Apple investment, UK election and Premier League performance

Carl Icahn can’t stop buying into Apple. The activist investor described Apple as the sort of company that only comes along twice in a century and said he wished he had bought even more shares in it. Nor has he sold any Apple stock even though the value of his initial stake, made in August 2013, had almost doubled.

“I feel so secure with Apple that if it goes down, I just buy more, I don’t worry.”

He is still pushing the group to buy back more shares – the company last week said it would increase the capital it returned to investors to $200bn by the end of March 2017, after public pressure from Mr Icahn and others. (FT)

In the news

Two killed at anti-Islamist group event Two gunmen opened fire outside an event in the Dallas area of Texas hosted by the American Freedom Defense Initiative. They shot a private security guard and were in turn shot and killed by police. The anti-Islamist organisation had been hosting the Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest, which included selecting the bestcaricature of the prophet Muhammad. Dutch politician Geert Wilders was one of the guests. (NYT, LAT)

UK election final straight With just a few days to go until the knife-edge election it is all about what happens afterwards. David Cameron hopes to hold on to power and deliver a referendum on EU membership even if he fails to win an outright majority. Ed Miliband is making similar plans to form a minority government and could become prime minister even if he finishes second, courtesy of expected support from the Scottish National party which is predicted to win a landslide north of the border. (FT)

Heart attack detector car seat scrapped Ford has abandoned a project to develop driving seats that can detect heart attacks. It blamed competition from cheaper and more accurate wearable technology – an indication of just how rapid the pace of innovation needs to be for carmakers. (FT)

Buffett on the back foot The sage of Omaha was forced to defend Berkshire Hathaway’s relationship with private equity group 3G Capital after shareholders expressed unease. A wave of job losses is expected at Kraft when the Berkshire-funded takeover closes later this year and 3G has a record of aggressive cost-cutting, prompting questions about Buffett’s reputation as a benign acquirer of businesses. (FT)

Baltimore curfew lifted The overnight curfew introduced in the wake of last week’s riots has been lifted. Protesters held celebratory marches over the weekend after charges were filed against six police officers over the death of Freddie Gray, a young black man who died after what prosecutors called a false arrest. (FT)

It’s a big day for

McDonald’s The fast-food chain is due to unveil turnround plans under new chief executive Steve Easterbrook today. Analysts reckon more share buybacks and the sale of the 18 per cent of outlets that are company owned will be on the menu. (NYT)

Comcast The company reports first-quarter earnings after the collapse of its $45bn takeover bid for Time Warner Cable. So what next for the US’s largest provider of cable television and broadband internet services?(FT)

Food for thought

Pope vs Dirty War rumours Pope Francis has asked the Vatican to open its archives on the Argentine Dirty War. Mac Margolis reckons this is his brassiest move yet, especially since some Argentines faulted him for looking the other way over the scandal of “chicos apropriados” – the children of political prisoners abducted by torturers and put up for adoption. (Bloomberg)

No more Mr Nice Guy Critics say Joko Widodo is using executions to look like a strong leader– a tough stance a long way from the homespun charm that endeared him to many Indonesians when he was campaigning for the presidency. The FT looks at why he needs to make this show of strength.

Twitter chief’s crimes against the dictionary Dick Costolo runs a company that made a fortune out of snappy talk, but uses windy nonsense himself, says Lucy Kellaway. “It would be like discovering that Christopher Bailey at Burberry secretly bought all his clothes at Primark.” (FT)

Premier League clubs Which club rises to the occasion against strong opponents? Chelsea generally performs better against similarly strong sides and its consistency is clear – it rarely dips below two points per game. (FT)

Video of the day

Uniliver’s long-termism Paul Polman, one of the world’s most respected CEOs, discusses how giving long-term earnings guidance rather than quarterly guidance has allowed Unilever to target long-term shareholders. He also talks about the need to change concepts of capitalism and sustainability. (FT)

This article is published in collaboration with The Financial Times. Publication does not imply endorsement of views by the World Economic Forum.

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Image: People stream into the Apple store on 5th Avenue on Black Friday in New York. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri