DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Setting a down payment goalBefore you can set a down payment goal, you first need to figure out how much you'll need for a lender to approve you for a mortgage. Determining the size of down payment neededThe minimum size of your down payment will depend on the loan program you use. Exploring down payment assistance programsDown payment assistance programs can help cover part or all of your down payment. But if you can save up a down payment of at least 20% of the home's purchase price, you'll avoid paying PMI (private mortgage insurance), which can reduce your monthly payment. To save for a down payment, create (and stick to) a budget, reduce unnecessary expenses, increase your income through side jobs, automate your savings, and explore down payment assistance programs.

Persons: You'll, you'll, windfalls, Windfalls Organizations: Netflix, Spotify, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, PMI Locations: homebuyers, Chevron

☆ See inside the world's largest private jet, a $400 million Boeing 747 typically used by governments and the world's elite
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Thomas Pallini | Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Cabinet Alberto Pinto is the design firm behind the interior of one of the world's largest private jets. Designing and implementing the interior of the ultra-luxurious Boeing jet took the firm four years to finish. AdvertisementThe 747-8i Boeing Business Jet, which is a VIP-configured variant of the civilian jumbo plane, is the world's largest private aircraft in active operation. The dual-level jumbo takes private flying to the next level as a flying palace capable of traversing time zones in the absolute pinnacle of luxury air travel. The list price of the -8i model went for about $400 million, according to the Business Jet Traveler, but the sale cost was undisclosed.

Persons: Alberto Pinto, — Organizations: Boeing, Service, Boeing Business Jet, Air Force, Business Jet Locations: Eastern

☆ Hong Kong shoppers are crossing the border into Shenzhen to buy croissants and rotisserie chickens at China's newest Costco
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The store's popularity is driven by Hong Kong residents crossing the border to shop in mainland China. Xinhua News AgencyLarge bulk stores are a rarity in Hong Kong due to the city's limited space and expensive culture. AdvertisementHong Kong's economic struggles, however, have created the perfect circumstances for Shenzhen Costco to thrive. Costco has organized several shuttle buses each day that run between the Shenzhen store and Hong Kong, according to a company spokesperson. Costco is also partnering with cross-border delivery companies that pack and ship items purchased by Hong Kong residents.

Persons: — Organizations: Costco, Service, Xinhua, Agency, Hong, Shenzhen Costco, Bloomberg, Tencent Holdings, Pay Locations: Shenzhen, China, Hong Kong, Costco, Guangdong Province, Guangdong Province of China, Taiwan

☆ This retailer is expected to move big this week on earnings. How to profit on it using options
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Michael Khouw | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

It refers to the estimated future volatility of the underlying asset through a future (expiration) date. Leaving the fancy options mumbo jumbo to the side, it's just another way options traders think about the price of an option . It is because inputting volatility solves for price, or inputting price solves for volatility, that options traders tend to think of the two interchangeably. Big move expected for Foot Locker In the table below, we highlight some of the stocks reporting this week where options prices estimate fairly high moves around earnings. And how does one play it given that Foot Locker options are incredibly expensive?

Persons: Foot, Locker Organizations: Big, Nike Locations: it's

☆ Every Sky Miles member on a Delta flight got a free Virgin Voyages cruise, courtesy of Richard Branson himself
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Joey Hadden | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Delta passengers received a free Virgin Voyages cruise from San Juan on a recent flight. The free Caribbean voyage was offered to all adult Sky Miles members aboard the flight. Branson and Virgin staff members surprise passengers at the gate. A Virgin Voyages cruise is worth the priceGetting a free Virgin Voyages sailing is truly like winning a golden ticket. A snapshot from the author's Virgin Voyages cruise.

Persons: Richard Branson, Sky Miles, —, they'd, Cruise, Willy Wonka, Branson, CHRIS, San Juan —, Joey Hadden Organizations: Sky, Service, Virgin, Delta, Jackson Atlanta International Airport, DELTA AIRLINES, Sky Miles, Virgin Staff, Virgin Voyages, BI Locations: San Juan, Atlanta, Caribbean, Hartsfield

☆ The Vision Pro's scary side effect
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The reviews are in, and the tech press is lauding the Apple Vision Pro headset for delivering on the company's promises. Apple and Meta are hoping that this virtual world will be so compelling that you won't just visit. Apple Vision Pro AppleThese are all, as the IT people say, known issues. When people adapt to a perceptual change for long enough, the real world starts to look wrong in the opposite direction. In the meantime, while he's doing his work, maybe don't forget to take that Vision Pro off once in a while.

