CANADA STOCKS-TSX opens higher as energy stocks gain

June 16 (Reuters) – Canada’s main stock index opened higher on Tuesday as energy stocks gained nearly 4% on signs of improving demand for crude oil, while signs of more economic stimulus and rising U.S. retail sales bolstered sentiment.

* At 9:31 a.m. ET (1331 GMT), the Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index was up 342.18 points, or 2.23%, at 15,701.84.

‘So True!’ Trump Mocked For Retweeting Himself, Then Agreeing With Himself

President Donald Trump fired off an unusual tweet on Monday, not only sharing a message from himself but also agreeing with it. 

“Silent majority” is a term that Trump ― like President Richard Nixon ― uses to characterize his supporters, suggesting they don’t show up in polls but will turn up at the ballot box. 

Trump’s message ― and his agreement with himself ― came after several polls showed him trailing former Vice President Joe Biden. Trump’s campaign even issued a cease-and-desist order to CNN over a poll that showed the president behind by 14 points.

CNN stood by its poll.   

Trump occasionally retweets himself, and at times adds a “so true” in self-agreement. But Monday evening’s message brought out the snark, with many of his critics adding “so true” statements of their own: 

Stock Alert: Turtle Beach Trading 32% Higher On Increased Sales View

Shares of gaming audio and accessory provider Turtle Beach Corporation (HEAR) are climbing more than 32% Tuesday morning after the company increased its sales outlook for the quarter ending June 30 on continued strong demand and significant additional increases in product supply.

The stock touched a new high of $15.44 this morning and currently trading at $15.34

The Company now expects sales in the second quarter of 2020 to range between $74 million and $77 million, compared to $41.3 million in the second quarter of the previous year. The previous outlook was for sales between $42 million and $47 million. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect sales of $43.8 million for the period.

Peruvians strive to make a living amid lockdown

The government established one of the first and strictest lockdown measures in the region, but desperation for food and money is forcing people to risk their lives.

More than 100 days after the first case of COVID-19 was reported, Peru has one of the highest rates of transmission in Latin America.

The government established one of the first and strictest lockdown measures in the region, but desperation for food and money is forcing people to risk their lives.

Al Jazeera’s Mariana Sanchez reports from Lima.

Zoom's founder says he 'let down' customers. Here's why

New York (CNN Business)Some bored and cooped-up celebrities (we’re using that term lightly) have apparently hit “Peak Quarantine” are now offering Zoom calls with fans for hundreds — and even thousands — of dollars.

Cameo, a startup that lets you pay celebrities for personal video messages, now lets users book a 10-minute Zoom call with, let’s say, well-known people. The costliest are former football star Brett Favre for $5,000, ex-NSYNC singer Lance Bass for $1,250 and skateboarder Tony Hawk for $1,000.
Sorry to fans of “Entourage”: Jeremy Piven went viral Monday for allegedly charging $15,000 for a call, but the booking option no longer appears on his profile.

Some Cameo-ers are priced in the bargain bin, too. They’re mostly cast members from reality shows, including “90 Day Fiancé,” “Survivor” and “Real Housewives of Orange County.” Their Zoom calls cost several hundred dollars.
Cameo, something of a modern-day version of getting a celebrity’s autograph without the pain of actually meeting them, has exploded as a business in its three years of existence. The company claims to have more than 30,000 people available (an indeterminate amount of those are actually celebrities, to be honest) and have fulfilled 80,000 requests.

The company raised $50 million in fresh funding in 2019. Cameo takes a 25% cut of each message price, with the star getting the rest.

Brazilian development bank hires BR Partners to sell stake in AES Tiete

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – The investment arm of Brazilian development bank BNDES has hired investment bank BR Partners to sell its stake in power company AES Tiete Energia SA (TIET11.SA).

BR Partners will coordinate and define the sale model for AES Tiete, including a potential M&A process, BNDESPar said.

Kurdish women volunteer to protect crops from ISIL

Kurdish women in Syria take up guns against ISIL fighters targeting their farms.

Kurdish women have formed a group called Community Protection Forces to guard crops against ISIL (ISIS) arsonists.

Last year, the group burned tens of thousands of acres of wheat and barley fields across northern Syria and Iraq.

Al Jazeera’s Charlotte Bellis reports.

U.S. Wholesale Inventories Rise Slightly Less Than Expected In April

Wholesale inventories in the U.S. increased by slightly less than expected in the month of April, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Tuesday.

The Commerce Department said wholesale inventories rose by 0.3 percent in April after tumbling by a revised 1.1 percent in March.

Economists had expected wholesale inventories to rise by 0.4 percent compared to the 0.8 percent slump originally reported for the previous month.

The rebound in wholesale inventories came as inventories of non-durable goods surged up by 1.1 percent in April after plunging by 3.4 percent in March.

Meanwhile, the report said inventories of durable goods fell by 0.3 percent in April after rising by 0.4 percent in the previous month.

The Commerce Department also said wholesale sales plunged by 16.9 percent in April after tumbling by 5.1 percent in March.

Sales of durable goods and non-durable goods both showed substantial decreases, plummeting by 17.3 percent and 16.5 percent, respectively.

With inventories rising and sales falling sharply, the inventories/sales ratio for merchant wholesalers spiked to 1.65 in April from 1.36 in March.