WASHINGTON (AP) — Ford Motor Co. is recalling more than 200,000 Bronco and Bronco Sport vehicles because an instrument panel can fail, increasing the risk of a crash.
Federal auto safety regulators said that the instrument panel may not display at startup, leaving the driver without critical safety information.
The recall includes 128,607 Ford Bronco Sports, model years 2025-2026 and 101,002 Ford Broncos, also model years 2025-2026, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.
Ford is not aware of any injuries caused by the instrument panel failure.
Owners will be notified by mail beginning Dec. 8 and instructed to take their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln dealership to have the software updated.
NEW YORK (AP) — A group of Democrats in Congress appealed to the largest U.S. companies Tuesday to hold onto their diversity, equity and inclusion programs, saying such efforts give everyone a fair chance at achieving the American dream.
The 49 House members, led by U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia of California, shared their views in a letter emailed to the leaders of the Fortune 1000. The move follows several major corporations saying in recent months that they would end or curtail their DEI initiatives.
“Inclusion is a core American value, and a great business practice,” the lawmakers wrote. “By embracing this value, you create safer and fairer workplaces without sacrificing quality or financial success.”
A handful of U.S. companies, including Ford, Harley-Davidson, John Deere, Lowes and Molson Coors, dialed back their DEI initiatives over the summer. The retreats came in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court outlawing affirmative action in college admissions and after conservative activists targeted the prominent American brands over their diversity policies and programs.
DEI policies typically are intended as a counterweight to discriminatory practices. Critics argue that education, government and business programs which single out participants based on factors such as race, gender and sexual orientation are unfair and the same opportunities should be afforded to everyone.
“They create toxic environments. They divide people,” Ilya Shapiro, director of constitutional studies at the Manhattan Institute, said of diversity, inclusion and equity initiatives.
The opponents have had several legislative and legal victories, and dozens more cases are working their way through the courts.
“These efforts to roll back rights are happening everywhere. They’re happening at the workplace. They’re happening in state legislatures,” Garcia told The Associated Press. “And it needs to stop. And we’ve got to push back and be vocal. We can’t just sit by and allow this to happen.”
The lawmakers’ letter states that growing numbers of American consumers spend their money with businesses that champion inclusion and are unlikely to continue supporting companies that they see backing down on commitments to bring people together.
“Continual progress towards more equal policies and benefits decreases the risk that anyone – employees and consumers – will experience discrimination, bias, and other threats to their safety and well-being,” the letter says.
The letter comes on the heels of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announcing that it filed 110 lawsuits in the past year alleging that employers sexually harassed teenagers, discriminated against workers based on sexual orientation and gender identity, engaged in patterns of discrimination and violated the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, among other violations.
The lawsuits represent a small fraction of the complaints lodged with the EEOC. The agency received more than 81,000 charges of workplace discrimination in fiscal year 2023, which was a 10% increase over 2022, EEOC Chair Charlotte Burrows said.
For every complaint, the EEOC notified the employer and launched an investigation. Many involved allegations of racial harassment or religious discrimination, Burrows said.
“Most people don’t even report internally, much less to the federal government, when they experience discrimination, so unfortunately, it’s the tip of the iceberg,” Burrows told the AP.
She and other commissioners strongly support diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs “because it is in so many ways an antidote to the kinds of practices that lead us to have to go to court,” Burrows said.
The Manhattan Institute’s Shapiro counters that DEI programs have little to do with civil rights law.
“The pushback against it is not a pushback against anti-discrimination laws or anything that existed really before 10 years ago or so,” he said. “DEI is divisive. It views people and issues through lenses of identity, classifies people based on privilege hierarchies and intersectional matrices, and is antithetical to a productive working environment.”
Meanwhile, lawsuits claiming reverse discrimination may be gaining momentum. The U.S. Supreme Court recently decided it would hear a lawsuit filed by Marlean Ames, who claims she was discriminated against in her job at the Ohio Department of Youth Services because she was straight.
“It’s a case that people are expecting will open the courthouse doors to more reverse discrimination suits,” said Jason Schwartz, co-chairman of the labor & employment practice group at Gibson Dunn.
Circuit courts have disagreed over whether to hold reverse discrimination cases to a higher standard. Some have ruled that if a person from a majority group brings a discrimination case, they have to show more evidence of discrimination than a person from a minority group who files a similar case.
“The Supreme Court’s interest in that case signals some potential that they’re going to lower the bar,” Schwartz said. “We already see a really massive uptick in these reverse discrimination cases.”
Groups such as the American Alliance for Equal Rights have pushed back on affirmative action policies at universities and diversity, equity and inclusion policies run by corporations.
Recently, the Atlanta-based Fearless Fund had to shut down a grant contest for Black women business owners as part of a settlement with the American Alliance for Equal Rights, which argued that race-based programs should be open to everyone, regardless of race.
“There’s been such an intense focus on all of the risk emanating from the anti-DEI side,” said David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at the NYU School of Law. “But I do worry sometimes that organizations may be over-correcting for that or worrying a little bit too much about that at the expense of the other side of the equation.”
A worker unloads a new Tesla Model 3 from a truck at a logistics drop zone in Seattle, Washington, US, on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Tesla posted its third-quarter vehicle production and deliveries report on Wednesday. The stock fell about 3.5% in premarket trading after the report.
Here are the key numbers:
Total deliveries Q3 2024: 462,890
Total production Q3 2024: 469,796
Analysts were expecting deliveries of 463,310 in the period ending Sept. 30, according to estimates compiled by FactSet StreetAccount.
Deliveries are not defined in Tesla’s financial disclosures, but are the closest approximation to units sold reported by the company. It’s one of the most closely-watched metrics on Wall Street.
In the year-ago period, Tesla reported 435,059 deliveries and production of 430,488 EVs. Last quarter, the company reported 443,956 deliveries, and production of 410,831 vehicles.
Tesla is facing increased competitive pressure, especially in China, from companies like BYD and Geely, along with a new generation of automakers, including Li Auto and Nio.
In the U.S., EV competitors like Rivian are maturing, while legacy automakers Ford and General Motors are selling more electric vehicles after walking back more ambitious goals for electrification.
GM this week reported a roughly 60% increase in EV sales for the third quarter from a year earlier. Still, its electric business is tiny compared to Tesla’s, with just 32,100 units sold in the latest period, accounting for 4.9% of the company’s total sales.
Ford plans to report results on Wednesday.
Tesla hasn’t issued specific guidance for 2024 deliveries, but executives have said they expect a lower delivery growth rate this year versus last despite the company having added a new vehicle, the angular stainless steel Cybertruck, to their lineup.
The company also said on Wednesday that it deployed 6.9 GWh of energy storage products in the quarter.
Shares of Tesla climbed 32% in the third quarter, erasing their loss for the year in the process. The stock is now up almost 4% in 2024, trailing the Nasdaq, which has gained 19%.
Tesla’s brand has been under pressure in the U.S. due in part to the antics of CEO Elon Musk, who, in addition to endorsing former President Donald Trump, has shared what the White House called “racist hate,” and false claims about immigrants and election fraud on X, his social media app.
But Tesla still sells more battery electric vehicles in the U.S. than any other automaker, with Hyundai a distant second.
In its third-quarter earnings report later this month, investors will be particularly focused on profit margins.
Tesla has continued to offer attractive financing options and an array of incentives to drive sales volume in recent months in China as well as in the U.S. Prior to earnings, Tesla will host a marketing event on Oct. 10, and is expected to show off the design of “dedicated robotaxi.”
Musk has promised Tesla self-driving cars for years, but the company has yet to deliver. Meanwhile competitors like Waymo and Pony.ai have begun operating commercial robotaxi services.
