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They call it an encirclement of their nation and say the United States is trying to constrain its main economic and military rival. The United States also has a new security agreement with Papua New Guinea. On Wednesday, Mr. Biden signed a $95-billion supplemental military aid and spending bill that Congress had just passed and that includes $8.1 billion to counter China in the region. In addition, the United States continues to send weapons and Green Beret trainers to Taiwan, a de facto independent island and the biggest flashpoint between the United States and China. A swarm of Chinese militia and Coast Guard vessels chased a Philippine Coast Guard ship in the South China Sea last year.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Biden, Antony J, Blinken, Yuri Gripas, ” Ely Ratner, Xi, ” Kurt Campbell, Joseph Wu, ”, “, Samuel J, Paparo Jr, Mr, Paparo, Carl Vinson, Richard A, Brooks, Trump, Lloyd J, Austin III, Chen Jining, Jes Aznar, David H, Berger, Obama, Tony Mcdonough, United States —, Admiral Paparo, China’s “ revanchist, we’re Organizations: Australian, U.S, Marines, United, Pentagon, Corps, Mr, White House, White, The New York Times, American, Marine, Green, China’s, Liberation Army, Seoul SOUTH, Pacific Command, People’s Liberation Army, Agence France, Nuclear Forces Treaty, Defense, Communist Party, Tokyo Okinawa, U.S . Navy, Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Army, Philippines Luzon Partner, Australia Darwin Potential, NATO, Tomahawk Locations: Beijing, United States, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Japan, Okinawa, Taiwan, Asia, Pacific, U.S, China, Shanghai, South China, South Korea, Guam, Washington, Manila, Taipei, People’s Republic of China, Palau, West Papua, Seoul, Tokyo JAPAN CHINA Taipei TAIWAN Hong Kong, GUAM philippines MALAYSIA INDONESIA JAPAN CHINA TAIWAN, philippines GUAM, INDONESIA Seoul, GUAM philippines, MALAYSIA INDONESIA, Philippine, Moscow, Tokyo, Ryukyu Islands, South, Philippines Luzon, Luzon, Spratly, Australia, Canberra, Singapore, Darwin, Australia’s, . North Carolina, Virginia, Perth, United Kingdom, Navy’s, America

☆ Nvidia jumps more than 15% this week. A key reason: what other companies are saying
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

"These are big checks made out to get Blackwells and H200s from, yes, Nvidia," Jim Cramer said during Friday's Morning Meeting . "There are a lot of people … that think this stock is a dangerous stock," Jim said. The next earnings report to shed light on demand for Nvidia's AI chips is set for Tuesday evening when Club name Amazon releases first-quarter results. While Amazon also has custom AI chips, it's a sizable Nvidia customer and the companies have enjoyed a longtime partnership. Even electric vehicle maker Tesla indicated earlier this week that it plans to buy tens of thousands more Nvidia chips this year to support self-driving car efforts.

Persons: Wall, Jim Cramer, Blackwell, OpenAI, There's, Jim, Wednesday's, – tanked, Alphabet's, FactSet, Ruth Porat, capex, Porat, Amy Hood, Hood, Microsoft's, Tesla, Jim Cramer's, Jensen Huang, Josh Edelson Organizations: Nvidia, Microsoft, Investors, Devices, Meta, Facebook, Bank of America, AMD, Broadcom, Wall, Google, Amazon, CNBC, SAP Center, AFP, Getty Locations: –, U.S, San Jose , California

☆ Meta shares plunge as Mark Zuckerberg's AI push spooks investors
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Meta shares plunged as much as 15% in premarket trading, dragging US futures lower. Investors weren't convinced by Mark Zuckerberg's plan to keep spending tens of billions on AI. AdvertisementMeta stock plunged in premarket trading on Thursday as investors fretted that Mark Zuckerberg's artificial intelligence push will send costs skyrocketing. The losses came after Meta reported its earnings for the first three months of the year on Wednesday. Zuckerberg's previous pledge to keep costs low during a "year of efficiency" has helped Meta's stock to rally since the start of 2023.

