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☆ Ambani’s retail backers dispel only a little doubt
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Shritama Bose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Asia’s richest man is raising fresh funds to trim debt and expand the shopping unit of his flagship Reliance Industries (RELI.NS). Ambit Capital, a broking firm, for example ascribes Reliance Retail a $57 billion valuation in a sum of the parts analysis, almost half Bernstein’s estimated $111 billion. Any financial haze around Reliance Retail will naturally clear whenever it publishes a detailed listing prospectus. U.S. private equity giant KKR will invest 20.7 billion rupees ($250 million) into Reliance Retail Ventures, the company’s parent Reliance Industries said on Sept. 11. Reliance Retail is a subsidiary of Reliance Industries.

Persons: Mukesh Ambani, Thakore, Singapore’s GIC, Bernstein, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Reliance Industries, KKR, Abraham, Qatar Investment, U.S, Reliance Retail, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Reliance, HK, India’s Reliance Industries, Reliance Retail Ventures, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, China, Singapore, Saudi Arabia

☆ Deliveroo lacks tasty recipe for takeover call
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Sept 14 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Deliveroo’s (ROO.L) valuation makes it a plausible takeover target, but Chief Executive Will Shu has a weak hand in negotiating any deal. Activist investor Sachem Head Capital Management has built a stake in the London-listed food delivery company, Bloomberg reported late on Wednesday. Share prices of Deliveroo rose nearly 5% on Thursday morning. That’s below the 1.5 times average of rivals Delivery Hero (DHER.DE), Just Eat Takeaway.com (TKWY.AS), HelloFresh (HFGG.DE) and DoorDash (DASH.N). Lastly, Delivery Hero and Amazon’s 5% and 12.5% stakes could complicate any deal.

Persons: Will Shu, LSEG, Uber, Karen Kwok, BoE, Neil Unmack, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Head Capital Management, Bloomberg, X, Treasury, Thomson Locations: London

☆ TikTok is paying a small army of creator coaches to help influencers make money from livestreams
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Marta Biino | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

TikTok creators make money from livestreams by receiving virtual items from fans that can be converted into real money. Dozens of agencies have joined the TikTok Live partner program, two sources told Insider. How agents are helping creators boost livestream performanceUnsurprisingly, there is no single growth strategy that applies to all TikTok Live creators. "What's great about TikTok Live is that we get to see the data in real-time," Herndon said. On top of the agency program, TikTok also offers an "accelerator program" for individual creators who have already found success with livestreams to help them scale further.

Persons: TikTok, Salome Khazaradze, Khazaradze, Jack Healy, Bill Herndon, Herndon, Joseph Sottile, livestreams Organizations: Google, TikTok Spartans, ATRX Agency Locations: Europe

☆ SoftBank’s reduced Arm price tag is still too high
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The lesson for SoftBank and Arm is clear: chip investors are laser-focused on medium-term operating profit, not just revenue. Reuters GraphicsThere are three key moving parts to Arm’s valuation. Under SoftBank, Arm’s operating margin has dropped to around 25%, from roughly 40% in 2015 – a consequence of Son’s preference for heavy investments in research. If Arm nabbed the same multiple, its enterprise value would be $33 billion, using the above growth and operating margin. To mimic and sustain Nvidia-esque growth, Arm CEO Rene Haas would have to keep ramping up investments in engineers and sales teams, which would weigh on margins.

Persons: SoftBank, Masayoshi Son, Bernstein, they’ll, Rene Haas, SoftBank’s, it’s, George Hay, Katrina Hamlin, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, SoftBank, Nvidia, Cadence Design Systems, LSEG, Reuters Graphics, Apple, Devices, Vision Fund, Nasdaq, Thomson Locations: Cambridge, Saudi Arabia

☆ American homes are shrinking, but it isn't making houses any more affordable
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Yet, the cost per square foot has markedly accelerated over the same period, data from John Burns Research and Consulting shows. We saw increased prices across the board, and that's showing up in that increased price per square foot." Not only are prices per square foot going up, data suggests that contractors are less likely to build homes with a lower price per square foot. AdvertisementAdvertisementFurther double-digit jumps in price per square foot are less likely to materialize in the current environment. But as floor plans get smaller, price per square foot could stay stubbornly high.