Yellow Light Coffee & Donuts is set to open inside Michigan Central this fall.
The first retail tenant of Detroit’s recently rehabilitated former train station has been announced.
Yellow Light Coffee & Donuts is set to open inside Michigan Central this fall. It’ll be its first food-and-beverage tenant since the station closed in 1988.
“Offering our in-house roasted coffee, scratch-made doughnuts and biscuit sandwiches to Corktown and Southwest is beyond exciting for our growth in Detroit,” co-owner Christine Driscoll said in a statement. “We’re also humbled that we will be part of this newest chapter in The Station’s history starting this fall.”
The coffee shop is now hiring for its Michigan Central location.
Michigan Central also announced a partnership with Detroit History Tours to offer guided tours of the station, which was rehabilitated by Ford Motor Co. over the course of six years for nearly $1 billion. The guided tours will highlight stories about the building’s restoration and also show guests areas not accessible to the general public.
“Detroit History Tours is honored to be powering tours of The Station,” said owner Bailey Sisoy-Moore. “From The Station’s legendary past to its exciting future, we are excited to share this landmark’s story with the world.”
Since reopening in June with a star-studded televised concert, Michigan Central says it has welcomed 167,000 visitors curious to see the historic building, which first opened in 1913 and was once one of the most most grand train stations in the U.S.
Michigan Central is expected to announce additional retail tenants in the coming months, and Ford Motor Co. says it will begin moving its workers into three floors of the building this fall.
A Ford car crashed into a guardrail where elementary children had gathered for a vehicle demonstration at a test track in Auburn Hills in July 2023.
The parents of two elementary school children who were severely injured when a car violently struck them during a vehicle demonstration at a test track in Auburn Hills in July 2023 filed a lawsuit Monday.
The lawsuit was filed in Oakland County Circuit Court against Continental Automotive Systems, Ford Motor Co., the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP), and the driver, Linus Gugino.
The students were lined up “extremely close to the vehicle and the track,” which is owned by Continental Automotive Systems, when the driver “rapidly accelerated the car in a negligent and/or reckless manner and lost control, plowing into the guardrail and violently striking the children watching the track from behind it,” according to the lawsuit filed by Marko Law, PLLC, and Scott Goodwin Law, P.C.
“The collision was so violent that the vehicle flipped over on its roof,” the lawsuit states.
Elijah Gibson was severely injured and hospitalized.
Elijah Gibson, who was 8 at the time, and Lavell McGee, who was 10, were seriously injured and hospitalized. Gibson sustained fractures across his legs, a massive gash to his left foot, and a traumatic brain injury. He received multiple surgeries. McGee sustained serious injuries to his legs and head. They suffer from memory and other cognitive issues, according to the lawsuit.
“The children and their families have also suffered extreme pain and suffering, emotional suffering and distress, greatly reduced mobility and physical capacity, and medical expenses,” a news release states.
The vehicle demonstration was part of DAPCEP’s STEM summer camp.
“This is a horrible case,” attorney Jon Marko said. “Our children should be able to go on field trips without the parents having to worry that they will be placed next to a high-speed test car and run over. And that’s what happened here. No one involved in hosting or promoting this demonstration took the simplest steps to keep the kids there safe. Everyone involved in putting on this event and bringing people to it had a duty to keep these children safe. It’s sickening knowing what happened to Elijah and Lavell, and that they’ll have to live with the consequences for the rest of their lives.”
The lawsuit alleges negligence and willful and wanton misconduct, among other accusations.
Michigan Central says that more than 100,000 visitors have walked through the doors of Detroit’s rehabbed train station since Ford Motor Co. opened them to the public in June.
Due to the popular demand, Michigan Central is now extending its “Summer at The Station” tours through Labor Day weekend — so if you haven’t visited yet, you have a few more weeks to do so.
“This outpouring of support has truly been inspiring,” said Joshua Sirefman, CEO of Michigan Central. “The Station is more than just a building; it’s a symbol of the city’s strength and a catalyst for innovation, and we’re proud to welcome the community back to this iconic Detroit landmark.”
Michigan Central says Summer at The Station has surpassed expectations, drawing an average of 3,000 visitors on Friday evenings and 5,000 visitors on Saturdays.
Guests can sign up for tours to learn about the history of the former train station, which opened in 1913 and closed in 1988, as well as about Ford’s six-year, nearly billion-dollar transformation of the building.
No tickets or registration is required, though Michigan Central plans to launch ticketed and guided tours in the fall. More information is available at michigancentral.com/visit.
The rehabbed building’s 100,000th visitor was Pastor Robert D Lodge, of the People’s Missionary Baptist Church on Detroit’s east side.
“Being the 100,000th person to enter into this epic building has made me recognize the future is bright and Detroit has been given a fresh start,” said Pastor Lodge. “We wanted to come and relive the nostalgia of the train station and see the enhancements and how Detroit has been revitalized and that this will be an epic reminder that Detroit is back.”
The building is expected to hold offices for Ford and other tenants, as well as retail and restaurants.
DETROIT — A once “dirty” word, and business, in the automotive industry has become a multibillion-dollar battleground for U.S. automakers, led by Ford Motor.
The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker has turned its fleet business, which includes sales to commercial, government and rental customers, into an earnings powerhouse. And Ford’s crosstown rivals General Motors and Chrysler parent Stellantis have taken notice, restructuring their operations as well.
“There’s much more of an emphasis now on profitability and how fleet can help that,” said Mark Hazel, S&P Global Mobility associate director of commercial vehicle reporting. “[Automakers] are looking at how they strategically go about this. It’s been a very targeted approach with how they deal with fleets.”
Many fleet sales, especially daily rentals, have historically been viewed as a negative for auto companies. They are traditionally less profitable than sales to retail customers and are used by automakers at times as a dumping ground to unload excess vehicle inventories and boost sales.
But Ford has proven that’s not always the case by breaking out financial results for its “Ford Pro” fleet business. The operations have raked in about $18.7 billion in adjusted earnings and $184.5 billion in revenue since 2021.
Such results have led Wall Street to praise the business, as analysts have called it a “hidden gem” and Ford’s “Ferrari,” referring to the highly profitable Italian sports car manufacturer.
“No other company has Ford Pro. We intend to fully press that advantage,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said July 24 during the company’s second-quarter earnings call, in which Ford Pro was the dominant performer.
Fleet sales typically account for 18% to 20% of annual industrywide U.S. light-duty vehicle sales, which exclude some larger trucks and vans, according to J.D. Power.
Part of the opportunity in fleet sales comes from the aging vehicles on U.S. roadways. The average age of the 25 million fleet and commercial vehicles on American roads was 17.5 years last year, according to S&P. That compares with light-duty passenger vehicles at 12.4 years in 2023.
While commercial sales, which are viewed as the best fleet sales, are estimated to be slightly lower this year compared with 2023, both GM and Stellantis have recently redesigned and doubled down on such operations. However, neither reports such results out separately.
“Breaking apart the fleet channel, we see that Commercial sales have been the weakest. And zooming in further, there are just two [original equipment manufacturers] that appear especially challenged: STLA and, to a lesser extent, GM,” Wolfe Research said in an investor note Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Ford’s commercial volumes have increased a “strong” 7% this year compared with 2023, Wolfe said.
While fleet sales data isn’t as available as retail, Wolfe Research estimates Ford is by far the leader in such earnings at a forecast of $9.5 billion this year. That compares with North American operations at GM at $5.5 billion and Stellantis around $3.5 billion, Wolfe estimates.
S&P Global Mobility reports Ford has been the fleet leader for some time. Since 2021, Ford’s market share of new fleet vehicle registrations (categorized by businesses with 10 or more vehicles weighing under 26,000 pounds) has been about 30%. GM, meanwhile, had around 21%-22% during that time, and Stellantis about 9%.
