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With the rise in remote work, more companies are tracking their employees via technology — but is it the best approach?
In some cases the surveillance is actually backfiring and reducing productivity. We’ll explain why, and share some alternative ways companies are motivating remote workers.
US stocks finished higher Thursday after another report suggested inflationary pressures were easing.
• The Producer Price Index, which measures inflation at the wholesale level, fell 0.5%. This was the biggest decline since April 2020 and well below forecasts of holding flat. While the figure highlights a positive inflation outlook, it also raised concerns over a decelerating economy.
• Delta Air Lines (DAL) reported quarterly results below analyst expectations. The legacy carrier partly attributed its loss of $0.30 per share to its new pilot contract including 34% raises. Delta guided above expectations for the second quarter, suggesting travel demand is being prioritized by consumers.
• Amazon (AMZN) has launched a new cloud service called Bedrock, which allows developers to enhance their software with artificial intelligence systems similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Through this generative AI service, Amazon Web Services will offer access to its own language models called Titan, capable of generating text, emails, images, and other documents.
What to be on the lookout for today
• March retail sales and the Michigan Consumer Sentiment will both be released. Last month’s retail sales were down 0.4% and analysts are expecting a similar outcome for this month.
• BlackRock (BLK), Citigroup (C), JPMorgan (JPM), and Wells Fargo (WFC) will all report their first-quarter earnings results. After a challenging month for the banking sector, investors will be keeping an eye on how well they are weathering the storm.
Here are 5 basic investing terms to know.
If you know these five terms and understand the corresponding concepts, you’re off to a great start with investing.
1. Asset Allocation: The decision to divide portions of a portfolio among different asset classes (including stocks, bonds, and cash).
2. Time Horizon: The expected time available to achieve a financial goal. For investing, this can refer to the amount of time that an investor is planning on holding an investment.
3. Risk Tolerance: The amount of risk an investor is willing to take to achieve their financial goals. Risk tolerance level comprises three factors: risk capacity, need, and emotional risk.
4. Portfolio Diversification: Investing money across a range of different asset classes, rather than concentrating all assets in one area. Studies have shown that by diversifying assets, investors may offset a certain amount of risk, thereby improving returns.
5. Buy and Hold: A type of passive investment strategy in which investors buy equities and other securities — such as mutual funds, index funds, and ETFs — and hold on to them for a long period of time.
Today’s top stories
Buying a home? This year, 53% of homebuyers have used this measure to protect their purchase. An “employment contingency” is a clause that can offer protection if you lose your job while buying a home. We’ll explain how it works. Read more >> If this startup is successful, your future hotel stays could become a lot more personalized and efficient. Thynk just raised $13m to bring the likes of Hilton (HLT) and Marriott (MAR) into the 21st century. Read more >> At some point, when applying for a new job, you’ve likely faced the dreaded application question: “What is your desired salary?” For some, deciding on how to answer can feel a bit like a tightrope walk. We have tips and examples to help you craft your response with confidence. Read more >>Not-so-breaking news
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Amazon (AMZN) will charge $1 if customers choose to return an item via UPS when there is a Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh, or Kohl’s (KSS) close by. This change is intended to offset the cost of handling many returns.
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Twitter will partner with eToro to let users buy and sell stocks, crypto, and other assets. This is reportedly part of Elon Musk’s plan to turn his social media company into a “super app.”
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Apple (AAPL) tripled its production of iPhones in India last year. The iPhone maker plans to decrease its reliance on China for manufacturing by increasing its capabilities in India.
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Uber (UBER) is funding a trade-in program for owners of older e-bikes with non-certified lithium-ion batteries. These batteries are known to catch fire and in some cases explode.
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Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) announced its new streaming service will be called Max. The platform will debut on May 23rd as the offspring of Discovery+ and HBO Max.
Financial planner tip of the day
“What your goals are will largely determine whether or not long-term investing is the right choice for you. So you might want to spend time outlining what you want to achieve — which may depend on your life stage — and how much money you’ll need to achieve it.”
Brian Walsh, CFP® at SoFi