DAILY UPDATE: Core CPI and ERISA while Markets Remain High with Walmart Up

Posted on May 17, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST – TODAY’S NEWSLETTER BRIEFING

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Here’s where the major benchmarks ended:

America’s oldest popular stock index, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, hit a brief record high yesterday morning when it traded above 40,000, reflecting renewed hope for the market’s health after Wednesday’s promising inflation report.

  • The S&P 500® index (SPX) fell 11.05 points (0.2%) to 5,297.10; the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 38.62 points (0.1%) to 39,869.38; the NASDAQ Composite® ($COMP) shed 44.07 points (0.3%) to 16,698.32.
  • The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) rose more than 2 basis points to 4.381%.
  • The CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX) dropped 0.03 to 12.42.

Walmart’s strength fueled a strong day for consumer staples shares. The S&P 500 Consumer Staples ($SP500#30), which includes Walmart as well as companies like Coca-Cola (KO) and Procter & Gamble (PG), surged 1.5% to its highest level in over two years. 

Among other companies, Applied Materials (AMAT) fell 1.6% ahead of the semiconductor industry supplier’s quarterly earnings report, which is expected after Thursday’s close.

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And, Core CPI, which tracks the price of goods and services excluding volatile food and energy prices and is closely watched as an inflation indicator, rose 3.6% from the same period last year. That’s the smallest annual increase since April 2021. On a monthly basis, core CPI rose 0.3%, marking the first time in six months that its growth slowed from the prior month. Other good signs include:

  • Grocery prices dropped 0.2% from March, the first decrease in a year.
  • Health insurance and car insurance increased more slowly in April than in March.
  • A separate report released yesterday showed consumer spending stayed steady last month.

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Finally, Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and a group of Republican senators are moving to overturn a retirement investment planning rule that was finalized by the Labor Department last month. The Labor Department unveiled the new rule last month that would update the definition of an investment advice fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. Manchin and 15 Republican senators joined in co-sponsoring a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution that would overturn this new rule.

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DAILY UPDATE: Walmart, Women’s Health Month, UnitedHealth and the Mixed Stock Markets

Posted on May 2, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

MEDICAL EXECUTIVE-POST – TODAY’S NEWSLETTER BRIEFING

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Here’s where the major stock market benchmarks ended:

  • The S&P 500® index (SPX) fell 17.30 points (0.3%) to 5,018.39; the Dow Jones Industrial Average® ($DJI) gained 87.37 points (0.2%) to 37,903.29; the NASDAQ Composite® ($COMP) lost 52.34 points (0.3%) to 15,605.48.
  • The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) dropped more than 5 basis points to 4.63%.
  • The CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX) decreased 0.28 to 15.37.

Banks and other financial shares led the market’s afternoon upswing, reflecting renewed optimism over the outlook for interest rates. The KBW Regional Bank Index (KRX) jumped 2.4% and posted its first gain in five days. Biotechnology and communication services were also strong.

Energy shares were among the weakest performers as WTI Crude Oil (/CL) futures extended a week-long nosedive and dropped under $80 per barrel for the first time since mid-March. Crude futures sank over 3% after the Energy Information Administration reported U.S. oil inventories surged 1.6% last week. 

Among top companies, Amazon (AMZN) gained 2.2% after reporting stronger-than-expected earnings and revenue late Tuesday. Starbucks (SBUX) tumbled 16% following unexpectedly soft quarterly results. Apple (AAPL) eased 0.6% ahead of its quarterly results, expected after Thursday’s close.

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Speaking of stock companies, however big you think UnitedHealth is, it’s bigger than that. For example:

  • With a market cap of nearly $450 billion, it’s the fourth-largest company in the US by revenue this year, beating out Alphabet and Microsoft.
  • The company is eyeing a $24.7 billion profit in 2024.
  • One analyst estimated that more than 5% of US GDP flows through UnitedHealth’s systems daily.