Persons: weren't, Mark Zuckerberg's, Meta, —, Refinitiv, Zuckerberg, Russ Mould, AJ Bell, Mark Zuckerberg Organizations: Service, Meta, Microsoft Locations: Wednesday's

☆ Meta stock plunges on ‘aggressive’ AI spending plans
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Shares in Meta plunged in premarket trading Thursday as the Facebook owner’s plans to “invest aggressively” in artificial intelligence spooked investors. The company is competing head-to-head with Microsoft and Google to unlock the enormous potential of AI. Meta (META), which also owns WhatsApp and Instagram, said Wednesday that first-quarter profit more than doubled year-on-year, while revenue was up 27%. Meta said full-year capital expenditure would be in the range of $35-40 billion — up from previous guidance of $30-37 billion — as it continues to accelerate infrastructure investments to support AI. Meta has forecast revenue of $36.5-39 billion, versus analyst expectations of $38.2 billion.

Persons: —, ” Sophie Lund, Yates, Hargreaves Lansdown, Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, ”, Stephen Innes Organizations: London CNN —, Meta, Facebook, Microsoft, Google, ”, Management

☆ Snap shares soar 25% as company beats on earnings, shows strong revenue growth
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Snap reported first-quarter results on Thursday that beat analysts' estimates and showed a return to double-digit revenue growth. Adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter was $46 million, far surpassing the $68 million loss expected by analysts, according to StreetAccount. For its second quarter, Snap expects to report revenue between $1.23 billion and $1.26 billion, up from the $1.22 billion expected by analysts, according to StreetAccount. Snap said adjusted EBITDA will fall between $15 million and $45 million, compared to Wall Street's expectations of $15.5 million. The company expects to report around 431 million DAUs in its second quarter, up from the 430 million expected by StreetAccount.

Persons: Snap's, Snap Organizations: LSEG Revenue, LSEG, LSEG Global, Revenue, Snapchat, Meta, StreetAccount

☆ Tesla's earnings report was worse than expected, but Elon Musk has a plan
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In today's big story, we're looking at Tesla's earnings report and what comes next for the EV maker. The big storyTesla's turnaround planJADE GAO/AFP via Getty Images; Chelsea Jia Feng; BIBad news: Tesla's earnings report was worse than expected. AdvertisementPerhaps that's why Musk spent so much of the earnings call discussing autonomy and the progress made with Tesla's Full Self-Driving software . Musk told analysts on the earnings call that Tesla is the majority of his work . If investors vote against the package at Tesla's annual meeting in June, who knows where Musk — and his AI ambitions — will end up .

Persons: —, Chelsea Jia Feng, Elon Musk, Tesla, Musk, hasn't, Insider's Linette Lopez, Matt Anderson, Tyler Le, JPMorgan's Marko Kolanovic, Kolanovic, Cathie, Stocks, Goldman Sachs, Gerard Julien, Elon Musk's, Carl Godfrey, Joe Biden, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, George Glover Organizations: Business, Service, Getty Images, Tesla, Getty, EV, Musk's, Intel, Micron Technology, Microsoft, BI America, Amazon, Boeing, Meta, IBM, US Locations: Delaware, Outflows, United States, China, Idaho, New York, London

☆ NABTU: Biden scores major union backing as its leaders attack Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Edward-Isaac Dovere | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Joe Biden landed a major union endorsement Wednesday from North America’s Building Trades Unions, whose leaders say the president has his infrastructure bill largely to thank for it. The backing from NABTU, which has 3 million members nationwide, is more enthusiastic than its 2020 backing of Biden. That’s raised questions about the political future of the next generation of union members. It’s “almost like the perfect leader was sent at the perfect time for working people,” NABTU President Sean McGarvey told CNN about Biden in an interview announcing the endorsement. Biden appeared at the union’s conference in Washington on Wednesday to officially get the nod – which union leaders also want to be seen as a stark rebuff of Trump, who eagerly solicited support from union members and leaders during his time in office, but, their leaders say, didn’t deliver.

