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☆ Sanctions are squeezing Russia, turning up its dependence on China and 'rogue' states, think tank says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewWestern sanctions are straining Russia's ability to fight in Ukraine, even if its war economy appears resilient and its output seems largely unfazed, a think tank expert said. Related storiesAlready, this order has put off lenders in India, China, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates from working with Russia, Blank said. Individual sanctions have also targeted vessels carrying Russian crude above the Western $60-barrel price cap, reducing the Kremlin's ability to trade. With fewer available tankers, freight costs have climbed, and the discount Russia has offered on its oil has eroded. That's caused India to increasingly look elsewhere for crude, despite being the biggest buyer of seaborne Russian oil in 2023.

Persons: —, Stephen Blank, it's, Blank Organizations: Service, Center for, Business, Foreign Policy Research Institute, Treasury Department, CEPA, United, United Arab Emirates, West Locations: Ukraine, North Korea, Iran, India, China, Turkey, United Arab, Russia, Austrian, Moscow, Beijing

☆ Trump Media payday: What Truth Social executives got paid in stock and compensation
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Those thresholds for the share price are well below where Trump Media stock was trading on Monday, when it closed at $37.17, down more than 8%. The filing disclosed that Trump Media awarded company stock to Nunes, chief financial officer Phillip Juhan, and chief operating officer Andrew Northwall. The three top executives, like Trump himself, are currently barred from selling any of their common stock in Trump Media for the next six months. CNBC asked a spokeswoman for Trump Media why promissory notes were used to grant stock to the executives. Legal battlesBesides Trump, the biggest shareholders in Trump Media are two corporate entities.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Donald Trump, Devin Nunes, Trump, Kevin Murphy, Murphy, Nunes, Phillip Juhan, Andrew Northwall, Juhan, Northwall, DWAC, we've, Tom Williams, Kash Patel, Patel, Dan Scavino, Scavino, Department of Defense Kash Patel, Justin Sullivan, Sandro De Moraes, Vladimir Novachki, Scott Glabe, Novachki, Glabe, De Moraes, Eric Swider, beneficially, Renatus, Swider, Andy Litinsky, Wes Moss, Moss, Patrick Orlando, Mike Pont Organizations: Trump Media, Trump . Trump Media, Nasdaq, Corp, Trump, University of Southern, Securities and Exchange Commission, DWAC, SEC, CNBC, Partners, Northwall, Juhan, Trump Media's, U.S, Capitol, CQ, Inc, Getty, Equity, Messrs, Republican, Hudson Digital, Trump White House, Staff, Department of Defense, Digital, Renatus, ARC Global, United Atlantic Ventures, Twitter, Facebook, NBC, FilmMagic Locations: Juhan, California, Minden, Minden , Nevada, Orlando, New York City

Read previewAn appellate court decision reducing former President Donald Trump's bond to $175 million was a win for the former president — and certainly a rare one, according to legal experts. But the former president was tossed a last-minute lifeline Monday when an appeals court ordered a whopping 62% reduction in the size of the bond. AdvertisementIn that time, he's only heard of roughly a couple dozen instances when a New York appeals court reduced an appeal bond — and those involved far lower judgments. While the lowered bond buys Trump time, he'll still owe the entire sum if he loses on appeal. As part of Monday's decision, Trump is required to file a full appeal argument in time for the court's September 2024 session.

Persons: —, Donald Trump's, Trump, Neil Pedersen, Pedersen, he's, Letitia James, Eric Snyder, Wilk Auslander, Snyder, he'll, Arthur Engoron, Engoron Organizations: Service, Business, Sons, New York, Trump, New, Trump Organization Locations: York, New York, he'll

☆ 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

☆ Donations to Hamas-linked charities spike 70% since Oct. 7 attack, Israeli officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Jason Gewirtz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

"We saw a 70% increase in money given to Hamas-linked charities," said Uzi Shaya, a former high-ranking officer in Mossad, Israel's intelligence service. Charities suspected of funneling money to Hamas often change their names, too, making them all the more difficult to monitor. Israel's National Bureau of Counter Terror Financing maintains a list of charitable organizations that it accuses of directly aiding Hamas' military. Hard lessonsEnsuring that individual Gazans have economic opportunity without simultaneously funding Hamas militants has proven to be a difficult challenge for Israel. Beyond direct funding, Israel also allowed 18,000 Gazans to enter Israel to work, again hoping that a stable economy would pacify Hamas.

