Instant Reaction: Alphabet Sales Beat on Google Search Advertising
Google parent Alphabet reported first-quarter revenue and profit that exceeded analysts’ expectations, buoyed by continued strength in its search advertising business. First-quarter sales, excluding partner payouts, were $76.5 billion, the company said Thursday in a statement. Analysts had expected $75.4 billion on average, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Net income was $2.81 per share, compared with Wall Street’s estimate of $2.01.The shares, which have declined 16% so far this year, rose more than 3.5% in extended trading following the report. Alphabet needs to ensure momentum in its internet search advertising and cloud businesses in order to justify its heightened investment in the artificial intelligence race. Competition is prompting the company and its rivals to spend heavily on infrastructure, research and talent. While Google benefits from AI startups spending on its cloud and business tools, it’s also racing to present an answer to popular conversational AI chatbots, which consumers are beginning to think of as an alternative to using Google Search. For instant reaction and analysis, hosts Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec speak with: Mark Douglas, MNTN President and CEO Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Tech Industry Analyst Mandeep Singh See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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17:48
China Says U.S. Should Revoke Tariffs; Trump Approval Rating Drops
China Says U.S. Should Revoke Tariffs; Trump Approval Rating DropsOn today's podcast: 1) China demanded that the US revoke all unilateral tariffs and said there were no talks on reaching a trade deal, maintaining a a tough stance despite President Donald Trump’s easing of criticism of the country2) The Trump administration is considering whether to reduce certain tariffs targeting the auto industry that carmaker executives have warned would deal a severe blow to profits and jobs. 3) The New York Times is reporting President Trump’s approval rating has sunk to about 45 percent, down from 52 percent one week after he took office.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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16:58
Trump Changes Tone on Powell & Tariffs; Musk Will Refocus on Tesla
1) President Donald Trump said he had no intention of firing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell despite his frustration with the central bank not moving more quickly to slash interest rates.2) President Donald Trump said he plans to be “very nice” to China in any trade talks and that tariffs will drop if the two countries can reach a deal, a sign he may be backing down from his tough stance on Beijing amid market volatility.3) Elon Musk vowed to pull back “significantly” from his work with the US government and pay more mind to Tesla Inc., assuaging investors concerned about the carmaker’s worst quarter in years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On today's podcast: 1) US stocks are set to bounce back from Monday’s losses as investors nervously weighed up progress on trade talks with India and Tesla’s upcoming earnings. Gold topped $3,500 for the first time. 2) President Donald Trump warned the US economy may slow if the Federal Reserve does not move to immediately reduce interest rates, in his latest broadside against Fed Chair Jerome Powell. 3) Harvard University sued several US agencies and top officials for freezing billions of dollars in federal funding, significantly ratcheting up a high-stakes showdown with the Trump administration.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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16:47
Pope Francis Dies; Hegseth In More Turmoil Over Signal Chat
On today's podcast:1) Pope Francis, who encouraged Catholics to embrace a more compassionate view on many issues but found it difficult to close the book on past abuses by clergy, has died. He was 88.Francis passed away at 7:35 a.m. Monday in Rome, the Vatican said in a statement. He had been hospitalized in Rome in mid-February with bronchitis, which progressed to pneumonia in both lungs — the last in a litany of respiratory and other medical challenges he had faced. On Sunday, he had met with US Vice President JD Vance. 2) The New York Times is reporting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sent sensitive information about strikes in Yemen to an encrypted group chat that included his wife and brother, people familiar with the matter said.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared detailed information about forthcoming strikes in Yemen on March 15 in a private Signal group chat that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer, according to four people with knowledge of the chat.Some of those people said that the information Mr. Hegseth shared on the Signal chat included the flight schedules for the F/A-18 Hornets targeting the Houthis in Yemen — essentially the same attack plans that he shared on a separate Signal chat the same day that mistakenly included the editor of The Atlantic.3) China warned countries against striking deals with the US that could hurt Beijing’s interests, upping the ante in the trade war with Washington and showing how others risk getting caught in the middle.While it respects nations resolving their trade disputes with the US, Beijing “resolutely opposes any party reaching a deal at the expense of China’s interests,” the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement Monday. If that happens, Beijing “will never accept it and will resolutely take reciprocal countermeasures,” the ministry added. “China is willing to strengthen solidarity and coordination with all parties, jointly respond and resist unilateral bullying acts.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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