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[1/3] Mark Walsh, CEO of Savers Value Village, celebrates his company's IPO on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., June 29, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidJune 29 (Reuters) - Thrift store operator Savers Value Village (SVV.N) fetched a market capitalization of nearly $4 billion in a strong debut on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, underscoring a resurgence in the IPO market as investors lap up new listings. Savers Value, owned by private equity firm Ares Management (ARES.N), joins a host of companies that have enjoyed a warm reception in recent months, reviving hopes the frosty IPO market has begun to thaw. So really this (an IPO) was the right smart option for us to move forward," said Savers Value CEO Mark Walsh. Savers Value and Ares raised over $401 million in the share sale on Wednesday.

Persons: Mark Walsh, Brendan McDermid, Avery Spear, Johnson, Ares, Niket Nishant, Sri Hari, Echo Wang, Krishna Chandra Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Ares Management, U.S, U.S . Federal, Renaissance, Rivian, Kodiak Gas Services, Fidelis Insurance Holdings, Canada's Healthcare, Ontario, Norway's Norges Bank Investment Management, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, U.S ., Sri, Bengaluru, Echo, New York

☆ Inside JPMorgan's handling of Jeffrey Epstein
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

This is the last week of 10 Things on Wall Street. But there remains a very large blight on JPMorgan's record that has come back into the spotlight this year: Jeffrey Epstein. Insider's Kaja Whitehouse and Emmalyse Brownstein have a breakdown of JPMorgan's long, drawn-out breakup with Epstein. Read more on JPMorgan's handling of Jeffrey Epstein. The Treasury secretary isn't particularly worried about the potential for more bank mergers this year, per The Wall Street Journal.

Persons: Dan DeFrancesco, I've, I'm, we've, Goldman Sachs, Jeffrey Epstein, Rick Friedman, hasn't, Kaja Whitehouse, Emmalyse, Epstein, Kaja, Read, Janet Yellen, isn't, Moody's, Francis Bacon, We've, Jeffrey Cane, Jack Sommers Organizations: Getty, JPMorgan, Dow, Norges Bank Investment Management, CNBC, Goldman, Street, Financial Times, Sequoia Capital, FDIC, Bloomberg, Dassault Falcon, LinkedIn Locations: NYC, Cambridge, Republic, dealmaking ., New York, London

☆ How one of the biggest investors in the world uses AI to move slower, trade less, and make more money
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Matt Turner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A top portfolio manager there just revealed how it's using AI to generate superior returns. The fund is using AI to move more slowly and trade less, rather than the reverse. Wall Street firms are racing to use AI, hoping the technology can help it move quicker, save costs, and gain an edge. On the other side of the Atlantic, the investment giant Norges Bank Investment Management is using AI to slow down. But Strand's team is able to use the AI tool to decide on the timing of each buy, prioritizing buying the stocks in green, and buying the stocks in red a little bit later.

Persons: Jon Egil Strand, we're, NBIM Organizations: Norges Bank Investment Management, Wall, Equity Locations: Norwegian

☆ Japan will 'aggressively' push for women's participation after gender gap report
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, June 21 (Reuters) - Japan plans to "aggressively" push for women's participation in society, especially in politics, top government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno said on Wednesday after an annual report showed the country was struggling to narrow the gender gap. The World Economic Forum report measuring gender parity ranked Japan 125th out of 146 countries this year, compared with 116th in last year's report. In economic participation and opportunity, a category that examines labour force participation, wage equality and income showed, Japan was 123th, the lowest among East Asian and the Pacific countries. Its gender parity in political empowerment was one of the lowest-ranked in the world, at 138th, behind China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party this month compiled a plan to raise the percentage of its female lawmakers to 30%.