Persons: John Macdougall, Uzi Shaya, Shaya, Din, Akin, Hawala, Israel, Karim Jaafar, Israel haven't, Binance, —, Al, Adel Hana, Fadel Senna Organizations: Hamas, West Bank, AFP, Getty, Israeli Defense and Foreign Ministry, CNBC, Foreign Ministry, Islamic, Bureau of, Qatari Red Crescent, Gaza, Qatar Emiri Air Force, International Airport, Palestinian, Treasury Department Locations: Ramallah, Israel, Gaza, Islamic Jihad, Lebanon, Iran, Hawala, North Sinai, Egypt, U.S, Gaza City, Adel Hana An Israeli, Sderot

☆ 3 ways to evaluate a company's debt level to help judge the risk of buying its stock
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

But what if I then told you that John also only has $50,000 cash in the bank whereas Jane has $2 million cash in the bank? Debt to equity The ratio compares the level of a company's debt on its sheet to the amount of equity. For example, if a company has assets worth $3 million and liabilities worth $1 million, shareholder equity equals $2 million ($3 million – $1 million) and debt to equity equals 0.5x ($1 million / $2 million). Debt service coverage ratio Since we just mentioned the importance of being able to service debt, let's consider a ratio that provides insight into that, the debt service coverage ratio. To do this, we use a metric such as operating income and compare it to the company's debt service requirement, meaning all principal and interest payments due in the next year.

Persons: Jim Cramer, Gail, John, Jane, let's, Eli Lilly, it's, Lilly, Cramer's, Jim Organizations: Procter, Gamble, Honeywell, Cramer's Charitable, CNBC

Prosecutors in the criminal trial against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried compared one of the defense's arguments to a scene in the 1994 film "Dumb and Dumber," in which actor Jim Carrey says IOUs are "as good as money." Funds also allegedly went to paying for things such as a $35 million property in the Bahamas and political donations. Customers were ultimately unable to retrieve much of their money as FTX and Alameda were simultaneously imploding. In a footnote, the prosecution writes, "A popular movie from the 1990s illustrates the point: a briefcase, once filled with money, is not the same as a briefcase later filled with IOUs." In "Dumb and Dumber," when the briefcase reaches its owner, it's filled with paper.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Jim Carrey, IOUs, Judge Lewis Kaplan, who's, Carrey, Jeff Daniels, transact, Lloyd Christmas Organizations: Prosecutors, FTX, Manhattan, Southern, of, York, Alameda Research Locations: Manhattan, New York City, Colorado, Bahamas, Alameda

☆ Your investments may be haunted
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Stocks often struggle when government bond yields are elevated, since it means investors can get high returns on less risky assets. But here’s the kicker: As the price of bonds go up when lots of people buy them, yields go down. When official interest rates rise so do investors’ expectations for returns on bonds, known as yields. This creates an incentive for investors to sell the bonds they currently hold and buy newly issued ones that offer higher interest payments. Back to the programWhen official interest rates rise, which is what’s happened over the past year and a half, so do investors’ expectations for returns on bonds.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Nicole Goodkind, You’ve, Dow, What’s, Stocks Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Dow, Nasdaq, Treasury, Federal Reserve Locations: New York

☆ Ford's dividend quality, J&J's split-off, cost basis discipline — what we think about all these
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Thank you, Denise The quickest way to determine the sustainability of a company's dividend is to consider it in relation to earnings and/or cash flow. The dividend payout divided by the earnings number is referred to as the "payout ratio" — below 100% is generally considered sustainable (so long as it's positive). First, earnings fluctuate and therefore so does the payout ratio (assuming a non-variable dividend payment). That's because all the numbers are positive in the "adjusted EPS payout ratio" line (2021 and 2022 actual results and 2023 and 2024 estimated results) and each of them is below 100%. As you stated, our discipline is to not violate our cost basis and we stick to that as much as possible.