Persons: It's, They're, you'll, Jeremy Bailenson, You've, That's, they're, techies, Bailenson's, passthrough, Bailenson, doesn't, I've, William Gibson, We've, he's, Adam Rogers Organizations: Apple, Meta, Stanford, Honda, Business

☆ My family of 4 spent $460 on dinner at The Capital Grille. The upscale steak-house chain is now one of our favorites.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Terri Peters | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But our recent visit to the upscale steak-house chain The Capital Grille blew us away. AdvertisementThe Capital Grille's menu features classic steak-house appetizers and entreésThe Capital Grille is known for its dry-aged steaks and comfortable but elegant atmosphere. Terri PetersThe Capital Grille operates more than 60 restaurants in the US, including 10 in Florida, where I live. The Capital Grille serves appetizers like jumbo lump-crab cocktail and oysters on the half shell, plus salads, soups, entrées, classic steak-house sides, and desserts. We shared a top-notch wedge salad, tooTerri PetersAt The Capital Grille, the iceberg wedge salad is served with blue-cheese dressing and smoked bacon.

Persons: —, We've, Chris, Olive, Terri Peters, It's, We'd, I'd, mignon, mignon Terri Peters, crème Organizations: Service, LongHorn, Business, The, Capital Locations: Florida, Orlando, New York

☆ Leather and Lace for the Queen of Pop
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Alex Vadukul | Amir Hamja | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Madonna performed at Madison Square Garden on Monday night as part of her Celebration Tour, a lavish stage spectacle devoted to her catalog of hits as the Queen of Pop. During “Like a Prayer,” she sang from a spinning carousel filled with jumbo crucifixes and shirtless men. “I don’t know when I’m going to be back here playing again, but I’m doing this show like it’s my last show,” Madonna, 65, told the crowd. “And I’m doing this show like it’s my first show.”Before the concert, the scene outside the arena resembled a fashion runway as Madonna fans arrived to serve up style tributes to her. Men emerged from the subway wearing black biker boots and leather jackets.

Persons: Madonna, ”, Kelly Ripa, “, Papa Don’t, Sophy LeMay Organizations: Vogue, Penn Station, Brooklyn’s Barclays Center Locations: Madison

☆ What Murder Mysteries Solve
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Amanda Taub | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But why, if that was my purpose, would I find solace in such an inherently violent genre? I now realize that what I really craved, and found in abundance in these novels, was solutions. The heart of this genre is not the murders that precipitate the plot, but the process by which they are solved — and, above all, the promise that they will be. The Detection Club, a literary society, was formed in 1930 by a group of prominent British mystery writers, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and G.K. Chesterton. But when it came to the process of solving the crimes, rules were rules.

Persons: Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, “, ” Organizations: God Locations: Israel, Gaza, G.K, Chesterton

☆ Antibiotic-resistant germs are killing us. Microscopic viruses may be the answer
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Last year doctors offered to treat Horton’s infection with one of nature’s oldest predators — tiny tripod-looking viruses called phages designed to find, attack and gobble up bacteria. SCIEPRO/Science Photo Library/Getty ImagesThe microscopic creatures have saved the lives of patients dying from superbug infections and are being used in clinical trials as a potential solution to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. Would the bacteria from her ear help scientists find phages that would treat the eye infections as well? By the following January, the CDC said at least 50 patients in 11 states had developed superbug infections after using preservative‐free artificial tears. It was a qualified success: The antibiotic-resistant bacteria in five patients were eradicated, while several more patients showed improvements.

Persons: Cynthia Horton’s earaches, “, ”, Dwayne Roach, Eager, Horton, Maroya Walters, ” Walters, Tom Patterson, Steffanie, Paul Turner, “ Iraqibacter, Patterson, Strathdee, Tom, ” Strathdee, Tom Patterson's, Rather, Anthony Maresso, ” Maresso, “ It’s, ” Roach, phages, Elizabeth Villa, Jumbo phages, Robert “ Chip ”, ” Schooley, Juliette Robert, Haytham, REA, CDC’s Walters Organizations: CNN, San Diego State University ., US Centers for Disease Control, Center, Therapeutics, UC San Diego School of Medicine, UC, Diego’s, CDC, Yale University, Yale School of Medicine, UC San, UC San Diego, ”, San Diego, Baylor College of Medicine, Eliava Institute Locations: United States, North America, Pennsylvania, IPATH, Iraq, New Haven , Connecticut, UC San Diego, Turner’s Yale, San, San Diego State, Texas, Houston, Russia, Georgia, Tbilisi , Georgia

