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How to cancel your life insurance policyCanceling a term life insurance policyThere are several ways to cancel a term life insurance policy. Alternatives to life insurance cancelationcanceling your life insurance policy isn't ideal if you have dependents who rely on your income for financial support. If you have a whole life insurance policy, look into reduced paid-up life insurance. Life insurance settlementIf you don't have a terminal diagnosis and you want to sell your term life insurance policy, you can apply for a life insurance settlement with a third-party provider instead of canceling your policy. Canceling life insurance FAQsWill I get any money back if I cancel my life insurance policy?

Persons: Lucas Siegel, Siegel, wouldn't, policyholders, you've Organizations: Internal Revenue Service

☆ House Speaker Mike Johnson remains undecided on best path ahead on Ukraine aid
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Lauren Fox | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —House Speaker Mike Johnson is pledging to act on Ukraine aid when lawmakers return to Washington next week, but behind the scenes the Louisiana Republican is still undecided on the best path forward and keenly aware of his narrow majority and the threat to his speakership that looms. “He’s got a gun to his head right now,” Rep. Don Bacon, a swing-district Republican, said of the speaker. Greene and Johnson are expected to talk later this week, but the Georgia Republican has remained steadfast in her opposition to Ukraine aid. Given fierce conservative opposition and a narrow margin, it’s possible Johnson could need to bring any Ukraine aid bill to the floor under a suspension of the rules. In recent days, Johnson has also floated the idea of easing natural gas exports, but it’s not clear that would do much to assuage conservative backlash against Ukraine aid.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, “ He’s, ” Rep, Don Bacon, Churchill, ” Johnson, Mitch McConnell, –, Mike McCaul, “, Mike, Chip Roy, Matt Gaetz, I’ve, he’s, they’d, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Greene, ” Greene, ”, Brian Fitzpatrick, Fitzpatrick, It’s, John Kirby, CNN’s Haley Talbot, Manu Raju Organizations: CNN —, Louisiana Republican, ”, Republican, GOP, Republican Rep, Fox News, CNN, Georgia Republican, Democratic, House, White, National Security Communications Locations: Ukraine, Washington, Louisiana, Russia, Israel, Taiwan, Texas, Pennsylvania, Gaza

☆ 'Too few college-educated men': A look at why many women undergo egg freezing, and the costs associated with it
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Women who choose to undergo reproductive technology procedures such as egg freezing face a long road riddled with obstacles. Here's a look into the driving forces behind egg freezing and the financial, social and emotional costs that come with it — based on personal experiences from women across the country. She wanted to remove some of the stigma around egg freezing and give her followers an inside look at the arduous process. The benefits are high, but so are the costsWhile the benefits of egg freezing are certainly enormous, so too are the associated costs. Many women need multiple egg freezing cycles, especially as they grow older and egg number and quality begin to deteriorate.

Persons: Lynn Curry, cryopreservation dewar, Roselle Chen, That's, Marcia Inhorn, Inhorn, Nicole Noyes, Aimee Eyvazzadeh, Noyes, Eyvazzadeh, Serena Kerrigan, Kerrigan, Jenny Hayes Edwards, Hayes Edwards Organizations: Huntsville Reproductive, Reuters, Life Sciences, Women, Yale University, CNBC, Nutrition Locations: Huntsville, Madison , Alabama, U.S, Alabama, United States, America, New York, California, Colorado

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried considered going on Tucker Carlson's show and railing 'against the woke agenda' after FTX's collapse
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The most striking item on the list was going on then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson's show to "come out as a republican." "Talk about how the cartel of lawyers is destroying value and throwing entrepreneurs under the bus in order to cover up the incompetence of lawyers," Bankman-Fried memorialized. Numerous former executives and associates testified that Bankman-Fried commingled funds of FTX customers with Alameda Research, a cryptocurrency trading firm he also controlled. Bankman-Fried wrote that he could highlight that aspect of his political spending on Carlson's show. In another list, Bankman-Fried came up with a list of "Allies."