Persons: Jim Cramer, Denise The, it's, Johnson, Larry, Jim, Denise Organizations: investingclubmailbag, Ford, Kenvue, Johnson, Nvidia, CNBC Locations: FactSet, IOUs, JNJ

☆ The curious cases of the nonexistent silver coins, vanishing crypto, and stones in place of nickel – 3 bizarre investment frauds of 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Joseph Wilkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

As in previous years, the world of investments has continued to see several frauds and scandals come to light in 2023. Some of the more peculiar cases involved missing silver coins, untraceable crypto, and bags filled with stones instead of nickel. Blockchain analytics firm Chainalyis has sounded the alarm on a possible inside-job by members of staff – linking the disappearance of its founder with the missing coins. London Metal Exchange-approved contracts are regarded as the gold standard for metal investors and this mix-up called the security of the prestigious market into question. Read more: Over half a million silver coins just vanished – now the metals dealer behind the 'fraudulent' scheme must pay $146 million

Persons: Robert Leroy Higgins, Higgins, Multichain, Read Organizations: Service, Eagle, Asset, Depository Company, CFTC, JPMorgan, London Metal Exchange Locations: Wall, Silicon, Rotterdam, Netherlands

☆ Over half a million silver coins just vanished – now the metals dealer behind the 'fraudulent' scheme must pay $146 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Joseph Wilkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A precious metals dealer has been asked to pay up $146 million in damages after over half a million silver coins went missing. Robert Higgins ran a "fraudulent and deceptive scheme" linked to the purchase and sale of precious metals, the CFTC said. From 2014 to 2022, Higgins led a 'fraudulent silver leasing program' that took deposits from almost 200 customers. Higgins ran a "fraudulent and deceptive scheme", and was ordered to pay $113 million to clients and $33 million in penalties, according to the CFTC. The precious metals industry has seen a series of scams in recent times.

Persons: Robert Higgins, Higgins, —, Prateek Gupta Organizations: Service, Commodities Futures Trading Commission, Asset, Depository Company, US Treasury, London Metal Exchange Locations: Delaware, Rotterdam, Singapore

☆ Morning Bid: Fearless VIX, China miss, Canada hike?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Wall St's 'fear index', the VIX (.VIX) gauge of implied S&P500 equity volatility, closed below 14 on Tuesday for the first time since February 2020 - more than 5 points below its 33 year average. What's more, the OECD saw Fed rates peaking after just one more hike to the 5.25-5.5% range and "modest" cuts next year. Oil prices remain lower on the week despite new Saudi output cut plans and year-on-year prices are still falling at 36%. Events to watch for later on Wednesday:* Bank of Canada key policy interest rate announcement* U.S. April trade balance. Federal Reserve issues Consumer Credit report for April* Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak travels to Washington to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden* U.S. corporate earnings: Campbell Soup, Brown-FormanReuters GraphicsReuters GraphicsReuters GraphicsReuters GraphicsBy Mike Dolan, Editing by Louise Heavens <a href="mailto:mike.dolan@thomsonreuters.com" target="_blank">mike.dolan@thomsonreuters.com</a>.

Persons: Mike Dolan, you'd, eked, Tayyip Erdogan, Mehmet Simsek, Rishi Sunak, Joe Biden, Campbell, Brown, Forman, Louise Heavens Organizations: U.S, Organisation for Economic Cooperation, Development, World Bank, OECD, Bank of Canada, Canadian, Bank of, Federal, Britain's, Forman Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, York, Saudi, Asia, Bank of Canada, Washington

☆ Debt ceiling debacle is ultimate winner’s curse
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( John Foley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The ongoing debt-ceiling standoff, which has the potential to tip markets into mayhem, is a kind of winner’s curse. Put differently, the U.S. government has racked up so much debt because everybody else needed it to. Reuters GraphicsBy getting into ever more debt, Americans have done the rest of the world a favor. Nobody knows when that point will come, though, and the debt ceiling doesn’t seem to reflect the market’s view of how much is too much. The U.S. share of the global economy is shrinking, the debt is growing, and so is the political theater it generates.

☆ The insurance limit on your savings has become a hot global debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insures deposits up to $250,000 per person, per account, using a fund that banks pay into. “I don’t think that’s served us well.”Some argue the US deposit insurance limit should be 100 times higher. What is deposit insurance? Deposit insurance is aimed at calming fears, giving customers less reason to pull their cash out in a hurry. The debate over deposit insurance taps into bigger questions about the state’s role in private enterprise.