Persons: CNN — Joe Biden, Biden, Donald Trump, That’s, It’s, ”, Sean McGarvey, Trump, NABTU, ” Biden, “, ” “, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Frantz, Biden’s, McGarvey, ” McGarvey, it’s, Trump’s, Sean, “ Donald Trump, ” Brent Booker, Booker, ” Booker, didn’t, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, “ Biden, he’s, Mitch Landrieu, ” Landrieu, CNN’s Michael Williams Organizations: CNN, Unions, Teamsters, Republican, Democratic, Biden, Trump, Covid, North, Washington Hilton, ’ International Union of Locations: America’s, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, NABTU, Washington, Washington ,, Chicago, ’ International Union of North America

☆ China’s Q1 GDP grows 5.3% partly thanks to strong manufacturing
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s economy grew stronger than expected at the start of this year, partly thanks to robust factory activity. Gross domestic product grew by 5.3% in the first quarter from a year ago, according to the National Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday. Last month, an official survey showed China’s manufacturing purchasing manager’s index (PMI) expanded for the first time in six months. The Caixin/S&P manufacturing PMI also hit its strongest reading in more than a year, as overseas demand picked up. The authorities have cut interest rates this year to boost bank lending and speed up central government spending to support infrastructure investment.

Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Gross, National Bureau, Statistics, PMI Locations: Hong Kong, China

☆ China Feels Boxed In by the U.S. but Has Few Ways to Push Back
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( David Pierson | Olivia Wang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden’s effort to build American security alliances in China’s backyard is likely to reinforce the Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s view that Washington is leading an all-out campaign of “containment, encirclement and suppression” of his country. And there is not much Mr. Xi can do about it. To China, Mr. Biden’s campaign looks nothing short of a reprise of the Cold War, when the world was split into opposing blocs. That pressure on China expanded Thursday when Mr. Biden hosted the leaders of Japan and the Philippines at the White House, marking the first-ever trilateral summit between the countries. American officials said the meeting was aimed at projecting a united front against China’s increasingly aggressive behavior against the Philippines in the South China Sea and against Japan in the East China Sea.

Persons: Biden’s, Xi, Biden, China’s, Camp David Organizations: U.S, White, Japan, Camp, Mr Locations: Washington, China, Beijing, Japan, Philippines, India, South, East, South Korea, Australia, Britain

☆ Moderna halts plans to build Kenya vaccine plant as Covid shot demand plunges
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Moderna on Thursday said it has paused plans to build a vaccine-manufacturing site in Kenya after a steep drop in demand for its Covid vaccines. Moderna's decision aligns with its broader effort to cut costs by resizing its Covid vaccine-manufacturing footprint. Moderna also had plans to start filling doses of its Covid vaccine in the continent as early as 2023. But the company has since determined that demand in Africa "is insufficient to support the viability of the factory planned in Kenya," Moderna said in a statement on Thursday. "This approach will allow Moderna to better align its infrastructure investments with the evolving healthcare needs and vaccine demand in Africa."

Persons: Moderna Organizations: Moderna, Kenyan Locations: Kenya, Africa

☆ White House says it’s very concerned by China’s actions in the South China Sea ahead of key trilateral meeting
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Samantha Waldenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Washington CNN —The White House is very concerned by China’s actions in the South China Sea, a senior administration official said, as President Joe Biden prepares to draw two Asian allies closer at a historic meeting on Thursday. Japan and the Philippines both have separate territorial disputes with China, in the former’s case the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and in the latter’s areas of the South China Sea. Meanwhile, China claims the shoal, which is in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, as its sovereign territory, as it does much of the South China Sea, in defiance of an international arbitration ruling. CNN has previously reported that the three leaders will hold private discussions on the South China Sea. A senior administration official also said that on Thursday the White House will be announcing a new infrastructure project in the Philippines.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Fumio Kishida, Thomas, Kishida, Marcos, Rodrigo Duterte, “ We’re, ” Biden, Australia –, ”, Brad Lendon, Arlette Saenz, Kayla Tausche Organizations: Washington CNN, Japanese, East China, China Coast Guard, CNN, American, White, Clark Air Base, Subic Naval Base, Coast Guard Locations: South China, Japan, Philippines, China, East, Philippine, Palawan, Taiwan, South, North Korea, Russia, Kishida, Ukraine, Manila, Asia, Pacific, United States, Beijing, India, US, Australia

