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GE Vernova (GEV) shares rose Wednesday as the power company received a "buy" rating from Jefferies analysts, who said the company is "uniquely positioned" to benefit from the surging demand for power across the globe to power facilities like data centers.

The analysts highlighted GE Vernova's position as a "top-3 player" in each of the sectors it operates, from wind turbines to natural gas-powered turbines and electrification. They initiated their coverage of GE Vernova with a "buy" rating, with a price target of $261, just over 30% above its current price.

"A sudden increase in the demand for power has left the supply chain squarely in a seller's market position, with margins looking poised to recoup years of cumulative losses," the analysts wrote in a note published late Tuesday.

In recent conversations with executives, the analysts said GE Vernova plans to prioritize the profitable parts of its wind business, as it is the only one of GE Vernova's three segments that has been unprofitable in its two-plus quarters as a public company.

The focus will likely shift to GE Vernova's onshore wind projects in North America, while "shelving" less profitable projects like offshore wind turbines and some of its international efforts, the analysts said.

The analysts also highlighted the possibility of the company introducing dividends or stock buybacks to assure investors of their positive cash-flow position, but noted that investments in making its wind business profitable will likely take priority before those measures could be introduced.

GE Vernova became a public company earlier this year, when General Electric completed its split into three companies and GE Vernova was spun off from GE Aerospace (GE).

GE Vernova shares finished 3.7% higher at $199.63 Wednesday, about 40% above where they ended their first day of trading in April.

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A Ugandan athlete, Rebecca Cheptegei, has passed away days after her boyfriend Dickson Ndiema allegedly s3t her on fir£.

Cheptegei, who lived in Kenya, represented Uganda at the 2024 Paris Olympics and finished 44th in the women’s marathon event.

According to local authorities, the 33-year-old was dou§£d in petrol and set abl@ze during a domestic dispute with her boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, on Sunday, September 2.

Cheptegei s¥ffered burns on 80 percent of her body and was rushed to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret City. While Ndiema was also admitted to the hospital for less critical burn.

The att@ck allegedly stemmed from a disagreement over land ownership, which Cheptegei’s parents claim she had purchased to be closer to the region’s renowned athletic training centers.

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Apple's (AAPL) "It’s Glowtime" event is set to take place on Monday, Sept. 9, where the company is expected to unveil the iPhone 16 supercharged with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. Investors will also likely be watching for pricing and hardware differences in the new iPhone compared to previous models, and possible next-generation wearable products like AirPods and the Apple Watch.

AI-supercharged Siri is likely to be a key focus of the event, with Apple's announcement for "It’s Glowtime," displaying the company's logo in the style of the glowing aura of Apple's Siri interface.

Apple announced its newest operating system, iOS 18, and Apple Intelligence, at its developer conference in June, where the company said the intelligent system will help Siri understand more natural speech patterns, use personal context from on-device content, and accept typed prompts, among other AI-powered capabilities.

The iPhone maker has also announced a partnership with Microsoft-backed (MSFT) OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into iOS 18 later this year. Apple Intelligence is expected to roll out after the initial iOS 18 launch, but the company could demo some of the AI features to come at the event, showing investors how the iPhone maker is integrating the technology.

Apple is expected to release four models of the next-generation iPhone—the iPhone 16, the iPhone 16 Plus, the iPhone 16 Pro, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The new models, particularly the Pro models are expected to have significant upgrades to the device hardware including battery life and displays, as well as other features, Bernstein analysts indicated.

Improvements to battery life could be especially appealing to users as AI features require increased computing power. Morgan Stanley analysts said they "believe a strong battery upgrade can help to drive old device refreshes given battery life is one of the key reasons users historically upgrade an iPhone."

The base iPhone 16 models are expected to have similar designs and display sizes to the iPhone 15, while the Pro models are expected to be larger than their predecessors at 6.3 and 6.9 inches for the 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max, respectively, marking the first size upgrade in several years.

