DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Oil prices steady as investors await inflation data, OPEC+ meeting
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Oil prices were steady in early Asian trading on Tuesday as investors awaited inflation data to assess future U.S. monetary policy and the production policy decisions from the OPEC+ meeting on June 2. The U.S. personal consumption expenditures index expected this week will be in the spotlight for further signals about interest rate policy. The index, due to be released on May 31, is viewed as the U.S. Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation. German inflation data on Wednesday and euro zone readings on Friday will also be watched for signs of a European rate cut that traders have penciled in for next week. All eyes are also be on the upcoming online meeting of the OPEC+ on June 2.

Persons: Brent, Satoru Yoshida, U.S . Federal Reserve's, Goldman Sachs Organizations: . West Texas, Rakuten Securities, Organization of, Petroleum, U.S, U.S . Federal Locations: New Mexico, U.S, Friday's, Britain, United States, OPEC, U.S .

☆ NBA stars are scoring big in the fashion world
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Nick Remsen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Basketball players’ style — largely in the men’s league, but increasingly the women’s too — has become a bonafide pillar in fashion media and consumption. Basketball players’ style has more eyes on it than any other sport, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Mitchell S. Jackson told CNN. “(The league) was the first to embrace it,” Jackson, author of the recently released photobook “Fly: The Big Book of Basketball Fashion,” explained. “Basketball players are so much a part of American culture. Bettman/Getty Images/Courtesy Workman“We talk a lot about current NBA tunnel style, but the league has been America’s most stylish for decades,” Schube continued.

Persons: Tyrese Haliburton, Pepper Robinson, Ron Hoskins, NBAE, — Tyrese Haliburton, —, Pharrell Williams, Birkin, it’s, Shai Gilgeous, Alexander, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Josh Giddey, Tyler Herro, “, Marcus Paul, Luka Dončic, ” There’s, Caitlin Clark, Prada, Sam Schube, Thom Browne, AJ Mast, Tyler Ross, Workman, Virgil Abloh, Louis Vuitton, Williams, Kim Kardashian’s, Donovan Clingan, Caleb Love, Hunter Dickinson, Jared McCain, Duke, Robert Dillingham, Paxson Wojcik, Mitchell S, Jackson, ” Jackson, ”, LeBron, Michael Jordan, Jordan, Jackson’s, Peggy Sirota, who’ve, Stephen “ Steph ” Curry, Curry, Steph Curry, Jed Jacobsohn “, ’ ” Curry, ” Curry, “ I’m, Kyle Kuzma, Timothée, Johnson, Andrew D, Bernstein, Walt Frazier, Bettman, ” Schube, “ Allen Iverson, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, Armani, Walt Fraziers, Wilt Chamberlain’s, Fatih Aktas, ‘, ’ ”, …, they’d, ” Gilgeous, Alexander —, haven’t Organizations: Indiana Pacers, Basketball, Gilgeous, CNN, GQ, Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Times, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA, UConn, UNC, “ Basketball, Golden State Warriors, Fashion Council, Savant, State, GQ Sports, ’, Workman New York Knicks, Royce, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Civil, Nike Locations: Haliburton, Arizona, Kansas, Robert Dillingham ( Kentucky, Chicago , Illinois, Gilgeous

☆ I was over-employed and worked other jobs on top of my full-time one. To achieve the American dream, you have to beat the system.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Isabelle Aron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Project manager Kendall McGill started picking up contract work after she started working from home. After the Apple contract ended in July 2022, I also left my full-time job at Hunt A Killer in September 2022. AdvertisementI job-hop often and always look out for new contract workI had another full-time job and a contract lined up at companies where nobody knew me. I had a full-time job and two contracts, one full-time and one part-time. By 2 p.m., I'd start doing my West Coast job until around 7 p.m. or 8 p.m.

