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☆ JetBlue Plus Card Review
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Ben Luthi | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

When you fly JetBlue, you’ll enjoy standard airline card benefits such as one free checked bag for you and up to three companions. If you use your card to book a JetBlue Vacations package, you’ll get a statement credit of up to $100 each year. The JetBlue Plus Card charges a $99 annual fee, which is on the low end for airline credit cards. If you frequently fly with JetBlue, the JetBlue Plus Card can be a great way to earn free flights and get some extra perks when you travel. Methodology: How we evaluated the JetBlue Plus CardTo choose Buy Side from WSJ’s Best Airline Cards, we compared 23 credit cards from 10 major domestic airlines.

Persons: Ben Luthi, You’ll, you’ll, you’re Organizations: East, JetBlue, you’ll, Card, West Coasts, Citi Premier Credit Locations: West Coasts, U.S, Delta, West

Among the best business credit cards, the American Express® Business Gold Card stands out as a top pick for big spenders. American Express® Business Gold Card Apply now lock icon An icon in the shape of lock. New American Express Business Gold card bonus categoriesThe American Express® Business Gold Card is adding the following categories to its list of eligible purchases for earning 4x points. Now, when you're approved for the American Express® Business Gold Card, you can choose between the classic gold design and a rose gold version. New Amex Business Gold benefits come with a higher annual feeUnsurprisingly, Amex is introducing these additional perks at a cost: Starting February 1, 2024, the American Express® Business Gold Card will have an annual fee of $375.

Persons: Amex, It's, who's, it's Organizations: American Express, Express, Amex, FedEx, Grubhub, Supply, Walmart, New, U.S . Transit, Paramount Locations: U.S, AmexTravel.com

In its issuance programme for the fourth quarter released late on Friday the Treasury raised its estimate for gross debt issuance this year to 333 billion euros ($351.95 billion). That compared with its forecast of 310-320 billion euros made at the start of the year. Germany reduced its needs in the fourth quarter by 31 billion euros ($32.59 billion). The Treasury has so far covered around 80% of its 2023 gross funding needs, it estimated on Friday. For the fourth quarter, the Treasury estimated gross issuance of medium and long-term bonds at around 60 billion euros, with issuance net of redemptions seen at a negative 12 billion euros over the same period.

Persons: JP Morgan, Analysts, Italy –, Giorgia Meloni, Giuseppe Fonte, Gavin Jones Organizations: European Union, Treasury, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Italy, Rome, MILAN, ROME, Germany, Portugal, France, London

☆ I Paid for My Dream Honeymoon With Credit Card Points—Here’s How I Did It
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Emily Sherman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Our first year of dating, we took a spontaneous trip to Iceland paid for with points from a Chase Sapphire Preferred card (his) and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (mine). Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Learn More Base rewards rate: 2xBonus rewards: 10x on hotels and rental cars, plus 5x on flights, if booked through Capital One; 10,000-mile annual bonus. After researching a number of hotel-branded cards, the $99 a year IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card emerged as the best fit for this trip. Sign-up bonus: 140,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months. With a few weeks to go before the big day, I’m excited to say our trip is booked and paid for almost entirely with credit card points.

Persons: Emily Sherman, I’ve Organizations: Texas Capitol, Chase Sapphire, Venture, Air Tahiti, Intercontinental Tahiti Locations: Texas, Iceland, Austin , Texas, Maldives, Polynesia, IHG

☆ Apollo’s divergent path outshines Blackstone
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Jonathan Guilford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

NEW YORK, Sept 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Apollo Global Management (APO.N) and Blackstone (BX.N) both emerged from private equity’s primordial swamp. That spread comprised nearly three-quarters of Apollo’s $3.1 billion in profit available to be doled out to shareholders in 2022. That turbo-charged the fees Blackstone reaps from managing funds, which contributed 59% of $6.6 billion in profit available to shareholders last year. Apollo’s earnings from its insurance business are awarded an even more meager 10 times. This doesn’t form the closed loop like that between Athene, Apollo and its various specialist lenders.