Persons: —, FTX, Sam Bankman, Michael Lewis, Lewis, Tucker Carlson's, Fried, Bernie Madoff's, Lewis Kaplan, Carlson, they'd, ANGELA WEISS, Martin Shkreli, Cory Booker of, Matt Levine, Levine, Odd Organizations: Service, ABC, Business, Fox News, US, Office, Southern, of, of New York, Alameda Research, Twitter, Getty, Congressional, Allies, Bloomberg Locations: of New, Manhattan, Cory Booker of New Jersey

☆ Russian oligarch went to Moscow in effort to broker complex prisoner exchange that included Navalny, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Sebastian Shukla | Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —A multi-country prisoner exchange that might have freed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny was being discussed and progressing when he died last month, multiple sources have told CNN, and included the direct involvement of a Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich. However, a source close to Navalny’s team told CNN that on the evening of February 15 they had received word that a message had been delivered to Putin. Clinton “initially passed on the message” to US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Grozev told CNN. “We had to find a way to package the German asset [Krasikov] into an American negotiation,” the source close to the Navalny team said. Getting the message to Putin was one of the greatest challenges, the individual close to the Navalny team told CNN.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Roman Abramovich, Navalny, Abramovich, Hillary Clinton, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Maria Pevchikh, “, ”, Dmitry Peskov, it’s, Christo Grozev, Clinton, Grozev, Biden, Viktor Bout, Brittney Griner, Clinton “, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, Pevchikh, Vadim Krasikov, Krasikov, Tucker Carlson, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Whelan, Gershkovich, Whelan –, Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, ” Abramovich Organizations: CNN, United Arab, Kremlin, IK, Aspen Ideas, FSB, US National, National Security, Wall Street, Krasikov, Navalny, US Department of Justice Locations: Russian, Moscow, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Siberia, Western, Russia, Aspen, Colorado, Berlin, Chechen, Europe, Germans, Brazil

☆ Hedge funds took profits in these popular technology stocks during the fourth quarter
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Hedge funds appeared to take profits in a host of winning " Magnificent Seven " stocks during the fourth quarter at the end of a blowout year for the septet. Still, Nvidia shares rallied 14% in the fourth quarter, extending a 3% gain in the September quarter. Nor was Nvidia the only semiconductor maker that hedge funds cut back on in the fourth quarter. Reducing exposure to the rest of Magnificent Seven Hedge funds also took profits in a handful of other popular Magnificent Seven stocks that helped power 2023's AI-fueled market rally. Beyond the most prominent companies, hedge funds also made key reductions in other popular technology and semiconductor bets last quarter.

Persons: Dan Sundheim zeroed, Stanley Druckenmiller, David Tepper's, Phillippe Laffont's Coatue, Global's Chase Coleman, Jensen Huang, chipmaker, Tepper, Ole Andreas Halvorsen, Druckenmiller, Baupost Group's Seth Klarman, Coatue's Laffont, Point's Dan Loeb, Berkshire Hathaway, Value's Jeffrey Smith, Marc Benioff, Appaloosa's Tepper, Michael Burry, Druckenmiller amped, Point's Loeb, Coatue, Laffont, Tiger Global's Coleman, —, Alex Harring, Yun Li Organizations: Appaloosa Management, D1, Technology, Wall, Nvidia, Management, Devices, Intel, Qualcomm, Taiwan Semiconductor, Viking, Arm Holdings, VanEck Semiconductor, Google, Microsoft, Duquesne, Viking Global, Corvex Management, Sundheim's D1 Capital, Baidu, Arista Networks, Scion, Oracle, Amazon, Tiger Global, Apple, Taiwan, Broadcom Locations: TSM, Meta, Berkshire, Salesforce, Chinese, China

☆ You have to read this story about a woman who was scammed out of $50,000
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Katie Notopoulos | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