GM, citing third-party data, claims it outsold Ford last year in a segment of fleet sales: commercial vehicles sold exclusively to businesses (with five or more vehicles) and not individual buyers.
Ford, meanwhile, said it counts “all customers who register their full-size, Class 1-7 truck or van under their business,” not just those with five or more vehicles.
Ford claims to lead sales of commercial vehicles, categorized as Class 1-7 trucks and vans, with a roughly 43% share of U.S. registrations through May of this year. That’s up 2.3 percentage points compared with a year earlier, the company said.
The Ford Pro business is led by sales of the automaker’s Super Duty trucks, which are part of its F-Series truck lineup with the Ford F-150, and range from large pickups to commercial trucks and chassis cabs.
It also covers sales of Transit vans in North America and Europe, all sales of the Ranger midsize pickup in Europe, and service parts, accessories and services for commercial, government and rental customers.
Ford Super Duty trucks are seen at the Kentucky Truck assembly plant in Louisville, Kentucky, on April 27, 2023.
Joe White | Reuters
But automakers, including Ford, also see fleet operations as a key driver in other ways, including for electric vehicle sales, as well as reoccurring revenue options such as software and logistical services.
“This revenue has gross margins of 50-plus-percent which drives significant operating leverage and improved capital efficiency,” Farley said during the quarterly call. “The major part of this new software business is actually Ford Pro.”
Ford is aiming to achieve $1 billion in sales of software and services in 2025, led by its fleet and commercial business.
“Ford Pro is core to Ford, and there is potential upside on volumes as well as in software and service,” BofA’s John Murphy said Thursday in an investor note. “On software, Ford Pro accounts for ~80% of Ford’s software subscriptions with an attach rate of only 12%, which is projected to grow to 35%+ over the next few years.”
As Ford touts its fleet business, its closest rivals have amped up their operations.
Chrysler parent Stellantis is relaunching its “Ram Professional” unit this year with goals of achieving record profitability in 2025 and, eventually, becoming the No. 1 seller of light-duty commercial vehicles, which exclude some larger vehicles.
Christine Feuell, CEO of Stellantis’ Ram brand, declined to disclose a time frame for achieving that target but said the automaker believes it can do so after completely revamping its operations to focus on better mainstreaming operations for customers and earnings growth through sales and new services.
“It’s a highly profitable business. Not only on the product side, but on the services side,” she told CNBC during a media event last week. “Software and connected services are really a significant growth opportunity for us as well.
“We’re a little bit behind Ford in launching those services, but we definitely expect to see similar kinds of growth and revenues generated from those connected services.”
Ram makes up about 80% of Stellantis’ U.S. fleet and commercial business. It has a new or revamped lineup of trucks and vans coming to market, plus a host of connected and telematics products to assist fleet customers. It also increased the availability of financing and lending for commercial customers.
“This year truly begins our commercial offensive,” Ken Kayser, vice president of Stellantis North American commercial vehicle operations, said during the media event. “2024 is a foundational year for our brand, as we look to build momentum into 2025.”
GM isn’t sitting idle either. It has revamped its fleet and commercial business. It launched “GM Envolve” last year, its overhauled fleet and commercial business focused on fleet sales, digital telematics and logistics for commercial customers.
Sandor Piszar, vice president of GM Envolve in North America, said the Detroit automaker views the business as a competitive advantage not just to sell vehicles but to create reoccurring revenue and relationships with businesses.
2021 GMC Sierra HD pickup
GM
GM Envolve, formerly known as GM Fleet, reorganized the automaker’s business to be a one-stop shop for fleet customers — from sales and financing to fleet management, logistics and maintenance.
“GM Envolve is a critically important piece of General Motors business. It’s a profitable business,” he told CNBC earlier this year. “We think it is a competitive advantage in the approach we’re taking in this consultative approach of a single point of contact and coordinating the full portfolio that General Motors has to offer.”
GM and Stellantis declined to disclose the earnings and profitability of their fleet businesses.
GM Envolve includes the company’s EV commercial business BrightDrop, which was folded back into the automaker last year instead of it acting as a subsidiary. It didn’t accomplish the growth GM had expected, but EVs have an opening for automakers’ fleet and commercial sales.
“BrightDrop is a great opportunity for General Motors and for GM Envolve,” Piszar said, citing all-electric vans specifically for last-mile deliveries as well as small local businesses. “There’s a lot of use cases and as we ramp up production and get customers to try the vehicle that’s a key piece of our model.”
Unlike retail customers, many fleet and commercial customers have predefined routes or schedules that could accommodate EVs well because they drive locally in a region and could charge overnight when electricity costs are lower.
Brightdrop EV600 van
Source: Brightdrop
S&P Global reports EV startup Rivian Automotive led the U.S. in all-electric cargo van registrations last year, roughly doubling Ford, its closest competitor, at No. 2.
While the upfront investment is high, automakers have argued the eventual payback could be worthwhile for some businesses.
All three of the legacy Detroit automakers are touting such advantages to their fleet customers, while still offering traditional vehicles with internal combustion engines.
Stellantis and Ford also have started highlighting their portfolios of different powertrains such as hybrids and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles as adoption of EVs has not occurred as quickly as many had expected.
Ford last month announced plans valued at about $3 billion to expand Super Duty production, including to “electrify” Super Duty trucks.
“We’ve gone to, on all of our commercial vehicles, a multi-energy platform so we will offer customers the choice that we think no other competitor will have,” Farley said during the earnings call. “We believe we will be a first mover, if not the first mover, in multi-energy Super Duty.”
