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The largest property owner on the Las Vegas Strip is doubling down and taking full ownership of the MGM Grand Las Vegas and Mandalay Bay, which the deal values at $5.5 billion. VICI currently owns a 50.1% stake in the property, which it acquired when it bought MGM Growth properties in May. Strip casinos are seeing a 20% surge in revenue through October to $6.8 billion in gaming revenue from a year ago. "It's further evidence that Las Vegas remains amongst the most in-demand destinations in the world," said Rosemary Vassiliadis, Clark County's director of aviation. And hotel revenue in Las Vegas was up 51% in October compared with October 2019, before the pandemic, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

☆ Blackstone's bet on small investors bites the private-equity giant as investors pull out of its high-profile real-estate fund
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

BREIT, as the large real-estate fund is known, has been key to the firm's retail investor push. Blackstone, the $951 billion private-equity behemoth, is better known for its big buyouts, splashy deals, and real-estate market domination than its products catering to individuals. BREIT, as the real-estate fund is known, has posted a return of 9.3% so far this year and a 15.5% three-year annualized return, according to its website. But investor sentiment has appeared to turn for this real-estate fund, posing a challenge for the firm's retail push. Last month, Credit Suisse downgraded Blackstone stock over concerns in BREIT and BCRED.

☆ Blackstone $69 billion REIT curbs redemptions in blow to franchise
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Chibuike Oguh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW YORK, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Blackstone Inc (BX.N) limited withdrawals from its $69 billion real estate income trust (REIT) on Thursday after receiving too many redemption requests, an unprecedented blow to a franchise that helped it turn into an asset management behemoth. A Blackstone spokesperson said the REIT's portfolio was concentrated in rental housing and logistics and relied on a long-term fixed rate debt structure, making it resilient. "Our business is built on performance, not fund flows, and performance is rock solid," the spokesperson said. Blackstone said it would curb withdrawals from its REIT franchise after it received in November redemption requests greater than 2% of its monthly net asset value and 5% of its quarterly net asset value. Reporting by Chibuike Oguh in New York, Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. crypto broker Genesis says it is working to avoid bankruptcy filing
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 29 (Reuters) - U.S. cryptocurrency brokerage Genesis said it was seeking to avoid bankruptcy after Bloomberg news reported on Tuesday that creditors to the firm are organizing with restructuring lawyers to prevent insolvency. "Our goal is to resolve the current situation in the lending business without the need for any bankruptcy filing," a Genesis spokesperson said. Genesis has hired investment bank Moelis & Company "to evaluate the best possible asset preservation strategy and effectuate a roadmap," the firm said in the letter. The crypto lending arm of U.S. digital asset broker Genesis Trading suspended customer redemptions earlier this month, citing the sudden failure of FTX, where its derivatives business has approximately $175 million in locked funds, the company had said. Venture capital company Digital Currency Group, which owns Genesis Trading and cryptocurrency asset manager Grayscale, owes $575 million to Genesis' crypto lending arm, Digital Currency Chief Executive Barry Silbert told shareholders this month.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried says he 'didn't ever try to commit fraud'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"I didn't ever try to commit fraud," Bankman-Fried said in the hour-long interview, adding that he doesn't personally think he has any criminal liability. The liquidity crunch at FTX came after Bankman-Fried secretly moved $10 billion of FTX customer funds to Alameda Research, Reuters reported, citing two people familiar with the matter. At least $1 billion in customer funds had vanished, the people said. Bankman-Fried told Reuters in November the company did not "secretly transfer" but rather misread its "confusing internal labeling." Bankman-Fried said he was speaking from the Bahamas and that the interview was against the advice of his lawyers.

It's impossible to name one single best credit card, given the wide range of benefits, rewards, and annual fees available. Show more Regular Annual Percentage Rate (APR) 18.99% - 25.99% Variable Editor's Rating 4.8 /5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star 4.8 out of 5 Stars Our editor's ratings analyze fees, bonuses, rewards, and benefits to highlight the simplest and most valuable credit cards available. Show more Regular Annual Percentage Rate (APR) 19.99% - 26.99% Variable Editor's Rating 4.65 /5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star 4.65 out of 5 Stars Our editor's ratings analyze fees, bonuses, rewards, and benefits to highlight the simplest and most valuable credit cards available. Read our review Read Our Review A looong arrow, pointing rightBest secured rewards card for building credit Discover it® Secured Credit Card 5 /5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star 5 out of 5 Stars Intro offer Unlimited Cashback Match – only from Discover. Show more Regular Annual Percentage Rate (APR) 25.99% Variable Editor's Rating 5 /5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star 5 out of 5 Stars Our editor's ratings analyze fees, bonuses, rewards, and benefits to highlight the simplest and most valuable credit cards available.