New York Magazine's personal finance writer just published a personal essay about how she was scammed. Believing she was talking to the FBI, she handed a shoebox with her $50,000 in savings in cash to a stranger. New York Magazine published an astonishing personal essay from one of their writers (a personal finance writer, no less!) Charlotte Cowles says she was scammed out of $50,000. Just read it: The Day I Put $50,000 in a Shoe Box and Handed It to a Stranger

Persons: —, Charlotte Cowles, Dia Dipasupil, they'd Organizations: FBI, Service, New York Magazine

☆ As Sam Bankman-Fried awaits prison sentence, FTX customers await a surprise: full repayment
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Government exhibit in the case against former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. Lawyers representing the bankruptcy estate of FTX told a judge in Delaware last week that they expect to fully repay customers and creditors with legitimate claims. After the dust settled from FTX's bankruptcy, Solana saw a huge run-up in its price, and it continued to rally after the September report. The bankruptcy estate of FTX has been looking to sell its Anthropic stake, according to a court filing this month. For FTX customers, being made whole, according to a judge's ruling, means getting the cash equivalent of what their crypto was worth in November 2022.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, FTX, Andrew Dietderich, —, Joseph Bankman, Barbara Fried, Brendan Mcdermid, John Ray III, Michael Kives, Braden Perry, FTX's, Ray, we're, It's, Solana, Lewis Kaplan, Elizabeth Williams, Michael Lewis, Lewis, IOUs, Perry, SBF, Renato Mariotti, Mariotti Organizations: Bankman, Federal Court, Reuters, K5 Global, SpaceX, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, CNBC, Alameda Research, U.S . Justice Department's Securities, Commodities, SEC Chari Locations: FTX, Delaware, Plenty, Palo Alto , California, New York City, U.S, Bankman, Solana, Alameda, FTX's, Anthropic, New York, Brooklyn

Russian President Vladimir Putin used an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson to urge Washington to recognize Moscow's interests and persuade Ukraine to sit down for talks. Most of the interview, released Thursday, focused on Ukraine, where the war is nearing the two-year mark. It was Putin’s first interview with a Western media figure since his full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago. Two journalists working for U.S. news organizations — The Wall Street Journal’s Gershkovich and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Alsu Kurmasheva — are in jail. Asked by Carlson whether Russia would release Gershkovich, Putin said Moscow is open to talks but repeated that the reporter was charged with espionage, an accusation Gershkovich has denied.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Tucker Carlson, Putin, Evan Gershkovich, Volodymyr Zelenskyy's, “, ” Putin, John Kirby, Carlson, Gershkovich, Vadim Krasikov, Zelimkhan, Krasikov, We’re, Evan Organizations: Fox News, NATO, Ukrainian, Kremlin, Kyiv, Putin, House, Radio Free, Street Locations: Washington, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Germany, Poland, Radio Free Europe, U.S, Russian, Caucasus

☆ This fund looks like a surprise winner of the bitcoin ETF approval
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

And it still remains the case that bitcoin futures are regulated, and spot bitcoin is not," Simeon Hyman, head of the investment strategy group at ProShares, told CNBC. One theory for why the futures ETF has continued to have success is that there are listed options for bitcoin futures products, but not for the spot products, said Aniket Ullal, head of ETF data and analytics at CFRA. The ProShares futures ETF may also be getting helped by increased action in the futures market itself. To be sure, not all bitcoin futures products are going strong. VanEck announced Jan. 17 that it was liquidating its bitcoin futures ETF.

Persons: FactSet, Simeon Hyman, Aniket Ullal, Ullal, Hyman, it's, Tim McCourt, VanEck, Jan, BITO Organizations: CNBC, CME Group Locations: United States, bitcoin

☆ ‘The Schoolmistress’ painting stolen by mobsters returned after more than 50 years, the FBI says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Andy Rose | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A painting older than the US Constitution was returned to its rightful owner this month – more than 50 years after being stolen by mobsters, the FBI said in a news release. “The Schoolmistress,” by English painter John Opie, was found among items in a 2021 estate sale. The FBI returned the painting to the family of Dr. Earl Leroy Wood earlier this month. “It was a well-done painting.”It took more than two years for Wood’s family to find the documentation proving the painting belonged to them. The FBI delivered the work of art to Wood’s son, 96-year-old Dr. Francis Wood, on January 11.

Persons: John Opie, Gerald Festa, Dr, Earl Leroy Wood, Joseph Covello, “, Emily Stauffer, Francis Wood, ”, Gary France Organizations: CNN, FBI, KUTV Locations: Lake City, Covello’s Florida

☆ Core Scientific returns to Nasdaq as Wall Street shows renewed love for bitcoin mining
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Just over a year after the crypto winter sent bitcoin miner Core Scientific spiraling into bankruptcy, the Texas-based company is back on the Nasdaq. Even in bankruptcy, Core invested in developing its infrastructure. The public markets have been going big in mining since bitcoin started rebounding. Bitcoin miners have pared back gains in the last few weeks as the price of bitcoin has fallen, and in April, a market-moving event dubbed the "halving" will cut the prize that miners receive in half. "We recommend achieving Bitcoin exposure via Bitcoin miners."

Persons: bitcoin, Adam Sullivan, Core, noteholders, Sullivan, Blockchain, CleanSpark, it's, Bernstein Organizations: Nasdaq, Trading, CNBC, Marathon, Research, Lightning Locations: Texas, U.S, — Texas, North Dakota, North Carolina Georgia, Kentucky, bitcoin

[1/4] The company logo is seen on the headquarters of China Evergrande Group in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China September 26, 2021. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHONG KONG, Dec 4 (Reuters) - A court hearing into a liquidation petition filed against China Evergrande Group (3333.HK) was adjourned in a Hong Kong court to next month, allowing more time to finalise a debt restructuring proposal in a major relief for the embattled developer. On Oct. 29, when adjourning the hearing to Monday, Hong Kong High Court Justice Linda Chan had said the next hearing would be the last before a decision was made on liquidating Evergrande. Evergrande last week scrambled to put together a revised restructuring plan to avoid a possible liquidation order. The creditors were opposed to the latest restructuring plan and will seek liquidation if the terms do not change, said the advisor.

Persons: Aly, Jan, Linda Chan, Evergrande, Hui Ka Yan, Clare Jim, Sumeet Chatterjee, Kim Coghill, Christopher Cushing Organizations: China Evergrande Group, REUTERS, China Evergrande, HK, Hong, Hong Kong High, Moelis, Authorities, Thomson Locations: China, Shenzhen, Guangdong province, HONG KONG, Hong Kong, Evergrande, destabilised

☆ Investors can get a 5.6% yield with this 'first-rate' ultrashort bond ETF
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

As investors hunt for yield, many are turning to actively managed exchange-traded funds focused on bonds, like Pimco's Enhanced Short Maturity Active ETF . The fund, which has a 5.6% 30-day SEC yield, is a "a first-rate ultrashort ETF," Morningstar senior analyst Paul Olmsted wrote in August. Trading under the ticker symbol MINT, the ETF holds fixed income securities with durations of no more than one year. In fact, investors flooded into the fund in October, making it the actively managed bond ETF with the highest inflows last month, according to FactSet. Investors can capture that higher yield on the short end of the yield curve, Schneider said.