It’s been another great run for stocks since the Club’s last monthly meeting in June. The likelihood the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates sooner than later after recent upbeat inflation data pushed stocks to new highs over the past few weeks. Traders now see the odds of a rate cut by September at 100% , according to the CME FedWatch tool . The Dow Jones Industrial Average reached an all-time intraday high on Tuesday, while the S & P 500 did the same Monday. On July 11, the Nasdaq Composite hit new a new high as well. Taking advantage of the overbought market, we’ve executed a series of trades. The Club offloaded shares of TJX Companies on Friday in order to raise some additional cash. Before that, we made sales of Meta Platforms and Palo Alto Networks on July 8, locking in massive gains of 150% and 94%, respectively, since we first purchased both. On the flip side, we’ve looked for opportunities during the tech pullback. We started by initiating a small position in Advanced Micro Devices , a stock we most recently owned in the summer of 2023, and bought more on Tuesday. Through all the portfolio action, a key theme has emerged in the stock market, especially over the past week. Investors are jumping on the chance to get in on sectors outside of Big Tech. The Russell 2000 , which measures the performance of small-cap U.S. stocks, jumped nearly 11% in the past five sessions. Meanwhile, the tech-heavy Nasdaq edged 0.18% lower over the period. Case in point: Some of our biggest winners in 2024, mega-cap stocks like Amazon , Alphabet, Meta and Microsoft posted losses since our last meeting. Amazon is still up 27% for the year, while Alphabet and Meta jumped 31% and 38%, respectively. Other losers included our stocks with heavy ties to China: Wynn Resorts , Starbucks and Estee Lauder . All said, 12 of the portfolio’s 34 stocks were in the red. We see the market rotation playing out in our top-five performing names as well. From the June 27 close through Tuesday, only one company is in mega-cap tech. Here’s our top five and what’s driving the gains for each: 1. Ford Motor: 17.7% There wasn’t a single catalyst for Ford Motor’s outperformance. Investor sentiment, however, looks to have improved on signs that sales are picking up. Shares of the automaker rose on July 3 after the company said hybrid vehicle sales surged 56% in the second quarter, which set a new quarterly sales record for the segment. On July 11, the stock jumped again after June’s consumer price index (CPI) print indicated easing inflation and strengthened the Fed’s case to lower rates — an environment that could lead to more consumers buying Ford’s vehicles. The stock reached a 52-week high of $14.43 apiece on Monday. 2. Morgan Stanley: 10.9% Would a second presidency for Donald Trump benefit big U.S. banks? Investors in Morgan Stanley seem to think so. Shares advanced after President Joe Biden and Trump squared off during the June 27 presidential debate , which many viewed as a big win for the former president. Morgan Stanley’s momentum continued into July and hit an all-time high of $109.11 on Tuesday after the bank posted a largely better-than-expected second quarter report . We raised our price target to $120 from $98 apiece after results. 3. Stanley Black & Decker: 10.5% Stanley Black & Decker shares surged on recent signs of forthcoming monetary policy easing, which could spur housing market activity because of lower borrowing costs. More homeowners means more demand for the DeWalt parent’s offerings as buyers look for tools needed to fix things around the house. This, along with investors looking for pockets outside of Big Tech, have sent the stock higher since July 1. Shares of the company climbed 3.5% on Tuesday, and the Club capitalized of the stock’s advance, trimming our position in the afternoon. To be sure, we still see long-term gains ahead once the Fed starts to cut. 4. Apple: 9.7% Apple hit a record high of $237.23 apiece on Monday after Morgan Stanley listed the stock as a top industry pick. The Wall Street analysts said that the company’s artificial intelligence efforts will cause a much-needed upgrade cycle for the company’s flagship iPhone. Morgan Stanley also hiked Apple’s price target to $273 apiece from $213, a more than 16% upside from Tuesday’s close. It’s not like the stock was stalled: Shares have been climbing for months on excitement about Apple’s AI plans, which were recently unveiled at the company’s worldwide developers conference on June 10. 5. Dover: 7.3% Dover began its ascent higher on July 9 as capital rotated into sectors that benefit more from interest rate cuts. Dover is an industrial name, producing thermal connectors that are used in one of the fastest-growing end markets: data centers. This makes Dover a great under-the-radar AI play. “Dover is going to be a big name for me,” Jim said recently. Shares hit an all-time high Tuesday of $190.54 each, and closed the day nearly 3% higher. (See here for a full list of the stocks in Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.
A trader works, as a screen broadcasts a news conference by U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell following the Fed rate announcement, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York City, U.S., June 12, 2024.
Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters
It’s been another great run for stocks since the Club’s last monthly meeting in June.
The event airs for national audiences at 7 p.m. on Sunday on NBC and its Peacock streaming app.
Rosenberg says that he and Em were approached by producer Jesse Collins to help create the event. They had previously worked with Collins on the Super Bowl LVI halftime show in Los Angeles in 2022.
That show was dedicated entirely to hip-hop, the first Super Bowl show ever to do so. But for the Michigan Central event, the team wanted to highlight many of the genres that put the Motor City on the music map, from Motown, rock ’n’ roll, techno, and more.
“The goal was to cover the broad spectrum of Detroit’s musical history and significance within the concert,” Rosenberg says. “We knew that we couldn’t have everybody perform, so there was careful consideration put into making sure that the artists on the stage represented the important genres of Detroit’s musical pedigree in an authentic way.”
He adds, “This was a celebration of the city, its music and the building’s opening all at once. We wanted the audience at home and in attendance to feel like they were a part of the festivities and to witness something historically significant.”
Performers included Diana Ross (whose classic track “I’m Coming Out” served as a double entendre for the train station’s grand debut as well as Pride Month), Big Sean, Jack White (covering “Hear My Train a Comin’” by Jimi Hendrix), and Eminem, who premiered his new track “Houdini” live. There was also gospel music from the Clark Sisters and Kierra Sheard-Kelly and techno sets by Sky Jetta and Theo Parrish.
Other performances featured a Bob Seger tribute from Melissa Ethridge, Fantasia, and Jelly Roll and a tribute to the late Detroit hip-hop beatmaker J Dilla from Chicago rapper Common, Slum Village, and Illa J. The late Amp Fiddler, who served as a mentor to J Dilla and many others in Detroit, and former Slum Village rapper Baatin were also given shout-outs.
The community’s Irish and Latino demographics were reflected in opening sets by the Gavin Family and Mariachi Femenil Detroit, respectively.
Officials like Bill Ford, Mayor Mike Duggan, and Governor Gretchen Whitmer also helped mark the occasion.
Rosenberg says it’s an important moment in Detroit history.
“Like many other people from Detroit the train station served as a constant reminder to me of how wrong things went for decades,” he says. “The fact that this incredible masterpiece of architecture was restored to its glory serves as a symbol of the perseverance, resilience and the heart that Detroit and its people have. It’s a truly satisfying moment that feels great to share with the world and puts everyone on notice that Detroit is absolutely back.”
There was so much interest in the grand reopening festivities for Detroit’s long-abandoned Michigan Central that it caused the website to crash, officials said Tuesday.
Registration for a free concert and guided tours at the newly renovated former train station opened to the public at noon, but Michigan Central said it had to put it all on pause due to overwhelming demand.
“We appreciate the community’s incredible excitement to take part in the Michigan Central OPEN celebration, however, the demand for tickets exceeded even our highest expectations and stress tests for website capacity,” Michigan Central said in a statement. “For that reason, and to ensure fairness for all, we immediately paused ticketing for both the opening concert and the open house. We will set a new date for ticket availability and open registration again at that time. We sincerely apologize.”
Organizers say they will make an announcement on when more tickets will become available at michigancentral.com.
“We thank everyone for your patience and understanding,” officials added.
The hulking train station had been abandoned for nearly 40 years and had long been considered a symbol of Detroit’s decline. In 2018, Ford Motor Co. announced it would renovate the building to build a mixed-use campus that would include its own laboratories as well as retail and restaurant options for the public, reportedly spending nearly $1 billion dollars on the project.
We’ll let our readers know as soon as more information on the grand re-opening festivities become available.
United Auto Workers (UAW) members and supporters on a picket line outside the ZF Chassis Systems plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, US, on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023.
Andi Rice | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Mercedes-Benz workers in Alabama have voted against union representation by the United Auto Workers, the National Labor Relations Board said Friday.
The results are a blow to the UAW’s organizing efforts a month after the Detroit union won an organizing drive of roughly 4,330 Volkswagen plant workers in Tennessee. Voting started Monday and ended Friday.
Union organizing failed with 56% of the vote, or 2,642 workers, casting ballots against the UAW, according to the NLRB, which oversaw the election. More than 90% of the 5,075 eligible Mercedes-Benz workers voted in the election, according to the results.
The NLRB said 51 ballots were challenged and not counted, but they aren’t determinative to the outcome of the election. There were five void ballots.
The union and company have five business days to file objections to the election, including any alleged interference, according to the NLRB. If no objections are filed, the election result will be certified, and the union will have to wait one year to file for a union election for a similar bargaining unit.
Mercedes-Benz in a statement said company officials “look forward to continuing to work directly with our Team Members to ensure [Mercedes-Benz US International] is not only their employer of choice, but a place they would recommend to friends and family.”
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain (right) and UAW Secretary-Treasurer Margaret Mock (left) lead a march outside Stellantis’ Ram 1500 plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan after the union called a strike at the plant on Oct. 23, 2023.
Michael Wayland / CNBC
The loss is expected to hurt the UAW in an unprecedented organizing drive launched late last year of 13 non-union automakers in the U.S. after securing record contracts with Detroit automakers Ford Motor,General Motors and Stellantis. Those agreements included significant wage increase, reinstatement of cost-of-living adjustments and other benefits.
