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World News

Pentagon Accelerates Withdrawal From Afghanistan

In order to keep an eye on the military situation on the ground, the US military would like to continue to use a version of the so-called combined situation awareness room, in which it coordinates with its Afghan colleagues (often via WhatsApp), passes on information and provides air support and other forces on the Battlefield. However, it remains unclear where the command center would be, with options like the American embassy or out of the country.

Although the Afghan Air Force has become increasingly powerful in recent years, American drones and other surveillance aircraft are still providing important target information. And although US strikes have been reduced under extremely restrictive rules of engagement, they still occur when international forces depart and Afghan security forces struggle to assert themselves.

US military officials believe the United States will deploy significant numbers of reconnaissance aircraft to continue to aid the Afghan armed forces, but will limit air strikes only to “counter-terrorism operations,” a loose description used in the past to denote one Justify variety of actions.

In the absence of bases to position aircraft near Afghanistan, American aircraft must fly from bases in the Middle East or from aircraft carriers in the Arabian Sea to support Afghan forces or conduct counter-terrorism missions from “over the horizon”.

For surveillance drones and propeller-driven aircraft, this means journeys of several hours just to get to Afghanistan.

For jets based on aircraft carriers, this means frequent refueling stops in the air. As US land-based jets leave Afghanistan, US forces struggle to meet demand for aircraft carriers as tankers have to refuel. Currently, the jets aboard the USS Eisenhower in the Arabian Sea can only handle around 75 percent of inquiries about Afghanistan, a military official said.

General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., head of Pentagon Central Command, was asked by lawmakers last month about the challenges of countering terrorist threats in Afghanistan after American troops left is not impossible. “

Categories
Business

Cramer’s week forward: Earnings season accelerates

Jim Cramer

Scott Mlyn | CNBC

CNBC’s Jim Cramer said Friday that the real earnings season will begin on Monday after major banks released their quarterly results earlier this week.

“We will actually get the effects of both inflation and the reopening,” he told Mad Money. “I think the former is a big negative, but the latter is so positive that the ball can stay in the air, ready for some nice stuff over the net and on the ground.”

Cramer announced his schedule for the coming week. The earnings per share forecasts are based on FactSet estimates:

Monday: Coca-Cola, United Airlines, IBM

coke

  • Earnings release for the first quarter of 2021: ahead of the market; Conference call: 8:30 a.m.
  • Projected EPS: 50 cents
  • Estimated Revenue: $ 8.68 billion

“I’m concerned that Coca-Cola is a drink-only drink with no snack business,” Cramer said, “but I’m still expecting a good number of them and a great story about the reopening of food services.”

United Airlines

  • Earnings publication for the first quarter of 2021: after market entry; Conference call: Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.
  • Estimated Loss Per Share: $ 7.05
  • Estimated Revenue: $ 3.27 billion

“If it’s something like Delta, you’ll hear about the boom to come,” he said, adding that the stock can continue to rise. “I think it’s the right place.”

IBM

  • Earnings publication for the first quarter of 2021: after market entry; Conference call: 5 p.m.
  • Projected earnings per share: $ 1.69
  • Estimated Revenue: $ 17.32 billion

“What will the new IBM that led the fast-growing Red Hat-led companies do? I think it’s too early to judge, but stock has stayed there,” said Cramer.

Tuesday: Abbott Laboratories, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Netflix

Abbott Laboratories

  • Earnings release for the first quarter of 2021: ahead of the market; Conference call: 9:30 a.m.
  • Projected earnings per share: $ 1.27
  • Estimated Revenue: $ 10.69 billion

“Abbott did such a great job on Covid diagnostics … it’s hard to believe they can’t make it out of the park,” Cramer said.

Johnson & Johnson

  • Publication of results for the first quarter of 2021: 6:45 a.m. Conference call: 8:30 a.m.
  • Projected earnings per share: $ 2.34
  • Estimated sales: $ 22 billion

“J&J has become more controversial, although I think it has been wrongly penalized by a CDC that appears to be more concerned with preventing the public from vaccinating than actually vaccinating people with some certainty,” said he. “I bet J&J is having a fantastic quarter and showing an even better pipeline.”

Procter & Gamble

  • Q3 2021 Results to be published: before the market; Conference call: 8:30 a.m.
  • Projected earnings per share: $ 1.19
  • Estimated Revenue: $ 17.97 billion

“The street is actually worried about this. First, there are tough comparisons with the home-stay numbers they came up with a year ago,” said the host. “Second, they handle real inflation from plastics to surfactants [and] Freight.”

Netflix

  • Earnings publication for the first quarter of 2021: 4 p.m. Conference call: 6 p.m.
  • Projected earnings per share: $ 2.97
  • Estimated Revenue: $ 7.14 billion

“That should be fun. Netflix usually beats the numbers and clients always seem to have a good time talking about their business,” he said. “The Netflix conference call also has good content.”

Wednesday: Verizon, Lam Research, Chipotle

Verizon

  • Earnings release for the first quarter of 2021: 7:30 a.m. Conference call: 8:30 a.m.
  • Projected earnings per share: $ 1.29
  • Estimated Revenue: $ 32.47 billion

“I’m starting to think it’s stuck there, making it feel more like a bond than a stock,” Cramer said. “If you have to own a phone company, I have to tell you that I prefer T-Mobile.”

