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Containers of the Hapag-Lloyd shipping company are pictured at the Valparaiso port, Chile November 24, 2022. Chief Executive Rolf Habben Jansen said there were signs of recovery in spot freight rates and loadings. Shares in Hapag-Lloyd, the world's fifth-largest shipping line, were 2.9% down at 187.5 euros in early trade. Its first half revenues were 41% lower at 10.0 billion euros. EBITDA is expected to be between 4 billion and 6 billion euros.

Persons: Rodrigo Garrido, EBIT, Lloyd, Rolf Habben Jansen, Vera Eckert, Friederike Heine, Kim Coghill, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Lloyd, REUTERS, Companies, Maersk, CMA CGM, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Valparaiso, Chile, FRANKFURT, Hapag, North America, Ukraine

Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER bulk carrier transits the expanded canal through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama April 19, 2023. REUTERS/Aris Martinez/File PhotoPANAMA CITY, Aug 10 (Reuters) - The drought-hit Panama Canal has temporarily limited the number of new reserved passage slots to help ease a bottleneck of ships that are waiting to transit without reservations, the waterway's authority said on Thursday. The canal, however, in June postponed further restrictions that would have required ships to lighten their loads to more easily pass. The bottleneck of vessels waiting to pass, however, has grown, prompting logistics and supply chain experts to predict more disruptions. Still, the bottleneck will not fall as hard on shippers as pandemic-era mishaps, including the Suez Canal blockage in 2021, according to shipping firms and customers.

Persons: Aris Martinez, Ricaurte Vasquez, Anatol Feygin, Rolf Habben Jansen, Lloyd, Elida Moreno, Marianna Parraga, Lisa Baertlein, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Monrovia NSU CHALLENGER, REUTERS, PANAMA CITY, Reuters, El, El Nino, Walmart, Cheniere Energy, Thomson Locations: Cocoli, Panama, Panama City, China, El, Suez

☆ SoftBank seen returning to profit as tech stocks gain
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Anton Bridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The logo of SoftBank Group Corp is displayed at SoftBank World 2017 conference in Tokyo, Japan, July 20, 2017. SoftBank is set to post net profit of 75 billion yen ($525 million) for April-June, showed the average of four analyst estimates compiled by Refinitiv. "Public valuations in tech are trending up again and I would expect private valuations to follow suit," said Bulk. Recent activity by SoftBank includes its creation of a joint venture to build automated warehouses and investment in insurance tech company Tractable. "SoftBank mandated Arm to reinvest all of its profit to enter new markets," New Street Research's Bulk said.

Persons: Issei Kato TOKYO, Masayoshi Son, Rolf Bulk, Refinitiv, Macquarie, Paul Golding, Anton Bridge, Sam Nussey, Christopher Cushing Organizations: SoftBank, REUTERS, Vision Fund, Alibaba, HK, New, Research, Vision, Analysts, Nvidia, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

FILE PHOTO-A logo of German real estate company Vonovia, is pictured during a news conference in Duesseldorf, Germany, March 6, 2018. After a decade-long property boom, Germany is undergoing a sharp reversal of fortune after an era of cheap money ended. Germany's real estate sector is mired in its worst crisis in decades, marked by insolvencies, fizzling transactions, falling prices and a stagnation in construction jobs. Vonovia, which went public in 2013 at the start of the property boom and took over its biggest rival in 2021, serves as a bellwether for Germany's property sector. Vonovia affirmed full-year guidance for its key profit metric - so-called funds from operation - of 1.75 billion euros to 1.95 billion euros, down from 2.04 billion in 2022.

Persons: Thilo, Vonovia, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Rolf Buch, Matthias Inverardi, Tom Sims, Miranda Murray, Friederike Heine, Kim Coghill, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters Graphics, Stifel, Thomson Locations: Duesseldorf, Germany

☆ Look of the Week: Shakira’s “NO” jacket is a big mood
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Leah Dolan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Editor’s Note: Featuring the good, the bad and the ugly, ‘Look of the Week’ is a regular series dedicated to unpacking the most talked about outfit of the last seven days. Her sleek white coat — from the brand’s Fall-Winter 2008 collection — was dominated by the word “No,” emblazoned across her chest in three-dimensional letters. She paired the outfit with gold platform sandals and a matching mini clutch bag from Italian label Aquazzura. In 2018, Melania Trump sparked widespread criticism when she chose to wear a khaki Zara jacket that read “I don’t really care. Arnold Jerocki/Getty ImagesWhile Shakira’s jacket lacked the subtlety of soft power dressing, there has been some online debate as to what exactly her “No” is referring to.