UAW President Shawn Fain said while the Mercedes-Benz vote was obviously not the result the union wanted, it was a valiant effort, adding the vote “isn’t a failure” but a “bump in the road.”
“While this loss stings, I’ll tell you this, we’re going to keep our heads up, keep our heads up high. These workers have nothing to do but be proud in the effort they put forth and what they’ve done,” he said Friday during a media conference. “We fought the good fight and we’re going to continue on, continue forward. Ultimately, these workers here are going to win.”
The Mercedes-Benz vote was expected to be more challenging for the union than the Volkswagen plant in Tennessee, where the union had already established a presence after two failed organizing drives in the past decade and where it faced less opposition from the automaker.
Stephen Silvia, author of “The UAW’s Southern Gamble: Organizing Workers at Foreign-Owned Vehicle Plants,” noted Mercedes-Benz replaced the plant’s leader weeks ahead of the election. He said companies routinely do this, promising workers changes at their facilities in an effort to stave of organizing.
“Companies do anti-union campaigns because they can be effective, and I think this one was effective,” said Silvia, a professor at American University in Washington, D.C. “A common piece of an anti-union campaign is firing the plant manager … That seems to have persuaded enough of the workers to vote against the union.”
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who was one of six Republican governors to condemn the union’s organizing drive, hailed the outcome of the vote.
“The workers in Vance have spoken, and they have spoken clearly! Alabama is not Michigan, and we are not the Sweet Home to the UAW. We urge the UAW to respect the results of this secret ballot election,” she said.
Workers at Mercedes-Benz’s Tuscaloosa plant, located about 60 miles southwest of Birmingham, have produced more than 4 million vehicles since the plant opened in 1997, including 295,000 vehicles in 2023, according to the plant’s website.
The Alabama plant currently produces vehicles such as the gas-powered GLE and GLS Maybach SUVs as well as the all-electric EQS and EQE SUVs.
The NLRB last week said it continues to process and investigate open unfair labor practice charges filed by the UAW against automakers, including six unfair labor practice charges against Mercedes-Benz since March.
Fain said Friday the union would continue to move forward with those charges. He declined to say whether the union plans to challenge the election results, saying he’d “leave that” to the union’s legal team.
The charges allege that Mercedes-Benz has “disciplined employees for discussing unionization at work, prohibited distribution of union materials and paraphernalia, surveilled employees, discharged union supporters, forced employees to attend captive audience meetings, and made statements suggesting that union activity is futile,” the NLRB said.
Michigan’s first City Winery location is still headed to Corktown, the live music chain’s founder and CEO Michael Dorf tells Metro Times — but he says inflation and high interest rates have delayed the project.
“If I had — and this is a technical financing term — a shitload of money, I would start faster,” he says with a laugh. “But I don’t.”
Budgets are tight for many these days, even a national live music company that has, as Dorf describes, “become the largest independent music chain in the country, which is kind of cool.”
He adds, “But we’re still an entrepreneurial, independent company, without deep pockets.”
Originally from Milwaukee, at 23 years old Dorf founded the Knitting Factory nightclub in 1986 in New York City. In 2008 he followed that up with the first City Winery in Manhattan, explaining that he picked a generic-sounding name with the idea of creating something that could also work in other markets. The chain opened a second location in Chicago in 2012, followed by Nashville in 2014, and Atlanta in 2015. Now, there are 13 City Winery locations with more on the way; Dorf says he’s also looking into expanding to Toronto and Columbus.
The chain has found a niche in creating intimate concert experiences that seat around 300 attendees at cocktail tables, with a focus on booking singer-songwriters. “We’re being very consistent and deliberate with the size of our spaces,” Dorf says, adding he is not trying to compete with the much larger venues operated by live entertainment juggernauts Live Nation and AEG. “They go from about 1,000-capacity venues to the biggest arenas and stadiums, and then they have everything in between,” Dorf says. “So 300 really is a number that I like, because it’s below their radar.”
The dinner-and-a-show model is good for working people, he says, who might not have time to eat before or after a concert.
“At eight o’clock, you can have a great meal and the whole food and beverage and entertainment experience in one in one setting,” he says. “That is a real value for people.”
The model also allows one artist to do multi-night runs instead of having to scramble to the next city. It all creates a better experience for both the artists and their fans, Dorf says.
“We’re creating a luxury concert experience where hospitality is really important,” he says. “We serve wine and cocktails in real glassware, not plastic cups. We’re just creating a better time for everybody.”
And yes, Dorf is well aware of the risks of mixing live music and glassware.
“We break a lot of glasses, disproportionate to our size of restaurants,” he says, adding, “Unlike most places, we can measure the success musically based on how much broken glass we have.”
In 2022, Crain’s Detroit Business reported that City Winery purchased a property south of Michigan Central Station for an estimated $2.343 million. Dorf says the planned Detroit location will be new construction, with no obstructed views of the stage.
A new rendering Dorf shared with Metro Times shows a stunning rooftop view of Michigan Central Station, which Ford Motor Co. has recently rehabbed for its new offices after the hulking ruin sat abandoned for decades since the last train departed in 1988.
“You’re going to have the most beautiful shot of the old train station, which, to me, is maybe the single most iconic gesture or symbol of the rebirth of Detroit,” Dorf says.
He adds, “I love the property we bought and love the opportunity there. I’m excited about the market. I think it’s going to be a fantastic fit for City Winery and what we offer.”
More information on the company is available at citywinery.com.
U.S. President Joe Biden answers questions from reporters after driving a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Xe around the White House driveway following remarks during an event on the South Lawn of the White House August 5, 2021 in Washington, DC. Biden delivered remarks on the administrationâs efforts to strengthen American leadership on clean cars and trucks.
Win Mcnamee | Getty Images News | Getty Images
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration intends to relax limits on tailpipe emissions that are designed to get Americans to move from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles, the New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the plan.
The administration would give car manufacturers more time instead of requiring them to rapidly ramp up sales of electric vehicles over the next few years, the report said, adding that the new rule could be published by early spring.
The shift would mean that EV sales would not need to rise sharply until after 2030.
John Bozzella, president and CEO of auto industry trade group the Alliance for Automotive Innovation (AAI), said on Sunday that the next three or four years are critical for the development of the EV market.
“Give the market and supply chains a chance to catch up, maintain a customer’s ability to choose, let more public charging come online, let the industrial credits and Inflation Reduction Act do their thing and impact the industrial shift,” Bozzella said.
Reuters previously reported that the White House could enact proposed Environmental Protection Agency regulations as soon as March that would mandate dramatic reductions in tailpipe emissions. The administration proposal would require boosting U.S. EV market share to 67% by 2032 from less than 8% in 2023.
General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis â the European parent of U.S.-based Ram and Jeep â have warned they cannot profitably transition their truck-heavy U.S. fleets that quickly, according to a Reuters analysis of automakers’ sales data and a review of comments to regulators.
Automakers and the AAI have urged the Biden administration to slow the proposed ramp-up in EV sales. They have said EV technology is still too costly for many mainstream U.S. consumers, and more time is needed to develop the charging infrastructure.
As consumers watch their wallets, companies have felt pressure from investors to do the same. Executives have sought to show shareholders that they’re adjusting to consumer demand as it returns to typical patterns or even softens, as well as aggressively countering higher expenses.
Airlines, automakers, media companies and package giant UPS are all digesting new labor contracts that gave raises to tens of thousands of workers and drove costs higher.
Companies in years past could get away with passing on higher costs to customers who were willing to splurge on everything from new appliances to beach vacations. But businesses’ pricing power has waned, so executives are looking for other ways to manage the budget â or squeeze out more profits, said Gregory Daco, chief economist for EY.
“You are in an environment where cost fatigue is very much part of the equation for consumers and business leaders,” Daco said. “The cost of most everything is much higher than it was before the pandemic, whether it’s goods, inputs, equipment, labor, even interest rates.”
There are some exceptions to the recent cost-cutting wave: Walmart, for example, said last month that it would build or convert more than 150 stores over the next five years, along with a more than $9 billion investment to modernize many of its current stores.
And some companies, such as banks, already made deep cuts. Five of the largest banks, including Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs, together eliminated more than 20,000 jobs in 2023. Now, they’re awaiting interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve that would free up cash for pent-up mergers and acquisitions.
But cost reductions unveiled in even just the first few weeks of the year amount to tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars. In January, U.S. companies announced 82,307 job cuts, more than double the number in December, while still down 20% from a year ago, according to Challenger, Gray and Christmas.
And the tightening of months prior is already showing up in financial reports.
So far this earnings season, results have indicated that companies have focused on driving profits higher without the tailwind of big price increases and sales growth.
As of mid-February, more than three-quarters of the S&P 500 had reported fourth-quarter results, with far more earnings beats than revenue beats. The quarter’s earnings, measured by a composite of S&P 500 companies, are on pace to rise nearly 10%. Revenues, however, are up a more modest 3.4%.
And the layoffs haven’t been contained to tech. UPS said it was axing 12,000 jobs, saving the company $1 billion, CEO Carol Tome said late last month, citing softer demand. Many of the largest retail, media and entertainment companies have also announced workforce reductions, in addition to other cuts.
Warner Bros. Discovery has slashed content spending and headcount as part of $4 billion in total cost savings from the merger of Discovery and WarnerMedia. Disney initially promised $5.5 billion in cost reductions in 2023, fueled by 7,000 layoffs. The company has since increased its savings promise to $7.5 billion, and executives suggested in its Feb. 7 quarterly earnings report that it may exceed that target.
JetBlue Airways, which hasn’t posted an annual profit since before the pandemic, is deferring about $2.5 billion in capital expenditures on new Airbus planes to the end of the decade, culling unprofitable routes and redeploying aircraft in addition to the worker buyouts.
Some cuts are even making their way to the front of the cabin. United Airlines, which also posted a profit in 2023, at the start of this year said it would serve first-class meals only on flights more than 900 miles, up from 800 miles previously. “On flights that are 301 to 900 miles, United First customers can expect an offering from the premium snack basket,” according to an internal post.
Several of the country’s largest automakers, such as General Motors and Ford Motor, have lowered spending by billions of dollars through reduced or delayed investments on all-electric vehicles. The U.S.-based companies as well as others, such as Netherlands-based Stellantis, have recently reduced headcount and payroll through voluntary buyouts or layoffs.
Even Chipotle, which reported more foot traffic and sales at its restaurants in the most recently reported quarter, is chasing higher productivity by testing an avocado-scooping robot called the Autocado that shortens the time it takes to make guacamole. It’s also testing another robot that can put together burrito bowls and salads. The robots, if expanded to other stores, could help cut costs by minimizing food waste or reducing the number of workers needed for those tasks.
Industry experts have chalked up some recent cuts to companies catching their breath â and taking a hard look at how they operate â after an unusual four-year stretch caused by the pandemic and its fallout.
EY’s Daco said the past few years have been marked by a mismatch in supply and demand when it comes to goods, services and even workers.
Customers went on shopping sprees, fueled by government stimulus and less experience-related spending. Airlines saw demand disappear and then skyrocket. Companies furloughed workers in the early pandemic and then struggled to fill jobs.
He said he expects companies this year to “search for an equilibrium.”
“You’re seeing a rebalancing happening in the labor markets, in the capital markets,” he said. “And that rebalancing is still going to play out and gradually lead to a more sustainable environment of lower inflation and lower interest rates, and perhaps a little bit slower growth.”
The auto industry, for example, faced a supply issue during much of the Covid pandemic but is now facing a potential demand problem. Inventories of new vehicles are rising â surpassing 2.5 million units and 71 days’ supply toward the end of 2023, up 57% year over year, according to Cox Automotive â forcing automakers to extend more discounts in an effort to move cars and trucks off dealer lots.
Automakers have also been contending with slower-than-expected adoption of EVs.
David Silverman, a retail analyst at Fitch Ratings, said companies are “feeling a bit heavy as sales growth moderates and maybe even declines.”
Cost cuts at UPS, Hasbro and Levi all followed sales declines in the most recent fiscal quarter. Macy’s, which reports earnings later this month, has said it expects same-store sales to drop, and there’s early evidence that may come to bear: Consumers pulled back on spending in January, with retail sales falling 0.8%, more than economists expected, according to the latest federal data.
Most major retailers, including Walmart, Target and Home Depot, will report earnings in the coming weeks.
Credit ratings agency Fitch said it doesn’t expect the U.S. economy to tip into recession, but it does anticipate a continued pullback in discretionary spending.
“Part of companies’ decision to lower their expense structure is in line with their views that 2024 may not be a fantastic year from a top-line-growth standpoint,” Silverman said.
Plus, he added, companies have had to find cash to fund investments in newer technology such as infrastructure that supports e-commerce, a resilient supply chain or investments in artificial intelligence.
Companies may have another reason to cut costs now, too. As they see other companies shrinking the size of their workforces or budgets, there’s safety in numbers.
Or as Silverman noted, “layoffs beget layoffs.”
“As companies have started to announce them it becomes normalized,” he said. “There’s less of a stigma.”
Even with rolling layoffs, the labor market remains strong, which may help explain why Wall Street has by and large rewarded those companies that have found areas to save and returned profits to shareholders.
Shares of Meta, for example, almost tripled in price in 2023 in that “year of efficiency,” making the stock the second-best gainer in the S&P 500, behind only Nvidia. After laying off more than 20,000 workers in 2023, Meta on Feb. 2 announced its first-ever dividend and said it expanded its share buyback authorization by $50 billion.
UPS, fresh from job cuts, said it would raise its quarterly dividend by a penny.
Overall, dividends paid by companies in the S&P 500 rose 5.05% last year, according to Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices, and he estimated they will likely increase nearly 5.3% this year.
â CNBC’s Michael Wayland, Alex Sherman, Robert Hum, Amelia Lucas and Jonathan Vanian contributed to this story.
Disclosure: Comcast owns NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC.
A trader works, as a screen displays a news conference by Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell following the Fed rate announcement, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., January 31, 2024.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
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Wall Street retreats U.S. stocks lost ground on Monday and Treasury yields rose amid lingering concerns that the Federal Reserve may not cut rates as much as expected. The blue-chip Dow fell over 200 points. The S&P 500 also slumped after hitting a record high last week. The Nasdaq Composite also dropped 0.2%.
Oil’s supply crunch The oil market faces a supply crunch by the end of 2025 as the world is not replacing crude reserves fast enough, according to Occidental CEO Vicki Hollub. About 97% of the oil produced today was discovered in the 20th century, she told CNBC.
Palantir surges Shares of Palantir spiked 19%in extended trading after the company reported revenue that topped analysts’ estimates. In a letter to shareholders, Palantir CEO Alex Karp said demand for large language models in the U.S. “continues to be unrelenting.”
Red Sea tensions Higher shipping costs due to tensions in the Red Sea could hinder the global fight against inflation, said the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Clare Lombardelli, chief economist at the OECD, told CNBC that shipping-driven inflation pressures remain a risk rather than its base case.
[PRO] Banking allure The banking sector offers attractive opportunities despite an increase in volatility, according to fund manager Cole Smead. “It’s the banks that made bad decisions that are making [other] banks look attractive in pricing,” Smead told CNBC, who picked two bank stocks that are in play.
Investors are once again getting ahead of themselves on the Fed’s next move.