Persons: John Burns, That's, Chris Porter, demographer, Porter, Redfin Organizations: Census, John, John Burns Research, Consulting, Builders, Service, Homeowners, Wall Street Journal Locations: Wall, Silicon, Indiana, Zillow

LAUNCESTON, Australia, Aug 17 (Reuters) - China made a rare draw on crude oil inventories in July as imports softened and refinery processing remained elevated to meet rising domestic demand and a surge in refined fuel exports. China doesn't disclose the volumes of crude flowing into or out of strategic and commercial stockpiles, but an estimate can be made by deducting the amount of crude processed from the total of crude available from imports and domestic output. The volume of crude available to refiners was 14.36 million bpd, consisting of imports of 10.29 million bpd and domestic output of 4.07 million bpd. Subtracting the refinery throughput from the total crude available leaves a deficit of 510,000 bpd. Imports dropped 2.38 million bpd in July from June's 12.67 million bpd, and were the lowest monthly total since January.

Persons: China doesn't, refiners, Brent, Robert Birsel Organizations: National Bureau of Statistics, Brent, Refinitiv Oil Research, Reuters, Thomson Locations: LAUNCESTON, Australia, China, storages, June's, East, Saudi Arabia, Brent, Singapore

Russia remained the top supplier to China, with pipeline and seaborne arrivals of 2.04 million bpd in July, which was down from June's 2.56 million bpd. However, it was still enough to exceed imports from Saudi Arabia, which Refinitiv estimated at 1.82 million bpd in July, down from 1.94 million bpd in June. It's also worth noting that much of the strength in China's crude imports is because of massive inflows into commercial or strategic storages. India's refiners continue to gorge on discounted Russian crude, with arrivals in July estimated at an all-time high of 2.08 million bpd. Japan's July oil imports are estimated at 2.49 million bpd, up from June's 2.11 million bpd, while South Korea's are put at 2.76 million bpd, up from 2.53 million bpd in June.

Persons: Amit Dave LAUNCESTON, It's, China doesn't, India's refiners, Brent, Clyde Russell, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, Refinitiv Oil Research, Brent, OPEC, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Vadinar, Gujarat, India, Australia, China, Asia, Russia, June's, Saudi Arabia, OPEC, Angola, Oman, East, Iraq, Moscow, South, North Asia

☆ HSBC invites shy investors to turnaround party
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Una Galani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The turnaround Quinn launched shortly after taking charge of the London-headquartered bank in 2019 is gaining momentum. In the three months to the end of June, HSBC almost doubled its pre-tax profit to $8.8 billion compared with the same period last year. He’s catching up with market expectations, too, aiming for a return on tangible equity in the mid-teens and echoing Visible Alpha’s consensus numbers for 15% this year, and almost 14% next. Crucially, Quinn and his newish finance chief, Georges Elhedery, can focus on improving the bank’s performance with fewer distractions. All shareholders, though, clearly still need some convincing to join HSBC’s turnaround party in earnest.

Persons: Noel Quinn, Quinn, Georges Elhedery, Ping, Antony Currie, Thomas Shum, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, HK, HSBC, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Ping An Insurance, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, London, Hong Kong, China, Asia, Europe, North America, Canada

LAUNCESTON, Australia, July 26 (Reuters) - China boosted its stockpiling of crude oil to the highest level in three years in June, taking advantage of cheap Russian crude to bolster inventories and add flexibility to future import requirements. The volume of crude available to refiners was 16.93 million bpd, consisting of imports of 12.67 million bpd and domestic output of 4.26 million bpd. This would have the impact of lowering their import bills, but also of cutting global oil demand and putting some downward pressure on oil prices. What is becoming clearer is that the amount of heavily discounted crude China can buy is reaching a maximum. In addition to discounted Russian oil, China also buys crude from Iran, although this is largely disguised as imports from other nations in official data.

