reported fiscal 2018 first-quarter earnings that were above Wall Street’s expectations. The company said net income of $178 million, or 46 cents earnings per share, compared with $144 million, or 36 cents per share during the same period a year ago. FactSet’s consensus for per-share earnings was 39 cents. Brown-Forman revenue was $723 million, compared with $661 million a year ago, and above FactSet’s $687 million revenue consensus. “We continue to foresee growth potential for our brands, most notably in American whiskey,” said Brown-Forman Chief Executive Paul Varga in a statement. Brown-Forman said it expects underlying net sales to grow in the range of 4% to 5% for the full year, thanks to new Jack Daniel’s whiskies. The company also forecasts per-share earnings to be in the range of $1.85 to $1.95, which puts FactSet’s $1.85 consensus at the lower end. Shares of Brown-Forman have gained 14% in the year to date, while the S&P 500 index is up more than 9% in the year.

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Chico’s shares plummet 11% on Q2 profit, revenue misses

Chico’s Fas Inc. shares plummeted 10.6% premarket Wednesday after the company reported second-quarter profit and revenue misses. Earnings for the latest quarter declined to $22.72 million, or 18 cents per share, from $23.04 million, or 17 cents per share in the year-earlier period. The FactSet earnings-per-share consensus was 20 cents. Revenue declined to $578.6 million from $635.7 million in the year-earlier period, compared with the FactSet consensus of $578.7 million. The company expects comparable sales to be down in the high single-digits for fiscal 2017. The latest sales results were “disappointing,” Chief Executive Shelley Broader said, and the company is taking “decisive actions” to turn things around in categories like Chico’s jackets and White House Black Market dresses. “While it is early in the third quarter, these key categories are showing encouraging progress,” Broader said. Chico’s shares have plummeted 16.9% over the last three months, compared with a 1.4% rise in the S&P 500 .

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UPDATE: YogaWorks acquires Tranquil Space’s 2 studios in Washington, D.C.

YogaWorks Inc. said Tuesday it has acquired Tranquil Space’s two studios in the Washington, D.C. metro area, without providing financial details. The company, which completed its IPO on Aug. 11, said it has now built its east coast presence to 52 studios. Tranquil Space was founded by Kimberly Wilson in 1999, and has two studios in Arlington, Va. and in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington. Shares were not yet active premarket, but are down 5.6% in the week to date, while the S&P 500 is flat.

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Hurricane Harvey will be most expensive U.S. natural disaster at up to $160 billion: AccuWeather

Hurricane Harvey will be the most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history, AccuWeather said Wednesday, estimating the full cost at close to $160 billion. That would be similar to the combined cost of Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, the weather service said in a report. The cost will shave 8/10 of 1% off GDP, said the report. “Business leaders and the Federal Reserve, major banks, insurance companies, etc. should begin to factor in the negative impact this catastrophe will have on business, corporate earnings and employment,” said Dr. Joel Myers, founder and chairman of AccuWeather. “The disaster is just beginning in certain areas.” The city of Houston, which took the brunt of the storm damage, will likely be uninhabitable for weeks and possibly even months, due to water damage, mold and disease-ridden water. The worst flooding is still to come as rivers and bayous continue to rise putting levees at risk of breaches, he said. The meteorologist forecasting community did a good job warning people ahead of the storm, but public officials were slow to react, he said. “AccuWeather cautions that the negative impact from the storms are far from over. There will be more flooding, damage, fatalities and injuries,” said Myers.

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Amazon and Microsoft to allow Alex and Cortana communicate later this year

Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Inc. said Wednesday they are collaborating on a project that will allow Amazon’s Alexa, its personal assistant for its Echo devices, communicate with Microsoft’s Cortana, personal assistant for its devices, later this year. “You will be able to turn to your Echo device and say, “Alexa, open Cortana,” or turn to your Windows 10 device and say, “Cortana, open Alexa”, the companies said in a joint statement. Alexa customers will be able to access Cortana’s features, including booking meetings, accessing calendars and reading email. Cortana customers will be able to shop on Amazon and control smart home devices. Amazon shares were slightly higher premarket and have gained 27% in 2017. Microsoft has gained about 18%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has gained 10.6% and the S&P 500 has gained 9%.

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