☆ Visits from Japanese and Filipino leaders highlight Biden’s efforts to blunt China’s aggression
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Arlette Saenz | Kayla Tausche | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Biden’s week also includes an official visit for Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, reinforcing his commitment to cultivating partnerships in the Indo-Pacific in the face of China’s rising economic and military power. The historic leaders summit on Thursday between Biden, Kishida and Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos is expected to produce announcements relating to infrastructure, energy security, digital connectivity and maritime security. Meanwhile, Japan has recently loosened restrictions on the export of military technology – paving the way for deeper collaboration with like-minded allies. The first virtual meeting with the four leaders took place in March 2021 with subsequent in-person summits in the years that followed. Biden and his team also have sought to draw in smaller regional neighbors concerned about China’s military and economic aggression.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kishida, Biden, Jake Sullivan, “, Jill Biden, Kishida Yuko, They’re, Ferdinand Marcos, Marcos, ” Sullivan, ”, John Neuffer, ” Biden, ” Rahm Emanuel, Sullivan, zeroed, Japan’s, Yoshihide Suga, Korea’s, Moon Jae, Yoon Suk Yeol, Rodrigo Duterte, Donald Trump, ” Kishida Organizations: Washington CNN, Japanese, CNN, Biden White House, Australia, US Steel, APEC, Washington, Semiconductor Industry Association, Clark Air Base, Subic Naval Base, American, White, Kishida, White House, Pacific, PBS Locations: Japan, Philippines, North Korea, Ukraine, Gaza, India, South Korea, China, Manila, ’, lockstep, Netherlands, Taiwan, Beijing, Thursday’s, US, Australia, South China, South, Russia, Kishida, United States, Tokyo, Seoul, David, United Kingdom, Washington, Vietnam, U.S

☆ China's March factory activity expands for first time in six months
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

China's manufacturing activity expanded for the first time in six months in March, an official factory survey showed on Sunday, offering relief to policymakers even as a crisis in the property sector remains a drag on the economy and confidence. New export orders rose into positive territory, breaking a 11-month slump, but employment continued to shrink, albeit at a slower rate, the PMI data showed. Premier Li Qiang announced an ambitious 2024 economic growth target of around 5% earlier this month at the annual meeting of the National People's Congress, China's rubber-stamp parliament. Citi on Thursday raised its economic growth forecast for China for this year to 5.0% from 4.6%, citing "recent positive data and policy delivery". China's cabinet on March 1 approved a plan aimed at promoting large-scale equipment upgrades and sales of consumer goods.

Persons: Zhou Maohua, Premier Li Qiang Organizations: PMI, China Everbright Bank, Manufacturing, Premier, National People's Congress, Citi Locations: Shandong, China, Japan

☆ These stocks could rally in 'second phase' of bull market, Morgan Stanley Investment Management says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

There's a rotation happening in the market that investors can take advantage of by investing in cyclical stocks, according to Morgan Stanley Investment Management's Andrew Slimmon. He recommended investors to have a more cyclical bias to their portfolio, pointing out that the best-performing sectors in the last month are energy, materials and industrials. He also thinks there's still room to run in semiconductor stocks — even if the overbought group sees a near-term pullback. " Slimmon named Applied Materials , Ameriprise Financial and Valero Energy as some of the stocks he likes right now. Regarding energy, Slimmon said the space could continue to show strength if the economy begins to weaken.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Andrew Slimmon, Stocks, Slimmon, there's, Slimmon's, that's Organizations: Morgan, Morgan Stanley Investment, Dow Jones Industrial, Nasdaq, Ameriprise Financial, Valero Energy, Infrastructure Investment, Jobs, United Rentals, Applied Materials, Ameriprise, U.S Locations: U.S, financials, That's