Markets were rattled after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reiterated the central bank is unlikely to rush to lower interest rates.
Wall Street has been parsing his hawkish comments, yet in essence what Powell said over the weekend was no different than what he shared at Wednesday’s press conference: that he wants to see more evidence that inflation is coming down to a sustainable level.
Still, the debate over the timing of rate cuts unsettled Fed watchers.
This sparked a sell-off spurred by higher bond yields. The yield on the 10-year Treasury spiked for a second day, trading around 4.163%. Typically, higher yields tend to indicate investors think the Fed will take longer to cut rates.
Fresh data out Monday also didn’t help. A new survey showed the U.S. services sector expand at a faster-than-expected clip in January.
This on top of the booming jobs report released Friday, fueled investor worries that rates may stay elevated for much longer.
Wall Street will now look ahead to the swath of Fed speakers this week. Perhaps they will shed more light on the path for rate cuts.
Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc and X (formerly Twitter) Ceo speaks at the Atreju political convention organized by Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy), on December 15, 2023 in Rome, Italy.
Antonio Masiello | Getty Images
Tesla reported revenue and profit for the fourth quarter that missed analysts’ estimates as auto sales increased just 1% from a year earlier. The stock slid in extended trading.
Here are the key numbers:
Earnings: 71 cents per share, adjusted, vs. 74 cents per share expected by LSEG, formerly known as Refinitiv.
Revenue: $25.17 billion vs. $25.6 billion expected by LSEG.
Total revenue increased 3% from $24.3 billion a year earlier. Operating margin for the quarter came in at 8.2%, down from the year-ago quarter’s figure of 16% and slightly higher than 7.6% in the prior quarter.
While other U.S. automakers struggled to make and sell a high volume of fully electric vehicles last year, Tesla reported 484,507 deliveries in the fourth quarter and more than 1.8 million for 2023. Hefty price cuts helped Tesla achieve that number, which was a record for the company.
Net income for the quarter more than doubled to $7.9 billion from $3.7 billion a year earlier.
During the quarter, Tesla began selling Cybertrucks to customers. The company said in its investor presentation that, “We expect the ramp of Cybertruck to be longer than other models given its manufacturing complexity.” Tesla said it now has the capacity to build more than 125,000 Cybertruck vehicles in a year.
Tesla’s labor costs are rising in the U.S.. In order to make its wages competitive versus automakers like General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, where employees are represented by the United Auto Workers, Tesla recently rolled out pay increases for many of its hourly factory employees in the U.S.
CNBC’s Jim Cramer said the Federal Reserve’s decision to hold rates steady is a win for the bulls and is a sign the tightening cycle is coming to an end. With inflation easing and the potential for rate cuts next year, Cramer said the economy has managed a soft landing and more sectors are ready to soar.
“Sure, the easy money has been made in a couple of sectors — mostly tech — but now it’s time for a bunch of other sectors to shine, the economically sensitive ones that were supposed to be crushed by an inevitable recession,” Cramer said. “These stocks aren’t liked. May I suggest you cotton to them because the plane has landed, our seatbelts are unbuckled, we’re going down the gangway, calling an Uber and getting the heck out of the airport.”
The Fed held its key interest rate steady for the third straight time, and committee members indicated there could be at least three rate cuts in 2024.
Some on Wall Street worry this Fed action suggests there’s a recession on the horizon, but Cramer said it would be wise to ignore this outlook, adding that a strong labor report on Friday indicates the contrary. To Cramer, potential rate cuts would mean “smooth sailing” for stocks, with investors becoming less interested in bonds.
Although the market has been up for weeks, Cramer said there’s still money to be made in cyclical stocks and sectors that benefit from lower interest rates such as homebuilders, autos and financials. Cramer suggested buying financials that have hit lows recently, including Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and even regional banks that suffered after the banking crisis in March. He also named Caterpillar, Stanley Black & Decker, Ford and General Motors.
“Not only is the Fed no longer our enemy, it’s much more likely to become our pal, assuming the economy stays on its current, slower course,” Cramer said. “This is the about-face that the bulls were waiting for.”
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Disclaimer The CNBC Investing Club Charitable Trust holds shares of Caterpillar and Stanley Black & Decker.
Ford workers produce the electric F-150 Lightning pickup at the automaker’s Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center on Dec. 13, 2022.
Michael Wayland | CNBC
DETROIT — Ford Motor will cut planned production of its all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup roughly in half next year, marking a major reversal after the automaker significantly increased plant capacity for the electric vehicle in 2023.
The new production plans call for average volume of around 1,600 F-150 Lightnings a week at Ford’s Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, starting in January, according to a source familiar with the decision. The automaker most recently planned to produce roughly 3,200 of the vehicles on average per week.
“We’ll continue to match production with customer demand,” a Ford spokeswoman said Monday.
Ford executives have recently said the automaker will match production to demand, as the company cancels or postpones $12 billion in upcoming EV investments.
The production cuts for the F-150 Lightning were first detailed in a planning memo to suppliers obtained by Automotive News. The memo cited “changing market demand” for the cuts, according to the publication.
EV demand has been slower than many expected, as prices and interest rates remain high. Automakers are working to cut costs of producing all-electric vehicles, while rethinking production and product plans for the years ahead.
Ford spent six weeks earlier this year to increase capacity of the F-150 Lightning at the Michigan plant, which was expected to be capable of producing 150,000 of the all-electric trucks, three times its initial planned output.
Sales of the F-150 Lightning have steadily increased in 2023, notching a monthly record of roughly 4,400 sold in November. The company has only sold 20,365 of the trucks this year through November, up 54% from a year earlier.
DETROIT — As sales of all-electric vehicles grow more slowly than expected, major automakers are increasingly meeting their customers in the middle.
More and more companies are reconsidering the viability of hybrid cars and trucks to appease consumer demand and avoid costly penalties related to federal fuel economy and emissions standards.
The shifting strategies run counterintuitively to industrywide EV messaging of recent years. Many auto companies have begun to invest billions of dollars in all-electric vehicles, and the Biden administration has made a push to get more EVs on U.S. roadways as quickly as possible.
But hybrid vehicles — those with traditional internal combustion engines combined with EV battery technologies — could help the automotive industry lower fuel consumption and emissions in the short-term, while easing consumers into vehicle electrification.
Sales of traditional hybrid electric vehicles, or HEVs, such as the Toyota Prius, are outpacing those of all-electric vehicles in 2023, according to Edmunds. HEVs accounted for 8.3% of U.S. car sales, about 1.2 million vehicles sold, through November of this year. That share is up 2.8 percentage points compared with total sales last year.
EVs made up 6.9% of sales heading into December, or roughly 976,560 units, up 1.7 percentage points compared with total sales last year. Sales of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, or PHEVs, accounted for only 1% of U.S. sales through November.
“There’s been so much talk over the past few years about the move toward electrification and sort of forgoing hybrids, but … hybrids are not dead,” said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds executive director of insights. “There’s a lot of consumers out there that are interested in electrification, maybe not ready to go fully electric.”
Hybrids can also cost less and relieve many concerns typically associated with EVs such as range anxiety and lack of charging infrastructure. The average hybrid this year cost $42,381, according to Edmunds. That’s below the roughly $59,400 average for an EV; $60,700 for a PHEV; and $44,800 for a traditional vehicle.
Morgan Stanley earlier this month said Toyota Motor, Honda Motor and Hyundai Motor, including Kia, account for 9 out of 10 hybrid sales in the U.S. Representatives for those automakers said they are actively attempting to increase production and sales of hybrid vehicles in the U.S.
“While the transition to full battery electric transportation will take time, hybrids and plug-in hybrids will play an equally important role in Kia America’s near and mid-term goals,” Eric Watson, vice president of Kia America sales, said in a statement to CNBC.