☆ 5 reasons why Airbus went from struggling outsider to beating Boeing
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The A320's revolutionary fly-by-wire design and the Boeing 737 Max groundings help boost Airbus. In the 2014 documentary "Airbus vs Boeing: The Jumbo Jet Race" he said he was nearly fired for doing so. AdvertisementThe A320 went on to become the world's second-best-selling airliner, behind the Boeing 737. 737 Max groundingsSouthwest Airlines' grounded Boeing 737 Max jets in 2019. As Boeing and its 737 Max face more scrutiny following the Alaska Airlines blowout, Airbus seems likely to keep flying high.

Persons: Max groundings, —, Wright, Bernard Lathière's, Istvan Bajzat, Bernard Lathière, Lathière, Prince Charles, Princess Diana, Lionel Cironneau, Princess Diana —, Clinton, PAUL RICHARDS, Bill Clinton, ERIC CABANIS, Max —, Max, Mario Tama Organizations: Airbus, Boeing, Eastern Air Lines, Service, Getty, Lines, Washington Post, AP, Lionel Cironneau Airbus, Concorde, World Trade Organization, Union, Reuters, WTO, Getty Images Airbus, Show, Airlines, Max, Lion Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Paris Air, Alaska Airlines Locations: Europe, Toulouse, France, Boeing's, Germany, Spain, AFP, American

☆ I left the US to move to a charming French town sight unseen. It was the best decision I've ever made.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Agnes Groonwald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

My husband and I recently moved to a charming French town outside Paris without visiting it first. Moving abroad has sometimes been a bit uncomfortable, but was the best decision we've ever made. AdvertisementMany times, I feel as though I'm living in a fairytaleWe live down the street from the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Although the stereotype is that French people are rude, we've had nothing but positive experiences with people here. Agnes GroonwaldOur dog's new favorite place to do her business down the street is an actual palace, the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye that's been here for hundreds of years.

Persons: we've, —, we'd, Agnes Groonwald, Saint, Agnes Groonwald We've, I'd, It's Organizations: Service, Saint Locations: Paris, France, San Diego, Italy, Bologna, — France, Germain, Saint, Laye

☆ What Inspires Peter Capaldi: Vermeer, ‘Demon Copperhead,’ ‘The Wire’
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Kathryn Shattuck | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Sometimes it pays to stick close to home. The more Peter Capaldi heard as his wife, the producer Elaine Collins, and the writer Paul Rutman hashed out the story line for the new Apple TV+ thriller “Criminal Record,” the more he hinted that he was their man. They cast him as Daniel Hegarty, a veteran detective on the police force, who has a murky past. As Rutman wrote the script, Capaldi’s voice and face were front and center. “That’s the first time that has really happened to me,” said Capaldi, whose adversary, June Lenker — a younger detective contending with misogyny and racism within the force — is played by Cush Jumbo.

Persons: Peter Capaldi, Elaine Collins, Paul Rutman, Daniel Hegarty, Rutman, “, ”, Capaldi, Lenker —, —, Cush Jumbo, ” Capaldi, Who Organizations: Apple

☆ McDonald's is bringing back its Double Big Mac to US restaurants — here's when you can get it
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

McDonald's is temporarily bringing back its Double Big Mac to some US restaurants. Unlike a standard Big Mac, which contains two patties, it has four. AdvertisementMcDonald's is bringing back its Double Big Mac to US restaurants for a limited time. A standard Big Mac contains two patties. The burger had previously been released under various names, including the Monster Mac and the Double Mac, and reintroduced to menus as the Double Big Mac in March 2020.

Persons: McDonald's, — Organizations: Service, Mac, Business

☆ Stanley cup craze, explained: Why do we love these tumblers so much?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Aj Willingham | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

On social media, Stanley collectors show off shelves of their rainbow-hued, stainless steel treasures or gush over stickers and silicone doohickies to accessorize their favorite cups. It’s no secret that good marketing — largely to women, through social media — has been behind the cups’ recent surge in popularity. Empty shelves after a sold-out Stanley cup release at a California Target in January. The habitual meets the aspirational when social media posts add a shiny, new Stanley cup to a lifestyle marked by clean, responsible, well-hydrated order. It’s a favorite cup, a new cup, a go-to cup, the cup everyone is jealous of, the cup that will solve all of life’s problems and get us closer to our ideal selves.