Persons: CNN —, Elizabeth Olsen, ”, Olsen, Shakira, Viktor, Rolf couture, Camila Cabello, ” Camila Cabello, Pierre Suu, ’, ” Shakira, Hailey Bieber, Melania Trump, Arnold Jerocki, Gerad Piqué, Rolf, tulle, Rolf Snoeren, WWD Organizations: CNN, Penske Media Locations: Paris, Mexico, Instagram

☆ Pat Sajak to retire from record TV stint as 'Wheel of Fortune' host
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We’re thrilled to have him remaining close to the Wheel of Fortune family!” she said. "Wheel of Fortune" originally aired as an NBC network program on daytime television in 1975, with Chuck Woolery as host. While "The Price is Right" holds the record as the longest continuously running game show on American television, "Wheel of Fortune" has the longest unbroken run of any syndicated U.S. game show. Sajak left the NBC evening edition of "Wheel" when his own short-lived late-night talk show premiered on CBS. Meanwhile, Sajak was replaced on NBC's "Wheel" by Rolf Benirschke, who was in turn succeeded by Bob Goen when the network program moved to CBS, then briefly back to NBC.

Persons: Pat Sajak, Sajak, I've, It's, Suzanne Prete, We’re, Vanna White, White, Merv Griffin, Chuck Woolery, Bob Barker, Alex Trebek, Rolf Benirschke, Bob Goen, Steve Gorman, Robert Birsel Organizations: American, Twitter, Sony Pictures Television, NBC, CBS, Thomson Locations: ANGELES, Los Angeles

☆ Arm IPO will make it easier for Softbank to dispose of its assets, says analyst
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | 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 EmailArm IPO will make it easier for Softbank to dispose of its assets, says analystRolf Bulk of New Street Research says Softbank can use part of the proceeds from Arm's initial public offering to finance a new buyback.

To curb Moscow's oil revenues following the Ukraine war, the Group of Seven Nations, the European Union and Australia imposed price caps on Russian crude and oil products from December and February, respectively. Lars Lange, secretary general of the International Union of Marine Insurance said: "We are definitely not able to assess the oil prices of shipments." "I get an attestation, which is a compliance with the price cap, but I know actually that something different is happening in the background...and this is something where no law can prepare you for these particular cases." HEIGHTENED SAFETY RISKSIn addition to risks of violating sanctions, the growing "shadow or dark fleet" - tankers purchased by states to deliver Russian oil - has increased safety risks for the shipping sector, the executives said. "I don't have a solution regarding the shadow fleet.

☆ Swiss watch execs say the market is 'slowing down' — but that just means waitlists for new Rolexes or Patek Philippes are a little less long
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The frenzy for new Swiss luxury watches is softening from its pandemic peak, when exports hit $27.6 billion. "The market is a little bit slower than before," Patek Philippe chairman Thierry Stern told Bloomberg. That doesn't mean watches from top brands are suddenly available to buy — it just means waitlists are slightly shorter. "I see in the past two months, the market is a little bit slower than before," chairman Thierry Stern told Bloomberg. Swiss exports boomed during the pandemic to a record 25 billion Swiss francs ($27.6 billion), but even with the recent softening, Stern told Bloomberg demand still vastly outstrips supply.

☆ What's in the leaked Pentagon documents that could hurt Ukraine and has US officials panicking
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( John Haltiwanger | Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Dozens of secret Pentagon documents were leaked online in recent weeks. Many of the documents appear to be intelligence briefing materials on a wide range of subjects, dating back to around early March. When were the documents leaked and who leaked them? But Bellingcat reported that some of the materials date back to January and may have been leaked online earlier. Leaked documents claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sought to attack Russian troop deployments inside Russia with drones.

☆ German consumer morale slows down on path to recovery - GfK
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"The anticipated loss of purchasing power is preventing a sustained recovery of domestic demand," said GfK consumer expert Rolf Buerkl, which means private consumption is not likely to contribute to the German economy in a positive way this year. The consumer climate indicator forecasts the development of real private consumption in the following month. An indicator reading above zero signals year-on-year growth in private consumption. According to GfK, a one-point change in the indicator corresponds to a year-on-year change of 0.1% in private consumption. The income expectations sub-index reflects expectations about the development of household finances in the coming 12 months.