☆ Bank Failures Rattle Market for Short-Term Lending
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Eric Wallerstein | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

March’s bank collapses rattled the short-term lending that underpins the financial system, known on Wall Street as funding markets. Traces of the shake-up remain. At the first signs of banking tumult, funding-market activity fell to its quietest since the Covid-19 pandemic erupted. On two days in mid-March, less than $2 billion of commercial paper with maturities longer than 80 days was issued, according to Federal Reserve data on the short-term IOUs issued by companies to fund their operations. That is well below typical levels for the unsecured debt averaging around $8 billion of issuance a day.

☆ Bitcoin is poised to blow up Africa's $86 billion banking system
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +16 min

Then there's mobile money, which has been around since the early 2000s. Africa's mobile money transactions rose 39% to more than $700 billion in 2021, according to data from the GSM Association, a non-profit representing mobile network operators worldwide. That cash network was extraordinarily difficult and expensive to build, which is why there aren't a lot of direct competitors. Bitnob is SMS-based and piggybacks on the mobile money system, making it easier for people to send money directly into bank accounts and mobile money wallets in African countries. "We're able to settle into bank accounts or mobile money accounts, without the recipients having to interact with bitcoin themselves," Parah tells CNBC.

☆ Investing Club mailbag: How to tell if a company will keep paying its dividend
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

How do we figure out free cash flow and how can we tell if a company can continue to pay its dividend. First find operating cash flow (OCF) and PP & E , which are both in the cash flow statement ; OCF is its own line, PP & E is under "investing cash flows." Take Apple, a Club holding that uses GAAP and therefore doesn't break out free cash flow. But free cash flow is cash: you either received it or you didn't. The math is once again straightforward: If the free cash inflow exceeds the cash dividend outflow, it is considered sustainable.

☆ As Wall Street drops drug-testing policies, could microdosing be next?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Many big banks, in particular, maintained drug-testing policies for new hires as recently as a few years ago. But as the public appetite, and market, for drugs like psychedelics continues to rise, it'll be interesting to see how Wall Street responds. Click here to get the latest on the drug-testing policies at Wall Street's biggest banks. More on Solomon's salary adjustment and how it compares with other Wall Street leaders. Turns out FTX might owe top Wall Street banks some money.

LONDON/NEW YORK, Dec 22 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Private credit has grown into a $1.3 trillion mountain over the last decade. When banks stopped lending to private equity firms in 2022, private credit firms stayed active. High-yield loans issued by banks and then sold on to investors in the market fell 80% in the first nine months of 2022, according to Fitch Ratings. Specialist private lenders, however, had some $390 billion of spare capital to spend, according to Preqin data. Investors who funded private lenders may be in for a shock.

☆ In bankrupt Lebanon, locals mine bitcoin and buy groceries with tether, as $1 is now worth 15 cents
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +32 min

Others arrange clandestine meetings via Telegram to swap the stablecoin tether for U.S. dollars in order to buy groceries. In Jan., police raided a small crypto mining farm in the hydro-powered town of Jezzine, seizing and dismantling mining rigs in the process. But mining crypto tokens to earn a living is not for everybody. Younes tells CNBC that he initially moved 15% of his money into bitcoin, and he kept the remaining balance in cash. Lebanon has six bitcoin ATMs — one in Aamchit and five in Beirut, according to metrics offered by coinatmradar.com.

☆ Here are all five parts of our series on how to analyze an earnings report
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +85 min

Operating income Once we remove operating expenses from gross margin dollars , we are left with what is known as operating income. This is especially important from a cash flow perspective as many companies define free cash flow (a non-GAAP metric) as "operating cash flow less expenditures on property, plant and equipment." Part 3: Cash flow analysis The cash flow statement is the middle child in a financial report — it gets overlooked. Investors may look to use operating cash flow or free cash flow for this equation. AMC's cash flow Let's finish by taking a look at the cash flow statement.

☆ Crypto Firm Tether Says It Has Exited Commercial Paper Investments
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Vicky Ge Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Tether has faced scrutiny from regulators and market participants over the quality of the assets backing its reserves. Tether Holdings Ltd., the issuer of the largest stablecoin in the world, said Thursday that it has cut its commercial paper holdings to zero and replaced them with U.S. Treasury bills. Commercial paper or short-term IOUs are short-term, unsecured debt issued by companies usually to meet short-term liabilities.

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