Persons: Stanley, —, Charles Lindsey, “, Lindsey, Brian van der, Terence Reilly, it’s, “ It’s, ” Lindsey, Ricardo Torres, they’re Organizations: CNN, Stanley, University, Buffalo School of Management, ”, California Target, Los Angeles Times, Starbucks, Milwaukee, USA Locations: California, Milwaukee

☆ Best Banks and Credit Unions for 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-18 | by ( Martha C. White | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +13 min

While its checking interest rate is set much lower, you do earn interest on every dollar of your balance—its flagship checking account was also Buy Side’s top pick in the Best Checking Account category. CaveatsCapital One’s savings account APY beats most national banks and is competitive among online banks. The Ally Online Savings and Ally Spending accounts (the latter is the bank’s flagship checking account) were our top picks for digital banks in Buy Side’s Best Checking and Best Savings rankings. In Buy Side’s roundups, Alliant took the top spot among credit unions in our Best Checking and Best Savings rankings. How we pickedTo pick Buy Side from WSJ’s Best Banks, we evaluated dozens of banks and credit unions, looking for institutions that offered the best combination of high interest, low fees and flexible account options for savings, checking and CDs.

Persons: Martha C, you’ll, —, Ally, Ivy, Ivy doesn’t, Ivy Bank’s, Alliant, Foster, — Alliant, Banks Organizations: Wall, Best, Capital, American Express, Ally, Savings, Synchrony, Alto, Ivy Bank, Cambridge Savings Bank, Ivy, Bank5 Connect, CIT Bank, First, Alliant, Bank, Foster Care, Credit Union, Lake, Best Bank, Best Credit Union, National Credit Union Administration Locations: U.S, American, Massachusetts, California, Golden State, Lake Michigan

☆ One Costco employee at each new store can win $500 in cash if they correctly guess first-day sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In a company tradition, employees at opening warehouses guess their location's first day sales. AdvertisementNovember was a busy month for Costco, with 10 new locations opening up during the month, and seven of those within a ten-day span. A year later I am on the marketing training team and part of my job is traveling to new warehouse openings. This is my first official new warehouse opening and I am so excited to be part of this opening in Newark, California. I love new warehouse openings because there are items that we do not carry all the time, and some warehouse traditions as well.

Persons: —, you've, Maggie Perkins, Perkins, Maggie Perkins 🍉, dentities, ure, ince, ostco, ike, alf o Organizations: Service, Costco Locations: Newark , California, rize

A Boeing E-4B "Doomsday Plane" military aircraft takes off at Joint Base Andrews, in Maryland, U.S., May 11, 2022. The Air Force, which plans to award a SAOC contract in 2024, declined to comment on whether other firms had submitted bids. "We cannot discuss an active source selection and detailed program information is classified," an Air Force spokesperson said. "Rest assured, we haven't signed any fixed-price development contracts nor (do we) intend to," Brian West, Boeing's chief financial officer, said in October. The Air Force currently operates four E-4B aircraft with at least one on alert at all times.

Persons: Tom Brenner, haven't, Brian West, Valerie Insinna, Mike Stone, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Boeing, Joint Base Andrews, REUTERS, Rights, U.S . Air Force, Sierra Nevada Corp, Survivable Airborne Operations Center, The Air Force, Air Force, U.S, Pentagon, Thomson Locations: Maryland, U.S, Washington

Twin Rivers Farm could break records as Tennessee's priciest home if it fetches its $65 million asking price. Apart from the 10,626 square foot main residence, the estate features a barn, guesthouse and a man-made lake, stocked with trout for fishing and swimming. McEwen GroupThe previous record for the most expensive home sold in the state, set in 2010, stood at $28 million. McEwen GroupThe estate has multiple hidden passages leading to a game room, a safe room and a wine cellar. McEwen GroupThe property's barn houses the Keeles' chickens and sheep.

Persons: Tennessee's, Justin Timberlake, Nicole Kidman, Dan McEwen, McEwen, It's, McEwen Group Larry Keele, Larry, He's, " McEwen Organizations: McEwen Group, CNBC, McEwen, Oaktree Locations: Nashville, Leipers, Middle Tennessee, New York , Illinois, California, Twin Rivers, Rivers, Los Angeles, LA, Tennessee, France

☆ Why buying a Costco gift card should be your go-to holiday gift hack
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The wholesale club sells gift card bundles with discounts of 20% or more on the combined face value. In addition, the company's own Shop card acts as an access pass for non-members to visit a warehouse. AdvertisementThe same things that make cash a great holiday gift — it's always the right size and color — largely apply to gift cards as well. Warehouses often have jumbo-sized sheets of gift cards on display featuring national chains as well as local restaurants and teams. While buying gift cards through Costco may be a bargain, the better gift (for certain recipients) just might be a gift card to Costco.