☆ Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank president: People shouldn't exaggerate geopolitical tensions
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailAsian Infrastructure Investment Bank president: People shouldn't exaggerate geopolitical tensionsJin Liqun, president of the bank, discusses the projects it has co-financed with the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

Persons: Jin Liqun Organizations: Infrastructure Investment Bank, World Bank, Asian Development Bank

☆ Who ends up holding the bag for the Baltimore bridge collapse?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Marine insurance companies will be on the hook for much of the costs. These insurance companies are backed by insurance companies of their own – a type of business known as a reinsurer. The potential cost of insurance claims from the bridge collapse could be between $1 billion and $3 billion, analysts at Barclays wrote in a note Wednesday. “But other than that, the economic impact of what has happened will be enormous, but not recoverable from the ship,” Davies said. Maryland lawmakers, meanwhile, are drafting an emergency bill to provide income replacement for Port of Baltimore workers impacted by the bridge collapse.

Persons: Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key, ”, John Miklus, Dali, Brendan Holmes, Miklus, Loretta Worters, Worters, Martin Davies, ” Davies, Joe Biden, Francis Scott Key, it’s, ” Biden, Scott Olson, Davies, Bill Ferguson Organizations: New, New York CNN, American Institute of Marine Underwriters, “, Barclays, Grace Ocean, Britannia, Indemnity, International Group, International, CNN, Insurance, Costa, Maritime Law Center, Tulane University, “ Maersk, Federal Highway Administration, Infrastructure Investment, Jobs, Biden, . Workers, Robins, Repair, Port, Maryland Locations: New York, Singapore, Costa Concordia, Italy, Danish, Baltimore , Maryland, Maryland, Baltimore

☆ China is trying to connect Southeast Asia by high-speed rail. Here’s how that’s going
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —Imagine jumping on a train in southwestern China, traveling some 2,000 miles and arriving in Singapore – less than 30 hours later. Southeast Asia is the “obvious” choice because of its “proximity to China,” Bowerman adds. “Beijing, I think, ultimately wants to see Southeast Asian countries within its sphere of geopolitical influence. A staff member waits for passengers to board the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train during a week-long public trial phase at the Halim station in Jakarta on September 17, 2023. “In the example of a high-speed railway line between Malaysia and Singapore, Singapore would likely have just one stop – Malaysia would have more,” Wong told CNN.

Persons: China’s, Gary Bowerman, ” Bowerman, ”, Pon Souvannaseng, Peerapon Boonyakiat, Bowerman, Pan Wenbo, Pan, Mei Wei, Wei, “ I’m, Xi Jinping’s, Souvannaseng, Hong Kong –, Hong Kong’s, Yasuyoshi Chiba, Wong Muh Rong, ” Wong Organizations: CNN, Initiative, China Railway, Reuters, East Japan Railway Co, Malaysian, Bentley University, of, Communist Party, Laos Railway, Laos Railway cumulatively, Orient Express, Getty Locations: China, Singapore, Asia, Laos, Kunming, Vientiane –, Indonesia, Jakarta, Bandung, West Java, Thailand, Bangkok, Thai, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Southeast Asia, “ China, Peerapon, Cities, Penang, Malacca, Phuket Old Town, Beijing, Vietnam, Philippines, Cambodia, Wat, Siem Reap, ”, Kowloon, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Halim, AFP, “

