Starbucks Has a Disturbing Problem: Even Its Cheerleaders Must Admit This Is a Major Issue

If you listen to Starbucks (SBUX) execs, then everything at the coffee giant is amazing.  Do some work in Microsoft (MSFT) Excel (as the analysts at Credit Suisse did below on Wednesday), and a glaring issue comes to light. That is, for all its digital leadership and ability to crank out new, more expensive drinks, Starbucks sales are on a long-term downtrend. Seeing as employee hourly wages and benefit costs are on the rise, as are costs to open new locations, a stubborn downtrend in sales is very unwelcome. It's especially unwelcome as most on Wall Street remain obsessed with Starbucks' growth prospects -- they could be in for some unfortunate surprises on the bottom line over the next year

GM to Consider Axing Six Models to Combat Slumping Sales, Avoid Plant Layoffs

United Auto Workers President Dennis Williams said the union is working with General Motors (GM) to avoid layoffs as U.S. auto sales slump, AutoBlog reported. GM is considering producing more trucks and SUVs while killing off six slow-selling models produced at underused car plants such as Hamtramck in Michigan and Lordstown in Ohio. It's unclear if the plants will start producing newer, more popular models. GM has cut shifts at several of its U.S. plants as inventories of small and midsized cars grow. If GM stopped producing the six models under consideration, it wouldn't happen until 2020. The models at risk are the Chevrolet Volt, Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CT6, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Impala

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  UAW talking to GM about impact of car sales slump on U.S. jobs

  Reuters
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  Report: GM may kill Chevy Volt, Sonic and four other cars

  USA Today

Tesla Faces 3 Serious Issues That Should Terrify Any Investor Looking to Buy the Stock

"While it seems there is the 'cult of Tesla' on the long side with its stock price soaring on every whiff of good news, there apparently is also a 'cult of Tesla shorts' which refuses to give up on their thesis and has continued to increase their short exposure in the face of a supercharged price rally," said S3 Partners, LLC Head of Research Ihor Dusaniwsky. Musk is the Steve Jobs of everything from electric cars and solar power (Tesla), to exploring space (SpaceX) and constructing network of tunnels to eradicate "the problem of soul-destroying traffic" (Boring Co.). If Musk defies the conventions of the automotive and aerospace industries and politics, why should Tesla stock be limited by such quotidian concerns as cash burn and production targets? Shares of Tesla have gained more than 53% so far this year to $325.26.