Persons: China doesn't, Jamie Freed Organizations: National Bureau of Statistics, International Energy Agency, Brent, Reuters, Thomson Locations: LAUNCESTON, Australia, China, OPEC, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, Ukraine

☆ Coinbase is a crypto conundrum, squared
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Anita Ramaswamy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Shares in Coinbase got a major boost after money management behemoth BlackRock (BLK.N) applied to launch a bitcoin-backed exchange-traded fund this month with Coinbase as its custodian. Coinbase shares are up nearly 54% in July, handily beating the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC), which rose 4%. Price targets range widely: analysts polled by Refinitiv think Coinbase is worth anywhere from $8 billion to nearly $50 billion. Coinbase investors would therefore be unwise to count on a judge delivering Coinbase a win. Given bitcoin’s current $584 billion market capitalization, that suggests $74 billion of ETFs would not be much of a stretch.

Persons: Brian Armstrong, Coinbase, behemoth BlackRock, –, Gary Gensler, there’s, Goldman Sachs, Cowen, Refinitiv, Armstrong, Sam Bankman, Larry Fink, Charles Schwab, doubters, Ripple, John Foley, Streisand Neto Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Securities and Exchange, Nasdaq, SEC, Citigroup, Commodity Futures, BlackRock, Bank, New York Mellon, Interactive, Securities and Exchange Commission, Thomson Locations: Washington, United States, U.S

☆ 'Something very strange' explains why a US recession has been delayed
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"Something very strange has happened" in the economy that is preventing a recession, Societe Generale said. The bank highlighted that as the Fed raised interest rates over the past year, corporate net interest payments actually fell. According to Societe Generale, "something very strange has happened" that explains why a US recession has been delayed, and it has to do with some timely moves made by corporations. The bank highlighted that going back to at least 1975, corporate net interest payments would rise as the Fed raised interest rates. "Normally when interest rates rise, so too do net debt payments, squeezing profit margins and slowing the economy.

Persons: Societe Generale's Albert Edwards, SocGen's Edwards, Edwards Organizations: Societe Generale, Service, Federal Reserve, Societe Generale's, Bank of America, Companies Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ How UBS can cling on to its Swiss purchase
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The Swiss bank is under pressure to offload Credit Suisse’s local business to ease a political backlash in its home market. UBS acquired the subsidiary known as Credit Suisse (Schweiz) AG as part of its rescue of the ailing lender in March. Many lawmakers and voters dislike the tie-up, in part because taxpayers provided $10 billion of insurance against possible losses on Credit Suisse assets. Ermotti, who previously ran UBS between 2011 and 2020, now favours keeping the business, according to Swiss media reports. If Ermotti can avoid large-scale job losses in the coming years, he may be able to hang onto his Swiss purchase.

Persons: Sergio Ermotti, Ermotti, Ralph Hamers, Lukas Gähwiler, GRACE, Peter Thal Larsen, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: Reuters, UBS boss’s, UBS, Credit Suisse, AG, Swiss National Bank, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Credit Suisse Schweiz, Suisse, Reuters Graphics, Credit, JPMorgan, Schweiz, Thomson Locations: Swiss, Schweiz, Switzerland’s, Switzerland, Europe, Ermotti

LAUNCESTON, Australia, June 19 (Reuters) - China added to crude oil stockpiles at the fastest rate in nearly three years in May, as robust imports outweighed near-record refinery processing. This was up 15.4% from the same month in 2022, and was the second-highest monthly total, eclipsed only by the 14.91 million bpd from March. The volume of crude available to refiners was 16.37 million bpd, consisting of imports of 12.11 million bpd and domestic output of 4.26 million bpd. It's worth noting that for the first five months of 2023 China's crude oil imports are up 6.2% to the equivalent of 11.13 million bpd. If the flows into storage and the rise in product exports are factored in, suddenly the increase in China's crude oil imports doesn't look quite as bullish as it may first appear.

