Wall Street sinks as weak earnings fan fears of economic slowdown

By Sinéad Carew, Sruthi Shankar and Ankika Biswas (Reuters) – Wall Street’s major averages suffered their deepest declines so far this month as a downbeat UPS forecast exacerbated investor concerns about a slowing U.S. economy on Tuesday while plunging deposits at regional First Republic Bank added to jitters about the bank sector’s health. Shares in…

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How North Carolina students view the lawsuit threatening affirmative action

By Gabriella Borter CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina (Reuters) – In a bustling sunken courtyard at the center of the University of North Carolina’s Chapel Hill campus, a group of students handed out slips of papers with a warning for their peers. “Is diversity at UNC important to you? It’s under threat,” the handouts read. The…

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Chipotle Mexican Grill earnings beat on price hikes, new stores

By Hilary Russ and Granth Vanaik (Reuters) -Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc topped Wall Street expectations for first-quarter profits and sales on Tuesday, helped by higher menu prices, 41 new restaurant openings and some recovery among lower-income customers. The company said it expects second quarter and full year comparable sales growth in the mid-to-high single digits….

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Top US banks face little investor pressure on fossil-fuel financing

By Ross Kerber (Reuters) -Top U.S. bank investors gave only slim support on Tuesday to shareholder resolutions calling for the lenders to wind down new fossil fuel financing, setbacks for climate activists who had hoped for new constraints on the oil and gas industries. The resolutions won only about 10% support of votes cast at…

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More bank jitters as First Republic probes asset sales, ‘bad bank’ options -source

By Manya Saini, David French and Saeed Azhar (Reuters) -First Republic Bank faces dwindling and tough options to turn around its business with the creation of a ‘bad bank’ or asset sales possibilities, a source familiar with the matter said, after the lender showed the extent of deposit flight during last month’s banking crisis. First…

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Visa’s payments business helps profit exceed Wall Street estimates

By Mehnaz Yasmin (Reuters) -Visa Inc reported a better-than-expected second-quarter profit on Tuesday and bet on sustained growth at its payments business, as consumers brace for a milder recession than was once feared. The San Francisco-based payments processor’s shares, up 11% so far this year, rose another 2.4% in after-hours trading. Card companies escaped the…

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Chile, US miner Albemarle hold talks on lithium nationalization plan

SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Chile’s state development office Corfo said on Tuesday it met with U.S.-based miner Albemarle to discuss the South American country’s plan to nationalize the lithium industry. Chile’s leftist President Gabriel Boric last week announced that control of the country’s vast lithium operations would over time be transferred from Albemarle and SQM to…

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Price hikes boost profits at global consumer giants; will spending last?

By Doyinsola Oladipo NEW YORK (Reuters) -Major global brands like McDonald’s, General Motors and Nestle posted steady first-quarter results built on higher prices, demonstrating that shoppers across major economies are still spending despite slowed economic activity. Price increases for soda, appliances and other goods bolstered profits, but sales volumes declined for many bellwethers in Europe…

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