Persons: Hirokazu Matsuno, Fumio Kishida, Kishida, Satoshi Sugiyama, Pasit, Mariko Katsumura, Shri Navaratnam, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Economic, Japan, East, Investors, Norges Bank Investment Management, Nikkei, Liberal Democratic Party, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Lower

NEW YORK, June 20 (Reuters) - Savers Value Village (SVV.N) said on Tuesday it aims to raise up to nearly $320 million for an initial public offering that would value the U.S. thrift store operator at about $2.7 billion. Savers Value Village, owned by private equity firm Ares Management Corp (ARES.N), plans to sell up to 18.8 million shares at $15 to $17 apiece, regulatory filings showed. Based in Bellevue, Washington, Savers Value Village is one of the largest retailers of secondhand clothing, books, toys, shoes and household goods, with 317 stores in the United States and Canada. Revenue totaled $1.44 billion in 2022, up 19% from the prior year, while net income was flat at $84.7 million. Ares Management will retain an 88% stake in Savers Value Village after the IPO.

Persons: Morgan, Jefferies, Goldman Sachs, Chibuike Oguh, Lance Tupper, Richard Chang Organizations: YORK, Energy, Kodiak Gas Services, reinsurer Fidelis Insurance Holdings, Ares Management Corp, Revenue, Management, Canada's, Norges, Investment Management, J.P, UBS, underwriters, New York Stock Exchange, Thomson Locations: Cava, Bellevue , Washington, United States, Canada, Canada's Ontario, New York

☆ World's biggest investment fund says firms mismanaging climate risk could face exclusion from next year
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesNorway's $1.4 trillion sovereign wealth fund says it is prepared to start dropping companies for mismanaging climate risk starting next year, adding to the decarbonization pressure that activist shareholders are already piling on firms. It comes shortly after the world's the biggest investment fund said it would vote for shareholder proposals at Chevron and Exxon Mobil's respective annual meetings on Wednesday. Norway's oil fund had refused to back similar shareholder proposals tabled in recent weeks at European oil majors, such as BP and TotalEnergies. Palpable frustrationNorway's oil fund has invested in more than 9,000 companies in 70 countries around the world and acknowledges that "companies care how we vote at AGMs." Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Persons: Carine Smith Ihenacho, Carine Smith, Ihenacho Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, Chevron, Exxon Mobil's, Norges Bank Investment Management, CNBC, Protesters, Salle Locations: U.S, Paris

☆ Norway's sovereign wealth fund chief seeks state regulation of AI, Financial Times reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 28 (Reuters) - Norway sovereign wealth fund's CEO Nicolai Tangen has called upon governments to speed up the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI), the Financial Times reported on Friday. The $1.4-trillion wealth fund, the world's largest, is set to reveal guidelines in August on how the companies it invests in should use AI ethically, Tangen told the newspaper in an interview. The Government Pension Fund Global operates under ethical guidelines set by parliament and excludes investments in companies that it says does not respect the guidelines. Norges Bank, the country's central bank, holds stakes in more than 9,200 companies globally through the wealth fund. Reporting by Urvi Dugar in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Companies Bp Plc FollowOSLO, April 22 (Reuters) - Norway's $1.4 trillion sovereign wealth fund, one of the world's largest investors, said on Saturday it will vote against a resolution calling on British oil major BP (BP.L) to adopt tougher greenhouse gas targets. The Norwegian fund, itself built on oil and gas revenue, owned 2.73% of BP's shares worth some $2.8 billion at the end of 2022. BP's board has recommended that shareholders vote against the resolution saying it was "unclear" what it wanted the company to do. Investor advisers ISS and Glass Lewis also recommended BP shareholders oppose the resolution, while Britain's Local Authority Pension Fund Forum (LAPFF) asked investors to back it. In February BP rowed back on plans to slash its 2019 oil and gas output levels by 40% by 2030, and now it envisages a 25% cut, angering climate activists.