Persons: Marc Rowan, haven’t, dealmaking, Rowan, Blackstone, Steve Schwarzman, Athene, BREIT, Rich, reckons Bain, Schwarzman, Dealmaking, hasn’t, Lauren Silva Laughlin, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Apollo Global Management, Blackstone, Apollo, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Barclays, Schwarzman, U.S . Federal, Industry, Life Insurance, Research Association, Thomson Locations: freefall, BREIT, Blackstone

Cinven this month signed an accord with GIC, Singapore's sovereign fund, and another two investors to purchase from them 140 million euros of Tier2 Eurovita bonds, the source added. Cinven, which acquired Eurovita in 2017, also launched a tender offer to buy back another 20 million euros of bonds from investors including Italian financial institutions, so that only around 9 million remain outstanding, the source said. Italian insurance authorities placed Eurovita under special administration this year, the first time they have taken such a step, after rising rates blew a hole in the life insurer's cash reserves. Instead, Cinven was asked to carry out the debt buyback and cancel the bonds to support a solvent liquidation, one of the people added. Like other life insurers, especially those relying on banks to sell products, Eurovita was hit by early redemptions once rates started rising and savers sought better returns.

Persons: Matthew Childs, Cinven, Eurovita, Assicurazioni, Valentina Za, Emilio Parodi, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, GIC, Germany's Allianz, Allianz, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Cinven

Our experts answer readers' credit card questions and write unbiased product reviews (here's how we assess credit cards). The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card is offering a new, higher welcome bonus. World of Hyatt Business Credit Card Apply now lock icon An icon in the shape of lock. World of Hyatt Business Card review External link Arrow An arrow icon, indicating this redirects the user." You can read all the details in our World of Hyatt Business Credit Card review.

Persons: Hyatt, it's, I've, you'll Organizations: Hyatt Business, Service, Hyatt, Card, FDIC, Manchester Grand Hyatt San, Hyatt Paris Locations: Wall, Silicon, Hyatt, Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, Dublin

☆ The Fed's balance sheet reductions have hit $1 trillion — but market enthusiasm for bonds has held off turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Fed's massive quantitative tightening campaign has had limited effect on the market. That's as private sector participants have taken over its role in the Treasury market. These balance sheet reduction efforts are more commonly known as quantitative tightening, and are a strategy deployed by the central bank to drain excess liquidity from markets. While the central bank isn't selling bonds outright, running off its balance sheet has a similar effect of reducing liquidity by removing a large buyer from the market. AdvertisementAdvertisementBut since its June 2022 implementation, QT has fueled market concern, given the history of previous balance sheet reductions.

Persons: Louis, redemptions, Louis Fed Organizations: Treasury, Service, Federal Reserve, Bloomberg, Fed, Louis Fed Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ What's going on with VinFast stock? The electric vehicle SPAC has soared more than 800% since its debut and is worth more than Ford.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

VinFast soared as much as 830% since it went public via a SPAC IPO earlier this month. The Vietnam-based electric vehicle maker released its cars on the US market earlier this year. The small float of available shares of VinFast could be the main factor behind the sharp stock rally. Vietnam-based VinFast has seen its stock soar as much as 830% since it went public via a SPAC IPO earlier this month. So why is VinFast stock so high?

Persons: it's, VinFast, MotorTrend, Faraday, Pham Nhat Vuong, Jim Chanos isn't Organizations: Service, Toyota, Ford, General Motors Locations: Vietnam, Wall, Silicon, VinFast's, VinFast

☆ Exodus of capital from China signals 'seismic' change in global flows as investors grow wary of autocratic regimes
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China's capital exodus is among the worst seen by emerging markets, said Robin Brooks, chief economist at IIF. That's as global investors have grown wary of autocratic regimes, he tweeted on Sunday. "The change in global capital flows is seismic. "But China has now seen consistent and large outflows for the past 18 months, as investors grow wary of autocracies." Global markets look at China in a new light," Brooks said in a separate X post.

Persons: Robin Brooks, Brooks, Ukraine that's, Adam Posen Organizations: IIF, Service, Institute of International Finance, hemorrhaging, CSI, Administration of Foreign Exchange, EPFR, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Foreign Affairs Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, outflows

☆ Blackstone's data center gamble
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Daniel Geiger | Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

The firm has recently touted its data center investments amid the artificial intelligence boom. Blackstone's push into data centers comes with its own set of challenges and questions. "You might not own apartment buildings in 10 years, but the largest data center company in the world." Meghji said in the company's video that interest from data center users in QTS data centers had doubled "since ChatGPT came out." Gerber said he had recently discussed data center investments with Blackstone representatives and has confidence in the strategy.