Persons: Kendall McGill, She's, —, I've, Hunt, I'd, I'm, We've Organizations: McGill, Service, Business, Apple, West Locations: East Coast, West Coast, East

Tokyo, Japan CNN —Tokyo Fashion Week concluded perhaps its most successful edition since the Covid-19 pandemic, with more international guests and buyers returning to Japan’s capital for the Fall-Winter 2024 edition. Up-and-coming labels were joined on the program by mainstays of Japanese fashion, like Mikio Sakabe. “Every person in Japan has their own style.”Scroll down for some of the best street style looks from Tokyo Fashion Week. Moeri Karasawa/CNNAttendee Bunta Shimizu wearing a colorful outfit at Tokyo Fashion Week on Thursday. Matt Jelonek/Getty ImagesGuests in eye-catching looks on the fourth day of Tokyo Fashion Week.

Persons: —, Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake, Hanae Mori, Yu Masui, “, ”, Christopher Kane, Uniqlo, Natsumi Maso, Ryu Kobayashi, Soga Takahashi, Moeri Karasawa, CNN Ryu Kobayashi, Marc Jacobs, ” Kobayashi, Bunta Shimizu, Matt Jelonek, Ui, Yves Saint Laurent, Daisuke Fujii’s, Himari Semans, Daisuke Fujii, Sena, Karasawa, CNN Daikokudou Nero, Justin Shin, Yu, Ashley Williams, Reishito, Bill Whitten Organizations: Japan CNN, Tokyo, Tokyo Fashion, CNN Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Russia, “, Osaka, Himari

☆ I've only used drugstore makeup for years, but there are 3 high-end products I swear are worth splurging on
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Jill Robbins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

I'm usually frugal, but some Tom Ford, Westman Atelier, and La Mer products are worth the splurge. I've also added a high-end concealer and mascara to my makeup bag and don't regret it at all. Westman Atelier Eye Love You volumizing mascara gives me volume without the clumpingThis Westman Atelier Eye Love You volumizing mascara doesn't clump or flake on me. I think these Westman Atelier and La Mer products are worth the splurge. Jill RobbinsThe Westman Atelier mascara is awesome for both volume and length.

Persons: Tom Ford, TikTok, I've, mascara, —, Tom Ford Traceless, Jill Robbins, you've, I'm Organizations: Service, Amazon, Nordstrom, mascara Locations: Mer, La Mer

☆ Oil prices ease, U.S. crude stock build fuels demand fears
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Oil prices eased early on Thursday after a larger-than-expected build in U.S. crude stockpiles stoked worries about slow demand, while signs that U.S. interest rates could remain elevated for longer also added to pressure. Oil prices eased early on Thursday after a larger-than-expected build in U.S. crude stockpiles stoked worries about slow demand, while signs that U.S. interest rates could remain elevated for longer also added to pressure. "The anticipation of delayed U.S. rate cuts also weighed on the market sentiment as it could undermine oil demand," he said. Traders have already dialed back expectations for U.S. interest rate cuts after a slew of strong data, including hot consumer price index and producer price index readings. Still, the conflict in the Middle East is expected to keep a floor under oil prices, Rakuten's Yoshida said.

Persons: refiners, Satoru Yoshida, Rakuten's Yoshida, Jerusalem's Al, Joe Biden Organizations: Brent, . West Texas, Energy Information Administration, EIA, Rakuten Securities, Traders, U.S, Hamas Locations: U.S, Aqsa, Gaza, Israel

☆ Rakuten CEO: Hope to be EBITDA breakeven with mobile business this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | 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 EmailRakuten CEO: Hope to be EBITDA breakeven with mobile business this yearMickey Mikitani, the CEO of Rakuten, speaks to CNBC's Arjun Kharpal at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Persons: Hope, Mickey Mikitani, CNBC's Arjun Kharpal Organizations: Rakuten, Mobile Locations: Barcelona

☆ For Super Bowl advertisers, $7 million for a 30-second spot is just the beginning of an even bigger investment
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Ryan Joe | Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

TurboTax is set to run a 45-second ad during the Super Bowl, plus 30-second spots both before and after the game. Investment needs to continue even after the initial airing for the Super Bowl ad to maximize its potential. The company's Super Bowl strategy greatly evolved between those two years. After its 2023 Super Bowl spot that paid homage to the '90s hit movie "Clueless," Rakuten continued to position itself as a fashion marketplace by partnering with New York Fashion Week. Regardless of the risks, Super Bowl advertisers have the opportunity to jolt their business to new heights.