☆ Norway’s giant sovereign wealth fund says there’s money to be saved by identifying ‘rotten apples’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Norges Bank Investment Management CEO Nicolai Tangen says it is becoming increasingly important to identify as many "rotten apples" as it can. Norway's gigantic sovereign wealth fund believes it is becoming increasingly important to identify as many "rotten apples" as possible, saying there is money to be saved by reducing risks to companies whose state of health is not all as it seems. "We think it's becoming more and more important to put resources into finding what I call the 'rotten apples.' The Jan. 24 report accused Adani Group companies of "brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud" — allegations that the conglomerate has denied. We'll never be able to spot all of the 'rotten apples', but we can try to find as many as we can."

OSLO, April 12 (Reuters) - A court in Oslo on Wednesday began hearing a gender discrimination case brought by an employee at Norway's $1.4 trillion sovereign wealth fund against her employer. Elisabeth Bull Daae, head of trading analytics at Norges Bank Investment Management, is suing the unit of the central bank managing the fund for 16 million crowns ($1.54 million) in compensation and damages. The central bank, which pushes the firms it invests in to have more women on their boards and to combat all forms of discrimination, denies the allegations. Or are we in front of a clear, systematic case of pay discrimination based on gender?" The lawyer representing the fund said the relationship between employee and employer had broken down despite its efforts to improve it.

☆ Credit Suisse braces for stormy shareholder meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Credit Suisse is set for a turbulent annual shareholder meeting Tuesday, after its emergency rescue by UBS two weeks ago left investors nursing heavy losses. Credit Suisse (CS) shareholders are expected to vent their anger over the forced takeover of the ailing Swiss lender by its larger rival. Norges Bank Investment Management, a top 10 shareholder in Credit Suisse, said it would vote against the re-election of Credit Suisse chairman Axel Lehmann and six other directors. Last week Credit Suisse withdrew two proposals up for a shareholder vote from its AGM agenda, saying they were no longer necessary following the planned merger with UBS. He is seen as a safe pair of hands capable of integrating Credit Suisse and salvaging core parts of its business.

☆ Norwegian wealth fund seeks Credit Suisse boardroom shake-up
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Chairman of the Board of Directors of Credit Suisse, Axel Lehmann, attends a news conference after UBS's takeover offer, in Bern, Switzerland, March 19, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File PhotoApril 2 (Reuters) - Norges Bank Investment Management will vote against the re-election of Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) Chair Axel Lehmann and six other directors at the Swiss lender's annual general meeting on Tuesday, the Norwegian wealth fund said on its website. "Shareholders should have the right to seek changes to the board when it does not act in their best interest," the Norges wealth fund said ahead of the April 4 meeting. In addition to Lehmann, Norges is also opposing re-election of Credit Suisse directors Iris Bohnet, Christian Gellerstad, Shan Li, Seraina Macia, Richard Meddings and Ana Pessoa. Credit Suisse declined to comment and UBS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ Norway wealth fund to vote for labour rights motion at Starbucks AGM
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A Starbucks coffee shop is seen in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 29, 2022. REUTERS/Lucy NicholsonOSLO, March 23 (Reuters) - Norway's $1.3 trillion wealth fund, one of the world's largest investors, will vote in favour of a shareholder motion calling on Starbucks (SBUX.O) to report on how it respects labour rights, the fund's manager said on Thursday. The Norwegian fund owns 1.05% of Starbucks' shares, worth $1.2 billion at the end of 2022, according to fund data. Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), which operates the Norwegian wealth fund, said it would vote in favour of commissioning a third-party assessment of Starbucks' commitment to freedom of association and collective bargaining rights. "Freedom of association and the right to collective wage bargaining are fundamental employee rights - and human rights," they said.

☆ K-pop stocks soar after agency behind BTS announced it would become its rival’s top shareholder
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

South Korean girl group aespa at the 2022 KBS Song Festival at Jamsil Arena on Dec. 16, 2022, in Seoul, South Korea. The K-pop agency behind BTS is set to become the largest shareholder of SM Entertainment — the legacy company known to have kickstarted the wave of popularity around Korean pop culture. That would make Hybe a top shareholder in SM Entertainment. Shares of SM Entertainment soared on Friday, rising more than 16% at the open in Seoul. Hybe rose 6% and JYP Entertainment rose 2.5%, while YG Entertainment gained 3.8%.