And so, lawmakers in Washington are prepared to grill UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty in two congressional hearings today, months after a cyberattack on a subsidiary of the healthcare giant, Change Healthcare, rattled the industry and left pharmacies, doctors, and hospitals in the dark. Change processes roughly half of all Americans’ medical claims. Congress wants Witty to clarify how UnitedHealth handled the breach of patient data. But beyond that, it wants to investigate whether the company—the nation’s largest private health insurer—has grown too big and taken on too much risk.

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Retailer Walmart announced plans Tuesday to shutter its network of 51 health clinics in five states, along with its telehealth business. The impending closures signify that Walmart is scuttling its initial plans to expand the services, citing escalating operation costs and “challenging reimbursement environment,” the company said in a news release.

Finally – Happy Women’s Health Month! Women and people assigned female at birth are disproportionately affected by a range of health conditions, including autoimmune diseases, chronic pain, and dementia. The month of May is intended to raise awareness of these disparities and educate women on steps they can take to improve their health, such as getting annual breast exams. For all our woman-identifying readers, take some time to prioritize your health this month!

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DAILY UPDATE: BoA Personal Data Breach

Posted on February 19, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

HAPPY PRESIDENT’S DAY 2024

The Stock and Bond Markets are Closed!

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Bank of America just acknowledged that the personal information of 57,028 of its customers has been compromised. This breach, attributed to a failure at Infosys McCamish Systems (IMS), a provider of insurance business process solutions engaged by the bank, poses a substantial risk of identity theft to the affected individuals.

The data breach notification, filed in Maine, reveals that sensitive information related to Bank of America’s deferred compensation plans was inadvertently accessed. IMS, in a notification letter to customers, disclosed that the compromised data encompasses a range of critical personal details. The accessed information includes customers’ names, addresses, business email addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and other account specifics. Such data is typically all required for an identity thief to execute fraudulent activities under another person’s name.

IMS’s admission that it might never be able to precisely identify what information was accessed underscores the severity and potential long-term consequences of the breach. This uncertainty adds an additional layer of anxiety for customers, highlighting the challenges in mitigating the aftermath of such security failures.

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Finally, Walmart and Home Depot will be the star of the show this week they report their earnings for the holiday quarter. Nvidia will also try to keep its historic hot streak going when it reports on Wednesday—expectations are through the roof.

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DEFLATION: Another Holiday Surprise?

Posted on December 29, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Deflation could be arriving this holiday season. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon recently said deflation may be on the horizon, citing a decline in the prices of grocery items such as chicken and eggs. McMillion said that although some items like beef remain expensive, he expects prices on other staples to come down in the coming months.

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It’s the latest welcome news for everyone feeling the squeeze from inflation and rising interest rates.

  • Target Chief Growth Officer Christina Hennington said earlier this week that the average price of basics fell three percentage points between Q2 and Q3.
  • JCPenney announced last month that it planned to keep prices for Black Friday the same or lower than last year.

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DAILY UPDATE: IRS Zaps Debt as Stock Markets Ascend!

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Americans who owe back taxes will be given an incentive to pay up after the Internal Revenue Service it would waive nearly $1 billion in late-payment penalties. Roughly 4.6 million individual taxpayers who owe for tax years 2020 and 2021 will be eligible for the penalty relief. The IRS is extending the olive branch because it stopped sending out many collection letters during the pandemic. It hoped the letter halt would help struggling taxpayers and reduce its backlog. The long absence of these computer-generated letters had big consequences for taxpayers. Americans’ debt on unpaid back taxes had been growing with interest and penalties, and many were likely in the dark about just how much they owed.

Here is where the major benchmarks ended:

Here’s where the major benchmarks ended:

  • The S&P 500 index was up 27.81 points (0.6%) at 4,768.37; the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 251.90 points (0.7%) at 37,557.92; the NASDAQ Composite® (COMP) was up 98.03 points (0.7%) at 15,003.22.
  • The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) was down about 3 basis points at 3.924%.
  • The CBOE® Volatility Index (VIX) was down 0.03 at 12.53.