Persons: There's, Todd Allen, Bud Light's, Bud Light, Nick Soukas, TurboTax, Melissa Tifrere, there's, Joe Staples, Ana Dominguez, Grey, Rakuten, Vicki McRae, Rakuten's, McRae, Sofia Colucci, Molson Coors Organizations: Nielsen, Business, Anheuser, Busch InBev, Havas, Lindt, BI, Investment, Super, New York, Super Bowl, EDO, NFL Locations: York, Lindt USA

☆ Goldman Sachs says it's bullish on Japan's online banks
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | 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 EmailGoldman Sachs says it's bullish on Japan's online banksMakoto Kuroda of Goldman Sachs names Rakuten and SSNB as banks it's positive on.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, it's bullish, Makoto Kuroda

☆ Japanese tech giant Rakuten plans to launch proprietary AI model
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-11 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Hiroshi "Mickey" Mikitani said the company is working on its own large language model, or LLM. Japan's Rakuten plans to launch its own proprietary artificial intelligence language model, its CEO told CNBC in an interview that aired Monday. The company plans to use the AI model internally to improve operational efficiency and marketing by 20%, Mikitani said. Telecommunications group NTT announced this month that its proprietary LLM will be available in March. Clarification: This story has been updated to clarify that a spokesperson from Rakuten says there is no timeline for the launch of its proprietary AI model.

Persons: Rakuten, Hiroshi, Mickey, Mikitani, Japan's Rakuten, SoftBank Organizations: Mobile, CNBC, Microsoft, Google, U.S ., Baidu, Telecommunications, NTT Locations: U.S, China, Rakuten

A padlock is seen in front of the word 'spyware' and binary code in this illustration taken May 4, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Lobby group Japan Association of New Economy has joined U.S. Big Tech to warn against proposed EU cybersecurity labelling rules that they said could hamper their access to the bloc's markets, according to a letter sent to the EU industry chief. A requirement that Amazon (AMZN.O), Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google, Microsoft (MSFT.O) and other non-EU cloud providers set up a joint venture with an EU-based company to qualify for the EU cybersecurity label has triggered criticism from some EU countries and foreign vendors. The Japan Association of New Economy also slammed these requirements. The Japan Association of New Economy is a business lobby group focused on e-business and developing new industries.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Hiroshi Mikitani, Thierry Breton, Mikitani, Foo Yun Chee, Dave Dolan, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Japan Association of New, U.S, Big Tech, European Union, Google, Microsoft, EU, Reuters, Japan Digital Partnership, Thomson Locations: EU, Japan, Japanese, Brussels, Tokyo

New networks by Dish (DISH.O) and Japan's Rakuten (4755.T) use Open RAN. "All of the new equipment that we are going to be putting out will be Open RAN capable," Chris Sambar, president of AT&T Network, told Reuters. Winning the Open RAN deal will make Ericsson the largest supplier to AT&T as it slowly takes over Nokia's share, the company said. AT&T will still have contracts which other Open RAN vendors outside this deal. AT&T expects fully integrated Open RAN sites operating in coordination with Ericsson and Fujitsu (6702.T), starting in 2024.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Japan's Rakuten, Chris Sambar, Sambar, You've, Supantha Mukherjee, Matthew Lewis Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Rights, Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei, Telefonica, Vodafone, RAN, AT, T Network, Reuters, Samsung, Verizon, U.S ., Fujitsu, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, ORAN, United States, Stockholm

☆ AT&T chooses Ericsson for new U.S telecom network, will drop Nokia
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

New networks by Dish and Japan's Rakuten use Open RAN. "All of the new equipment that we are going to be putting out will be Open RAN capable," Chris Sambar, president of AT&T Network, told Reuters. Winning the Open RAN deal will make Ericsson the largest supplier to AT&T as it slowly takes over Nokia's share, the company said. AT&T will still have contracts which other Open RAN vendors outside this deal. AT&T expects fully integrated Open RAN sites operating in coordination with Ericsson and Fujitsu, starting in 2024.

