Stock markets are having their worst day in months as rate hikes, high inflation rattle investors - CBC News | Canada News Media
Connect with us

Business

Stock markets are having their worst day in months as rate hikes, high inflation rattle investors – CBC News

Published

2 years ago

 on


Stock markets around the world fell on Thursday as investors faced up to the prospect of persistent high inflation, and much higher borrowing costs to fight it.

The Toronto Stock Exchange main index closed just shy of 20,700, down by almost 500 points or 2.3 per cent with every sector on the benchmark Canadian stock market lower on the day.

Shares in Ottawa-based e-commerce giant Shopify led the way down, losing 14 per cent of their value on the day. The company, which reports in U.S. dollars, announced before markets opened that it lost $1.5 billion US in the first quarter. That’s a reversal from a profit of $1.3 billion US in the same period a year ago.

At one point in the pandemic, Shopify was the most valuable company in Canada, worth more than $200 billion. Today it’s worth about a quarter of that peak, as the company that saw demand for its services explode during the pandemic is now dealing with slowing revenues.

“Easing lockdowns are driving higher consumer spending on in-store retail, services and travelling,” said Daniel Chan, an analyst with TD Bank who covers the company. “These shifting spending patterns are a headwind for Shopify.”

The sell-off was worse in New York, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average off by more than 1,000 points or more than three per cent, and the technology-heavy Nasdaq faring worst of all, down by more than 600 points or five per cent.

Tech stocks hit hardest

Former high-flying tech stocks like Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Tesla were down by between four and seven per cent on the day.

“Large-cap technology, media and telecom stocks are deflating from their pandemic-bubble peak, but the group still has more air to lose amid rising interest rates and cooling growth expectations,” said Gina Martin Adams, chief equity strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence.

The gloomy mood came on the heels of the decision by the U.S. central bank to raise its interest rate on Wednesday, its biggest single move upwards in 22 years.

That will increase the cost of borrowing, which is bad news for companies and the stock investors looking to buy them. The Bank of England also raised its lending rate on Thursday and warned of “stagflation” to come, which is when an economy is dealing with high inflation, but also slow growth.

Brenda O’Connor-Juanas, a senior vice-president with UBS based in Miami, told CBC News on Thursday that investors are reacting to a deluge of worrisome news, from supply chain issues to the ongoing pandemic and uncertainty in Ukraine.

“The markets right now in general are just responding and reacting to every negative headline,” she said.

“There is just so much uncertainty about inflation and about rates … we’re just going to see the markets move around a lot like this,” she said. “Volatility is here to stay.”

John Zechner, chair of Toronto-based investment firm J Zechner Associates, says the sell-off is happening because investors are realizing that lending rates are going to have to get a lot more expensive and quickly, in order to get inflation under control. 

“The punch is being pulled away,” he said in an interview Friday. “Free money has sustained this bull market for the last 12 years effectively, and we’re probably seeing the most aggressive move away from free money that we’ve seen in over 20 years.”

“The only way to tame inflation is to is to try to slow down growth or tighten the economy a little,” Zechner said. “And one of the casualties is the stock market.”

The value of bitcoin, which has been trumpeted as a hedge against inflation, slumped along with everything else, losing about 6 per cent or more than $3,000 to change hands below $37,000 US. That’s half what the world’s biggest cryptocurrency was worth in November, and its lowest level since January.

Other cryptocurrencies joined in the sell-off as investors pulled out their cash from the volatile sector and parked it in assets deemed to be safer.

Globally, $120 million US was pulled out of cryptocurrencies in the week up to May 5, according to data from digital investing firm Coinshares. Over the past month, the total jumps to $339 million US.

Adblock test (Why?)



Source link

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Business

What Difference Will You Make to an Employer?

Published

18 hours ago

 on

October 21, 2024

By

Ex-Employer (Job)

It’s common knowledge that companies don’t hire the most qualified candidates. Employers hire the person they believe will deliver the best value in exchange for their payroll cost.

