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Global Autos Analyst Tom Narayan expressed concerns over the decreasing prices of electric vehicles (EVs), which could potentially hinder profitability for automakers.
What Happened: Narayan, during CNBC&#8217;s &#8220;Last Call&#8221; on Wednesday, pointed out that the pricing for EVs seems to be on a downward trend. This could pose a significant challenge for automakers like Ford Motor Company (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/F#NYSE">F</a>) in achieving profitability in the EV sector. 
He stated, "If pricing keeps coming down it'll be tough to get there."
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">"The issue here is pricing for EVs looks like it's only going to go lower," says <a href="https://twitter.com/rbccm?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rbccm</a> Global Autos Analyst Tom Narayan as EV profitability remains elusive for automakers like Ford. "If pricing keeps coming down it'll be tough to get there." <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%24F&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">$F</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%24GM&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">$GM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%24STLA&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">$STLA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%24TSLA&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">$TSLA</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZHcDEI3cXE">pic.twitter.com/ZHcDEI3cXE</a>
&mdash; Last Call (@LastCallCNBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/LastCallCNBC/status/1783278927928029358?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2024</a></blockquote>
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See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/24/04/38367087/tesla-q1-earnings-preview-is-ev-giant-no-longer-a-growth-stock-analysts-cautious-wa?itm_source=parsely-api" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tesla Q1 Earnings Preview: Is EV Giant No Longer A &#8216;Growth Stock?&#8217; Analysts Cautious, Want Answers About Robotaxis, Model 2</a>
Why It Matters: Narayan&#8217;s tweet comes in the wake of <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/04/38423295/ford-cfo-says-ev-price-cuts-bringing-down-revenue-faster-than-company-can-cut-costs-if-the-pricing-s">Ford&#8217;s CFO, John Lawler, expressing concerns</a> over the rapid decrease in revenue due to EV price cuts. Lawler emphasized the company&#8217;s commitment to cost-cutting in its EV segment to counter the losses.
Earlier, Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/TSLA#NASDAQ">TSLA</a>) had also <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/24/04/38348232/tesla-aggressively-cuts-prices-ahead-of-q1-report-ev-maker-lowers-model-3-y-prices-in-china-by-u">announced significant price cuts</a> in all trim levels of its electric vehicles in China, following a round of price cuts in the U.S.
Stellantis NV (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/STLA#NYSE">STLA</a>) CEO Carlos Tavares had previously <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/01/36705212/stellantis-ceo-cautions-against-cost-reductions-after-tesla-slashes-price-of-its-best-selling-suv-yo">cautioned against price reductions</a> that might risk profitability and potentially make car manufacturers acquisition targets.
Price Action: As of close on Wednesday, Ford shares closed at $13.26, Tesla at $160.55, and Stellantis at $24.95, according to<a href="https://pro.benzinga.com"> Benzinga Pro</a>.
Read Next: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/24/04/38374423/elon-musk-reacts-as-ark-invest-analyst-says-its-going-to-be-very-hard-for-tesla-rivals-to-catch-?itm_source=parsely-api" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Elon Musk Reacts As ARK Invest Analyst Says &#8216;It&#8217;s Going To Be Very Hard&#8217; For Tesla Rivals &#8216;To Catch Up To &nbsp;Them&#8217; In Pricing: &#8216;Accurate&#8217;</a>
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Analyst Color