Persons: —, — it's, Papa Johns, Eddie Organizations: Costco, Service, Papa, NFL, NHL, MLB

☆ High bond yields challenge “Pax Americana”
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

There are also many reasons why “Pax Americana” – the period of U.S. dominance since World War Two - is under stress. The combination of high bond yields with a large fiscal deficit and rising sovereign debt is making it harder for politicians to govern the country. If anything, they may have a tougher job to make their fiscal maths add up than the United States because their growth prospects are not as rosy. What’s more, the near-record yield gap with the United States is bringing its own headaches by putting downward pressure on the yuan. These are consolations for the United States as it grapples with the geopolitical consequences of high interest rates.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kevin Lamarque, Joe Biden’s, doesn’t, Liz Truss, haven’t, Paul Tucker, “, Fitch, Peter Thal Larsen, Thomas Shum Organizations: Air Force, Joint Base Andrews, REUTERS, Reuters, Federal Reserve, International Monetary Fund, Bank of England, AAA, AA, United, Bank for International, Initiative, Thomson Locations: Lewiston , Maine, Joint Base Andrews , Maryland, U.S, Israel, Ukraine, China, United States, Europe, Asia, Russia, Britain, Washington, Republic

☆ Strong jet stream sees transatlantic aircraft fly at the 'speed of sound'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

There’s a difference between ground speed and speed in the air (indicated air speed, essentially the speed of the plane in relation to the air around it). The jet stream explainedThe jet stream is a “core of strong winds around five to seven miles above the Earth’s surface, blowing from west to east,” as the UK’s Met Office describes it. Seven miles above the planet’s surface is equivalent to around 37,000 feet – which means that aircraft at cruising altitude slip easily into the jet stream. “This increase in the temperature gradient is amplifying the speed of the jet stream, which is driven by temperature differences. Either way, these planes are saving time and money.”The jet stream is making planes go around 200mph faster than average.

Persons: NASA –, Storm Ciaran, that’s, Sara Tonks, ”, Derek Van Dam, Richard Branson Organizations: CNN, NASA, Concorde, Emirates, American Airlines, Delta, KLM, UK’s Met, Storm, Virgin Atlantic, Boeing, Virgin, British Airways Boeing Locations: Europe, Dallas, Dubai, Newfoundland, JFK, Heathrow, Los Angeles, London, 760mph, Miami, Amsterdam, ”, United States, 801mph, 560mph, 825mph, New York

☆ I tried Walmart's self-checkout to see if it was as frustrating as some shoppers say. Here's what I found.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Walmart shoppers have told me about their frustration with the retailer's self-checkout security. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . From my conversations with shoppers, I've learned that problems tend to arise with large or bulky items, multiple items of the same kind, and especially when using the handheld scanner. Dominick Reuter/InsiderAll four self-checkout kiosks were in use, and everyone appeared to be getting through without any issues. AdvertisementAdvertisementOf course, people paying for things and not taking them is far less of a problem for retailers than people taking things and not paying for them.

Persons: I've, —, Walmart's, inbox, Dominick Reuter Organizations: Walmart, Service

About five teams around Europe including Ineos Grenadiers are involved in the early-stage talks and more could join, the people said. Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard’s Jumbo-Visma team is also involved in the talks, one of them said. Amaury Sports Organisation (ASO) controls the Tour de France and La Vuelta while the Giro d'Italia is controlled by RCS Sports. This is not the first time cycling teams have explored a new cycling league project. Eight teams founded a league project called World Series Cycling (WSC) at the end of 2012 but the plans failed to materialise.

Persons: Jonas Vingegaard’s Jumbo, Spokespeople, EY, Amy, Jo Crowley, Anousha Sakoui, Julien Pretot, Andres Gonzalez, Elisa Martinuzzi, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Reuters, Ineos Grenadiers, de France, Partners, Formula, Tour de France, La Vuelta, Amaury Sports Organisation, La, RCS Sports, Thomson Locations: Europe

☆ 2024 women's Tour de France route
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

CyclingDominant Dutch cycling team Jumbo-Visma aim to stay at the front of the peloton next season with the help of an unlikely addition to their coaching set-up -- swimming guru Jacco Verhaeren. 10:46 AM UTC

Persons: Jacco Verhaeren

Search resuls for: "Jumbo"

25 mentions found