Since most job seekers know the above, I’m surprised that so few mention their Employee Value Proposition (EVP). Most job seekers list their education, skills, and experience without substantiating them and expect employers to determine whether they can benefit their company; hence, most resumes and LinkedIn profiles are just a list of opinions—borderline platitudes—that are meaningless and, therefore, have no value. Job seekers need to better explain, along with providing evidence, how they’ll contribute to an employer’s success.

Employers don’t hire opinions (read: talk is cheap); they hire results.

You’re not offering anything tangible when you claim:

 

  • I’m a great communicator.
  • I’m detail oriented.
  • I’m a team player.

 

Tangible:

 

  • “At Global Dynamics, I held quarterly town hall meetings with my 22 sales reps, highlighting our accomplishments, identifying opportunity areas, and recognizing outstanding performers.”
  • “For eight years, I managed Vandelay Industries IT department, overseeing a staff of 18 and a 12-million-dollar budget while coordinating cross-specialty projects. My strong attention to detail is why I never exceeded budget.”
  • “While working at Cyberdyne Systems, I was part of the customer service team, consisting of nine of us, striving to improve our response time. Through collaboration and sharing of best practices, we reduced our average response time from 48 to 12 business hours, resulting in a 35% improvement in customer feedback ratings.”

 

These examples of tangible answers provide employers with what they most want to hear from candidates but rarely do; what value the candidate will bring to the company. Typically, job seekers present their skills, experience, and unsubstantiated opinions and expect recruiters and employers to figure out their value, which is a lazy practice.

Getting hired isn’t based on “I have an MBA in Marketing and Sales,” “I’ve been a web designer for over 15 years,” “I’m young, beautiful and energetic,” blah, blah, blah. Likewise, being rejected isn’t based on “I’m overqualified,” “I’m too old,” “I don’t have enough education,” blah, blah, blah. Getting hired depends entirely on showing employers that you can add value and substance to their company; that you’ll serve a purpose.

When you articulate a solid value offer, the “blah, blah, blah” doesn’t matter. Job seekers focus too much on the “blah, blah, blah,” and when not hired, they say, “It’s not me, it’s…” The biggest mistake I see job seekers make is focusing on the “blah, blah, blah”—their experience and education—believing this is what interests employers. Hiring managers are more interested in whether you can solve the problems the position exists to solve than in your education and experience.

 

Not impressive: Education

Impressive: A track record of achieving tangible results.

 

You aren’t who you say you are; you are what you do.

 

If you want to be somebody who works hard, you have to actually work hard. If you want to be somebody who goes to the gym, you actually have to go to the gym. If you want to be a good friend, spouse, or colleague, you have to actually be a good friend, spouse, or colleague. Actions build reputations, not words.

The biggest challenge job seekers face today is differentiating themselves. To stand out and be memorable, don’t be like most job seekers, someone who’s all talk and no action. Any recruiter or hiring manager will tell you that the job market is heavily populated with job seekers who talk themselves up, talk a “good game” about everything they can “supposedly” do, drop names, etc., but have nothing to show for it.

More than ever, employers want to hear candidates offer a value proposition summarizing what value they bring. If you’re looking for a low-hanging fruit method to differentiate yourself, do what job seekers hardly ever do and make a hard-to-ignore value proposition.

  1. Increase sales: “Based on my experience managing Regina and Saskatoon for PharmaKorp, I’m confident that I can increase BioGen’s sales by no less than 25% in Winnipeg and the surrounding area by the end of 2025.”
  2. Reduce cost: “During my 12 years as Taco Town’s head of purchasing, I renegotiated contracts with key suppliers, resulting in 15% cost savings, saving the company over $450,000 annually. I know I can do the same for The Pasta House.”
  3. Increase customer satisfaction:“During my time at Globex Corporation, I established a systematic feedback mechanism that enabled customers to share their experiences. This led to targeted improvements, increasing our Net Promoter Score by 15 points. I can increase Dunder Mifflin’s net promoter score.”
  4. Save time: “As Zap Delivery’s dispatcher, I implemented advanced routing software that analyzed traffic patterns, reducing average delivery times by 20%. My implementation of this software at Froggy’s Delivery can reduce your delivery times by at least 20%, if not more.”

