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Price hikes lifted PepsiCo’s profits in the third quarter, but the company says those increases are likely to moderate in the coming year.

Pepsi raised prices 11% in the July-September period, the seventh straight quarter that the Purchase, New York, company has increased prices by double-digits.

The higher prices took a toll on demand, with sales volumes down 2.5%.

PepsiCo said some of that volume decline is strategic.

The company said it has been shrinking package sizes to meet consumer demand for convenience and portion control.

Units are growing much faster than volume, PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta said Tuesday in a conference call with investors.

But there is also some consumer pushback on prices. Consumers are looking for value and, in some cases, are trading down to cheaper stores.

I do think that we see the consumer right now being more selective, PepsiCo’s Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston said Tuesday on a conference call with investors.

Still, Johnston said convenience store sales and food service sales, which usually weaken in times of high consumer stress, are strong.

Johnston said Pepsi continues to see higher prices for commodities like grain and cooking oil.

In 2024, Pepsi expects inflation to be slightly higher than the 2% to 3% it was accustomed to before the pandemic.

Consumers should expect to see price increases roughly in line with inflation, he said.

Pepsi is watching the growing use of weight loss drugs like Ozempic, but so far their impact on the business has been negligible, Laguarta said.

They could be outweighed by other trends, including rising incomes in many countries and the growing popularity of snacking in place of meals.

Were seeing a lot of tailwinds that will continue to drive our categories, he said.

Pepsi shares were up 1.5% in morning trading.

In the third quarter, Frito-Lay North America sales volumes dropped 0.5% during the July-September period as net prices rose 8%.

North American beverage sales volumes dropped 6% as prices rose 12%.

Sales volumes in Europe were flat. Sales volumes in Latin America dropped 5%.

Net pricing includes price hikes as well as changes in the mix of products sold and smaller package sizes.

In prepared remarks Tuesday, PepsiCo said consumers are gravitating toward smaller packages for convenience and portion control.

Net revenue was $23.4 billion, the company said Tuesday. That was in line with Wall Streets expectations, according to analysts polled by FactSet.

Net income for Pepsi rose 14% to $3.1 billion, or $2.24 per share.

That beat the $2.15 per share that analysts had forecast.

Pepsi now expects its full-year earnings per share to increase 13%, up from previous projections of 12%, due to the strength of its sales and cost-cutting efforts.

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Rare earth stocks surge on U.S-China trade dispute over the critical minerals

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Rare earth stocks surge on U.S-China trade dispute over the critical minerals

A dump truck moves raw ore inside the pit at the Mountain Pass mine, operated by MP Materials, in Mountain Pass, California, U.S., on Friday, June 7, 2019.

Joe Buglewicz | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Shares of U.S. rare earth miners surged in early trading Monday, after President Donald Trump threatened China with retaliation over its strict export controls.

USA Rare Earth soared more than 18%, Critical Metals surged 18%, Energy Fuels jumped more than 11%, and MP Materials rallied about 8%.

Trump on Friday threatened China with a “massive” increase in tariffs in retaliation for Beijing imposing strict export controls on rare earth elements. The president then dialed down his rhetoric on Sunday, saying the situation with China will “be fine.”

The Defense Department, meanwhile, is accelerating its effort to stockpile $1 billion worth of critical minerals, according to The Financial Times.

And JPMorgan Chase said Monday it would invest up to $10 billion in companies that are crucial to U.S. national security.

“It has become painfully clear that the United States has allowed itself to become too reliant on unreliable sources of critical minerals, products and manufacturing — all of which are essential for our national security,” JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said in press release.

Rare earths are a subset of critical minerals that are crucial inputs in U.S. weapons platforms, robotics, electric vehicles and other applications.

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Bloom Energy shares soar more than 30% after striking deal with Brookfield to provide fuel cells to AI data centers

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Bloom Energy shares soar more than 30% after striking deal with Brookfield to provide fuel cells to AI data centers

Bloom Energy power storage equipment in San Ramon, California.

Smith Collection | Gado | Archive Photos | Getty Images

Shares of Bloom Energy surged Monday after striking a deal with Brookfield to deploy fuel cells for artificial intelligence data centers.

Brookfield will spend up to $5 billion to deploy Bloom Energy’s technology, the first investment in its strategy to support big AI data centers with power and computing infrastructure.

Shares of Bloom Energy were up more than 30% in early trading. Bloom’s fuel cells provide onsite power that can be deployed quickly because they do not rely on the electric grid.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told CNBC last week that the AI industry will need to build power off the electric to meet demand quickly and protect consumers from rising electricity prices.

“Data center self-generated power could move a lot faster than putting it on the grid and we have to do that,” Huang told CNBC on Oct. 8.

This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.

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JPMorgan Chase says it will invest $10 billion into industries critical for national security

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JPMorgan Chase says it will invest  billion into industries critical for national security

JPMorgan Chase says it will invest $10 billion into industries critical for national security

JPMorgan Chase on Monday said it is launching a decade-long plan to help finance and take direct stakes in companies it considers crucial to U.S. interests.

The bank said in a statement it would invest up to $10 billion into companies in four areas: defense and aerospace, “frontier” technologies including AI and quantum computing, energy technology including batteries, and supply chain and advanced manufacturing.

The money is part of a broader effort, dubbed the Security and Resiliency Initiative, in which JPMorgan said it will finance or facilitate $1.5 trillion in funding for companies it identifies as crucial. It said the total amount is 50% more than a previous plan.

“It has become painfully clear that the United States has allowed itself to become too reliant on unreliable sources of critical minerals, products and manufacturing — all of which are essential for our national security,” JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said in the release.

As the biggest American bank by assets and a Wall Street juggernaut, JPMorgan was already raising funds and lending money to companies in those industries. But the move helps organize the company’s activities around national interests at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and China.

On Friday, markets tumbled as President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on Chinese imports after the major U.S. trading partner tightened export controls on rare earths.

In the release, Dimon said that the U.S. needs to “remove obstacles” including excessive regulations, “bureaucratic delay” and “partisan gridlock.”

JPMorgan said that within the four major areas, there were 27 specific industries it would look to support with advice, financing and investments. That includes areas as diverse as nanomaterials, autonomous robots, spacecraft and space launches, and nuclear and solar power.

“Our security is predicated on the strength and resiliency of America’s economy,” Dimon said. “This new initiative includes efforts like ensuring reliable access to life-saving medicines and critical minerals, defending our nation, building energy systems to meet AI-driven demand and advancing technologies like semiconductors and data centers.”

The bank said it would hire an unspecified numbers of bankers and create an external advisory council to support its initiative.

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.

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