☆ Singapore-based Grab is on a clear path to profitability, analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | 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 EmailSingapore-based Grab is on a clear path to profitability, analyst saysRolf Bulk of New Street Research says "the moment that they hit that, the stock should also become a lot more attractive for investors."

☆ 'Survival of Kindness' star Hussein's inspiring road to the red carpet
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Mwajemi Hussein had never been in a cinema or acted before her leading role in "The Survival of Kindness", a film that stands a chance of winning the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival. People are not sure how I made it walking barefoot, but it was part of my life because I grew up without shoes," Hussein told Reuters in an interview. She auditioned for the role despite having no acting experience, after being encouraged by members of her community. The decision to cast Hussein as BlackWoman over someone with more experience was somewhat of a risk, de Heer told Reuters. Reporting by Swantje Stein; Writing by Miranda Murray; Editing by Friederike Heine and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Scientists can spike startup bets in Planet A's new $172 million climate tech fund even if they have a good business case. Check out the 20-slide LP deck it used to raise the fresh cash.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

German VC Planet A has just closed its first 160 million euros (around $172 million) fund. Planet A, a European venture capital firm, has just closed its inaugural 160 million euros (around $172 million) fund to back startups doing just that. Founded in 2020, Planet A is looking for market-ready tech startups with significant impact potential in climate change mitigation, waste reduction, resource savings, and biodiversity protection. The early-stage investor will write checks of between 500,000 euros to 3 million euros to startups in Europe, the UK, and Israel. The Planet A team intended to raise 100 million euros, Detzner said, so the fund was oversubscribed.

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☆ 'Party is over': Hapag Lloyd CEO says freight rates to keep declining
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HAMBURG, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Container freight rates will keep declining in the current realignment of shipping demand and supply, said the chief executive of Germany's liner Hapag Lloyd (HLAG.DE), the world's number five by transport capacity. "Now we have to fight for every box again to get our ships full," he said. However, he expects freight rates will not fall below costs, which were being kept high by expensive charter rates, high fuel costs and the need to adjust fleets to running on low carbon fuel. Ship docking and scrapping was increasing this year after a period when ship owners kept old vessels running to meet high demand, he said. At the same time, Hapag Lloyd expects to receive a series of new ships it ordered in recent years, including some giant 23,600 twenty foot equivalent unit (TEU) vessels.

☆ German consumer sentiment consolidates upward trajectory -GfK
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File PhotoBERLIN, Jan 24 (Reuters) - German consumer sentiment is set to improve for a fourth consecutive month in February as energy prices fall, a GfK institute survey showed on Tuesday. The institute said its consumer sentiment index rose to -33.9 heading into February from a revised reading of -37.6 in January, but was slightly below forecasts from analysts polled by Reuters of -33.0. "Falling energy prices, such as for gasoline and heating oil, have ensured that consumer sentiment is less gloomy," said GfK consumer expert Rolf Buerkl. Among the three sub-indices, income expectations posted a noticeable increase in January and economic expectations climbed to pre-war levels. According to GfK, a one-point change in the indicator corresponds to a year-on-year change of 0.1% in private consumption.

☆ Why Linde shares dropped so much this week but why we still like it
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

It's been a tough start to 2023 for shareholders of Linde (LIN). Russia freezing Linde assets First off, while U.S. markets were closed to observe the New Year holiday, Reuters reported Monday that a Russian court froze about $488 million of Linde assets. The legal action was at the request of a Russian joint venture that Linde stopped working on. Long story short, Linde was prepaid $1.8 billion for work on a project, and Russian energy giant Gazprom is suing Linde to get that money back. Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, Linde suspended business in Russia and announced plans to scale back operations.

☆ Dazzling galactic diamonds shine in new Webb telescope image
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a unique perspective of the universe, including never-before-seen galaxies that glitter like diamonds in the cosmos. “I was blown away by the first PEARLS images,” said study coauthor Rolf Jansen, research scientist at Arizona State University and a PEARLS coinvestigator, in a statement. Together, the wavelengths of light from both telescopes reveal unprecedented depth and detail of a wealth of galaxies in the universe. The image represents just a portion of the full PEARLS field, which will be about four times larger. Other pinpricks of light in the image represent a range of stars in our Milky Way galaxy.