☆ Brazil's federal public debt rises in October due to interest payments
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Brazil's federal public debt increased in October after three consecutive months of decline, official data showed on Friday, driven by debt interest payments. The stock of federal public debt rose 26.29 billion reais from September to 5.778 trillion reais ($1.07 trillion). According to the Treasury, interest payments on public debt totaled 35.39 billion reais, overshadowing 9.11 billion reais in net redemptions of bonds. According to the Treasury, the amount is enough to pay about nine months of debt maturities. The average interest rate on the issuance of domestic federal increased to 11.8% in October from 11.7% the month before.

☆ Crypto lender Genesis subject of probe by regulators - Barron's
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 25 (Reuters) - State securities regulators are investigating Genesis Global Capital as part of a wide-ranging inquiry into the interconnectedness of crypto firms, Barron's reported on Friday citing a comment from the Alabama Securities Commission Director. While it does not directly serve individual investors, Genesis backs products offered by crypto companies such as Circle Internet Financial, the principal operator of one of the largest stablecoins, USD Coin, and by Gemini. Genesis and Alabama Securities Commission did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment on the report. In the aftermath of the collapse of crypto exchange FTX, Genesis suspended customer redemptions in a spillover effect citing "abnormal withdrawal requests" that exceeded its liquidity. Several crypto firms have been plagued by contagion concern from the fallout of the FTX collapse, with many counting their exposure in millions to the beleaguered exchange.

☆ Binance's Zhao flags possible $1 billion for distressed assets- Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 24 (Reuters) - Cryptocurrency exchange Binance is aiming for a roughly $1 billion fund for the potential purchase of distressed assets in the digital sector, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing an interview with Chief Executive Officer Changpeng Zhao. Zhao hinted at the possibility of allocating more funds in the interview. read moreHe said such a fund would help "reduce further cascading negative effects of FTX" without giving an exact figure for the fund. The crypto market is teetering after the collapse of FTX, which is seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States. Several crypto firms have been bracing for the fallout from the FTX collapse, with many counting their exposure to the exchange in millions.

☆ CoinDesk's chief content officer breaks down crypto media's advertising challenges and how he's steering the site through by exploring opportunities in NFTs and Web3
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The incident has led to stress on other crypto companies, including one owned by CoinDesk's parent company. It's all unfolding as media companies fend off cuts and layoffs and an industry-wide slump in advertising revenue, which has seen big crypto companies like Grayscale, Binance, and Coinbase slash their advertising budgets. In an email to Insider, Casey reiterated that the incident does not impact CoinDesk's business. Are you a crypto or media insider with insight to share? Disclosure: Axel Springer is Insider's parent company.

Barry Silbert, the founder of crypto conglomerate Digital Currency Group, has joined a growing list of industry leaders in trying to settle investors' nerves after the sudden collapse of FTX. Since FTX's rapid winddown two weeks ago, investors have worried about a crypto contagion affecting every corner of the industry. "We have weathered previous crypto winters," Silbert wrote, adding that "while this one may feel more severe, collectively we will come out of it stronger." They've each expressed shock at FTX's apparent deceit of investors and customers and emphasized that client assets are secure. It also absorbed the $1.1 billion debt that the bankrupt crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital owed Genesis.

☆ Digital Currency Group Says Revenue Will Fall This Year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Peter Rudegeair | Vicky Ge Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Barry Silbert, chief executive officer of Digital Currency Group, says in an investor letter that the company has ‘ weathered previous crypto winters.’Digital Currency Group Inc. said 2022 revenue is on track to reach $800 million, down about 20% from what the cryptocurrency-focused conglomerate expected to generate last year. DCG is the parent company of Genesis Global Capital, a crypto lending firm that paused redemptions and loan originations on Nov. 16 after it couldn’t meet client withdrawal requests. DCG owes Genesis around $575 million that is due in May 2023, in addition to a $1.1 billion promissory note to Genesis due in June 2032, DCG Chief Executive Barry Silbert said in a letter to investors that was viewed by The Wall Street Journal.