Persons: Chris Sambar, Sambar, You've Organizations: Ericsson, Mobile, Nokia, Huawei, Telefonica, Vodafone, Dish, RAN, AT, T Network, Reuters, Samsung, Verizon, U.S ., Fujitsu Locations: Barcelona, Spain, ORAN, United States, New York

☆ Rakuten Group's losses, debt burden and financing efforts
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Anton Bridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Here are some details about its deeply troubled mobile business, the group's operating losses, debt burden and its efforts to shore up its finances. It had 351 billion yen ($2.4 billion) in annual sales last year and accounts for 18% of Rakuten's overall revenue. Rakuten Group currently has total debt of more than 1.5 trillion yen, of which 800 billion yen is due to be redeemed by the end of 2025. Nov 2022 - sells 19.99% of Rakuten Securities to Mizuho Securities for 80 billion yen. Nov 2023 - sells a further 29% of Rakuten Securities to Mizuho Securities for 87 billion yen.

Persons: Miho Uranaka, Rakuten, Hiroshi, Mickey, Mikitani, Anton Bridge, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Rakuten, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters Graphics, Japan Post Holdings, HK, Walmart, Rakuten Securities, Mizuho Securities, Rakuten Bank, Thomson Locations: Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan, Japanese

☆ Rakuten's mobile misadventure: from ambitious plan to millstone
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Anton Bridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

By any measure, cash-bleeding Rakuten Mobile is deeply troubled. Rakuten is set for another tough year in 2024 with investors keen to see if it can achieve its goal of having the mobile unit break even. Those steps have raised some 800 billion yen ($5.4 billion). Then in October, SoftBank Corp (9434.T), Japan's No.3 mobile network provider, began offering a generous reward campaign for most mobile users using SoftBank Group's (9984.T) PayPay online payment system. Without profits, the mobile unit is not likely to entice would-be suitors and competition laws would probably prevent the likes of SoftBank and Docomo from bidding.

Persons: Japan's Rakuten, Hiroshi, Mickey, Rakuten, Mitsunobu Tsuruo, Rakuten's, NTT Docomo, Mikitani, Amir Anvarzadeh, Anton Bridge, David Dolan, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Citi, Amazon Japan, Rakuten Securities, Rakuten Bank, SBI Securities, GUNNING, Rakuten Mobile, Reuters, NTT, SoftBank Corp, Asymmetric Advisors, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, ARPU

☆ Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce appear to be very much in love. Some are cynical
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Chris Pizzello/Reed Hoffmann/APIf you are one of those people who is weary of the Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce relationship coverage, first of all you are not alone and secondly sorry, not sorry. When it comes to Swift and Kelce, it’s a coming together of two of America’s favorite obsessions – pop culture and sports. It wasn’t until this week that we actually heard from Kelce about Swift as his girlfriend, in the form of a new interview. “I’ve never dated anyone with that kind of aura about them,” Kelce said of Swift in a recent WSJ Magazine profile. Insert the “Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate” Swift lyric here, as I am fully aware that some people are going to take issue with the next portion of what we are discussing here.

Persons: … Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, Chris Pizzello, Reed Hoffmann, Taylor Swift, Travis, Swift, it’s, “ I’ve, ” Kelce, “ I’m, ”, That’s, Skip Bayless, Kelce, she’s, Viki, Kim, ” “, Busta, Sergione, he’s, Swizz Beatz, Timbaland, Pharrell Williams, aren’t, Young, Chris Brown, Burna, “, Can’t, … Kenan Thompson, Dex, Fabrizio Guido, Jensen, Emily Hinkler, Elizabeth Hinkler, Mindy, Kel Mitchell, Ed, Kamaia Fairburn, Mia, Vanessa Clifton, Kenan Thompson, Good, Dexter Reed, Thompson, Mitchell, It’s defintely Organizations: CNN, NPR, New York Jets, JS Pictures, “ Guardian, Kodak, Nickelodeon, Paramount Locations: Hollywood, Korea

☆ Holiday shoppers have the ‘best discounting season in years,’ expert says. These tips can help you save even more
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

For consumers, there is no incentive to holding on to gift cards. If you don't want to use it for yourself, consider using it to buy a gift for someone else or gifting them the gift card. watch nowDO take advantage of credit card rewardsMany consumers also have credit card rewards available they have not yet redeemed. DON'T use credit cards without a plan to pay them offThe average credit card interest rate is now a record 20.72%, according to Bankrate. You may sign up for a new credit card that requires a minimum threshold for new purchases to unlock rewards.