Persons: Blackstone, —, Glenn Schorr, Schorr, outflows, Stephen Tuckwood, Tuckwood, Jonathan Gray, Gray, Jeenah, Chad Williams, BREIT, they're, Patrick Davitt, QTS, Nadeem Meghji, Meghji, ChatGPT, Matthew Barakat, Prince William County, redemptions, Selwyn Gerber, Gerber, Matt Malone Organizations: Blackstone, Income Trust, QTS Realty Trust, Evercore, Wealth Management, Reuters, Autonomous Research, Blackstone Infrastructure Partners, McKinsey, AP, Starwood, MSCI's, Los, RVW, Opto Investments, FS Investments Locations: California, BREIT, QTS, Americas, CBRE, Manassas , Virginia, Prince William, Virginia, Brookfield, Los Angeles, Bellagio, Las Vegas

☆ US debt explosion may force the Fed to halt a key tightening campaign so the financial system doesn't become unstable
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

That's as the debt binge may pressure bank reserves, economists at the St. Louis Fed wrote. The Treasury has issued $1 trillion in T-bills since June, and another $600 billion is expected by year's end. But a prior quantitative tightening campaign saw a drop in bank reserves, forcing the Fed to do an about-face in 2019 and buy T-bills. "Although there are currently ample reserves, there is some lower level of reserves that can cause stress in financial markets," the St. Louis Fed economists wrote in a paper. While the St. Louis Fed's note estimated that $2 trillion in banking reserves could be the optimal level, the data are signaling higher levels.

Persons: Louis Fed, redemptions, Louis Fed's Organizations: Federal Reserve, St, Treasury, Service, Treasury Department, Fed Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ The CEO who brutally fired hundreds of the people on Zoom is taking his startup public in a move that could make or break him
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Alex Nicoll | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Vishal Garg is taking Better, a mortgage startup, public through a long-delayed SPAC deal. Read what he said about making strategic acquisitions and the millions in company loans that stand to be forgiven. But CEO Vishal Garg, known for brutally laying off hundreds of employees via Zoom, insists he has a plan. One former employee told Insider that the move seems like a "Hail Mary," both for Garg personally and for the business more broadly. Here is what Garg said about his vision for the company and how he will spend the money Better receives from the IPO.

Persons: Vishal Garg, Garg, SPACs, Mary, refinancings, it's, SoftBank, indemnifying, —, It'll Organizations: & Finance, Aurora Acquisition Corp, Nasdaq, World Trade Center, Federal Reserve, Silicon, Better, Mortgage, SEC, Scotsman, Aurora, Insider Locations: Garg, refinancings, Queens , NY

☆ UK's Pret takes coffee subscription service to US and France
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Aug 24 (Reuters) - British sandwich and coffee chain Pret A Manger will launch its monthly coffee subscription service in the United States and France this year after the scheme proved a success in its home market, it said on Thursday. The group, commonly referred to as Pret, launched its coffee subscription service in September 2020, trying out a new business model to get it through the COVID-19 pandemic which hammered its sales. In April it rebranded the service as "Club Pret". A spokesperson for Pret said the price of the subscription service in the U.S. and France had not yet been confirmed. Pret said the rebranded subscription service in the UK had seen 17.8 million redemptions in its first three months, up 31% year-on-year.

Persons: Sinclair Beecham, Pret, James Davey, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Thomson Locations: United States, France, U.S

The private fund industry manages $20 trillion in assets. They would also require funds to perform annual audits. "Private fund advisers, through the funds they manage, touch so much of our economy," he said at the time. The rule would require fund managers to disclose so-called "side letters" - an industry practice through which funds can offer some investors special terms - when they are financially material. Earlier, the proposed rules would require investors and private funds to re-write all their contracts.

Persons: Jim Bourg, Exchange Commission's, Gary Gensler, Andreesen Horowitz, Michelle Price, Nick Zieminski, Mark Porter Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, REUTERS, Securities, Exchange, Citadel, Industry, Association, Alternative Investment Management Association, Thomson Locations: Washington, U.S

Signage is seen at the headquarters of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2021. Here are the highlights:PRIVATE EQUITY, HEDGE FUND FEESThe SEC on Wednesday finalized a sweeping overhaul of private rules with the aim of increasing transparency and fairness in the industry which oversees more than $20 trillion in assets. MONEY MARKET FUNDSThe SEC in July finalized rules aimed at increasing the resilience of the $5.5 trillion money market fund industry. MUTUAL FUND LIQUIDITY, PRICING RULESSimilarly, the SEC has proposed new rules aimed at better preparing the broader mutual fund industry for distress. The SEC says speeding up the disclosures is fairer on retail investors, who are disadvantaged by the current 10-day window.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Gary Gensler, Chizu Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, Rights, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: Washington ,

