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iOS 18.2 Release Date: Apple To Launch Its Next iPhone OS Update Next Month With Apple Intelligence Features Like Genmoji, Image Playground and More; Check DetailsFILE PHOTO: French Economy, Finance and Industry Minister Antoine Armand attends a debate session on the first part of the 2025 budget bill (PLF) at the National Assembly in Paris, France, October 22, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo PARIS - French Finance Minister Antoine Armand said on Saturday that the 2025 budget could still be improved, but stopped short of giving ground in a standoff with the far right over new concessions. France's budget deficit has spiralled out of control this year, pressuring French government bonds, although ratings agency Standard & Poor's gave Prime Minister Michel Barnier's fragile minority government a rare reprieve late on Friday by leaving its rating steady. Any relief is likely to prove short-lived with both the left and far right threatening to bring Barnier's government down over the budget, which seeks to squeeze 60 billion euros ($64 billion) in savings through tax hikes and spending cuts. Marine Le Pen's far right National Rally (RN), whose tacit support Barnier needs to survive a likely no confidence motion, has given him until Monday to accede to her demands to make further changes to the budget. "This government, under his authority, is willing to listen, to have a dialog, to be respectful, to improve this budget," Armand told journalists. Asked about the showdown with Le Pen, he said: "The only ultimatum really facing the French is that our country gets a budget." On Thursday, Barnier dropped plans to raise electricity taxes in the budget as the RN had demanded, but it is keeping pressure on the government to hike pensions in line with inflation where the government had hoped to postpone an increase to save money. RN lawmaker Jean-Philippe Tanguy told Les Echos newspaper on Saturday if the bill is not modified the party would back a no-confidence motion. The test could come as soon as Monday if Barnier's government has to use an aggressive constitutional measure to ram the social security financing legislation through parliament, which will trigger a no-confidence motion. "The government doesn't seem to want to move (on pensions). We are waiting to see the social security bill on Monday to draw conclusions," Tanguy said. The RN also wants planned cuts to medication reimbursements by the state to be axed, increased taxes on share buybacks and financial transactions as well as a cut in France's contribution to the European Union's budget. The government's aim to cut the budget deficit next year to 5% of economic output from over 6% this year is already sliding in the face of costly concessions made to the RN and other parties. Standard & Poor's said that it expected the deficit at 5.3% next year and said the outlook was unclear after that whether France could keep reducing the deficit to an EU limit of 3% as currently planned by 2029. As the RN has firmed up its demands, French debt and stocks have come under pressure in recent days, pushing the risk premium on French government bonds to their highest level in over 12 years. "The absence of a budget (and) political instability would bring a sudden and substantial increase in the financing costs of French debt," Armand said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you. Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards Spin the wheel now
By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS NEW YORK (AP) — A ransomware attack that hit a major software provider last week caused disruptions for a handful of companies over recent days, from Starbucks to U.K. grocery giant Morrisons. Blue Yonder, which provides supply chain technology to a range of brands worldwide, said that it experienced disruptions to services it manages for customers on Thursday, which the third-party software supplier determined to be “the result of a ransomware incident.” Some systems went offline, impacting clients using Blue Yonder’s software. A spokesperson for Starbucks, for example, said that the chain’s ability to manage barista schedules and track hours was disrupted — meaning store leaders across North America are currently being instructed to use manual workarounds. Starbucks maintained that the outage is not impacting how customers are served and that ensuring workers get paid for all hours worked is a top priority. While the company continues to work towards full recovery, the spokesperson added that Starbucks was able to process payroll again as of Tuesday morning. Two of the U.K.’s biggest grocers, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s, were also affected — with both telling CNN over the weekend that they had turned to contingency plans to keep operations flowing. A spokesperson for Morrisons confirmed to The Associated Press that the outage “impacted our warehouse management systems for fresh and produce” and that it was continuing to operate on back up systems Tuesday. Sainsbury’s, meanwhile, said Tuesday that its service was restored. Blue Yonder declined to disclose how many of its customers were impacted by the hack. In a statement sent to the AP, a spokesperson maintained that it had notified “relevant customers” and would continue to communicate as needed. The spokesperson also maintained that recovery efforts were still underway — noting that Blue Yonder “has been working diligently together with external cybersecurity firms to make progress,” including the implementation of several defensive and forensic protocols. Blue Yonder’s website touts an extensive global roster of customers — including Gap, Ford and Walgreens. Walgreens and Gap were not impacted following the ransomware attack, spokespeople for the companies said. Ford shared that it was investigating whether the incident affected its operations earlier this week, but had no further updates when reached Tuesday. Blue Yonder, based in Arizona, is a subsidiary of Japan’s Panasonic Corp. Panasonic acquired the supply chain software firm in September 2021.
