Mercedes-Benz $MBG (+2,98%) has made an important decision: The company will reduce the number of vehicles produced in Germany while doubling capacity in countries with lower costs. However, these restructuring measures are not without consequences, as job cuts will be necessary. Fortunately, the intention remains to keep all plants in Germany open. The CFO has emphasized that these job cuts will be made through voluntary redundancies and natural attrition, giving employees some control over their situation. For the current year, the company is expecting a decline in turnover and a lower dividend. In addition, the operating return in the core business with premium cars has fallen. In order to remain competitive, Mercedes-Benz plans to reduce production costs by 10 percent by 2027. Of particular note is the relocation of production to Hungary, where costs are an impressive 70 percent lower. This could help the company to hold its own in an increasingly competitive market.

Source:

https://www.n-tv.de/wirtschaft/Mercedes-Benz-streicht-Stellen-und-verlagert-Produktion-article25577449.html

The EU Commission wants to make it easier for European car manufacturers to meet the climate targets for 2025. This was announced by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) at a press conference on Monday. She had previously met with industry representatives in Brussels to discuss the current situation in the industry.

The solution is to be a so-called "quick fix" for the industry, which is to be presented as early as this month. According to this, the CO2 targets for 2025, 2026 and 2027 are to be combined into one compensation period. Achieving the targets on an annual basis is therefore off the table.

This caused a clear market reaction on the stock exchange. Shares in German car manufacturers benefited in particular, all of which rose by more than two percent. The shares of $DTG (+4,62%) Daimler Truck and $VOW (+1,74%) Volkswagen rose the most, each by more than five percent. Also $BMW (+2,73%) BMW, $MBG (+2,98%) Mercedes Benz and $P911 (+1,03%) Porsche also participated with rising share prices.

On Wednesday, von der Leyen will officially present the action plan for the automotive industry, which was jointly developed in the Strategic Dialogue and will include further measures such as the expansion of the charging infrastructure. In addition, money is to be made available for a social leasing program via the Climate Social Fund.

Source (excerpt): Handelsblatt, 03.03.25 | Graphic: ChatGPT

The second month of 2025 is already over. Time is flying by again at breakneck speed and one event or statement follows the next this year. It's crazy what's going on at the moment and at the same time the market is somehow saying "I don't care".

Up down, up down, the markets are becoming more volatile and yet, or precisely because of this, my February was almost at +/-0.

But one thing at a time.

In February I achieved a plus of 0.8%. With my portfolio size, this corresponds to a value of almost €900. Not particularly good compared to the Dax (+3.77%), but still very respectable compared to the HSBC MSCI World (-2.49%).

Unfortunately, things do not look any better over the year (YTD).

The Dax is running away with 13.3%, while the MSCI World is bobbing along at 1.6%. Here, too, I was at least able to beat the World, but I still lag miles behind the DAX.

Overall, however, I am still very satisfied. As I don't have a lot of tech in my portfolio and my stocks are (mostly) rather stable, there is often no outperformance of the stocks and if there is, it is only marginal.

My high and low performers in February were (top 3):

$HSY (+1,89%) Hershey +15.63%

$T (+1,94%) AT&T +14.07%

$NESN (+1,05%) Nestle +13.10%

$ADM (+5,02%) Archer Daniels -8.57%

$UNH (+1,83%) United Health -13.16%

$TSLA (-5,38%) Tesla -27.59%

Dividends:

In February, I received a net €123.62 from a total of 10 distributions.

Compared to February 2024 (€99.26), this was an increase of 24.54%

Investments:

Due to the construction work on the house last year, the focus continues to be on building up the nest egg and saving up a "leisure account" again, as everything was really used up completely last year and only the custody account remained.

The savings plans will of course continue unabated, but individual investments are probably not possible for the time being.

Purchases and sales:

I have parted with Mercedes ( $MBG (+2,98%) ) and Medical Properties ( $MPW (-0,19%) ).

I then added to Lockheed Martin ( $LMT (+0,59%) ), Hershey ( $HSY (+1,89%) ) and Petroleo Brasileiro ( $PETR4 (-0,14%) ).

My savings plans remain unchanged, but it is quite possible that I will stop them for the time being in order to build up investment cash again.