☆ China economy: All-important property market shows no sign of rebound in new year
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New property sales reached a total of 1.06 trillion yuan ($147 billion) in the first two months of this year, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday. The drop also marks a much faster pace of decline from the year-ago period, when new property sales dipped just 0.1%. Property investment fell 9% in the January-to-February period, which was faster than the 5.7% decrease registered during the same period last year. “The correction in property construction is still in its early stages,” Capital Economics analysts said in a research note on Monday. The growth in factory output might be driven by strong exports demand.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, “, ”, Louise Loo, ” Loo, Zhiwei Zhang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, National Bureau of Statistics, Capital, Catering, “, Oxford Economics Locations: China, Hong Kong

“If you have minerals or oil under the ground, how do you come up with a price for a long-term contract? The shift to renewable energy and electric vehicles has caused a spike in the demand for critical minerals, driving these kind of loans. Adesina, whose Abidjan, Ivory Coast-based institution helps finance development in African countries, said these arrangements come with a litany of problems. Photos You Should See View All 60 Images“These are the reasons I say Africa should put an end to natural resource-backed loans," Adesina said. After Chad, Angola and the Republic of Congo approached the IMF for support, the multilateral lender insisted on the renegotiation of their natural resource-backed loans.

Persons: Akinwumi Adesina, paydowns, Adesina, ” Adesina, Glencore, Trafigura, ”, Mao Ning Organizations: African Development Bank, Associated Press, International Monetary Fund, IMF, Chartered, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China Railway Group, Gecamines, Alliance for Green Infrastructure Locations: Lagos, NIGERIA, China, Congo, Nigeria, Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Africa, Chad, Angola, Republic of Congo, Guinea, Ghana, Beijing, Nigerian, AP.org

☆ Biden Budget Lays Out Economic Battle Lines Against Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Alan Rappeport | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden in his budget this week staked out major economic battle lines with former President Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. The proposal offers the nation a glimpse of the diverging directions that retirement programs, taxes, trade and energy policy could take depending on the outcome of the November election. During the past three years, Mr. Biden has enacted key pieces of legislation aimed at bolstering the green energy economy, making infrastructure investments and reinforcing America’s domestic supply chain with subsidies for microchips, solar technology and electric vehicles. Few of those priorities are shared by Mr. Trump, who has pledged to cut more taxes and erect new trade barriers if re-elected. Here are some of the most striking differences in the economic policies of the two presidential candidates.

Persons: Biden, Donald J, Trump Organizations: Mr Locations: United States

☆ Biden's laws are pouring billions into new infrastructure and it could be a rare opportunity to make communities safer and more sustainable
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The American Society of Civil Engineers gave it a C-minus in 2021 and said the US needed about $2.6 trillion in infrastructure investment over a decade. These include nonvehicle transportation projects such as pedestrian bridges and urban bike paths and neighborhood-level projects like park improvements. Inflation, worker shortages, and other obstaclesAcross the country, there are some key practical challenges to implementing infrastructure projects. Overcoming barriersLocal governments and employers across the country recognize many of the challenges to building and maintaining major projects. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act alone, 72 programs "emphasize or allow some type of workforce development activity," a Brookings report found.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Joseph Kane, Charles Marohn, Marohn, Kane, Drew Angerer, it's, Biden, It's, Greg Gianforte Organizations: Service, American Society of Civil Engineers, Infrastructure Investment, Jobs, Business, Transportation, Brookings Institution, Rail, Potomac, White House, Texas Department, US Department of Transportation, Michigan's, Grant, they're, Biden, Builders and Contractors, Congress, Jobs Act, Brookings Locations: Washington, Strong, Baltimore, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Long, New York, Austin, Austinites, America, Detroit, Brookings, Montana

☆ The majority of altcoins launched since 2020 are dead, but bitcoin's latest rally could spark a revival
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

72% of crypto projects have died since 2020, a report from Alphaquest and Storible said. On Friday, crypto market capitalization hit a record high of $2.58 trillion. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Since 2020, 72% of crypto projects have died, according to a report published by Alphaquest and Storible. On Friday, the crypto market hit a new record, with capitalization reaching $2.58 trillion, Kuptsikevich wrote in a market update.