Equities

Markets

Tech

General

STLA

TSLA

To Lower Or Not? EV Pricing Dilemma Hampers Ford's Profitability, Warns Analyst

Influential analyst Rich Greenfield expressed uncertainty about the monetization of AI chatbots, despite acknowledging Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/META#NASDAQ">META</a>) as a key player in the crowded AI space.
What Happened: During &#8220;Last Call&#8221; CNBC on Wednesday, Greenfield highlighted that Meta&#8217;s commitment to AI investments comes at a time when the space has become &#8220;crowded&#8221; with competition from ChatGPT by Microsoft and OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic, Perplexity.AI and more. 
"There is no doubt that $META is going to be a major player. I think the challenge for investors is one, how big is this investment cycle, given the level of competition, " Greenfield said.
He highlighted that while Meta&#8217;s investments in their virtual reality unit Reality Labs and their collaboration with Ray-Ban on AR headsets have been huge, these were not as competitive as the AI space.
"It's not so clear right now,&#8221; Greenfield said.
&#8220;Yes, AI is making your recommendations better and AI is making the ads better, the content on Facebook and Instagram is going to be better. But how you actually monetize an AI chatbot&#8230;the use case and the monetization, isn&#8217;t clear. It&#8217;s really early days," Greenfield said, advising investors to learn more about the same.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">"This is a very crowded space. There's no doubt that <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%24META&amp;src=ctag&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">$META</a> is going to be a major player," says <a href="https://twitter.com/RichLightShed?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RichLightShed</a> on Meta's commitment to AI investments. "It's not so clear right now… how you actually monetize an AI chatbot. The use case and the monetization is not clear." <a href="https://t.co/Zo0Xn5DB1U">pic.twitter.com/Zo0Xn5DB1U</a>
&mdash; Last Call (@LastCallCNBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/LastCallCNBC/status/1783273225603965242?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2024</a></blockquote>
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See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/24/04/38345502/elon-musk-reacts-after-nvidia-stock-plunges-10-and-erases-212b-market-cap-rookie-numbers?itm_source=parsely-api" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Elon Musk Reacts After Nvidia Stock Plunges 10% And Erases $212B Market Cap: &#8216;Rookie Numbers&#8217;</a>
Why It Matters: Meta&#8217;s focus on AI development has been evident, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/24/04/38422805/mark-zuckerberg-shifts-metas-focus-to-ai-agents-over-chatbots-apple-to-pursue-similar-holy-grail">hinting at a shift from chatbots </a>to more advanced AI &#8216;agents&#8217; during the<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/earnings/24/04/38416273/meta-platforms-q1-earnings-highlights-facebook-owner-beats-estimates-but-guidance-higher-costs-ding"> company&#8217;s Q1 2024 earnings call</a>. These AI agents, as per Zuckerberg, would be capable of handling more complex tasks and goals, performing numerous queries to achieve the desired outcome.
Moreover, Zuckerberg revealed that over 50% of the content on Instagram and 30% of posts on Facebook are <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/04/38420928/meta-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-more-than-50-of-the-content-people-see-on-instagram-is-now-ai-recommended">now recommended by artificial intelligence</a>. This revelation came during Meta's first-quarter financial results announcement, where the company reported a 27% year-over-year increase in revenue, beating Street consensus estimates.
Price Action: Meta&#8217;s stock closed at $493.50 on Wednesday, marking a 15.57% decrease from its previous close. The company&#8217;s Q1 earnings per share stood at $4.710, surpassing the estimated $4.320.
Read Next: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/04/38349837/elon-musk-agrees-every-american-household-will-have-a-1-000-per-month-home-robot-in-7-years-time?itm_source=parsely-api" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Elon Musk Agrees Every American Household Will Have A $1,000-Per-Month Home Robot In 7 Years&#8217; Time</a>
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 <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/Pooja-Rajkumari" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="color: #225aa9;text-decoration: none">Pooja Rajkumari</a> 
 
 
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Mark Zuckerberg's Big AI Dreams For Meta 'Not So Clear:' Analyst Questions Profitability Of AI Chatbots

Business&nbsp;Outlook
For the three months ended&nbsp;March 31, 2024, the Company expects its retail transaction volume to be around 3,100 units and wholesale transaction volume to be around 900 units. The Company estimates that its total revenues including retail vehicle sales revenue, wholesale vehicle sales revenue and value-add-services revenue to be within the range of&nbsp;RMB300 million&nbsp;to&nbsp;RMB320 million. The Company expects its&nbsp;gross profit&nbsp;margin to be greater than&nbsp;6.5%. These forecasts reflect the Company&#39;s current and preliminary views on the market and operational conditions, which are subject to changes.

News

Guidance

UXIN

Uxin Expects Q4 Revenue of RMB300M-RMB320M

Uxin (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/UXIN#NASDAQ">UXIN</a>) reported quarterly losses of $(0.01) per share which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $(0.36) by 97.22 percent. The company reported $57.815 million in sales this quarter. This is a 15.25 percent decrease over sales of $68.216 million the same period last year.

Earnings

Earnings Beats

Uxin Q3 2024 Adj EPS $(0.01) Beats $(0.36) Estimate, Sales $57.815M Down From $68.216M YoY

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Wednesday <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/congress-trades">disclosed a transaction</a> in investment bank Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/GS#NYSE">GS</a>), and this has raised some eyebrows.
What Happened: In a filing with the Senate, Cruz said his spouse sold Goldman shares on April 15 and the proceeds could be worth up to $500,000. Incidentally, the company reported its quarterly results on the same day. The sale was mentioned as part offloading of the position.
The filing was in line with the &#8220;Stock Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act,&#8221; which requires Congressmen to publicly file and disclose any financial transaction within 45 days of its occurrence.&nbsp;The values of trades are given in a range.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="347" src="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/25033026/image-213-1024x347.png" alt="" class="wp-image-308074" srcset="https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/25033026/image-213-1024x347.png 1024w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/25033026/image-213-300x102.png 300w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/25033026/image-213-768x261.png 768w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/25033026/image-213-1536x521.png 1536w,https://editorial-assets.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/25033026/image-213.png 1872w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
Incidentally, Cruz&#8217; wife Heidi Cruz has been with Goldman since 2005 and she is currently serving as Managing Director at the firm.
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/best-bank-stocks">Best Bank Stocks Right Now</a>
Why It&#8217;s Important: Goldman is among the big banks, which reported stellar results for the first quarter. The stock rallied about 3% to $400.88 on the day of its earnings release (April 15) before pulling back about 1% in the very next session.
Since then, the stock has reversed course and ended Wednesday&#8217;s session at $423.04, down 0.23% from its previous close, according to<a href="https://benzinga.grsm.io/lxquj26b2sag"> Benzinga Pro data.</a>
The company reported first-quarter top- and bottom-line beats, thanks to strong trading and investment banking revenues. CNBC Mad Money host Jim Cramer <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/equities/24/04/38290992/jim-cramer-says-he-likes-earnings-from-these-big-banks-so-much-heres-why">picked Goldman as one of the big bank </a>earnings he liked this season due to the strong fee income relative to net interest income.
Given details of the purchase of those shares aren&#8217;t readily available, it isn&#8217;t known whether the transaction netted the senator a profit.
When Cruz was panned for allegedly inciting the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, corporate America chose to distance itself from tainted politicians. Goldman was among them but it chose to stand by Cruz&#8217;s wife who was employed with them.
Read Next: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/04/38185125/elon-musk-agrees-with-ted-cruz-on-putting-homeland-security-secretary-on-trial-the-precedent-is-crys">Elon Musk Agrees With Ted Cruz On Putting Homeland Security Secretary On Trial: &#8216;The Precedent Is Crystal Clear&#8217;</a>
Photo by Consolidated News Photos on Shutterstock

Government

Regulations

Politics

GOP Senator Ted Cruz Sold Shares Of This Big Bank On Q1 Earnings Release Date: Here Are The Details

Group Financial Targets and Outlook: 2024 &bull; Returns: targeting RoTE of greater than 10% and c.10.5% excluding inorganic activity &bull; Income: targeting Barclays Group NII excluding IB and Head Office of c.&pound;10.7bn, of which Barclays UK NII of c.&pound;6.1bn1 &bull; Costs: targeting Group cost: income ratio of c.63%, which includes c.&pound;1bn of gross efficiency savings in 2024 &bull; Impairment: expect an LLR of 50-60bps through the cycle &bull; Capital: expect to operate within the CET1 ratio target range of 13-14% 2026 &bull; Returns: targeting a greater than 12% RoTE &bull; Capital returns: plan to return at least &pound;10bn of capital to shareholders between 2024 and 2026, through dividends and share buybacks, with a continued preference for buybacks. Plan to keep total dividend stable at 2023 level in absolute terms, with progressive dividend per share growth driven through share count reduction as a result of increased share buybacks. Dividends will continue to be paid semi-annually. This multi-year plan is subject to supervisory and Board approval, anticipated financial performance and our published CET1 ratio target range of 13-14% &bull; Income: targeting Group total income of c.&pound;30bn &bull; Costs: targeting total Group operating expenses of c.&pound;17.0bn and a Group cost: income ratio of high 50s in percentage terms. This includes total gross efficiency savings of c.&pound;2bn by 2026 &bull; Impairment: expect an LLR of 50-60bps through the cycle &bull; Capital: expect to operate within the CET1 ratio target range of 13-14%&ndash; Targeting IB RWAs of c.50% of Group RWAs in 2026&ndash; Impact of regulatory change on RWAs in line with prior guidance, expected to be at lower end of 5&ndash;10% of Group RWAs. This includes c.&pound;16bn RWAs expected in H224 due to USCB moving to Internal Ratings-Based (IRB) models