The new iPhones are expected to run on the A18 chip, the next generation of Apple's silicon chips, which will likely be designed to handle Apple Intelligence workloads.

The new device's camera will also likely be in focus with CFRA analysts expecting an ultra-wide 48-megapixel camera and potentially a shutter button for capturing photos.

The iPhone 16 models are expected to be priced like their iPhone 15 counterparts when they were launched, but analysts noted that AI capabilities could be a "wildcard" in pricing.

Analysts expect the iPhone 16 base model to start at $799 while the lowest storage option of the iPhone 16 Max could cost around $1,199, the same range as the iPhone 15 when it was released around the same time last year.

Morgan Stanley analysts said that while they don't expect Apple to raise iPhone prices from their levels last year, the possibility of a price increase still exists, though they view potential price hikes as "a net negative for Apple given it would likely drive some upgraders to extend the useful life of their iPhone for another year."

The iPhone maker could also unveil new additions to its wearable portfolio, with analysts expecting Apple to introduce upgraded versions of the AirPod Pro and AirPod Max with USB-C charging ports.

The company is also expected to overhaul its watch offerings with a new Apple Watch Series 10, an Apple Watch Ultra 3, and a third-gen Apple Watch SE. The new models are likely to feature bigger and thinner displays.

Apple shares have gained close to 15% since the start of the year, at $220.85 as of Wednesday's close.

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Major U.S. equities indexes continued their sluggish start to September, ending mixed and little changed on Wednesday.

Data released Wednesday morning showed that job openings in July dropped to their lowest level since early 2021, the latest indication of a cooling labor market.

The S&P 500 traded higher early in the session but lost steam in the afternoon, closing with a daily loss of 0.2%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq ended Wednesday down 0.3%, while the Dow recovered from an afternoon slump to end with a gain of less than 0.1%.

Dollar Tree (DLTR) shares plummeted 22.2%, falling more than any other S&P 500 stock. The discount retailer reported lower-than-expected sales and profits for the second quarter and reduced its full-year guidance. The company said macroeconomic pressure had a growing impact on its middle-income and higher-income customers.

Health insurers' shares came under pressure after executives from Centene (CNC) raised concerns about a potential decline in the number of people who receive Medicaid benefits. Speaking at the Wells Fargo 2024 Healthcare Conference, Centene CEO Sarah London said the company's Medicaid business faces continued headwinds related to shifts in the redeterminations process, which determines eligibility for recipients. Centene shares dropped 8.7%, while shares of competitor Molina Healthcare (MOH) were down 7.0%.

Shares of Hormel Foods (HRL) lost 6.4% after the maker of Spam, Planters peanuts, and other packaged food brands slashed its full-year sales forecast. Although Hormel's net income for its fiscal third quarter topped expectations, the company said lower commodity prices and production disruptions at a plant in Virginia dragged on its performance.

Tesla (TSLA) shares drove 4.2% higher on Wednesday, marking the top performance in the S&P 500, following reports that the electric vehicle (EV) maker intends to launch a six-seat version of its Model Y car. Sources told that Tesla plans to start production of the new model in China late next year and has told suppliers to anticipate a double-digit increase in Model Y output from its Shanghai factory.

Shares of Mondelez International (MDLZ), parent company to food brands like Oreo cookies and Philadelphia cream cheese, added 4.2% following positive comments from Evercore ISI. Analysts at the investment banking firm applauded sales gains in the U.S. and Europe, noting the snack company is well positioned to accelerate sales growth in the second half of 2024.

Seagate Technology (STX) stock advanced 4.1%. A report by Zacks Equities Research earlier this week highlighted positive short-term price momentum for shares of the data storage technology provider, boosted by upward revisions to earnings estimates.

Shares of insulin pump manufacturer Insulet (PODD) gained 2.8%. The stock has posted significant gains since last week, when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Insulet's Omnipod 5 device for patients with type 2 diabetes.

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