 

If you want to achieve job search success as soon as possible, structure your job search with a single thread that’s evident and consistent throughout your résumé, LinkedIn profile, cover letters and especially during interviews; clearly convey what difference you’ll make to the employer.

_____________________________________________________________________

 

Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.

Continue Reading

Business

Netflix’s subscriber growth slows as gains from password-sharing crackdown subside

Published

5 days ago

 on

October 17, 2024

By

 

Netflix on Thursday reported that its subscriber growth slowed dramatically during the summer, a sign the huge gains from the video-streaming service’s crackdown on freeloading viewers is tapering off.

The 5.1 million subscribers that Netflix added during the July-September period represented a 42% decline from the total gained during the same time last year. Even so, the company’s revenue and profit rose at a faster pace than analysts had projected, according to FactSet Research.

Netflix ended September with 282.7 million worldwide subscribers — far more than any other streaming service.

The Los Gatos, California, company earned $2.36 billion, or $5.40 per share, a 41% increase from the same time last year. Revenue climbed 15% from a year ago to $9.82 billion. Netflix management predicted the company’s revenue will rise at the same 15% year-over-year pace during the October-December period, slightly than better than analysts have been expecting.

The strong financial performance in the past quarter coupled with the upbeat forecast eclipsed any worries about slowing subscriber growth. Netflix’s stock price surged nearly 4% in extended trading after the numbers came out, building upon a more than 40% increase in the company’s shares so far this year.

The past quarter’s subscriber gains were the lowest posted in any three-month period since the beginning of last year. That drop-off indicates Netflix is shifting to a new phase after reaping the benefits from a ban on the once-rampant practice of sharing account passwords that enabled an estimated 100 million people watch its popular service without paying for it.

The crackdown, triggered by a rare loss of subscribers coming out of the pandemic in 2022, helped Netflix add 57 million subscribers from June 2022 through this June — an average of more than 7 million per quarter, while many of its industry rivals have been struggling as households curbed their discretionary spending.

Netflix’s gains also were propelled by a low-priced version of its service that included commercials for the first time in its history. The company still is only getting a small fraction of its revenue from the 2-year-old advertising push, but Netflix is intensifying its focus on that segment of its business to help boost its profits.

In a letter to shareholder, Netflix reiterated previous cautionary notes about its expansion into advertising, though the low-priced option including commercials has become its fastest growing segment.

“We have much more work to do improving our offering for advertisers, which will be a priority over the next few years,” Netflix management wrote in the letter.

As part of its evolution, Netflix has been increasingly supplementing its lineup of scripted TV series and movies with live programming, such as a Labor Day spectacle featuring renowned glutton Joey Chestnut setting a world record for gorging on hot dogs in a showdown with his longtime nemesis Takeru Kobayashi.

Netflix will be trying to attract more viewer during the current quarter with a Nov. 15 fight pitting former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson against Jake Paul, a YouTube sensation turned boxer, and two National Football League games on Christmas Day.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Business

All Magic Spells (TM) : Top Converting Magic Spell eCommerce Store

Published

5 days ago

 on

October 17, 2024

By

Product Name: All Magic Spells (TM) : Top Converting Magic Spell eCommerce Store

Click here to get All Magic Spells (TM) : Top Converting Magic Spell eCommerce Store at discounted price while it’s still available…

All orders are protected by SSL encryption – the highest industry standard for online security from trusted vendors.

All Magic Spells (TM) : Top Converting Magic Spell eCommerce Store is backed with a 60 Day No Questions Asked Money Back Guarantee. If within the first 60 days of receipt you are not satisfied with Wake Up Lean™, you can request a refund by sending an email to the address given inside the product and we will immediately refund your entire purchase price, with no questions asked.

(more…)

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version