☆ Norway's gigantic sovereign wealth fund loses a record $164 billion, citing 'very unusual' year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Norway's sovereign wealth fund was established in the 1990s to invest the surplus revenues of the country's oil and gas sector. Norway's sovereign wealth fund on Tuesday reported a record loss of 1.64 trillion Norwegian kroner ($164 billion) for the whole of 2022, citing "very unusual" market conditions. The $1.3 trillion fund was established in the 1990s to invest the surplus revenues of Norway's oil and gas sector. Norway's vast North Sea oil and gas reserves are the bedrock of the fund's wealth. Indeed, the country's skyrocketing fossil fuel revenues amid Russia's war in Ukraine have prompted an impassioned debate about international justice.

☆ Norway's wealth fund buys 49% stake in Iberdrola's Spanish renewables portfolio
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OSLO, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Norway's $1.3 trillion sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, said on Tuesday it had agreed to buy a 49% stake in Iberdrola's 1.3 gigawatt (GW) portfolio of Spanish solar plants and onshore wind farms for 600 million euros ($650 million). Iberdrola (IBE.MC) will remain co-owner and operator of the portfolio, Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), the operator of the Norwegian fund, said in a statement. "The portfolio comprises seven solar plant projects and five onshore wind projects with an installed capacity of 1265 MW, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 700,000 Spanish households," NBIM said. Solar plants make up 80% of the portfolio, while onshore wind accounts for the remaining 20%. It recently sold a 49% stake in an offshore wind farm in Germany for 700 million euros.

As market volatility persists amid Europe's energy crisis and worsening economic forecasts, companies are holding off on their plans to go public. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"One transaction alone cannot re-open the floodgates of IPO executions. This requires more predictable macro and reduced equity market volatility," said Antoine de Guillenchmidt, co-head of EMEA Equity Capital Markets at Goldman Sachs. Going forward, as interest rates continue to rise and companies look for financially efficient ways of refinancing their balance sheets, equity capital markets are likely to see a surge in convertible bond activity. "We will see many more convertibles and mandatory convertible instruments because some issuers don't have many alternatives, and investors are still very keen," said Andreas Bernstorff, head of equity capital markets at BNP Paribas.

☆ Norway's $1.2 trillion fund sets 2050 net zero target
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Oslo Norway's $1.2 trillion wealth fund, the world's largest, said on Tuesday it would decarbonise its holdings by pushing firms to cut their greenhouse gas emissions to nil by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement. The fund invests the petroleum revenues from Western Europe's biggest oil and gas producer for future generations in stocks, bonds, property and renewable projects abroad. "Our long-term return will completely depend on how the companies in our portfolio manage the transition to a zero emissions society," Chief Executive Nicolai Tangen of Norges Bank Investment Management said in a statement. Tuesday's plan follows a proposal made in April by the Norwegian government, which said the fund should push the 9,300 companies it invests in to cut their emissions to nil by 2050. "We will engage the companies to reach this target by setting credible preliminary targets and creating plans to reduce their direct and indirect emissions of greenhouse gases," Chief Governance and Compliance Officer Carine Smith Ihenacho said.

☆ Norway's $1.2 trillion wealth fund sets 2050 net zero target
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Norway’s $1.2 trillion wealth fund, the world’s largest, said on Tuesday it would decarbonise its holdings by pushing firms to cut their greenhouse gas emissions to nil by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement. The fund invests the petroleum revenues from Western Europe’s biggest oil and gas producer for future generations in stocks, bonds, property and renewable projects abroad. The fund owns on average owns 1.3% of all listed global stocks and its size is equivalent to $219,000 for every Norwegian man, woman and child. The fund published its first expectations on how companies should address climate change more than a decade ago. It tracks climate-related risks, defined as the impact climate change may have on the assets the fund invests in, but also the opportunities that could arise for individual firms successfully adapting to it.

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