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Bank of America Global Research: Lowered its price target for Apple (AAPL.O) from $380 to $370.On September 10th, according to AXIOS, a Republican-led Senate subcommittee on disaster management is investigating OpenAIs handling of the July Hugging Face intrusion. This move comes as concerns on Capitol Hill about the existential risks of AI are rapidly escalating, following public warnings from several Anthropic and OpenAI researchers. Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley wrote in a letter to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, "As you know, there is a growing number of AI experts in the public domain warning of the existential risks of AI." He added, "Just this week, three Anthropic researchers publicly stated that there is a greater than 10% probability that AI will kill all of humanity within the next decade." Hawley, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committees Subcommittee on Disaster Management, wrote that the investigation is a response to the findings of a recent internal investigation released by OpenAI. The Hugging Face intrusion marked a turning point in AI history, prompting OpenAI to slow down its model releases and pushing the industry to raise alarms about AI-driven cyberattacks.According to Hong Kong Stock Exchange filings, Tencent Holdings (00700.HK) repurchased 235,000 shares on September 10, at a cost of HK$100.3 million.On September 10th, the National Bureau of Statistics released the revised "Measures for the Classification and Specific Handling of Statistical Units," which will take effect on January 1, 2027. The Measures revise the statistical principles for statistical units, clarifying the original "statistics based on the principle of location" to "statistics based on the principle of the place where business activities occur." New provisions define the specific connotation of "place where business activities occur" and the method for determining "place where major business activities occur." Specifically, the place where business activities occur refers to the location where the statistical unit conducts its business activities. If there are multiple locations where business activities occur, the location with the highest share of operating revenue (gross profit for wholesale and retail trade) will, in principle, be determined as the place where major business activities occur. For new economic formats, the Measures stipulate that units conducting economic activities on internet platforms will be statistically analyzed according to the "principle of the place where business activities occur," with online and offline activities following the same statistical principles.Thai finance officials: The Electric Vehicle Committee has agreed to raise the consumption tax on imported electric vehicles.

Costco Margins Are Impacted by Growing Freight And Labor Expenses, And The Stock Price Falls

Charlie Brooks

May 27, 2022 09:50

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Costco Wholesale Corp (NASDAQ:COST) announced a decline in gross margins on Thursday, impacted by rising freight and labor expenses across the United States. The news sent shares of the membership-only retailer down 2% and overshadowed an otherwise positive quarterly report.


Fresh COVID-19 lockdowns in China and the Russia-Ukraine conflict have compounded the problem for U.S. businesses.


Costco announced that it would increase prices in certain food categories in order to battle inflation.


Retailers such as Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Inc and Target Corp (NYSE:TGT) have warned that decades-high inflation will have a negative impact on their earnings, as shoppers hesitate from purchasing non-essential and high-margin goods.


The average Costco buyer earns more than the average Walmart and Target shopper, allowing Costco to generate quarterly earnings and revenue that easily exceeds expectations.


Memberships and sales have been boosted by the company's efforts to keep gas prices several cents below the national average.


Costco, in contrast to Walmart, reported that there has not been a significant shift from branded products to its private label product, Kirkland Signature.


"We aren't really observing a decline in commerce. This year, more money is being spent on tickets, dining out, travel, tires, and gasoline "In a post-earnings conference call, Robert Nelson, senior vice president of finance and investor relations, said.


Costco's gross margins decreased by 99 basis points in the third quarter.


According to data from Refinitiv IBES, Costco's total sales for the quarter ending May 8 increased by 16 percent to $52.60 billion, surpassing analysts' projections of $51.71 billion.


Excluding adjustments, Costco's earnings per share were $3.17, exceeding analysts' expectations of $3.03.