Persons: Rossman, Paul Fabara, CNBC.com

☆ 'Shoppable short-form video is on fire': YouTube's head of shopping shares why the platform is betting on shorts to drive social commerce
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Amanda Perelli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Dolan spoke about how the tech giant is thinking about social shopping and why her team is betting on short videos to drive sales over livestreams. "Shoppable short-form video is on fire," Dolan said, speaking on a panel about creators and online shopping . "We had over 150 billion views in 2022 of videos with products tagged — shoppable videos on YouTube. Shopping shorts are growing a lot faster than shorts are growing." "Yes, they love the brand deals, and they love having those relationships, but this is the opposite," Dolan said of affiliate marketing.

Persons: Michelle Miller, Bridget Dolan, Jackie Pimentel, Dolan, It's, What's Organizations: YouTube, Connect, Meta, Business, Coachella, NFL Locations: Asia, Los Angeles

☆ Rakuten to invest $363 million in better frequency cell base
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Rakuten is pictured in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan, Aug 2, 2023. REUTERS/Miho Uranaka/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Japan's Rakuten Group (4755.T) on Monday said it would invest 54.4 billion yen ($362.81 million) to construct cellular base stations, just after the government announced it had assigned the company's carrier better frequency for connection. The announcement could boost the company's mobile phone business that has struggled to take market share from cash-rich incumbents known for high-quality networks. Rakuten said it plans to open 10,661 base stations for the "platinum band" frequency and expects its cell phone business to turn profitable in 2026. The company is sticking to a plan to reduce capital expenditure by about 300 billion yen between 2023 and 2025, a spokesperson said.

Persons: Miho Uranaka, Rakuten, Satoshi Sugiyama, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

☆ Forget the U.S: Pros say another top market looks cheap and offers the 'best' opportunities
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Amala Balakrishner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Attractive returns and the breadth of opportunities are among the many reasons the U.S. has long reigned supreme for investors. In terms of countries, Japan looks to offer the best combination of earnings growth, cheap valuations and policy support," Tom Stevenson, investment director at Fidelity International, told CNBC Pro. "Japanese shares are trading on around 15 times this year's expected earnings and 14 times earnings two years out," he said. "There has been some increase in this multiple during the recent rally in Japanese shares, but they remain relatively cheap compared to the U.S. which trades on around 20 times earnings." Among his choices is the Baillie Gifford Japanese Fund, which he describes as a "growth-focused fund run by an experienced manager."

Persons: Tom Stevenson, Daniel Hurley, Rowe Price, Stevenson, TRP's Hurley, Fidelity's Stevenson, Hurley, Baillie Gifford Organizations: Fidelity International, CNBC, CNBC Pro, Japan, Tokyo Exchange Group, Stock, Japan's, Bank of Japan, Sony, Astella Pharmaceuticals, Fund, Schroder Japan Trust, SoftBank, SBI Holdings, Hitachi, Nippon Gas, Toyota, Japan IMI Locations: Japan, U.S

☆ Best Budgeting Tips for a Big Family With Lots of Kids
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Jamie Killin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

She says having a big family is like a birthday party where the guests never leave. People always compare large families to reality-TV stereotypesWhen people hear we're a large family, they immediately compare us to the Duggars, but that's a negative stereotype of big families. Moms of large families are often seen as supermoms, but we have hard days just like everybody else and need help sometimes. Having a big family is like hosting a birthday party every dayHaving a large family is like hosting a birthday party every day. We'd owned our home in Virginia for 16 years, so we hadn't thought about the bias we would face as a large family trying to rent.

Persons: Jane Brosseau, Brosseau, I'm, It's, I've, it's, We're, Fred Meyer, We've, we've Organizations: Service, Walmart, Costco, Facebook Locations: Wall, Silicon, Washington, Northern Virginia, Virginia, East

Oil rigs are seen at Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas drilling, in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina January 21, 2019. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 13 (Reuters) - Oil rose on Wednesday, firming its ground near a 10-month peak reached during trading a day earlier, as the market balanced supply concerns over Libya output and OPEC+ cuts with global macroeconomic headwinds. But U.S. crude oil, distillate and gasoline stockpiles rose last week, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute (API) figures on Wednesday. Crude stocks rose by about 1.2 million barrels in the week ended Sept. 8, against analysts estimate of a draw of about 1.9 million barrels. Gasoline inventories rose by about 4.2 million barrels, while distillate inventories rose by about 2.6 million barrels.

