Shares of Chipotle had their best day in more than four years. Despite the surge, the stock is still way off its all-time high of nearly $760. Jeff Bernstein, Senior Restaurant Analyst at Barclays, was with us to discuss whether the hiring of its new CEO will be enough to fuel a turnaround for Chipotle.
Chipotle tapped Taco Bell's CEO, Brian Niccols. Investors were on board with the move, sending shares soaring. Bernstein said it will take some time for consumers to jump on board. Chipotle is not a major media advertiser, so getting the new message across won't be immediate, the analyst adds.
During his time at Taco Bell, Mr. Niccol played a key role in bringing life back to the brand, bringing innovative food items to the menu. His marketing background helped get consumers excited about items such as Quesarito, Naked Chicken Chalupa and Nacho Fries. Bernstein said he expects to see some new product news at Chipotle, but acknowledges the assembly-line structure will keep them somewhat limited.
President Donald Trump said he has decided to lower his combined tariff rates on imports of Chinese goods to 47% after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on curbing fentanyl trafficking.
Universal Music Group and AI platform Udio have settled a copyright lawsuit and will collaborate on a new music creation and streaming platform. The companies announced on Wednesday that they reached a compensatory legal settlement and new licensing agreements. These agreements aim to provide more revenue opportunities for Universal's artists and songwriters. The rise of AI song generation tools like Udio has disrupted the music streaming industry, leading to accusations from record labels. This deal marks the first since Universal and others sued Udio and Suno last year. Financial terms of the settlement weren't disclosed.