Embecta ( NASDAQ:EMBC – Get Free Report ) and RenovaCare ( OTCMKTS:RCAR – Get Free Report ) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, dividends, earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and risk. Profitability This table compares Embecta and RenovaCare’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Volatility & Risk Embecta has a beta of 0.97, indicating that its share price is 3% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, RenovaCare has a beta of -99.34, indicating that its share price is 10,034% less volatile than the S&P 500. Analyst Recommendations Embecta currently has a consensus price target of $19.00, suggesting a potential downside of 8.79%. Given RenovaCare’s higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe RenovaCare is more favorable than Embecta. Institutional & Insider Ownership 93.8% of Embecta shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of Embecta shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of RenovaCare shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth. Earnings & Valuation This table compares Embecta and RenovaCare”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Embecta has higher revenue and earnings than RenovaCare. Summary Embecta beats RenovaCare on 8 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks. About Embecta ( Get Free Report ) Embecta Corp., a medical device company, focuses on the provision of various solutions to enhance the health and wellbeing of people living with diabetes. Its products include pen needles, syringes, and safety injection devices, as well as digital applications to assist people with managing patient's diabetes. The company primarily sells its products to wholesalers and distributors in the United States and internationally. Embecta Corp. was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey. About RenovaCare ( Get Free Report ) RenovaCare, Inc., a development-stage biotech and medical device company, focuses on the research, development, and commercialization of autologous cellular therapies for use in medical and aesthetic applications. It is developing CellMist System, a treatment methodology for cell isolation for the regeneration of human skin cells; and SkinGun, a solution sprayer device for delivering the cells to the treatment area. RenovaCare, Inc. has a strategic collaboration StemCell Systems GmbH for isolating and spraying self-donated stem cells to regenerate tissues and organs. The company was formerly known as Janus Resources, Inc. and changed its name RenovaCare, Inc.,to RenovaCare, Inc. in January 2014. RenovaCare, Inc. was incorporated in 1983 and is based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Receive News & Ratings for Embecta Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Embecta and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Retailers coax Black Friday shoppers into stores with big discounts and giveaways NEW YORK (AP) — Retailers in the U.S. have used giveaways and bigger-than expected discounts to reward shoppers who ventured out on Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving still reigns for now as the unofficial kickoff of the holiday shopping season even if it’s lost some luster. Analysts reported seeing the biggest crowds at stores that offered real savings. They say many shoppers are being cautious with their discretionary spending despite the easing of inflation. Stores are even more under the gun to get shoppers in to buy early and in bulk since there are five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. Online sales figures from Thanksgiving Day gave retailers a reason to remain hopeful for a lucrative end to the year. Inflation rose to 2.3% in Europe. That won't stop the central bank from cutting interest rates FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Inflation in the 20 countries that use the euro currency rose in November — but that likely won’t stop the European Central Bank from cutting interest rates as the prospect of new U.S. tariffs from the incoming Trump administration adds to the gloom over weak growth. The European Union’s harmonized index of consumer prices rose 2.3 percent, up from 2.0% in October, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat. However, worries about growth mean the Dec. 12 ECB meeting is not about whether to cut rates, but by how much. Market buzz says there could be a larger than usual half-point cut in the benchmark rate, currently 3.25%. The ruble's in a slump. For the Kremlin, that's a two-edged sword Russia’s ruble is sagging against other currencies, complicating the Kremlin’s efforts to keep consumer inflation under control with one hand even as it overheats the economy with spending on the war against Ukraine with the other. Over time a weaker ruble could mean higher prices for imports from China, Russia's main trade partner these days. President Vladimir Putin says things are under control. One wild card is sanctions against a key Russian bank that have disrupted foreign trade payments. If Russia finds a workaround for that, the ruble could regain some of its recent losses. From T-shirts to thongs, how indie film merchandise became a hot commodity LOS ANGELES (AP) — Merchandise is nothing new. But in recent years, movie-inspired streetwear has exploded in popularity among film buffs, thanks in part to viral marketing campaigns put on by independent film studios. Take the hourslong line for one-day-only “Anora” pop-up in Los Angeles, for instance. Clothes are promoted as trendy and in limited supply and are often made in collaboration with popular brands. The experience of watching movies has become a less collective one in recent years. For many fans, repping their favorite films in public is a way to combat that. Stock market today: S&P 500 and Dow post gains and close out best month of 2024 NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks closed with solid gains as Wall Street put the finishing touches on one of its best months of the year. The S&P 500 rose 0.6% while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 188 points, or 0.4%. The Nasdaq added 0.8%. Friday was an abbreviated trading day, with stocks closing at 1 p.m. ET and the bond market an hour later. Investors were looking to see how much shoppers are willing to spend on gifts for the holidays. Black Friday unofficially kicked off the holiday shopping season, although retailers had been offering early deals for weeks. Macy’s and Best Buy each gained around 2%. Vietnam approves $67 billion high-speed railway project between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam has approved the construction of a high-speed railway connecting the capital Hanoi in the north with the financial capital of Ho Chi Minh in the south. It is expected to cost $67 billion and will stretch 1,541 kilometers (957 miles). The new train is expected to travel at speeds of up to 350 kph (217 mph), reducing the journey from the current 30 hours to just five hours. The decision was taken by Vietnam’s National Assembly on Saturday. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and Vietnam hopes that the first trains will start operating by 2035. But the country has been beleaguered by delays to its previous infrastructure projects. Massachusetts lawmakers push for an effort to ban all tobacco sales over time BOSTON (AP) — A handful of Massachusetts lawmakers are hoping to persuade their colleagues to support a proposal that would make the state the first to adopt a ban meant to eliminate the use of tobacco products over time. Other locations have weighed similar “generational tobacco bans.” The bans phase out the use of tobacco products based not just on a person's age but on birth year. Lawmakers plan to file the proposal next year. If approved, the bill would set a date and ban the sale of tobacco to anyone born after that date forever, eventually banning all sales. Santa's annual train visit delivers hope and magic to one corner of coal country ON BOARD THE SANTA TRAIN (AP) — Since 1943, the people of Appalachian Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee have looked forward to Santa’s arrival. Not in a sleigh on their rooftops, but on a train. At each stop of the CSX Santa Train there are dozens to hundreds of people. Many crowd around the back, where Santa and his helpers toss stuffed animals. Meanwhile groups of volunteer “elves” fan out with gifts, making sure every child goes home with something. Many of the children who line the tracks on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, waiting for Santa, are the third, fourth or fifth generation to do so. Sandra Owens has been coming for 43 years and now brings her grandchildren. She says, “The faces of the kids, that’s what makes me happy. You can’t see anything better.” Donald Trump's call for 'energy dominance' is likely to run into real-world limits WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump is creating a National Energy Council that he says will establish U.S. “energy dominance” around the world. It will be key in Trump’s pledge to sell more oil to allies and his intent to move away from President Joe Biden’s focus on climate change. But the president-elect’s energy wishes are likely to run into real-world limits. For one, U.S. oil production under Biden is already at record levels. And Trump’s bid to boost oil supplies and lower U.S. prices is complicated by his threat to impose 25% import tariffs on Canada and Mexico, two of the largest sources of U.S. oil imports. Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau flies to Florida to meet with Trump after tariffs threat WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has flown to Florida to have dinner with President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club after Trump threatened to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products. Joining Trump and Trudeau at dinner were Trump's picks for commerce secretary, interior secretary and national security adviser, and the three men's wives. From the Canadian side, the dinner guests included Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, whose responsibilities include border security. Trump’s transition did not respond to questions about what they had discussed or whether the conversation alleviated Trump’s concerns about the border. A smiling Trudeau declined comment upon returning to his West Palm Beach hotel late Friday.