Persons: Agustin Marcarian, Satoru Yoshida, Yoshida, Izvestia, Nikolai Shulginov, Brent, Yuka Obayashi, Muyu Xu, Stephen Coates, Jamie Freed, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Brent, U.S, West Texas, OPEC, U.S . Energy, Rakuten Securities, Libya, of, Petroleum, Energy, American Petroleum Institute, Federal Reserves, Thomson Locations: Vaca, Patagonian, Neuquen, Argentina, Libya, China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, OPEC

☆ Oil prices hover near 10-month high on supply concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Oil prices are expected to increase in the second half of 2023, according to the International Energy Forum. Oil prices edged higher on Wednesday, hovering at a new 10-month high hit the previous day, as expectations of tighter global supply and fears of supply disruption in Libya outweighed concerns of slower demand in some countries such as China. The news of OPEC member Libya shutting four of its eastern oil export terminals due to a deadly storm also lent support to oil prices, he added. The EIA, meanwhile, said global oil inventories were expected to decline by almost a half million bpd in the second half of 2023, causing oil prices to rise with Brent averaging $93 per barrel in the fourth quarter. But U.S. crude oil, distillate and gasoline stockpiles rose last week, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Wednesday.

Persons: LCOc1, Satoru Yoshida, Yoshida, Brent Organizations: International Energy, Brent, U.S, West Texas, OPEC, U.S . Energy, Rakuten Securities, Libya, of, Petroleum, American Petroleum Institute Locations: Libya, China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, OPEC

☆ Rakuten CEO touts Viber's ability to counter Russian 'fake news'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Hiroshi Mikitani, CEO of Rakuten, attends the annual Allen and Co. Sun Valley media conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, U.S., July 10, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Hiroshi Mikitani, the founder and chief executive of Rakuten Group (4755.T), on Saturday touted the ability of his company's Viber messaging platform to counter Russian propaganda. "Unlike other social media, we've made it crystal clear we're going to block all these fake news and propaganda of Russia," Mikitani told Reuters in a Zoom interview during a visit to Kyiv. Viber, which launched in 2010 and was acquired by Rakuten in 2014, has a 98% market penetration rate in Ukraine. Asked if the app had faced attempts to breach it by Russia, he said there had not been any breaches.

Persons: Hiroshi Mikitani, Brendan McDermid, we've, Mikitani, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Viber, Rakuten, Max Hunder, Mike Harrison Organizations: Allen, Co, Sun, REUTERS, Rights, Rakuten, Saturday, Reuters, Access, Thomson Locations: Sun Valley , Idaho, U.S, Russia, Kyiv, Ukraine

☆ Japan foreign minister Hayashi to meet Ukraine counterpart - ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks during a press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (not pictured) in Cairo, Egypt September 5, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi will meet his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv on Saturday, the Japanese foreign ministry said. In his talks with Kuleba, Hayashi will reiterate Japan's firm support of Ukraine and address its involvement in the international community to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine as soon as possible, the ministry said in a statement. Hayashi is accompanied by executives of Japanese firms, including Hiroshi Mikitani, founder and chief executive Rakuten Group (4755.T), the ministry said. Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a surprise visit to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy in March.

Persons: Yoshimasa Hayashi, Sameh Shoukry, Mohamed Abd El Ghany, Dmytro Kuleba, Kuleba, Hayashi, Hiroshi Mikitani, Fumio Kishida, Volodomyr Zelenskiy, Junko Fujita, Nobuhiro Kubo, Michael Perry Organizations: Japan's, Egyptian Foreign, REUTERS, Rights, Ukrainian, Rakuten Group, Thomson Locations: Cairo, Egypt, Kyiv, Ukraine

Search resuls for: "Rakuten"

25 mentions found