Persons: China doesn't, It's, Jamie Freed Organizations: National Bureau of Statistics, OPEC, Saudi Aramco, Reuters, Thomson Locations: LAUNCESTON, Australia, China, OPEC, Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Saudi

☆ 31-year-old mom started her CBD business from home in Hawaii—3 years later, it brings in $100,000 annually
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

A friend recommended she try CBD oil, which is derived from hemp plants, the non-psychoactive cousin of marijuana. Young continued to take CBD oil on a regular basis and welcomed her second daughter, Ho'olehua, in 2019. In May 2020, Young was ready to sell her first product, a CBD oil that blends hemp flower and coconut oil, online. Now, 'Āina Organics is sold in 25 stores, in both California and Hawaii. After deducting the operating costs to maintain the business, Āina Organics's profit stands at about $50,000, according to tax documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.

Persons: Grace Young, Young, Keith Andrade, Ka'auwai, Andrade, Ho'olehua, Meleana, Alexandra Masihy, daydreaming, they'd Organizations: Omao Labs, USDA, Hawaii, Young, CNBC Locations: Kauai, Hawaii, California

While buying a house can set you up for financial success, renting comes with its own benefits, like flexibility. If you can't afford a down payment or monthly payments, you may want to continue renting for now. Homeownership also costs more than just the monthly mortgage payment. This includes your mortgage, property taxes, mortgage insurance, homeowners insurance, and HOA fees, but not costs like utility bills. If monthly mortgage payments would be a financial strain, it could be better to keep renting for now.

LAUNCESTON, Australia, May 19 (Reuters) - Chinese refiners dipped into crude oil inventories in April for the first time in 18 months, as high processing rates exceeded the volume of crude available from both imports and domestic output. The volume of crude available to refiners from imports and domestic output in April was 59.71 million tonnes, equivalent to 14.53 million bpd. For April, the total amount of crude available was 340,000 bpd below the volume processed by refiners, the first time since November 2021 that refiners have drawn on inventories. CRUDE IMPORTS RECOVEROn the crude import side the picture is more interesting, with April arrivals the lowest since January at 10.3 million bpd. For May, it seems likely that imports will recover, with Refinitiv Oil Research estimating arrivals of 11.83 million bpd, a jump of 1.53 million bpd from April's soft outcome.

☆ UBS kitchen sink has protection from further leaks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

UBS (UBSG.S) late on Tuesday released a regulatory filing showing what the bank’s accounts may look like after its roughly $4 billion acquisition of Credit Suisse (CSGN.S). For starters, the filing is peppered with caveats, including that UBS still hasn’t managed to complete detailed valuations of the assets. At roughly 2% of Credit Suisse’s overall loans and financial assets, the haircuts do seem rather modest. The filing’s risk factors note that UBS might inherit future court cases that could stem from the cancellation of Credit Suisse’s Additional Tier 1 bonds, for example. Ermotti might not have performed a total kitchen sink, but his investors needn’t be too concerned.

May 8 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) agreed to pay $215 million to settle a class action alleging widespread bias against women in pay and promotions, ending one of the highest-profile lawsuits claiming unequal treatment of women on Wall Street. In a well-known 1990s case, Smith Barney settled charges that men harassed women in a space known as the "Boom-Boom Room." "This settlement will help the women I had in mind when I filed the case," Orlich said in a statement. The settlement also calls for Goldman to hire independent experts to analyze its gender pay gaps and performance evaluation processes. In 2020, the bank said it aimed for 40% of vice presidents to be women within five years.

☆ French sports deal reveals rare retail bright spot
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, May 9 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Retreat is the most common strategy of top retail chief executives. On Tuesday, the near-$11 billion British purveyor of sportswear splashed out 520 million euros ($571 million) on French sneaker seller Courir. Regis Schultz, JD’s French boss, is planning to spend more of the company’s 1-billion-pound ($1.3 billion) cash pile on further international expansion. Sales of exercise equipment, gym wear and running shoes are set to double to $1 trillion by 2030, according to Straits Research. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

The London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) (LSEG.L) and UK trade officials visited several cities in China to promote UK capital markets recently. Wilson Xu, a banking veteran from CITIC Securities pioneering the Stock Connect programme, said liquidity will improve when there is a critical mass of Chinese listings. The Shanghai-London Stock Connect was launched in 2019 and the link was expanded last year to include Shenzhen and Switzerland. Even arrangements by SIX to allow roughly 2.5 hours of trading in a session for Chinese GDRs didn't help. Chinese companies, however, have been positive in public disclosures about their forays in Europe which have given them an alternative channel to raise funds and access foreign currency for their operations abroad.