Lam Research

  • Q3 2021 Results publication: After Market; Conference call: 5 p.m.
  • Projected earnings per share: $ 6.61
  • Estimated Revenue: $ 3.72 billion

“Lam is the answer to the semiconductor shortage – they make the equipment needed to make new chips,” he said. “When you hear Taiwan Semi talk endlessly about increasing its investment budget, it means Lam is going to make a fortune.”

Chipotle

  • Publication of the results for the first quarter: 4:10 pm; Conference call: 4:30 p.m.
  • Projected earnings per share: $ 4.89
  • Estimated Revenue: $ 1.75 billion

“I bet this prime example of great natural foods and phenomenal customer service will blast the doors of the quarter and trigger another round of target hikes as analysts desperately try to catch up on the stock price,” the host said.

Thursday: Union Pacific, Dow, Danaher, Nucor and Intel Boston Beer

Union Pacific

  • Earnings release for the first quarter of 2021: 8 a.m. Conference call: 8:45 a.m.
  • Projected earnings per share: $ 2.06
  • Estimated revenue: $ 5.05 billion

“I think Union Pacific will tell the story of doing more with less, which is efficiency galore,” said Cramer.

Dow

  • Earnings release for the first quarter of 2021: 6 a.m. Conference call: 8 a.m.
  • Projected earnings per share: $ 1.12
  • Estimated Revenue: $ 11.09 billion

“If PPG is a guide from last night, it should come up with some amazing numbers that will allow the stock to break out into the ’70s,” he said.

Danaher

  • Earnings release for the first quarter of 2021: 6 a.m. Conference call: 8 a.m.
  • Projected earnings per share: $ 1.76
  • Estimated Revenue: $ 6.29 billion

“I can’t wait to see how good you are,” said the host. “I expect a fantastic quarter.”

Nucor

  • Earnings release for the first quarter of 2021: TBD; Conference call: 2 p.m.
  • Projected earnings per share: $ 3.05
  • Estimated Revenue: $ 7.18 billion

“We are in an inflationary era, temporary or not, so Nucor should come up with some incredible numbers,” he said.

Intel

  • Earnings publication for the first quarter of 2021: after market entry; Conference call: 5 p.m.
  • Projected earnings per share: $ 1.14
  • Estimated Revenue: $ 17.78 billion

“I think Pat is doing a great job inspiring people both inside and outside of this great institution,” said Cramer. “If the stock gets hit, I would be a buyer. Gelsinger can’t turn the Intel battleship down to a dime, but it will be turned.”

Boston Beer

  • Earnings publication for the first quarter of 2021: 4 p.m. Conference call: 5 p.m.
  • Projected earnings per share: $ 2.55
  • Estimated Revenue: $ 477 million

“I think the shorts will lean on Boston Beer as always because of that [spiked seltzer] Competition, “he said.” My opinion? The category is growing so fast that Sam Adams parents should do well, thank you. “

Friday: Honeywell, American Express

Honeywell

  • Earnings release for the first quarter of 2021: ahead of the market; Conference call: 8:30 a.m.
  • Projected earnings per share: $ 1.80
  • Estimated Revenue: $ 8.08 billion

“Honeywell is becoming a software-as-a-building service game, not to mention an incredible healthcare company. I think the numbers can keep growing,” said Cramer.

American Express

  • Earnings to be published for the first quarter: 7 a.m. Conference call: 8:30 a.m.
  • Projected earnings per share: $ 1.61
  • Estimated Revenue: $ 9.21 billion

“It’s about gauging the power of the great reopening. With its combination of small business … lines of credit, travel and entertainment, we should be able to gauge the strength of the future recovery,” he said.

Disclosure: Cramer’s charitable foundation owns interests in Abbott Laboratories, Union Pacific, and Honeywell.

Disclaimer of liability

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Categories
Business

Bitcoin surpasses $60,000 in document excessive as rally accelerates

The representation of the virtual currency Bitcoin can be seen on a motherboard in this illustration from April 24, 2020.

Given Ruvic | Reuters

Bitcoin hit a record high of $ 60,000 on Saturday morning and continued its rally as large corporations and financial institutions launched cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, stood at $ 60,415.34 as of 7:25 a.m. ET, according to Coinbase, rebounding from a decline in late February that followed an earlier record high this month.

According to Coinbase, the digital currency has risen 963% in the past 12 months. Its value exceeded $ 1 trillion last week for the second time this year.

Bitcoin’s rally is due in part to increased adoption by larger institutional investors and corporations, as well as speculative demand. Tesla has purchased $ 1.5 billion worth of Bitcoin and plans to accept the digital coin as a means of payment for its products. This decision aroused greater interest.

Mastercard also said it will open its network to some digital currencies. And PayPal and BNY Mellon have taken some steps into space.

Bitcoin believers argue that the current rally is driven by institutional investor demand and is different from previous rallies, such as when Bitcoin rose to nearly $ 20,000 in late 2017 before losing about 80% of its value the next year.

Others argue that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have no intrinsic value, and fear that Bitcoin could be one of the largest stimulating market bubbles ever recorded.