Energy shares extended an early week rally behind a continued rebound in WTI Crude Oil futures (/CL), which rose for a fifth straight day and ended near a three-week high above $74 per barrel.

Banks and retailers were also particularly firm. The S&P 500 Retail Select Industry Index (SPSIRE) surged over 2% and ended at its highest level in over 10 months.

And, Tuesday’s big winner was Affirm, whose shares skyrocketed 15% after the buy now, pay later company announced it’s expanding its Walmart partnership to include the retailer’s self-checkout kiosks.

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DAILY UPDATE: Mixed U.S. Stock Markets

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Over the course of the last few weeks, Cathie Wood of ARKK has been offloading the firm’s holdings in Roku, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROKU). Across all of her firm’s funds, Wood has sold stock in the streaming company totaling over $56 million. The move comes after Roku released its financials for q3. 

Here is where the major benchmarks ended:

  • The S&P 500 Index was up 5.36 points (0.1%) at 4,508.24; the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 45.74 points (0.1%) at 34,945.47; the NASDAQ Composite was up 9.84 points (0.1%) at 14,113.67.
  • The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) was uabout 9 basis points at 4.445%.
  • Cboe’s Volatility Index (VIX) was up 0.14 at 14.32.

Walmart’s commentary weighed on the retail sector. Energy was also a laggard, as crude oil futures fell 5% to a four-month low of less than $73 a barrel, in part because record U.S. crude production has boosted supply.

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NARCAN: OTC Naloxone Hydrochloride

Posted on September 10, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

NARCAN

By Staff Reporters

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According to Morning Brew, for the first time, people across the US will be able to purchase an overdose-reversal drug that’s as easy to administer as Flonase, without a prescription. Next week, nationwide chains like Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, and Rite Aid will begin selling two-dose boxes of Narcan, a naloxone nasal spray that saves people from opioid overdose, in stores and online.

Making naloxone widely accessible has long been a goal for public health experts because Fentanyl-laced drugs can kill people before paramedics arrive, but some now worry that over-the-counter Narcan’s $45 retail price could be too high for those who need it most.

That’s where insurance comes in:

  • Medicaid and Medicare already cover prescription naloxone, and so far, Missouri, California, Massachusetts, Washington, Rhode Island, and Oregon Medicaid programs said they’ll cover OTC Narcan, too.
  • While private health plans often restrict OTC drug coverage, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts said it’ll fully cover nonprescription Narcan.

But this won’t help the one-fifth of people with opioid use disorder who are uninsured. Some government and harm reduction programs give out Narcan for free—and those groups can now order two-dose boxes in bulk at a discounted $41 per box, according to manufacturer Emergent BioSolutions.

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DAILY UPDATE: The Markets, Retail Earnings and US Steel

Posted on August 14, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

.Markets: The market’s rally during the first half of the year has fizzled out this summer despite a greater share of companies beating earnings projections than usual, the WSJ reports. For example, UPS, Apple, and PayPal all topped Wall Street expectations…only to watch shares fall after their reports. Investors suggest it’s a “snap back to reality” moment after market euphoria in H1.

  • Retailers take the earnings stage. Walmart, Home Depot, and Target will give us a peek into consumer spending, which drives two-thirds of the US economy. Americans filling up their shopping carts (despite interest rates rising to a 22-year high) is one of the main reasons those recession predictions haven’t materialized yet.
  • US Steel, a symbol of American industrial might in the early 20th century, is considering selling itself.

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CORPORATE EARNINGS: Review

Posted on May 16, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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Earnings roundup

The following companies are in the earnings pipeline this week:

  • Home Depot is due to release its results for its last fiscal quarter before the market opens Tuesday. Analysts expect the home-improvement chain to report earnings of $3.81 per share, down from $4.09 during the same quarter a year earlier, according to Zacks Investment Research. Home improvement businesses benefited from increased spending on renovations during the pandemic but have struggled as inflation picked up. Home Depot’s shares were down about 0.9% Monday.
  • Target will follow Wednesday, with analysts predicting the big box retailer will report earnings of $1.75 per share, down from $2.19 the year before. Again, investors will be looking to see how Target has dealt with inflation and recession-wary shoppers. Its shares were up more than 1.3%.
  • Walmart wraps up big-retailer week Thursday. Analysts expect the retailer to report earnings of $1.31 per share, a slight improvement from $1.3 a year earlier. Its shares were down about 0.8%.
  • Cisco Systems (CSCO) will report results for the fiscal quarter ended in April on Wednesday. Analysts expect the software company to report earnings of $0.87 per share, up from $0.78 a year before.
  • Two major Chinese tech companies will also report results this week, with Baidu (BIDU) going first before market open Tuesday and Alibaba (BABA) following Thursday.

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Corporate Moves in Healthcare Continue to Disrupt the Industry

Posted on April 12, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Health Capital Consultants LLC

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Instead of waiting on regulatory reform, corporate America has sought to disrupt the healthcare industry over the last few years, by streamlining the delivery of healthcare (and associated costs) and taking advantage of technological advancements.

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This entrepreneurial approach to problem-solving may provide meaningful competition to traditional healthcare organizations, which may result in higher quality, more affordable healthcare. Some of the biggest companies in the U.S. – CVS Health, Walgreens, Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy – are expanding their healthcare empires through acquisitions and other strategic moves. (Read more…) 

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CVS, Walgreens and Walmart: Opioid Settlement

Posted on November 3, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

By Staff Reporters

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CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart agree to pay $13 billion over opioids

The pharmacy chains have reached a tentative deal to settle thousands of lawsuits brought by state and local governments that accuse them of contributing to the opioid epidemic.

If the deal goes through, CVS and Walgreens will each cough up around $5 billion, and Walmart will reportedly be on the hook for $3 billion.

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Walmart’s Push to Create Healthcare ”SUPER CENTERS”

Posted on June 27, 2021 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

Walmart’s Push to Create Healthcare ”Super Centers”

Health Capital Consultants - Healthcare Valuation


Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, opened the first Walmart Health in 2019 with the main goal of helping to meet the healthcare needs of the communities they serve. After opening six locations in almost two years, Walmart is looking to operate a total of 22 standalone clinics by the end of 2021. 

This Health Capital Topics article will review Walmart Health’s approach to delivering primary care, the communities into which it is expanding, its partnerships it is developing in the healthcare sector, and the competitive landscape in which it operates. (Read more…) 

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WALMART Medical School

Posted on May 15, 2021 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

Walmart heir to build medical school in Arkansas

[By Alia Paavola]

Walmart heir Alice Walton said she plans to finance and build a medical school in northwest Arkansas. 

The Whole Health School of Medicine in Bentonville will be a nonprofit, independent entity, and students enrolled will receive a doctor of medicine degree, according to a March 4 announcement. 

The medical school plans to admit its first class of 40 to 50 students in fall 2023. Construction on the facility is scheduled to begin next year. 

“The Whole Health School of Medicine will help medical students rise to the health challenges of the 21st century through a reimagination of American medical education that incorporates mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health, the elements of Whole Health, to help people live healthier and happier lives,” Ms. Walton said in the news release.

The project is related to the billionaire Walmart heir’s Whole Health Institute, a nonprofit center promoting holistic wellness slated to break ground next month. The institute is in Bentonville.

Pharmacies at Walmart, Sam's Club move to set opioid limits

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Walmart Health To Acquire Telehealth Provider MeMD

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

BENTONVILLE, Ark., and PHOENIX, Ariz

[By Staff Reporters]

Walmart Health and MeMD, a multi-specialty telehealth provider, announced they have entered into an agreement for Walmart Health to acquire MeMD.

This reinforces Walmart’s commitment to integrated, omni-channel health delivery that leverages data and technology to improve engagement, health
equity and outcomes.

Walmart Health Acquires MeMD multi-specialty telehealth ...

READ LINK: https://corporate.walmart.com/newsroom/2021/05/06/walmart-health-to-acquire-telehealth-provider-memd

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