Crude imports in March were 12.37 million bpd, while domestic output was 4.30 million bpd, giving a combined total of 16.67 million bpd. Subtracting the refinery throughput leaves 1.56 million bpd that likely flowed into either commercial or strategic inventories. The question for the oil market is what does it all mean for the outlook for crude oil demand in China? There is nothing inherently wrong with OPEC+'s forecast for global oil demand growth of 2.32 million bpd in 2023, or the 2 million bpd forecast from the International Energy Agency. By building stockpiles now, they can reduce crude imports later in the year if they deem prices to be too high.

It also partners with Costco to offer Canadian members discounts on any Pets Plus Us Pet Insurance plan. Types of Pet Insurance Plans from Pets Plus UsPets Plus Us coverage is offered in a few different tiers, which include a starter tier of accident-only coverage. To file a claim with Pets Plus US, you can:Submit a claim online at Portal.PetsPlusUs.comBegin a claim by emailing submissions@petsplusus.comFax claims information to 1-855-456-PETS (7387)You can also file a pet insurance claim through the mail using the following address:Pets Plus UsSuite #400, 710 Dorval DrOakville, ON L6K 3V7Pets Plus Us Pet Insurance FAQsDoes Pets Plus Us offer pet insurance plans in the United States? Methodology: What Went into Our Pets Plus Us Pet Insurance ReviewBefore we wrote this Pets Plus Us review, we gathered information from more than 20 pet insurance providers offering similar pet health coverage. Pets Plus Us Pet Insurance Competitors PetSecure Pet InsurancePHI Direct Pet InsuranceFetch Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.

☆ Angry Tesla Shanghai workers vent to Elon Musk over bonus cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Tesla China-made Model 3 vehicles are seen during a delivery event at its factory in Shanghai, China January 7, 2020. The situation marks a rare outburst of discontent at Tesla's Shanghai plant, whose workers Musk praised last year for burning "the 3 a.m. oil" to keep operations running during the city's two-month COVID lockdown. Some took to Twitter, owned by Musk and blocked in China, to tweet to the billionaire, his mother Maye Musk, and Tesla. "Please pay attention to the performance (bonus) of frontline workers at Tesla's Shanghai factory being arbitrarily deducted," said a person with the handle @AFeiywu on Twitter in a tweet directed at Elon Musk and Tesla's Asia unit. She recently completed a two-week tour in the country during which she visited the Shanghai factory and promoted her memoir.

☆ Tesla workers criticized Elon Musk online, and some people even complained to his mom, after performance bonuses were cut at its Shanghai factory
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Workers at Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory were told about bonus cuts over the weekend, per Reuters. Some Tesla workers at the company's biggest factory are complaining to Elon Musk and his mom on social media, after bonuses were cut following a fatal accident, Reuters reported. "Please pay attention to the performance of frontline workers at Tesla's Shanghai factory being arbitrarily deducted," one account tweeted. Two factory workers told Reuters that supervisors mentioned a "safety incident" when asked why their quarterly performance bonuses had been cut. "Deducting the performance bonus, which should be related to workers' output and has nothing to do with work safety, is even more unfair," he said.

☆ Meet the 31-year old VC and self-made millionaire who faced Hong Kong loan sharks and his own fear of death
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Darius Rafieyan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

31-year old Maurice Ng came to the US with nothing after his family fled loan sharks in Hong Kong. It was a simple spreadsheet that inspired Maurice Ng at 29 to quit his job to become a venture capitalist. He deducted a little over 2,000 days for commuting time, and allowed himself 255 "regular sick days" and 10 "serious sick days." Assuming 3 meals a day, 365 days a year, 1 hour per meal, he deducted 5,817 days for eating. Despite the current turmoil in the tech industry and venture capital, Maurice seems to be inoculated against self doubt.

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