And other companies, such as the Detroit automakers, are following suit.
The Detroit automakers have varying strategies for hybrid vehicles.
Ford Motor offers PHEVs but is leaning into HEVs, announcing plans in September to double sales of the V-6 hybrid model during the 2024 model year to roughly 20% in the U.S. It’s part of Ford CEO Jim Farley’s plans to quadruple the company’s production of gas-electric hybrids.
Ford’s hybrid sales through November of this year are up 23% over the same period in 2022 to more than 121,000 units, or 6.8% of its total sales through that point. In comparison, Ford’s EV sales are up 16.2% to roughly 62,500 units, accounting for 3.5% of its total sales.
Battery breakdown
Both hybrids and plug-in hybrids have a traditional engine combined with EV technologies. A traditional hybrid such as the Toyota Prius has electrified parts, including a small battery, to provide better fuel economy to assist the engine. PHEVs typically have a larger battery to provide for all-electric driving for a certain number of miles until an engine is needed to power the vehicle or electric motors.
Chrysler parent Stellantis, for its part, is leaning on PHEVs for its electrification strategy, before introducing a host of EVs starting next year. The company is the top seller of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in the U.S., and the vehicles accounted for about 10% of the company’s third-quarter sales, led by Jeep Wrangler and Grand Cherokee SUVs.
But General Motors isn’t ready just yet to alter its EV plans, which include a goal to exclusively offer all-electric vehicles by 2035.
GM led the way for plug-in electric vehicles with the Chevrolet Volt during the 2010s. The company discontinued the vehicle in early 2019, citing demand and cost concerns.
Since then, the automaker has not offered another hybrid vehicle in the U.S. other than the recently launched Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, a hybrid version of the famed sports car. GM does offer hybrids, including PHEVs, in China.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray hybrid sports car
GM
“We still have a plan in place that allows us to be all light-duty vehicles EV by 2035,” GM CEO Mary Barra said Monday during an Automotive Press Association meeting in Detroit. “We’ll adjust based on where the customer is and where demand is. It’s not going to be ‘if we build it they will come.’ We’re going to be led by the customer.”
Her comments come after GM President Mark Reuss told CNBC in August that he was “flexible” regarding hybrids as a way of meeting federal regulations.
“If it means we have to do that by law, then we have to do that by law,” he said. “If there’s regulations that get dealt on us, then we’re going to look at everything in our toolbox to meet them.”
Major auto companies, including the Detroit automakers, were counting on EVs to assist in offsetting the emissions and low fuel economies of larger SUVs and trucks that can cost them hundreds of millions of dollars in fines by the federal government.
GM and Stellantis were forced to pay a combined $363.8 million in penalties for failing to meet federal fuel-economy standards for cars and trucks they produced in previous years, according to information published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in June.
Such fines would significantly increase under current proposals by the Biden administration to improve fuel efficiency of vehicles and move toward EVs, according to automaker lobbying groups.
The American Automotive Policy Council, a group representing the Detroit Three, earlier this year said the automakers would face more than $14 billion in noncompliance penalties between 2027 and 2032 barring significant changes to their fleets’ overall fuel efficiency. U.S. automakers have separately warned the fines would cost $6.5 billion for GM, $3 billion at Stellantis and $1 billion at Ford, according to Reuters.
NHTSA in July proposed boosting fuel efficiency requirements by 2% per year for passenger cars and 4% per year for pickup trucks and SUVs from 2027 through 2032, resulting in a fleetwide average fuel efficiency of 58 mpg.
With EVs playing a lesser role than anticipated to boost those fleetwide averages, hybrids could save automakers millions.
“Even without electric vehicles, there’s an expectation that electrification of an internal combustion engine is going to be necessary to meet regulations anyway,” said Stephanie Brinley, principal automotive analyst at S&P Global Mobility.
The resurgence of hybrids is especially important for Toyota. The world’s largest automaker is considered the pioneer of traditional hybrids, with the Prius.
The company ironically became a target of environmental groups last year for its strategy to move forward with a mix of hybrids, PHEVs and EVs, which critics viewed as a lack of commitment to an all-electric future.
Toyota’s argument at the time, and still, is that it’s meeting consumer needs and planning for a more gradual global adoption that will naturally include some markets shifting to EVs sooner than others.
The company further says it takes into account the entire environmental impact of producing EVs compared with hybrid electrified vehicles, arguing it can produce eight 40-mile plug-in hybrids for every one 320-mile battery electric vehicle and save up to eight times the carbon emitted into the atmosphere.
“People are finally seeing reality,” Toyota Chairman and former CEO Akio Toyoda, who has been heavily criticized for the slower approach on EVs, said in Octoberregarding EVs, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda speaks during a small media roundtable on Sept. 29, 2022 in Las Vegas.
Stock futures were up Friday morning as the major indexes look for their third straight week of gains. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose about 80 points, or 0.24%, while S&P 500 futures advanced 0.2%, and Nasdaq 100 futures were essentially flat. On the week, the Dow is up 1.9% through Thursday’s close, the S&P 500 is up 2.1% and the Nasdaq is up 2.3%. Follow live market updates.
People shop in a holiday section ahead of Black Friday at a Walmart Supercenter on November 14, 2023 in Burbank, California.
Mario Tama | Getty Images News | Getty Images
According to Walmart, Christmas may come relatively cheap this year. CEO Doug McMillon said alongside the company’s quarterly earnings report that the retailer expects to see lower prices in some general merchandise and key grocery items. “In the U.S., we may be managing through a period of deflation in the months to come,” he said. “And while that would put more unit pressure on us, we welcome it, because it’s better for our customers.” Shares of the big-box retailer fell 8% on the day following the cautious outlook.
A Boeing 777-9 jetliner aircraft is pictured on the tarmac during the 2023 Dubai Airshow at Dubai World Central – Al-Maktoum International Airport in Dubai on November 13, 2023.
Giuseppe Cacace | AFP | Getty Images
Aircraft manufacturer Boeing racked up 295 orders across four days of the 2023 Dubai Air Show, trouncing its French rival Airbus’ 86 orders, according to company reports and third-party tallies. Each year the Middle East’s largest aviation event comes flush with jet orders. This year’s buyers showed a particular appetite for wide-body planes, CNBC’s Natasha Turak reports. Boeing’s popularity at the show represents a notable rebound after years of safety concerns.
United Auto Workers members strike the General Motors Lansing Delta Assembly Plant on September 29, 2023 in Lansing, Michigan.
Bill Pugliano | Getty Images
Union workers at General Motors ratified a labor deal with the United Auto Workers, according to results posted by the union Thursday. With tallies from all local chapters in, the agreement received 54.7% of the nearly 36,000 votes cast. It came after a contentious final few days of voting, with several major plants rejecting the contracts. But enough workers at smaller facilities voted in support to seal up ratification. Union workers at Ford Motor and Stellantis are still voting on similar contracts. So far, those agreements have won the support of roughly two-thirds of each automaker’s voting population.
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 04: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on new Administration efforts to cancel student debt and support borrowers at the White House on October 04, 2023 in Washington, DC.
Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images
More student loan borrowers are walking away from their debt in bankruptcy proceedings — the result of a policy change by the Biden administration intended to help people who were saddled with debt and struggling financially. Ten months after the policy change, student loan borrowers have filed more than 630 bankruptcy cases, marking a “significant increase” from recent years, officials with the Biden administration said. “Our efforts have made a real difference in borrowers’ lives,” Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said Thursday. Outstanding student debt in the U.S. exceeds $1.7 trillion. Economists have said the swelling debt load could slow the U.S. economy.
– CNBC’s Brian Evans, Melissa Repko, Natasha Turak, Michael Wayland and Annie Nova contributed to this report.
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