Barclays Reiterated  2024 Outlook: Targets Barclays Group NII Excluding Barclays Investment Bank And Head Office Of £10.7B, Expects RoTE Of Greater Than 10% In 2024 And 10.5% Excluding Inorganic Activity

Unilever Continues To Expect FY24 Underlying Sales Growth To Be Within Its Multi-year Range Of 3% - 5%, With Increasing Contribution From Volume Growth

Unilever Q1 FY24 Sales €15.0B, Up 1.4% YoY, With Underlying Sales Growth Of 4.4%

Barclays (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/BCS#NYSE">BCS</a>) reported quarterly earnings of $0.52 per share which missed the analyst consensus estimate of $0.58 by 10.34 percent. The company reported $8.818 billion in sales this quarter. This is a 0.32 percent increase over sales of $8.790 billion the same period last year.

Earnings Misses

Barclays Q1 2024 GAAP EPS $0.52 Misses $0.58 Estimate, Sales $8.818B Up From $8.790B YoY

Mark Zuckerberg has outlined three strategies for Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/META#NASDAQ">META</a>) to monetize its <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/04/38400945/metas-massive-1b-bet-on-nvidia-h100-gpu-cluster-will-dwarf-every-other-companys-target-but-zuckerber">substantial investments</a> in artificial intelligence (AI.)
What Happened: Zuckerberg, during the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/earnings/24/04/38416273/meta-platforms-q1-earnings-highlights-facebook-owner-beats-estimates-but-guidance-higher-costs-ding">March 2024 quarter earnings</a> call, expressed his confidence in Meta&#8217;s AI capabilities, particularly with the launch of Llama 3, the company&#8217;s latest AI model.
He stated that Meta will &#8220;invest significantly more over the coming years to build even more advanced models and the largest scale AI services in the world.&#8221;
Despite the substantial costs associated with this ambition, Meta plans to increase its capital expenditure for this year to $35 billion to $40 billion, primarily for AI investments. This announcement resulted in a 16% stock drop in after-hours trading.
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/entertainment/24/04/38397316/elon-musk-says-morgan-freeman-is-awesome-after-american-actor-says-hes-a-huge-fan-of-tesla-?itm_source=parsely-api" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Elon Musk Says Morgan Freeman Is &#8216;Awesome&#8217; After American Actor Says He&#8217;s A Huge Fan Of Tesla CEO</a>
Zuckerberg, however, is confident that Meta&#8217;s AI investments will yield significant profits in the future. He outlined three specific ways in which AI could become a &#8220;massive business&#8221; for Meta.
Subscribe to the&nbsp;<a href="https://bztechtrends.beehiiv.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter</a>&nbsp;to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Zuckerberg's 3-Step Plan To Monetize AI Investments:</h2>
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">1. Charging Companies For Using Generative AI Tools</h4>
The first method involves companies paying Meta for generative AI tools, such as services supporting automated interactions with users and customers. This could become a reality within the next five years, according to Zuckerberg.
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">2. Advertisements</h4>
The second approach is to integrate ads or paid content into AI interactions. This aligns with Meta&#8217;s core business of selling digital advertising.
<h4 class="wp-block-heading">3. Monetizing Large AI Models</h4>
The third potential revenue stream is charging for access to Meta&#8217;s increasingly larger AI models.
Why It Matters: Zuckerberg&#8217;s announcement comes after Meta <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/04/38421280/metas-stock-plunge-after-q1-numbers-an-overreaction-to-zuckerbergs-capex-move-says-gene-munster-he-w">announced plans</a> to significantly increase its capital expenditure for AI investments.
This move has raised concerns among investors, given the company&#8217;s history of overspending on new technologies, such as the Metaverse.
These strategies align with Meta&#8217;s recent AI initiatives, including the launch of its latest AI model, <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/04/38330339/mark-zuckerbergs-meta-says-llama-3-beats-googles-gemini-mistral-and-jeff-bezos-backed-anthropics-cla">Llama 3</a>, which has outperformed other AI models in benchmark tests.
Price Action: Meta stock closed 0.52% lower at $493.50 on Wednesday, according to <a href="https://pro.benzinga.com/dashboard">Benzinga Pro</a>.
Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/consumer-tech" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">following this link</a>.
Read Next: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/04/38420928/meta-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-more-than-50-of-the-content-people-see-on-instagram-is-now-ai-recommended">Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg: &#8216;More Than 50% Of The Content People See On Instagram Is Now AI Recommended&#8217;</a>
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/author/benzinga-neuro" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Benzinga Neuro</a>&nbsp;and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Mark Zuckerberg Photo by Alexandros Michailidis on Shutterstock