Persons: Paul Olmsted, Morningstar, Jerome Schneider, Pimco's, Schneider, FactSet, Matthew Bartolini, It's, Treasurys —, who's Organizations: SEC, Morningstar, MINT, Street Global Advisors, Research, Federal Reserve, Treasury, Federal, Bear Stearns Locations: Pimco

☆ Jeff Bezos expected to sell more Amazon shares worth $1 billion - CNBC
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos speaks during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, November 2, 2021. Paul Ellis/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 21 (Reuters) - Amazon.com (AMZN.O) founder Jeff Bezos is expected to offload more of his stake in the company on Tuesday after selling shares worth about $240 million last week, CNBC reported, citing a source. Bezos may sell as many as 8 million to 10 million shares, amounting to more than $1 billion, the report said. A representative for Bezos did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment and neither did Amazon, whose shares were trading 2.5% lower on Tuesday. After stepping down as Amazon's CEO, Bezos has been liquidating his shares in the e-commerce behemoth to fund his space venture Blue Origin.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Paul Ellis, Bezos, Blue, Zaheer Kachwala, Devika Organizations: Amazon, Change, CNBC, Thomson Locations: Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, Miami, Seattle, Canaveral, Bengaluru

☆ It's time for retailers to stop blaming theft for so many of their problems
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Shrink includes customer theft, but it also accounts lost or destroyed inventory and employee theft, to name a couple of other examples. But companies such as Target and Walgreens have cumulatively reported billions of dollars in losses from theft by citing shrink numbers. Often, company executives use "shrink" and "theft" interchangeably, while providing no breakdown of how much of their shrink is attributable to theft. Retailers could be pointing to theft to prompt government action or distract from operational issuesIf so many elements contribute to shrink, then why are some retailers pointing to theft only? Do you work at a major retail store such as Walmart and have a story idea to share?

Persons: —, Matthew Schroeder, Melodie van der, William Blair, Gillian Flaccus, der Baan, van der Baan, Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins, Blair Organizations: Service, Target, Walgreens, Aid, Home Depot, Max Retail, National Retail Federation, Walmart, AP Locations: Harlem , New York, Manhattan , New York

☆ Global watchdog reveals tensions at heart of Credit Suisse debacle
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Logos of Swiss banks Credit Suisse and UBS are seen before a news conference in Zurich Switzerland, August 30, 2023. The report, however, exposed tensions and conflicts at the heart of a process that ultimately required Switzerland to initially back the emergency rescue of Credit Suisse by rival UBS (UBSG.S) with public money to avert panic. The officials summed up that the "resolution" rules for shutting a collapsing bank without panicking markets could have worked for Credit Suisse, though public money would still likely have been needed. The FSB report sheds new light on events that led to Credit Suisse's downfall. The FSB said Switzerland's action preserved financial stability, even if it raised questions as to why the resolution was not chosen.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, Karin Keller, Sutter, Switzerland's Keller, FINMA, Andrew Bailey, Arturo Bris, Mayra Rodriguez Valladares, Arthur Wilmarth, it’s, Tatiana Bautzer, Elisa Martinuzzi, Stefania Spezzati, Pete Schroeder, Mark Potter, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Credit Suisse, UBS, REUTERS, UBS Group, Swiss, U.S, Bank of England, IMD, Bank, MRV Associates, Banco, George Washington University Law School, Thomson Locations: Zurich Switzerland, Switzerland, Swiss, U.S

☆ How this 77-year-old widow lost $661,000 in a common tech scam: 'I realized I had been defrauded of everything'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +19 min

Older adults, many of whom have saved their entire careers for retirement, can have the most to lose. The Covid pandemic was a disproportionate threat to older adults, keeping Americans indoors and quickly pushing them online. Outcomes hinge on a complex web of federal and state rules that govern banking and elder financial fraud. Such "heightened procedures" to protect older adults are part of the bank's duty of care relative to older customers, the lawsuit said. Scammers had her wire funds from her PNC bank account to an account at the now-defunct Signature Bank in New York.