☆ More than 70% of voters in poll want Biden to release secret JFK assassination records
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Marc Caputo | Marc Caputo Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, first postponed the disclosure in 2017, when the records were supposed to be fully released under the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992. Half of voters believe the assassination involved multiple conspirators while 38 percent said Oswald was the lone gunman, the poll showed. The CIA has played a central role in covering up information about the JFK assassination over the years. Immediately after JFK’s assassination, Oswald was identified as a pro-Castro sympathizer, thanks to news articles and documentation that arose when he came into contact with Joannides' group. And they relate to covert programs in which George Joannides was involved,” Morley said in an interview.

☆ Analyst weighs in on how demand for Grab will change in the long term
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | 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 EmailAnalyst weighs in on how demand for Grab will change after move to expand gig worker protectionRolf Bulk of New Street Research discusses whether demand for Grab's ride-hailing services will change due to possible higher costs, after it announced its support for Singapore's move to expand job protection for gig workers.

☆ Some of Taylor Swift's biggest fans are also lawyers. After Ticketmaster's botched handling of her Eras Tour, they're mobilizing to take the ticketing giant down.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Nicole Tabak | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Ticketmaster badly botched its sale of Taylor Swift tour tickets last week. Facing endless questions and concerns over the chaos that ensued during presales for Swift's upcoming Eras Tour, fans gathered on social media not just to commiserate, but to take action. How Ticketmaster's chaotic handling of the Eras Tour presale may lead to its undoingSwift fans shared screenshots of the long queues for tickets. "And I know that sounds stupid to people who don't love Taylor Swift the way that a lot of us do. The momentum may be thanks to her Eras Tour, but this is about holding a monopoly accountable.

☆ Linde's ability to manage inflation was on display in the industrial gas giant's strong quarter
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

The following is a look at third-quarter sequential sales growth numbers for each category. Operating profit of $974 million, up 13% over last year, was higher than estimates of $937 million. Sales growth was led by Electronics and Chemicals & Energy, while volume growth was equally split between base business and project startups. Operating profit of $429 million was up 12% from last year and roughly in line with the $424 million estimate. Linde management held a call Wednesday to explain the rationale behind its proposal to delist from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

☆ 'What are they hiding?': Group sues Biden and National Archives over JFK assassination records
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Marc Caputo | Marc Caputo Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

The country's largest online source of JFK assassination records is suing President Joe Biden and the National Archives to force the federal government to release all remaining documents related to the most mysterious murder of a U.S. president nearly 60 years ago. “This is about our history and our right to know it,” said Morley, the author of the JFK Facts blog. The National Archives and Records Administration, the agency in charge of the JFK documents, also said it’s complying with the law and the procedures Biden outlined. JFK assassination historian David Talbot, a Trump critic, said he sees an irony in the two cases. Uscinski said he’s hesitant to draw a direct line between lack of trust in the government and the refusal to release the JFK records, but he argued the feds essentially have themselves to blame.

☆ John Bolton says the US needs to make it clear that Putin is 'signing a suicide note' if he uses nuclear weapons
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Bolton said the US needs to make it clear that Putin will be eliminated if he uses nuclear weapons. Putin is "signing a suicide note" if he orders the use of nukes, Bolton said. When Marr asked Bolton to weigh in on what the US, NATO, and the West should do if Putin were to use nuclear weapons, Bolton said the focus should be on deterring Putin from using nuclear weapons, rather than on what to do in retaliation. "We need to make clear if Putin were to order the use of a tactical nuclear weapon, he would be signing a suicide note," Bolton said. Military experts speculate that Putin may use nuclear weapons, interpreting these annexations as a sign that Putin is committing to an eventual escalation.

☆ A Russian nuclear strike in Ukraine would 'almost certainly' trigger a military response from Kyiv's partners: senior NATO official
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Russian nuclear attack would "almost certainly" trigger a military response from Kyiv's friends, a senior NATO official said. There would be "unprecedented consequences" should Putin turn to nuclear weapons, they said, per Reuters. There would be "unprecedented consequences" should Russian President Vladimir Putin turn to nuclear weapons, the unnamed NATO official said, according to Reuters. A Russian nuclear attack would "almost certainly be drawing a physical response from many allies, and potentially from NATO itself," the official warned. "I do not believe that a nuclear response is something that the United States and its allies should be placing on the table.

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