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Jerry Greenfield Quits Ben & Jerry’s After 47 Years, Citing Unilever “Silencing” Over Gaza

  Unilever and Ben & Jerry's have clashed since 2021, when the ice cream maker said it would stop sales in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield has resigned after nearly five decades at the iconic ice cream brand, deepening a long-running feud with parent company Unilever over its stance on the Gaza conflict. In an open letter shared by partner Ben Cohen, Greenfield said the company’s independence — enshrined in its 2000 merger agreement with Unilever — had eroded, leaving its social mission “silenced.” The rift traces back to 2021, when Ben & Jerry’s halted sales in Israeli-occupied West Bank settlements, a move Unilever opposed. The dispute escalated as the brand’s social mission board described Israel’s war on Gaza as “genocide,” a rare position for a major U.S. company. Unilever’s ice cream division, Magnum, thanked Greenfield for his contributions but rejected his claims, saying it sought constructive dialogue to preserve the...

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Dow Touches 40,000 for the First Time, But Stocks Pull Back from Records

 

Despite the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) reaching a historic milestone by touching 40,000 for the first time ever, U.S. stocks couldn’t sustain their upward momentum. Here’s a summary of today’s market activity:

  • Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI): The Dow briefly surpassed 40,000 but closed down 0.1% at 39,869.
  • S&P 500 (GSPC): The S&P 500 dropped around 0.2%, closing just below 5,300 after reaching that level for the first time on Wednesday.
  • Nasdaq Composite (IXIC): The tech-heavy Nasdaq fell about 0.3%.

Factors Influencing the Market

  1. Inflation Concerns: Three Federal Reserve officials—Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester, New York Fed President John Williams, and Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin—expressed caution about higher interest rates. Their comments dampened the recent stock rally.
  2. Bond Yields: Investors turned to bonds, pushing the 10-year Treasury yield (TNX) near one-month lows at around 4.33%. On Thursday, yields ticked up slightly to around 4.38%.
  3. Corporate News: Walmart (WMT) reported better-than-expected quarterly profits, revenue, and same-store sales, boosting its stock by over 7%. Meanwhile, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BKR-B) revealed a $6.7 billion stake in Chubb (CB), ending months of speculation.

Venu Sports: A New Streaming Service

In other news, Disney’s ESPN, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Fox have officially named their upcoming sports streaming service: Venu Sports. Set to debut this fall, Venu Sports will offer an extensive collection of live sports content, representing approximately 55% of U.S. sports rights.

Stay tuned for further market updates and developments! 

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