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  U.S. stock futures climbed Wednesday morning, continuing a record-setting streak as investors rallied behind Nvidia’s meteoric rise and anticipated a pivotal decision from the Federal Reserve. The Dow Jones Industrial Average , S&P 500 , and Nasdaq 100 futures all posted gains, with the Nasdaq leading at a 0.5% increase, buoyed by tech optimism Nvidia (NVDA) surged in premarket trading, adding to its recent rally after CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote at the GTC event highlighted new AI partnerships and a bullish outlook for the industry. The company is now nearing a historic $5 trillion market valuation, driven by expectations of $500 billion in AI chip sales Investor sentiment was further lifted by speculation that former President Trump may ease restrictions on Nvidia’s sales to China, potentially boosting demand for its Blackwell AI processor Meanwhile, all eyes are on the Federal Reserve , which is widely expected to announce a 25 basis point interest rate cut at 2 p.m....
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TD to slash jobs after disappointing earnings report


The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) announced that it will cut an unspecified number of jobs as part of a restructuring plan to reduce costs and improve efficiency. The move comes after the bank reported lower-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter of 2023, amid rising expenses and higher provisions for credit losses.

According to its financial results, TD earned $3.2 billion, or $1.72 per share, in the quarter ended Oct. 31, down from $3.5 billion, or $1.87 per share, a year earlier. Analysts had expected earnings of $1.79 per share, according to Refinitiv. The bank’s revenue increased by 4 per cent to $11.8 billion, but its expenses rose by 7 per cent to $6.9 billion. The bank also set aside $1.1 billion for bad loans, up from $891 million in the same period last year.

TD’s chief executive officer Bharat Masrani said the bank is facing “a challenging and uncertain environment” due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the economy. He said the bank is taking “decisive actions” to adapt to the changing conditions and position itself for long-term growth. He did not provide details on how many jobs will be affected by the restructuring, but said the bank will offer support and transition assistance to the impacted employees.

TD’s disappointing earnings contrast with the strong performance of its peers, such as Royal Bank of Canada, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Bank of Montreal and National Bank of Canada, which all beat analysts’ estimates and raised their dividends in the fourth quarter. TD was the only one of the Big Six banks that did not increase its dividend, keeping it at 79 cents per share.

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