Mark Zuckerberg Lays Down How Meta Will Make Money From Its Multi-Billion Dollar AI Bet

Subsea 7 (OTC:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/SUBCY#OTC">SUBCY</a>) reported quarterly earnings of $0.09 per share which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $(0.03) by 400 percent. The company reported quarterly sales of $1.395 billion which missed the analyst consensus estimate of $1.492 billion by 6.53 percent. This is a 11.96 percent increase over sales of $1.246 billion the same period last year.

SUBCY

Subsea 7 Q1 2024 GAAP EPS $0.09 Beats $(0.03) Estimate, Sales $1.395B Miss $1.492B Estimate

Pershing Square founder Bill Ackman has in the past made <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/23/09/34429616/bill-ackman-calls-for-strong-alternatives-to-very-beatable-biden-and-trump-but-tells-why-he-wont-run">no bones about his displeasure</a> about President Joe Biden&#8217;s handling of his job and on Wednesday, he categorically ruled out voting for the incumbent.
Biden Or Trump: &#8220;For anyone who is still confused on the topic, I am not voting for Biden,&#8221; he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. When a conservative journalist prodded him as to whether he would vote for probable Republican nominee Donald Trump, he did not rule out the possibility.
&#8220;And yes, I am open to voting for [Donald Trump],&#8221; Ackman said. But he hinted that he could make his final choice closer to the election date. &#8220;I will share whom I am supporting when I make my decision closer to the election. I like to preserve optionality,&#8221; he said.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">For anyone who is still confused on the topic, I am not voting for Biden.
&mdash; Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillAckman/status/1783294245215908143?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2024</a></blockquote>
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In a separate thread, replying to a social-media user&#8217;s question as to whether he has ever voted for a Republican, Ackman said he voted for Trump in 2016.
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/money/how-to-invest-in-startups">How To Invest In Startups</a>
Hostage Issue: Separately, Ackman responded to a post regarding the White House&#8217;s briefing on Biden signing the Ukraine and Israeli aid bill into law. The hedge-fund manager slammed the president for not acting decisively on the hostages being held in Gaza.
&#8220;I have not heard @potus Biden take ownership of this issue,&#8221; Ackman said.
&#8220;I have heard him talk about calls for a ceasefire, shrinkflation, hotel fees, and four more years, but not the fact that hostages including American hostages are still being held in Gaza.&#8221;
This is evident from the president&#8217;s delegation to staff and what he speaks to the American public, Ackman said. &#8220;He has not made clear that returning the hostages is high on his priority list. He is too focused on other talking points in an attempt to get re-elected. And the media are letting him off the hook on this issue,&#8221; he added.
The hostage issue came to the centerstage on Wednesday after Hamas released a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/24/world/israel-gaza-war-hamas">video</a> of Israeli-American  Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was taken captive during the Oct. 7 Hamas strikes against Israel. 
Ackman has in the past expressed hopes that<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/23/03/31469332/not-biden-bill-ackman-says-this-corporate-ceo-more-likely-to-win-against-trump-in-presidential-race"> JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon would throw in his hat in the ring </a>and contest in the Democratic primary. He previously approved of businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who has since then dropped off the race. The fund manager was also found backing Democrat turned-independent candidate Robert Kennedy Jr.&#8217;s stance on the COVID-19 vaccine. In January, he denoted $1 million to support Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) to become the Democratic nominee in the 2024 presidential election. Phillips quit the race in early March.
Read Next: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/02/37253969/bill-ackman-reveals-first-investment-book-he-read-was-the-same-one-that-influenced-warren-buffett-it">Bill Ackman Reveals First Investment Book He Read Was The Same One That Influenced Warren Buffett: &#8216;It Was Kind Of The Inspiration For My Career…&#8217;</a>
Trump vs Biden illustration was generated using artificial intelligence via MidJourney.