Savings plans (350€ in total):

• Realty ($O (-1,21%) )
• STAG Industrial ($STAG (-0,67%) )
• Gladstone Invest ($GAIN (-0,49%) )
• Hercules Capital ($HTGC (-2,72%) )
• Cintas ($CTAS (-2,25%) )
• LVMH ($MC (-3,29%) )
• Monster Beverage ($MNST (+0,31%) )
• Microsoft ($MSFT (-0,47%) )

Goals 2025:

My goal is to have €130,000 in my portfolio at the end of the year. The goal is to be achieved by reinvesting the dividend, making payments and, of course, increasing the share price. The share price increase is of course impossible to predict in any way, so the motto is: if the share price falls or does not rise enough, more cash is needed.

This comes from selling useless stuff on eBay, additional income from e.g. "neighborhood help" etc. The worse the share price, the more additional cash has to be raised.

Target achievement at the end of February 2025: 37.41%

So I'm on the right track (so far). I'm curious to see what else will happen in 2025 and hope that the crash, which seems to be getting closer and closer, will take a little longer (so that I can continue to accumulate cash).

How was your February? Are you happy so far? I think that, due to the volatility, the portfolios in February are far more spread out than they were in January or even at the end of last year.

A little late, but I don't want to withhold my insights from the Mercedes Benz ($MBG (+2,98%) ) analyst conference. As a listener to the latest Mercedes-Benz conference call, I was able to gain exciting insights into the company's current strategy, market developments and future prospects. The Q&A session with media representatives in particular provided valuable information on the economic challenges and strategic direction of the automotive giant.

One key topic was the potential relocation of additional production capacity to China. Mercedes-Benz is currently intensively examining the economic feasibility and market potential of such a move. The decision is likely to depend not least on how the regulatory framework and demand forecasts develop.

At the same time, the company is concerned about a possible increase in US import duties - a scenario that could have a significant impact on profit margins. However, Mercedes-Benz is prepared: Various scenarios are being played out and investors are to be informed of possible implications at an early stage.

While the focus on electromobility is unmistakable, the management made it clear that the combustion engine will also continue to play a key role in the portfolio. Plug-in hybrids in particular are intended to act as a bridging technology to accompany the transition to a fully electric future. This strategy is based on the assumption that the market is not uniform and that change is not linear - a pragmatic approach that makes perfect sense in view of regional differences in regulations and customer preferences.

Mercedes-Benz also spoke about optimizing the cost structure. In Germany in particular, staff cuts are on the agenda, although no specific figures were given. One thing is clear: restructuring will happen, but the company wants to find socially responsible solutions. A balancing act between cost efficiency and responsible management.

China remains one of the most important sales markets for Mercedes-Benz, and the company is in close contact with political decision-makers. However, it remains to be seen how much economic stimulus from China will actually boost demand for Mercedes models in 2025. For 2024, on the other hand, there will be a dampener - making the planned "product offensive" in the years 2025 to 2027, with which Mercedes-Benz intends to generate new momentum, all the more exciting.

Mercedes-Benz's strategy is clear: drive forward electromobility, but do not write off combustion engines prematurely. Keep production capacities flexible in order to cushion geopolitical risks. And at the same time optimize the cost structure without jeopardizing innovative strength.

Investors should therefore keep a close eye on further developments in China and the company's reaction to potential US tariffs.

I hope you enjoyed this short summary!

The AI start-up Anthropic recently raised an impressive 3.5 billion dollars in a new financing round. This financial injection increases the company's valuation to a whopping 61.5 billion dollars - that's almost 60 billion euros! This means that Anthropic has even overtaken the Mercedes-Benz Group $MBG (+2,98%). 🚀

Investors include well-known venture capital firms such as Lightspeed Venture Partners, General Catalyst and Bessemer Venture Partners. Investors from Abu Dhabi are also apparently interested. Back in January, Reuters predicted a valuation of 60 billion dollars, which has now actually been reached.

Anthropic, founded by former OpenAI employees, specializes in the development of AI systems and language models and is committed to the responsible use of artificial intelligence. The company competes with OpenAI's popular ChatGPT technology, which is supported by Microsoft.

With the steady growth of the AI industry, things look promising for Anthropic. It will be interesting to see how the competition, including Elon Musk's xAI, will develop.

A lot has happened in the automotive sector in recent years. Now there is news from Mercedes-Benz $MBG (+2,98%). CEO Ola Källenius has signaled that the company would like to invest more in the USA in the coming years. An important factor here is the tariffs between the USA and the EU, which could have a positive impact on the willingness to invest.

Mercedes-Benz has been active in the USA for over 120 years and has already invested several billion dollars. Källenius emphasized that two large production facilities in Alabama and South Carolina create over 11,000 direct jobs. If suppliers are included, a total of around 100,000 jobs can be attributed to the Mercedes-Benz presence in the USA.