Persons: Storible, —, Alphaquest, FTX's, bitcoin, Geoff Kendrick, Alexander Kuptsikevich, Liquid Investments Seth Ginns, Kuptsikevich, Kendrick Organizations: Service, Standard, BTC, Business, CoinFund, Liquid Investments Locations: Alphaquest, altcoins

☆ Pharmaceutical companies behind weight-loss drugs are slimming down a new target: The Magnificent 7
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In today's big story, we're looking at pharma companies' surging stocks and threatening tech darlings thanks to their weight-loss drugs. And it comes despite only 1% of US adults taking weight-loss drugs, according to Bank of America , which predicts that number could rise to 15% by 2035. Weight-loss drugs are also cutting more than just fat. For Wall Street, meanwhile, the equation is much simpler: Getting more people on weight-loss drugs boosts the economy. The trend, which will be powered by cash-rich mega-cap tech companies, is thanks to strong earnings growth, the bank said.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Donald Trump —, Trump, Zhan, Eli Lilly, Tesla, Hannah Latham, Octavio Jones, Christian Rodriguez, Laura MacPherson, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, they're, Goldman Sachs, Biden, Barry Sternlicht, Fernando Gutierrez, It's, Elon Musk, TikTok, Pete Ryan, RJ Scaringe, Dan DeFrancesco, Hallam Bullock, Jordan Parker Erb, George Glover Organizations: Service, pharma, Business, Tesla, Microsoft, JPMorgan, Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, Bank of America, Nvidia, Companies, Fed, Infrastructure Investment, Alpha, Commission, Elon, EV, Nike, Congress, White, Meta, SXSW Locations: China, US, New York, London

☆ China growth target: Beijing wants to upgrade the economy. Why are investors so skeptical?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hong Kong CNN —Chinese leaders have pledged to achieve an ambitious growth rate this year, while reshaping its economic model to focus on technology innovation. On Tuesday, Premier Li Qiang announced that economic growth target of around 5% for 2024, which he said “will not be easy” to hit, given that a Covid-battered 2022 had provided a lower base of growth for last year. “The level of support is likely too little to rocket the economy to its 5% growth target this year,” said Sarah Tan, an economist at Moody’s, referring to the measures announced by Li Tuesday. “China is walking a tightrope on the fiscal front between infrastructure stimulus and LGFV [local government financing vehicle] deleveraging,” said Goldman Sachs analysts on Wednesday. In order to achieve the ambitious 5% growth target, more specific stimulus is needed, such as increasing manufacturing investments, Liu said.

Persons: Li Qiang, “, ”, Sarah Tan, Li Tuesday, Goldman Sachs, Li, ” Nomura, Xi Jinping, Peiqian Liu, Liu, Pan Gongsheng Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, AFP, Getty, Goldman, Fidelity International, People’s Bank of China, Jefferies Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, ‘, Asia, —

☆ The Fed 'went crazy' with rates and did big damage to the real estate market, billionaire mogul Barry Sternlicht says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The real estate market is "collateral damage" in the Fed's inflation fight, Barry Sternlicht said. AdvertisementThe commercial real estate market is hurting, and that's largely thanks to the Federal Reserve's aggressive rate hikes which have battered the economy, real estate billionaire Barry Sternlicht said. In an interview on "In Depth with Graham Bensinger," the real estate investor and Starwood Capital CEO sounded off the Fed's policy-tightening campaign since early 2022. AdvertisementLast year, Sternlicht warned of a "Category 5 hurricane" coming for the real estate market, which he believed could be followed by a recession. Still, Sternlicht said he was optimistic about the real estate market going forward, and while property prices have plunged, that creates investment opportunity.

Persons: Barry Sternlicht, I've, Sternlicht, —, Graham Bensinger, Morgan Stanley, Sternlict, Powell, Joe Biden Organizations: Starwood, Service, Starwood Capital CEO, Bloomberg, Fed, Wall, Infrastructure Investment, Investors

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