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☆ The rock-solid balance sheets of Big Tech firms like Meta make them a safe investment in a volatile market
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

And in these moments of economic uncertainty and market volatility, investors should look to buy up the stocks of companies with the highest-quality balance sheets. The Club's Big Tech holdings — Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL), Meta Platforms (META), Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT) and Amazon (AMZN) — check that box. Alphabet was the group's biggest gainer Wednesday, climbing 2.3%, followed by Meta and Microsoft, which rose 1.9% and 1.8%, respectively. META 5D mountain Meta Platforms (META) five-day performance. The benefits of a sturdy balance sheet are manifold, especially when it comes to the cash piles Big Tech companies have accumulated.

☆ Goldman Sachs scraps idea for direct-to-consumer credit card after strategy shift
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Hugh Son | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Goldman cachetExecutives had believed consumers would covet a card from Goldman Sachs. The concept of a Goldman card first surfaced in Oct. 2021 when an analyst asked Solomon about his consumer product roadmap. One idea was to use the card technology created to service Apple Card customers for its own card, he said. It didn't help that its existing card products caught the attention of regulators including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. "The idea of a consumer-facing proprietary Goldman Sachs credit card was discussed but never became a meaningful part of our strategy," said a spokesman for the New York-based bank.

After Russia slashed piped supply to Europe following its invasion of Ukraine, gas prices hit new highs and Europe bought record volumes of LNG. Prices for both Europe's benchmark gas and Asian spot LNG hit milestone highs. LONG-TERM DEALS SOUGHTIndustry executives and governments have touted gas as a crucial transition fuel while switching to renewable energy sources, but last year's high prices had kept many buyers priced out. So the need is to have long-term contracts, a good mix of long-term, short-term and medium-term contracts," said Akshay Kumar Singh, CEO of India's Petronet LNG (PLNG.NS). "Long-term contracts and the increase in domestic (gas) production during this crisis have definitely helped our country," he said.

HONG KONG, Feb 7 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Beijing's energy policy will indirectly support Europe. The European Union imported a record 131 bcm of LNG last year, 60% more than in 2021, Kpler data show. That’s why Chinese LNG imports are forecast to rise just 7% this year to 94 bcm, according to data provider OilChem China, or 14% below their 2021 peak. While strengthening its own energy security, China may accidentally help keep Europe warm. Chinese LNG imports are expected to rise 7% to 94 billion cubic metres in 2023 from a year before, according to data provider OilChem China.

☆ I spent $800 for a roomette on a 57-hour Amtrak trip. It gave me a taste of luxury travel — and I don't want to go back to coach.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

For the past 25 years, all of my travel has been in coach. Traveling by train was my first experience outside economy class. Jordan Parker Erb/InsiderWhether I'm traveling by plane or train, I always book the cheapest tickets possible, typically landing me somewhere near the back. When traveling by plane, I covet the plush, first-class seats at the front. How do they look so rested, so at peace in the midst of the chaos of travel?

☆ Not having a college degree matters most early in your career. But there are workarounds for young workers.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Research suggests a college degree isn't as much of a requirement as it once was for many jobs. But there's one thing George lacks: a college degree. An analysis by the Burning Glass Institute, a nonprofit research group, found that the share of jobs requiring a college degree has fallen in recent years. Beat the bots through keywords — and find a friendly recruiterGeorge, who works at Logan Capital Management in Pennsylvania, could recall only one time when not having a college degree cost her a job. "If you're up against someone with a liberal arts degree, you're more likely to progress because you know how to sell," he said.

☆ Gig labor could have challenged FedEx and UPS. Now it's making them stronger.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But UPS and FedEx have taken the cue and are integrating flexible workers in their own ways. Gig goes mainstreamWhere smaller players sometimes rely entirely on gig workers, UPS and FedEx are incorporating flexible laborers to complement full-time workers where and when deliveries are less consistent or particularly costly. Despite all that growth, the ecosystem around gig workers — regulation, banking, insurance, and more — is underdeveloped. And though gig workers often covet flexibility, they can easily end up with next to no job security and extremely variable earnings. In response, legislators have tended toward blunt force tactics — potentially eliminating all independent contractors in the name of gig workers.

☆ A jet built by China and Pakistan may soon be the most widely operated combat aircraft in the world
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

China and Pakistan jointly developed the JF-17 combat jet, which first entered service in 2007. At the same time, China was showcasing the JF-17 at the annual China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zuhai, China. The events were the latest attempts by China and Pakistan to market their jointly developed fourth-generation fighter jet to international customers. JF-17 ThunderA Pakistan Air Force JF-17 takes off at a base in northern Pakistan in June 2013. The single-seat, single-engine jet is known in Pakistan as the JF-17 Thunder and as the FC-1 Xiaolong in China.

Jeffries, 52, would be the first Black House Democratic leader, representing both the party's diverse voter base and bringing a new generation of leadership. House Democrats are scheduled to vote on their leaders on Nov. 30. Jeffries, who has held the leadership post of House Democratic Caucus chairman since 2019, also would represent a stylistic contrast to Pelosi, who made her announcement on Thursday. Current House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer, 83, said he would not seek a leadership position in the next Congress and backed Jeffries. Clyburn told reporters ahead of Pelosi's announcement that he intends to remain in the House Democratic leadership regardless of the path she takes.

☆ Inside TikTok's push to win over the global sports community, from setting up concerts for the NHL to sponsoring a women's rugby championship
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Colin Salao | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The company has leaned in, setting up sponsorship deals with teams and leagues. Tune into a professional rugby match in one of Europe's Six Nations leagues and it's impossible to miss TikTok's branding plastered all over the field. Twelve of the top 25 fastest growing brands on TikTok between March 2021 and March 2022 were sports teams or leagues. The company has even tested streaming live games that are shot vertically to match TikTok's video format. Enya Breen of Ireland kicks a late try conversion during a TikTok Women's Six Nations match on April 30, 2022.

When I read that New York restaurateur Keith McNally had banned “The Late Late Show” host James Corden from famed restaurant Balthazar for allegedly abusive behavior, I was shocked. Not at hearing accusations that a wealthy celebrity had been rude to people in the hospitality industry, but at something far less common: a restaurant owner’s criticizing and barring a client, in public no less. Unfortunately, online reservation systems have also magnified one of the reasons diners used to end up being shunned: the reservation no-show. Few would dare to speak to podiatrists or electricians that way, but most restaurant servers tolerate it because they depend on tips — which can be upward of 70% of their earnings. What doesn’t is a restaurant owner’s publicly standing up for employees by telling bad customers that they have been banned.

☆ Sorry, millennials, you're never getting a good home
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Like a lot of millennials, Enrique Gonsalves is a victim of poor timing. For most millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, the path to homeownership has been fraught with pitfalls and false starts. Add it all up, and the homeownership rate among millennials is lagging that of previous generations. Compared with these generations, millennials have more debt, a lower net worth, and a worse chance of making more than their parents. Those factors, particularly the rise in student debt, have prevented millennials from getting a home.

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