Persons: Marjorie Bloom, she'd, Bloom, Roth, Ester, Ester Bloom, Rebecca Keithley, —, they'd, I'm, Kathy Stokes, Keithley, General Merrick Garland, she'll, Marjorie Bloom Bloom, trekked, Mount, Kriangkrai, I've, There's, Sergio Flores, scammers —, Carla Sanchez, Adams, Sanchez, Banks, Marve Ann Alaimo, Porter Wright Morris, Arthur, Alaimo, Cryptocurrency, Scammers, scammers, it's, Patrick Wyman, Wyman, Al Drago Organizations: PNC Bank, Finance, CNBC, Federal Bureau of Investigation, PNC, FBI, Social, Department of Justice's, Vanguard Group, Federal, Consumer Finances, AARP, Microsoft, Department of Energy, Guaranty Corporation, U.S, North Dakota ., Everest Base, Social Security, North Bethesda Camera, PNC Bank —, District of Columbia, Bloomberg, Getty, National Consumer Law, Signature Bank, Asset Unit Locations: Chevy Chase , Maryland, U.S, Vietnam, Mount Everest, North Dakota, liquidating, Nepal, Marjorie Bloom Maryland, District, —, Maryland, PNC, New York, Cayman Islands, Washington ,

☆ Rite Aid plans to shut down hundreds of stores in bankruptcy - WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A woman shops inside of a Rite Aid store underneath a DeepCam security camera in New York City, New York, U.S., June 25, 2020. Picture taken June 25, 2020. The company has proposed to close roughly 400 to 500 stores in bankruptcy, and either sell or let creditors take over its remaining operations, according to the report. Given the conversations remain ongoing, no decisions have been made at this time, Rite Aid said. Reporting by Pritam Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak DasguptaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lucas Jackson, Pritam Biswas, Shounak Dasgupta Organizations: Rite, REUTERS, Wall Street, Rite Aid, Walgreens Boots Alliance, CVS Health, Thomson Locations: New York City , New York, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Hollywood workers resort to flea markets, bake sales as strikes drag on
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] SAG-AFTRA actors and Writers Guild of America (WGA) writers walk the picket line outside Disney Studios in Burbank, California, U.S., July 25, 2023. Hollywood writers walked off the job in May, followed by actors in July. The motion picture and sound recording industries shed 17,000 jobs in August because of the strikes, according to U.S. government statistics. Writers and actors can apply for assistance from their unions, and some crew members are eligible for state unemployment benefits. In the meantime, stars including George Clooney, Dwayne Johnson and Meryl Streep have donated millions to Hollywood charities that assist industry workers.

Persons: Mike Blake, IATSE, Dejon Ellis, Kevin Klowden, Daniel Fox, Fox, Laura Seaman, Berry, Greg S, Tiffany Puterbaugh, Puterbaugh, I've, Gavin Newsom, George Clooney, Dwayne Johnson, Meryl Streep, Ellis, We're, it's, John Lithgow, Nicole Kidman, Andrea Tyler, Tyler, Lisa Richwine, Mary Milliken, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Writers Guild of America, Disney Studios, REUTERS, Rights, IATSE, Milken Institute, Star Wars, Hollywood, SAG, Netflix, Thomson Locations: Burbank , California, U.S, Rights BURBANK , California, Los Angeles, Hollywood, California, Georgia, New Mexico

Crude oil storage tanks are seen in an aerial photograph at the Cushing oil hub in Cushing, Oklahoma, U.S. April 21, 2020. Cushing crude stocks have depleted by 18 million barrels (-42%) since the end of June compared with just 14 million barrels (-3%) elsewhere. In consequence, the net position in WTI climbed to 225 million barrels (42nd percentile for all weeks since 2013) up from a record low of just 46 million barrels. It is possible Cushing inventories are being liquidated to make up for reduced flows from Saudi Arabia and other Middle East exporters. Related columns:- Depleting U.S. crude stocks draw in hedge funds (September 11, 2023)- Hedge funds buy U.S. crude as stocks fall (September 4, 2023)- Depleting U.S. crude inventories lift oil prices (August 31, 2023)John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst.