Media

Bill Ackman Says 'Not Voting For Biden,' Slams President For Inaction On American Hostage Issue: 'Too Focused On Other Talking Points…To Get Re-elected'

Reported Earlier, U.S. Bancorp's Subsidiary Elavon Partners Withg FreedomPay To Revolutionize Payments In European Hospitality And Retail Sectors

Dearborn-based Ford Motor Co (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/F#NYSE">F</a>) is now prioritizing hybrid vehicles in a bid to diversify its offerings and withstand the <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/earnings/24/04/38417196/ford-q1-earnings-highlights-automaker-beats-street-estimates-guidance-improves-ev-revenue-falls-84">dwindling demand and price war within the EV market. </a>
What Happened: &#8220;We&#8217;re learning about the importance of choice. Our growth in the first quarter in hybrids is a good example&#8221; Ford CEO Jim Farley said during the company&#8217;s first-quarter earnings call on Wednesday. 
Ford&#8217;s global hybrid sales were up 36% year-on-year in the first quarter and the company is eyeing a growth of 40% for 2024. 
Competition From Foreign Players: The U.S. hybrid market is dominated by foreign players like Toyota and Honda. Ford is ranked below the two but is optimistic about carving out a share of the market for itself. 
&#8220;Our hybrid capacity is in trucks. That&#8217;s where most of our hybrid sales are in North America. And we don&#8217;t see a lot of competition so far for that business. We&#8217;ll see over time,&#8221; Farley said.
Ford is now looking to offer hybrid options across its lineup. The process, Farley says, does not require inventing new powertrains. 
&#8220;It doesn&#8217;t require wholesale inventing new powertrains. But it does involve some engineering and investment in capacity. I would say kind of modest investments, mostly in the capacity side and some engineering,&#8221; he said.
Other U.S. Players And Hybrids: Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Tuesday slammed the decision of other car manufacturers to pull back on EVs and offer hybrids instead. 
&#8220;We believe this is not the right strategy and electric vehicles will ultimately dominate the market,&#8221; Musk said. 
Detroit-based General Motors does not offer any hybrids in the U.S. as of now. However, in February, GM CEO Mary Barra said that the company plans to introduce <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/02/36906793/gm-chief-mary-barra-rewrites-roadmap-plug-in-hybrids-to-deliver-green-goals-a-ev-growth-slows" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plug-in hybrid technology</a> in select North American vehicles in the coming years despite its vision to stop selling combustion-engine light-duty vehicles by 2035. For 2024, however, pure electric vehicles are the focus, she added.
Check out more of Benzinga's Future Of Mobility coverage by&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/mobility" rel="noreferrer noopener">following this link</a>.
Read More:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/04/38397845/tesla-will-solve-autonomy-even-if-i-got-kidnapped-by-aliens-tomorrow-says-elon-musk-as-he-reveals-ta">Tesla Will Solve Autonomy ‘Even If I Got Kidnapped By Aliens Tomorrow,' Says Elon Musk As He Reveals Talks With ‘Major Automaker' For FSD Licensing</a>

Ford Positive About Hybridization Of Vehicle Lineup Despite Competition From Honda, Toyota: 'We're Learning About The Importance Of Choice...'