☆ FTX spent $300mln on Bahamas real estate, 'substantial' assets missing, lawyers say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Crypto exchange FTX was run as a “personal fiefdom” of Sam Bankman-Fried, attorneys for the firm said on Tuesday, describing that one of the company’s units spent $300 million on Bahamas real estate. An attorney said the $300 million spent on real estate was largely homes and vacation properties for senior staff. At the hearing, an attorney for FTX also said that the company continues to suffer cyberattacks as bankruptcy begins, and that “substantial” assets are missing. Bankman-Fried, FTX and the Bahamas liquidators did not immediately respond to requests for comment. FTX said that it was communicating with U.S. regulators and bankruptcy court officials, but did not mention Bahamas regulators.

NEW YORK/LONDON, Nov 22 (Reuters) - FTX has a total cash balance of $1.24 billion, a court filing by advisers on the stricken crypto exchange's restructuring showed ahead of U.S. bankruptcy hearings set for later on Tuesday. Its cash balance as of Sunday was "substantially higher" than previously thought, Monday's filing by Edgar Mosley of Alvarez & Marshal, a consultancy firm advising FTX, said. The details of FTX's cash balances came ahead of a hearing in Delaware on FTX's so-called first-day motions. FTX, led since the bankruptcy filing by new CEO John Ray, has accused Bankman-Fried of working with Bahamian regulators to "undermine" the U.S. bankruptcy case and shift assets overseas. Since the implosion of FTX, some crypto players are taking to decentralized exchanges known as "DEXs" where investors trade peer-to-peer on the blockchain.

Restrictions in Beijing and elsewhere tightened further on Tuesday, though currency traders seemed to think the previous day's moves were sufficient. In Europe on Tuesday, data from the European Central Bank showed the euro zone's current account deficit narrowed in September. In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin fell to a new two-year low of $15,479 on Monday, another victim of Monday's rush to the dollar, and also amid jitters about the health of crypto broker Genesis. The lending unit suspended redemptions last week, citing fallout from the collapse of FTX, which filed for bankruptcy on November 11. Reporting by Rae Wee and Alun John; editing by Kim Coghill, Jason Neely and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Morning Bid: Wild oil ride amid China and crypto woe
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] General view of the oil refinery, part of Grupa Lotos taken over by PKN Orlen in 2022, in Gdansk, Poland August 9, 2022. Turbulence in oil, China's COVID crunch and unravelling cryptocurrencies make for uncomfortable reading for investors starting to parse what looks like a recessionary year ahead. Higher interest rates and slowing economies dominate most 2023 outlooks, not least Tuesday's latest from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Underlining the growth gloom, China's battle with COVID and its widening curbs only seemed to worsen. Pain in the crypto world continued, with many investors fearing the fallout from the collapse of exchange FTX is just beginning.

"What's going on in China is going to take centre stage," said Joseph Capurso, head of international and sustainable economics at Commonwealth Bank of Australia. MUFG analysts noted that more cautious remarks from Fed officials were also been a factor in the dollar losing some momentum on Tuesday. The major factor driving dollar moves in recent months has been market expectations of how aggressively the Federal Reserve will raise rates. The dollar fell 0.5% on the offshore yuan to 7.1412, having gained 0.7% overnight. The lending unit suspended redemptions last week, citing fallout from the collapse of FTX, which filed for bankruptcy on Nov 11.

☆ China's key money rate hits near 2-year low, but softening seen fleeting
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SHANGHAI, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Liquidity conditions in China's interbank money markets eased further on Tuesday, as cash supply far outpaced demand, despite a huge withdrawal of funds by the central bank. Traders said declines in interbank rates were largely due to looser cash conditions after financial institutions cut leverage this month. While most other major economies are raising interest rates to tame inflation, Beijing is focusing more on propping up a slowing economy by keeping money rates low. And many market participants had taken advantage of the low repo rates to fund leveraged trades in bonds, traders said. However, markets are divided whether the falls in the money rates would be sustainable.