The impact on the economy is enormous: in addition to the direct jobs, there are also thousands of jobs at dealerships and suppliers. Källenius sees Mercedes-Benz not only as a German company, but emphasizes its strong American presence. This could be exciting for the future - not only for the company, but also for the US economy. 👍

Have you heard? Mercedes-Benz $MBG (+2,98%) is selling its oldest plant outside Germany in Argentina! 🏭 This plant, which was founded in 1951, is located southwest of Buenos Aires and has produced over 400,000 Mercedes Sprinters. After seven decades, an era is coming to an end here.

The new owner is a group of investors led by Pablo Peralta. Details of the sale price have not yet been disclosed. The move comes after a weak financial year for Mercedes-Benz, in which the company suffered a significant drop in profits. In order to get back on the road to success, the Group is focusing on a cost-cutting program.

The new owners have been given permission to continue producing Sprinters with diesel engines until 2030. In addition, vehicles for other manufacturers are to be produced at the plant in future. That shows that things will continue despite the sale. What do you think of this move? Do you think Mercedes-Benz is making the right decisions for the future? 📈

As every Sunday, the most important news from the past week, as well as the most important dates for the coming week.

Also as a video:

https://youtube.com/shorts/rbhV9BFbYek?si=MM7rc8gbGu0QGA1l

Monday:

Better-than-expected GDP figures from Japan 🇯🇵. Private consumption in particular is supporting growth. Exports were also higher than expected. This could make further interest rate hikes in Japan easier. While interest rates are falling everywhere, they are currently rising in Japan.

https://www.n-tv.de/wirtschaft/der_boersen_tag/Japan-BIP-stuetzt-weitere-Zinsschritte-article25567730.html

Wednesday:

Not only Rheinmetall but also the British $BA. (-0,46%) BAE Systems also exceeded expectations. At around 34 billion euros, sales exceeded expectations. Profits also exceeded expectations. The dividend is also set to rise.

https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/industrie/geschaeftszahlen-im-newsblog-hsbc-steigert-den-gewinn-ueberraschend-stark/24098412.html

Little movement after the FOMC minutes. The Fed is particularly concerned about Trump's tariffs, as these could fuel inflation again.

https://www.handelsblatt.com/finanzen/geldpolitik/protokolle-fed-besorgt-ueber-moegliche-folgen-von-trumps-zollplaenen-auf-inflation/100108538.html

Thursday:

Even before tariffs, profits at $MBG (+2,98%) Mercedes had already fallen significantly. The bottom line is still 10.4 billion euros. That is 28% less than in 2023. The return on sales is 8.1%. A decline is also expected in the forecast for 2025. The dividend is to be reduced to 4.30 euros. A large share buyback program is to reduce dividend payments in the coming year.

https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/industrie/autobauer-mercedes-meldet-gewinneinbruch-fuer-2024/100108257.html

Producer prices rise by 0.5% in January 2025 compared to the same month last year. Experts had expected an increase of 1.3%. Falling energy prices are primarily responsible for the result. This is good news in terms of inflation, as producer prices are a leading indicator of future inflation.

https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/konjunktur/inflation-erzeugerpreise-steigen-um-05-prozent-im-vergleich-zum-vorjahr/100108612.html

These are the most important dates for the coming week:

Monday: 10:00 ifo Business Climate Index (DE)

Thursday: 14:30 GDP figures (USA)

Friday: 14:00 Inflation data (DE)

Can you think of any other dates? Write it in the comments 👇

#geschäftsklima
#bip
#usa
#inflation

Hi folks,

I have just $VOW (+1,74%) , $MBG (+2,98%) and $BMW (+2,73%) regarding cash flow here on getquin. I noticed that they are in the red. Last year they were still in the black, all several billion euros. What does that mean?

Have you heard about the latest analysis of the Mercedes-Benz Group (ex Daimler)? $MBG (+2,98%) heard? 📈 Warburg Research has given the shares a "buy" rating and set a target price of 71 euros. Despite a cautious outlook for 2025, analyst Marc-Rene Tonn considers the shares to be attractively valued, particularly due to the good dividend yield.

The share price currently stands at 58.68 euros, which corresponds to a fall of 1.05%. Nevertheless, there is still potential: the target price represents a possible increase of over 21%. The share has already gained 9% since the beginning of the year.

The next financial results for the first quarter of 2025 are expected on April 30, 2025. If you are considering investing in Mercedes-Benz shares, now could be an exciting time. What do you think of the analysts' assessment?