Omeed Malik, founder and CEO of Farvahar Partners, recently voiced his concerns over the TikTok crackdown bill signed by President Joe Biden, expressing distrust in the bill and its implementation.
What Happened: During CNBC&#8217;s &#8220;Last Call&#8221; on Wednesday, Malik stated, "I really have an issue with what TikTok is doing to society. With all of that said… I don't trust this bill that was passed, and I certainly don't trust the Biden administration to implement it fairly." 
Malik, who had previously vouched for a ban on TikTok and the decoupling of the app from China, explained that the text of the bill was &#8220;way too vague.&#8221; He expressed his worries about the bill&#8217;s broad language, which he fears could be used to target any individual or platform deemed &#8220;subject to the direction of a foreign power.&#8221;
&#8220;I am very concerned about that language because that same language was used against our former president of the United States [Donald Trump] for three years when they called him a Russian asset. Does that mean that Truth Social now should be banned as well? What does it mean for Rumble? Or X?&#8221;
Malik also criticized the outdated social media laws in the country, calling for the removal of legal liability shields from big tech companies and the implementation of antitrust laws to break them up. He urged for a bill of rights around privacy to prevent data misuse by all companies, not just TikTok.
<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"> 
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">"I really have an issue with what TikTok is doing to society, with all of that said… I don't trust this bill that was passed, and I certainly don't trust the Biden administration to implement it fairly," says <a href="https://twitter.com/RealOmeedMalik?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RealOmeedMalik</a> on Pres. Biden signing the TikTok crackdown bill. <a href="https://t.co/NmVRZwbri6">pic.twitter.com/NmVRZwbri6</a>
&mdash; Last Call (@LastCallCNBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/LastCallCNBC/status/1783279548429115814?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
</figure>
See Also: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/general/entertainment/24/04/38397316/elon-musk-says-morgan-freeman-is-awesome-after-american-actor-says-hes-a-huge-fan-of-tesla-?itm_source=parsely-api" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Elon Musk Says Morgan Freeman Is &#8216;Awesome&#8217; After American Actor Says He&#8217;s A Huge Fan Of Tesla CEO: &#8216;What He&#8217;s Done, Nobody Else Has Ever Done&#8217;</a>
Why It Matters: The comment was in response to President <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/04/38394855/biden-set-to-sign-tiktok-ban-into-law-after-senate-passes-bill-supported-by-gop-democrats">Biden signing the bill</a> that could potentially ban or lead to the sale of TikTok, a popular social media platform owned by Chinese company ByteDance.
The bill, which was passed with a Senate vote of 79-18, gives ByteDance a nine-month window to sell the app or face a national ban. The President also has the option to extend this period by 90 days.
The signing of the bill has sparked controversy and debate. TikTok&#8217;s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, has publicly opposed the legislation, stating, "Make no mistake, this is a ban, a ban on TikTok and a ban on you and your voice." 
The platform has vowed to <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/markets/asia/24/04/38418913/tiktok-fights-back-we-arent-going-anywhere-whats-next-for-users">fight back against the legislation,</a> marking a significant development in the ongoing debate over TikTok&#8217;s Chinese ownership.
Read Next: <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/04/38349837/elon-musk-agrees-every-american-household-will-have-a-1-000-per-month-home-robot-in-7-years-time?itm_source=parsely-api" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Elon Musk Agrees Every American Household Will Have A $1,000-Per-Month Home Robot In 7 Years&#8217; Time</a>
Image via Shutterstock
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/author/benzinga-neuro" rel="noreferrer noopener">Benzinga Neuro</a>&nbsp;and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Social Media

Expert Slams TikTok Ban Bill As 'Way Too Vague,' Questions Impact On Donald Trump's Truth Social, Rumble And X