☆ Morning Bid: COVID blues
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Anshuman Daga:A nationwide spike in COVID-19 cases in China is again the main talking point for weary global markets on Tuesday as Beijing shut parks and museums and more cities resumed mass testing. Last week finance minister Jeremy Hunt announced tax hikes and spending cuts to fix the country's balance sheet and its economic policy reputation after former prime minister Liz Truss's controversial "mini-budget". Brent crude futures steadied at $87.85 a barrel after plunging by more than $5 a barrel to 10-month lows. Still, Brent crude is up 13% so far this year, marking one of the strongest performances in any asset class. Concerns about Genesis follow the collapse of FTX, one of the world's biggest crypto exchanges, which has shattered investor confidence.

☆ Blackstone draws a rare 'sell' rating from Wall Street as an analyst raises concerns over 2 high-profile funds
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | Casey Sullivan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In a rare move for Blackstone, an analyst downgraded the firm's stock rating to "underperform." Blackstone, which has expanded funds aimed at retail investors, said performance is strong. Blackstone shares fell on Tuesday after a Wall Street analyst outlined a grim picture for two of the private-equity and real-estate giant's most prized funds. Credit Suisse research analyst Bill Katz assigned an "underperform" rating to Blackstone. It's a rare negative rating on the firm, which tends to draw cheers from Wall Street analysts who are bullish on Blackstone's position as the largest private-equity investor.

☆ Crypto lender Genesis hires restructuring adviser - New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 22 (Reuters) - Troubled cryptocurrency lender Genesis Global Capital has hired investment bank Moelis & Company to explore options including a potential bankruptcy, the New York Times reported on Tuesday citing three people familiar with the matter. The company has not yet made a final decision on bankruptcy and it was still possible to be averted, the NYT added. Earlier this month, crypto exchange FTX filed for U.S. bankruptcy protection in the highest-profile crypto blowup to date, after traders pulled billions from the platform in three days and rival exchange Binance abandoned a rescue deal. The collapse of FTX has sparked worries of a contagion effect on other firms already reeling from dampened crypto market this year. On Monday, Genesis had asserted it had no plans to file bankruptcy imminently, days after it suspended customer redemptions citing the collapse of FTX.

☆ Digital Currency Group owes $575 million to Genesis Trading's crypto lending arm
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Hannah Lang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 22 (Reuters) - Venture capital company Digital Currency Group, which owns Genesis Trading and cryptocurrency asset manager Grayscale, is owed $575 million by Genesis' crypto lending arm, Chief Executive Barry Silbert said in a letter to shareholders on Tuesday afternoon. Loans from Genesis Global Capital, which suspended customer withdrawals last week, were used to "fund investment opportunities" and repurchase stock from non-employee shareholders, Silbert said in the letter, which was seen by Reuters. Digital Currency Group (DCG) had assumed that liability from Genesis. In suspending redemptions and pausing new loans, Genesis Global Capital cited the "unprecedented market turmoil" that rippled through the market after crypto exchange FTX filed for bankruptcy. At the time, DCG said the halted withdrawals at Genesis had no impact on its operations or subsidiaries.

NEW YORK, Nov 21 (Reuters) - The founder of Infinity Q Capital Management, a New York firm accused of inflating assets by over $1 billion to collect more fees, pleaded guilty on Monday to securities fraud. James Velissaris, 38, of Atlanta, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan, averting a scheduled Nov. 28 trial. Before suspending redemptions in February 2021, the fund reported $1.73 billion of assets. The case is U.S. v. Velissaris, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel and Jody Godoy in New York; Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Grayscale refuses to share proof of reserves due to 'security concerns' as shares trade at a 45% discount to bitcoin
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Grayscale, the asset manager running the world's largest bitcoin fund, said in a statement that it won't share its proof of reserves with customers. Grayscale's flagship fund is the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, known by its GBTC ticker. The firm pointed to a letter sent by Coinbase CFO Alesia Haas on Nov. 18, which breaks down an accounting of the tokens held at Coinbase Custody. In a tweet, the firm added that the "laws, regulations, and documents that define Grayscale's digital asset products prohibit the digital assets underlying the products from being lent, borrowed, or otherwise encumbered." Barry Silbert's Digital Currency Group is the parent company of Grayscale, Genesis, and CoinDesk.

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