☆ The best credit cards for Disney World and Disneyland tickets in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Jennifer Yellin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

And you might even find that the best credit card for you isn’t even branded as a Disney credit card. The best credit cards for Disney World and Disneyland ticketsWhile there’s no one-size-fits-all credit card for Disney trips, there are a handful of good options. Ink Business Cash® Credit Card : Best for purchasing Disney gift cards. Fortunately, the 5% discount can be used for third-party gift cards sold at Target (not including Target gift cards). Disney Premier Card: Best for Disney park savingsThe Disney Premier card offers special discounts on merchandise for its card members.

Persons: you’re, Hopper, you’ll, Chase, that’s, we’ve, Mickey, Minnie, You’ll Organizations: CNN, American Express, Disney, Disney World, Mastercard, Capital, Target, American Airlines AAdvantage, United Airlines MileagePlus, Air Canada, Hyatt, Hyatt . Capital, Venture, Staples, BJ’s Wholesale, Sam’s, Ink, Wholesale, Citi, Disney Premier Locations: California, Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hyatt ., DisneyPlus.com

☆ How to maximize Series I bond redemptions amid falling inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Kate Dore | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Enes EvrenInvestors piled into Series I bonds amid record yields, and some are now eyeing an exit for higher-interest alternatives. After reaching 9.62% annual interest in May 2022, I bond yields have declined with falling inflation, reaching 4.3% interest for new purchases from May through October. However, the U.S. Department of the Treasury still needs two months of CPI readings before the next I bond rate change. "It's falling back in line with I bond inflation rates we had before the pandemic," said Ken Tumin, founder and editor of DepositAccounts.com. While longer-term investors may like the current 0.9% fixed rate portion of I bond yields, short-term investors may prefer higher-paying alternatives.

Persons: Enes, Ken Tumin, Jeremy Keil, Keil, Tumin, " Keil Organizations: U.S . Department of, Treasury, Treasury Department, Federal Reserve, Keil Financial Partners Locations: Milwaukee

A logo of Turkey's Central Bank is pictured at the entrance of its headquarters in Ankara, Turkey October 15, 2021. According to calculations by five bankers, obtained by Reuters, net reserves rose $4.9 billion to $15.8 billion last week, while total reserves climbed to $115.6 billion. The recent uptrend in reserves reversed in the week to July 28, with net forex falling $2.8 billion to $10.89 billion. The central bank continues to get foreign exchange from tourism and a scheme to protect lira bank deposits from depreciation known as KKM. The bank has paid an estimated 300 billion lira ($11 billion) to cover depreciation costs under the scheme in June and July, with the cost in August estimated at 350 billion lira.

Persons: Cagla, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Hafize Gaye Erkan, Nevzat Devranoglu, Orhan Coskun, Daren Butler, Jonathan Spicer, John Stonestreet Organizations: Turkey's Central, REUTERS, Reuters, Bankers, Thomson Locations: Ankara, Turkey, ANKARA

Immersed will merge with Maquia Capital Acquisition Corp (MAQC.O), a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), in a deal that values the Austin, Texas-based firm at about $150 million, the sources said. As part of the deal, Immersed is raising bridge financing through convertible notes from investors including Intel Corp (INTC.O) Chief Executive Pat Gelsinger, former football player Tim Tebow, and All Blue Capital. Immersed expects to have access to the proceeds raised by the SPAC, barring redemptions, the sources said. Founded in 2017 by software engineer Renji Bijoy, Immersed develops spatial computing software that enables remote working for employees. After the deal closes, Immersed will be listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker "AIMR", the sources said.

Persons: Pat Gelsinger, Tim Tebow, Renji Bijoy, Milana Vinn, Robert Birsel Organizations: Maquia, Corp, Intel Corp, Blue Capital, redemptions, Nasdaq, Thomson Locations: Austin , Texas, New York

☆ The 6 best credit cards to use for Costco purchases in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Juan Ruiz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Let’s take a look at what types of credit cards Costco accepts and the best credit cards for Costco purchases, whether you’re looking for financing, cash back or travel rewards. The best credit cards for Costco in 2023How did we choose our best credit cards when shopping at Costco in 2023? Best for Costco loyalists: Costco Anywhere Visa Card by CitiUse this credit card to earn bonus cash back on gasoline purchases, both at Costco and other gas stations. Best for travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit CardEarn travel rewards on your Costco purchases with the Capital One Venture card. These premium Chase cards include the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card, or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card.

