Halliburton Company Q3 adjusted earnings Beat Estimates

Below are the earnings highlights for Halliburton Company (HAL):

-Earnings: -$17 million in Q3 vs. $295 million in the same period last year.
-EPS: -$0.02 in Q3 vs. $0.34 in the same period last year.
-Excluding items, Halliburton Company reported adjusted earnings of $100 million or $0.11 per share for the period.
-Analysts projected $0.08 per share
-Revenue: $2.98 billion in Q3 vs. $5.55 billion in the same period last year.

Gold Prices Rise On Stimulus Bets

Gold prices rose on Monday and the dollar index eased as investors watched the latest developments related to Brexit talks, U.S. stimulus negotiations and the coronavirus pandemic.

Spot gold rose 0.7 percent to $1,913.51 per ounce, while U.S. gold futures were up 0.6 percent at $1,916.90.

The British pound rose versus the euro on hopes the deadlock in Brexit talks can be broken. Last week, trade talks hit an impasse over the issues including fishing access and state aid rules.

On the U.S. stimulus front, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday differences remain with President Donald Trump’s administration on a wide-ranging coronavirus relief package but she was optimistic legislation could be pushed before the Nov.3 election.

President Trump said Sunday he would be open to a stimulus package bigger than the $2.2 trillion proposed by Democrats.

“I want at a bigger number” than Pelosi. “That doesn’t mean all the Republicans agree with me but I think they will in the end,” Trump said.

Meanwhile, amid rising coronavirus infections and fresh government restrictions, economists warn that Europe’s economy is sliding towards a double-dip recession.

Italy announced new measures after the country recorded a record daily increase of the Covid-19 cases for the fifth day in a row on October 18.

Elsewhere, Britain’s government scientific adviser Jeremy Farrar said the country needs to impose a three-week period of national lockdown restrictions to prevent the continued spread of the virus.

Uber introduces rider mask verification selfie feature in India

This new feature ensures that feedback received from drivers can help make the platform safer for the next user, Uber said in a statement.

Uber on October 19 said the riders who have been tagged for not wearing mask on a previous trip will have to take a selfie showing them wearing a mask, in order to book their next trip.

This new feature ensures that feedback received from drivers can help make the platform safer for the next user, Uber said in a statement.

Earlier this year, Uber built a technology designed to verify that drivers on the platform are wearing a mask while on-trip, by clicking a selfie.

Since Uber began mask verification selfies for drivers in May 2020, more than 17.44 million verifications have been carried out throughout India, the statement said.

“At Uber, we believe accountability is a two-way street. Earlier this year, we designed innovative technology to ensure that drivers were actually wearing masks before accepting trips. Today, we’ve devised similar technology for riders who’ve previously been called out for not wearing a mask while on-trip,” Uber India SA Head of Supply and Driver Operations Pavan Vaish said.

The new policy raises the bar on safety and makes the platform safer for riders and the driver-partner, he added.

Watch Fed Chair Jerome Powell speak live to the International Monetary Fund

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Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks Monday morning to the International Monetary Fund.

Powell's remarks are part of a session on "Cross-Border Payments and Digital Currencies." He is participating in a panel discussion that will include a question-and-answer exchange. The Fed is in the midst of developing its own digital payments that will be unveiled over the course of the next several years.

Read more:
Fed's Quarles sees need for more reforms to short-term funding markets
Years of low interest rates made the current economic crisis worse, Fed's Rosengren says
Fed officials worried that lack of help from Congress will threaten recovery, minutes show

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Halliburton Slips To Loss In Q4 – Quick Facts

Halliburton Co. (HAL) reported Monday a fourth-quarter net loss attributable to company of $17 million or $0.02 per share, compared to net income of $295 million or $0.34 per share in the prior-year quarter.

Excluding severance and other charges, adjusted net income for the quarter was $100 million or $0.11 per share. On average, 27 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected the company to report earnings of $0.08 per share for the quarter. Analysts’ estimates typically exclude special items.

Revenues for the quarter plunged to $2.98 billion from $5.55 billion in the same quarter last year. Analysts expected revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter.

These Are the 10 States Where Donald Trump Has Spent the Most Money

Federal Election Commission data shows that Donald Trump has raised $683,170,820 and spent $536,960,550 in the current election cycle. As money continues to increase Trump’s figure, he has poured money into states critical to his reelection. Most analyses show that he has less cash on hand than Joe Biden, which means he may be unable to “outmarket” his rival through Election Day, on November 3.

Data released on October 13 by Advertising Analytics via NPR shows in which states Trump has spent most of his television advertising dollars. A further examination shows how many electoral votes each has and how the state voted in the 2016 presidential election. Some of the money comes from PACs that support his candidacy.

Real Clear Politics poll data was used to show which candidate appears to have the lead today.

Experts have pointed out that if Biden can hold the states Hillary Clinton won in 2016 and pick up two or three key battleground states, he will win the election. That puts Trump in a very difficult decision if Biden can outspend him.