Persons: Cushing, Long, WTI, John Kemp, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, European Commission, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, refiners, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Cushing , Oklahoma, U.S, Cushing, Oklahoma, United States, Gulf, Europe, Saudi Arabia, North America, Asia

☆ How much are retailers losing to shrink and theft? In many cases, it's not the main drag on profits
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | In Gabrielle-Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

During second-quarter earnings reports in August and September, nearly two dozen retailers said shrink has continued to weigh on profits. During its second quarter earnings call with analysts, the company said shrink was in line with the year-ago period. Over the last few quarters, more and more retailers have called out shrink as a drain on profits and blamed theft for those losses. Others that loosely blame shrink and theft for plummeting profits without providing much more explanation may be trying to obfuscate internal issues, said Lapinsky. Contrary to other retailers, shrink was the largest drag on Ulta's earnings during fiscal 2022, according to a securities filing.

Persons: Lindsey Nicholson, Dick's, Ulta, Sonia Lapinsky, AlixPartners, that's what's, Macy's, CNBC's Courtney Reagan, Jeff Gennette, Gennette, TJX, John Klinger Organizations: Walgreens, Universal, Getty, CNBC, Target, Dick's Sporting Goods, Walmart, Lowe's Locations: Queens , New York

☆ EV, energy storage battery prices set to fall more - report
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A slide in prices of EV batteries could help the industry cushion profits from a price war started by Tesla (TSLA.O) in January to stoke demand. Prices for battery materials hit record highs during the pandemic as lower borrowing costs buoyed EV demand, but they have been falling since. The average price drop for cells used in EV batteries reached 10%, "highlighting an uninspiring growth pattern in the EV battery market", the research firm said. LFP batteries, widely used for energy storage and inexpensive EVs, were developed in the United States, but China now dominates global production. Prices for batteries used in energy storage have also slid due to weak demand outside of China, forcing battery makers to pare back production to buoy prices.

Persons: TrendForce, EVs, pare, Akash Sriram, Devika Organizations: EV, Tesla, stoke, Consumer, Battery, Thomson Locations: United States, China, EVs, Bengaluru

LONDON, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Crude oil prices have stalled as the wave of hedge fund buying that helped lift them throughout July and the first part of August has been replaced by gentle selling. Hedge funds and other money managers sold the equivalent of 30 million barrels in the six most important petroleum futures and options contracts over the seven days ending on Aug. 22. Nearly all the sales were in crude (-29 million barrels) with sales of NYMEX and ICE WTI (-16 million barrels) and Brent (-13 million barrels), according to position records filed with regulators and exchanges. There was a mix of profit-taking after the previous rally by liquidating existing bullish long positions (-18 million barrels) and speculative short sales (+11 million barrels) in anticipation of future price falls. There are also increasing indications the United States is relaxing sanctions on crude exports from Iran and Venezuela in exchange for diplomatic objectives and to keep a lid on oil prices.

Persons: Brent, John Kemp, Barbara Lewis Organizations: ICE, Henry, U.S . National Oceanic, Prediction Center, CPC, U.S, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Saudi Arabia, Russia, COVID, States, Iran, Venezuela, NYMEX, United States, Pacific, North America

☆ How to keep the next 'dash for cash' from crashing bond market - study
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Treasury trading nearly ground to a halt, imperiling the functioning of global financial markets, until the Fed jumped in to buy hundreds of billions of dollars of bonds that helped to free up space on dealer balance sheets. "Backstopping the liquidity of this market with transparent official-sector purchase programs will further buttress market resilience." Future bouts of Treasury market illiquidity could also be made less likely with broader use of central clearing, Duffie wrote, as well as changing the way regulators assess bank capital levels. Financial authorities made such a change temporarily after March 2020, but allowed the so-called Supplementary Leverage Ratio exemption to sunset a year later. Other changes could include technical changes to market function to encourage direct buying and selling without dealer intermediation, Duffie wrote.

Persons: JACKSON, Darrell Duffie, Duffie, intermediation, Ann Saphir, Chizu Organizations: Treasury, Federal Reserve, Stanford University, Kansas City, Fed, Thomson Locations: , Wyoming, Jackson Hole , Wyoming

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