Persons: it’s, It’s, cardholders, Read, Cash Organizations: CNN, American Express, Costco, Getty, Mastercard, American, Google, Samsung, Citi, EV, Read CNN, Wells, Costco Wholesale Clubs, Capital One Venture, One Venture, Venture, Capital, Chase, Sapphire, Ink Business, Ink, Cash, Citi Travel, Card, Citi Prestige ® Locations: drugstores

Added to valuations from December, major REITs, which build, own and operate property assets, have marked down office portfolios by roughly a tenth or less over the past year. Dexus shares have fallen 28% since 2022, while Charter Hall has nearly halved. "Buyers aren't willing to pay the price from the last valuations," said Winston Sammut, an investment manager at Sequoia Financial Group and a former executive at Charter Hall. Dexus and Charter Hall did not respond to requests for comment. "We're looking to see whether the fund managers, the Charter Halls, the Centurias, the Dexus are also getting large redemptions."

Persons: Tom Westbrook, Buyers, Winston Sammut, it's, REITs, Centuria, Grant Berry, Dexus, Ping, Blackstone, Amy Pham, Sammut, Australia's, Hostplus, that's, Pham, Lewis Jackson, Scott Murdoch, Sam Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Charter Hall, Sequoia Financial Group, Charter, Reuters, SG Hiscock, Company, Blackstone, Sydney, Pengana Capital, Thomson Locations: Epping, Sydney, Australia, SYDNEY, Canberra, United States

☆ Twitter's valuation has been slashed by 47% at Ark Invest since Elon Musk took over
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ark Invest has marked down its Twitter valuation by 47% since it was taken over by Elon Musk, the Wall Street Journal reported. Musk had recently tweeted that Twitter's advertising revenue has been cut in half since he took over the company. Given Musk purchased Twitter for $44 billion late last year, the markdown would put the company's current valuation at about $23 billion, based on Ark's estimate. "We're still negative cash flow, due to ~50% drop in advertising revenue plus heavy debt load," Musk said of Twitter on Twitter. We also think that longer term, Elon and team are very serious that they're going to turn this into an everything app," Wood said.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, Cathie Wood, Wood, Elon Organizations: Elon, Wall Street Journal, Service, Wall Street, Invest's Venture, Twitter, Fidelity, Ark, Nvidia, Nasdaq Locations: Wall, Silicon

Charter Hall did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. On its website Charter Hall said the fund would "only sell assets for prices that reflect fair value and given the lower sales volumes in the office investment markets, sales have proved challenging". Another REIT and Australia's largest office landlord Dexus (DXS.AX) last month sold a premium downtown Sydney office block for a 17% discount on a valuation made six months earlier. The Australian and U.S. REIT benchmark indexes are down roughly a fifth since highs at the end of 2021. But unlisted fund valuations have declined more slowly, creating an incentive for investors to pull money out while a chunky premium over listed equivalents remains, according to fund managers with investments in REITs.

Persons: Australia's, Hall, Dexus, Blackstone, Lewis Jackson, Byron Kaye, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: SYDNEY, Investors, PFA Fund, Charter Hall, KKR, Australian, Income, Thomson Locations: Australian, Sydney, REITs, BlackRock

☆ Hedge funds are reeling from some of the worst outflows since the Great Recession and managers are shunning Wall Street – even as a bull market reigns
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Joseph Wilkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

For twelve consecutive months, the sector has experienced net outflows – coupled with the worst May since 2009. The industry's total Wall Street exposure has fallen to the lowest in over 10 years – despite US stocks enjoying a remarkable 2023 bull run. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. "The net outflow in May 2023, while not generally large, was the largest net outflow value we've seen." "Attempting to be blunt…there was little evidence of meaningful new interest in hedge funds in May."

Persons: Peter Laurelli, Laurelli, Alison Savas Organizations: Service, Nasdaq, Research, Financial Times, Antipodes Partners, Nvidia Locations: Wall, Silicon, Australia, Europe

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