Dearborn-based Ford Motor Co (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/stock/F#NYSE">F</a>), on Wednesday, reiterated its commitment to cutting costs in its EV segment to <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/earnings/24/04/38417196/ford-q1-earnings-highlights-automaker-beats-street-estimates-guidance-improves-ev-revenue-falls-84">counter its growing losses</a> and withstanding the ongoing price war. 
What Happened: Ford is eyeing hitting profitability in its EV segment with the launch of its next generation of EVs. However, the launch timeline of these vehicles is currently under wraps. In the meantime, the company is looking to cut costs of the business, CFO John Lawler said during the company&#8217;s first-quarter earnings call on Wednesday. 
&#8220;We&#8217;re going to continue to work on driving every dollar of cost out of the business in the near term,&#8221; he said. 
But revenue over the past several months is dropping faster than the company is able to reduce costs, Lawler conceded, referring to the price war triggered by EV giant Tesla which forced others <a href="https://www.benzinga.com/analyst-ratings/analyst-color/24/04/38039584/fords-price-cuts-send-mustang-mach-e-sales-soaring-in-weeks-but-next-decade-will-be">including Ford to cut prices </a>to retain their market share. 
 &#8220;If the pricing stabilizes and we don&#8217;t see these significant reductions continuing across the industry, then I think that you could probably start to see some of those cost reductions flow to the bottom line,&#8221; he said. 
While at the onset of EV adoption customers were willing to pay a premium for an EV, they are now looking for cheaper options, Lawler noted. 
&#8220;We think that prices for EVs are going to normalize around where gas is and the consumers are going to weigh the value proposition of that propulsion choice,&#8221;&nbsp;Lawler said while adding that the company does not see EV prices falling below gas vehicle prices.
Why It Matters: Ford&#8217;s EV segment called &#8220;Model e&#8221; posted an EBIT loss of $1.3 billion in the first quarter, a drastic jump from the EBIT loss of $0.7 billion reported in the corresponding quarter of 2023. 
Revenue, likewise, fell 84% year-on-year to $0.1 billion, partly due to the industry-wide pricing pressure. 
For 2024, Ford expects its EV division to post an EBIT loss between $5.5 billion and $5 billion, widening from the EBIT loss of $4.7 billion recorded last year. 
Image Via Shutterstock
Check out more of Benzinga&#8217;s Future Of Mobility coverage by&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.benzinga.com/topic/mobility" rel="noreferrer noopener">following this link</a>.
Read More:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/04/38397845/tesla-will-solve-autonomy-even-if-i-got-kidnapped-by-aliens-tomorrow-says-elon-musk-as-he-reveals-ta" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tesla Will Solve Autonomy ‘Even If I Got Kidnapped By Aliens Tomorrow,&#8217; Says Elon Musk As He Reveals Talks With ‘Major Automaker&#8217; For FSD Licensing</a>

Ford CFO Says EV Price Cuts Bringing Down Revenue Faster Than Company Can Cut Costs; 'If The Pricing Stabilizes...'

Allison 3414 Regional Haul Series&trade; (RHS) and 4000 Series&trade; now available to order as the exclusive fully automatic in International RH and HX Series trucks, respectively.

ALSN

Reported Earlier, Allison Fully Automatic Transmissions Selected For International Truck's Latest S13 Models

Nasdaq provided the Company 60 days to submit a plan to regain compliance with the Rule (the &quot;Plan&quot;).&nbsp; The Company intends to submit its plan of compliance to Nasdaq by June 17, 2024.&nbsp;

HRYU

Reported Earlier, Hanryu Holdings Receives Delinquency Notice From Nasdaq For Late Annual Report Filing

IPOs

RBRK

Reported Earlier, Rubrik Prices Upsized Initial Public Offering Of 23.5M Class A Common Shares At $32/Share

<ul>
<li>Advances Labcorp strategy to launch and scale specialty testing&nbsp;in areas such as oncology and rare diseases</li>
<li>Transaction requires court approval, with confirmation expected on&nbsp;May 6, 2024</li>
</ul>

Laboratory Corporation Of America Holdings

NVTA

Reported Earlier, Labcorp Wins Bid For Invitae Assets To Boost Specialty Testing In Oncology And Rare Diseases

Press Releases

MAQUIA CAPITAL ACQUISITION CORPORATION ANNOUNCES MONTHLY SPONSOR CONTRIBUTION OF $0.025 PER SHARE TO TRUST ACCOUNT FOR PROPOSED EXTENSION AND POSTPONEMENT OF STOCKHOLDER MEETING TO 5:00 PM EASTERN TIME MAY 5, 2023

Contracts

Immersed Inc., a Global Leader in Spatial Computing Software Optimized for Enterprise, to go Public on Nasdaq via a Merger with Maquia Capital Acquisition Corp.

Maquia Capital Acquisition Corporation Announces Filing of Registration Statement on Form S-4 in Connection With Its Proposed Business Combination with Immersed Inc.