DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

The Chinese Embassy in Washington called self-ruled Taiwan "an inalienable part of China" and said the one-China principle was an "overwhelming trend" internationally. When Taiwan temporarily averted a split with Honduras after President Xiomara Castro took office in January 2022, U.S. State Department officials remained wary. The Biden administration is also keeping a close eye on tiny Belize for any cracks in its Taiwan relationship. Two U.S. officials said Washington was putting less stock in Taiwan maintaining its diplomatic allies in favor of efforts to increase its participation in international organizations. While denied a seat in the United Nations, Taiwan is a member of the WTO and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

☆ Japan's business services prices perk up near BOJ's inflation target
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, March 27 (Reuters) - Japan's business-to-business services inflation picked up in February on a tourism rebound and rising labour costs, data showed, offering the central bank hope that steady wage hikes would aid in sustainably hitting its 2% inflation target. The services producer price index, which measures the prices companies charge each other for services, rose 1.8% in February from a year earlier, up from a 1.6% gain in January, BOJ data showed on Monday. Fees for services such as office cleaning, taxi and software development also rose, reflecting higher labour costs. "For services, the pass-through of rising costs isn't as smooth as those for wholesale goods," said Masato Higashi, head of the BOJ's price statistics division, told a briefing. "But when you look closely, the pass-through (of higher labour costs) is gradually broadening," he said.

☆ Shares of Indonesia's GoTo fall more than 4% as 2022 loss swells to $2.6 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

GoTo Group posted a wider full-year 2022 net loss of 40.4 trillion rupiah ($2.63 billion) in its latest earnings report. Shares of GoTo Group fell as much as 4.62% on Tuesday after the Indonesian tech giant's annual net loss for 2022 widened. The full-year net loss came in at 40.4 trillion Indonesian rupiah ($2.63 billion) last year, according to its latest earnings report. Here are the key takeaways:Net revenue: 11.3 trillion rupiah, vs. 5.2 trillion rupiah in 2021Adjusted loss before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization: 16 trillion rupiah, vs. 16.5 trillion rupiah in 2021Net loss: 40.4 trillion rupiah, vs. 25.9 trillion rupiah in 2021And in the fourth quarter of 2022:Net revenue: 3.4 trillion rupiah, vs. 4.5 trillion rupiah in the third quarterAdjusted EBITDA loss: 3.1 trillion rupiah, vs. 3.7 trillion rupiah in the previous quarterGoTo, the combined entity between ride-hailing giant Gojek and e-commerce marketplace Tokopedia, went public on the Indonesia Stock Exchange last April. "This strategy enabled us to reduce incentives and product marketing in fourth quarter 2022 by 34%, or 2.8 trillion rupiah, year-on-year.

From committing to dollar-cost averaging to slimming down high-interest debt, these steps can help keep you on track. If you're unsure how to move to the next level with your money, check out these ideas to help you reach your new financial goals. Set yourself up for successSetting strong financial goals upfront can kickstart your journey to success. Create small habits that add upRecurring tasks and scheduled automations help ensure your finances keep working smoothly. Whittle away debt that's holding you backNot all debt is created equal, according to Empower financial professionals.

☆ Paul Ryan Says Even MAGA Diehards Believe Trump Can’t Win in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( David Marchese | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +23 min

Photo illustration by Bráulio Amado Talk Paul Ryan Says Even MAGA Diehards Believe Trump Can’t Win in 2024For a good long time during the George W. Bush and Obama presidencies, Paul Ryan was considered one of the intellectual leaders and shining stars of the Republican Party. Get out of this race.” But I don’t think Trump is going to get the nomination. I don’t think we want the lack of liberty that comes with government-made equality. Where I part company with the left is I don’t believe in socialism. I don’t believe in equality of outcomes.

☆ Twitter lays off at least 50 in relentless cost cuts, The Information reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 26 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's Twitter Inc laid off dozens of employees on Saturday in what is at least the eighth round of job cuts since Musk took over the social network in late October, the Information reported. In early November, Twitter laid off about 3,700 employees in a cost-cutting measure by Musk, who acquired the company for $44 billion. The Information reported that the latest job cuts aim to offset a plunge in revenue following Musk's takeover and further whittle down a staff that had shrunk by at least 70% to roughly 2,000. Musk in November said that the service was experiencing a "massive drop in revenue" as advertisers pulled spending amid concerns about content moderation. Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Twitter lays off at least 50 in relentless cost cuts- The Information
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

☆ Twitter reportedly lays off at least 50 in relentless cost cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Twitter logo is seen on the exterior of Twitter's headquarters in San Francisco, California, on October 28, 2022. Elon Musk's Twitter laid off dozens of employees on Saturday in what is at least the eighth round of job cuts since Musk took over the social network in late October, the Information reported. In early November, Twitter laid off about 3,700 employees in a cost-cutting measure by Musk, who acquired the company for $44 billion. The Information reported that the latest job cuts aim to offset a plunge in revenue following Musk's takeover and further whittle down a staff that had shrunk by at least 70% to roughly 2,000. Musk in November said that the service was experiencing a "massive drop in revenue" as advertisers pulled spending amid concerns about content moderation.

☆ Elon Musk is mulling over ways to whittle down some of his Twitter debt
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

And speaking of cold hard reality, the Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk is trying to raise fresh funds to pay off some of the pricier bits of his $13 billion Twitter loan. New fundraising to the tune of $3 billion could help Musk repay the obligations he took on in his Twitter takeover. For every quarter that goes by without refinancing, the interest rate goes up by an additional 0.50 percentage point, regulatory filings show. That said, if Twitter can pay back those unsecured bridge loans, meeting its debt obligations would be much more manageable. What are some ways you think Elon Musk could boost revenue at Twitter?

[1/5] The Apple Inc logo is seen at the entrance to the Apple store in Brussels, Belgium November 28, 2022. Each of America's five largest tech companies, though, are expected to report a fall in profits for the October-December period, as they try to recalibrate in a high-interest environment. Facebook-owner Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) and Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) are expected to report the biggest declines. Big tech companies are expected to be among the biggest drags to S&P 500's eleven sectors, with the information technology sector projected to report an earnings decline of 9.5%, according to FactSet data. Analysts expect the company to report a 2.4% rise in revenue, the slowest pace in about 24 quarters.

☆ Alcoa Appoints New CFO Amid Executive Reshuffle
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | Colin Kellaher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Alcoa Corp. named a new finance chief amid a wider executive reshuffle as the aluminum producer faces soaring energy costs and volatile prices. Ms. Beerman succeeds current CFO William Oplinger, who will become chief operations officer next month after about six years in the top finance role. In addition, two executive vice presidents—Chief Operations Officer John Slaven and Chief Innovation Officer Benjamin Kahrs —are leaving as part of the restructuring, Alcoa said. It will “ensure continued improvement and focus on Alcoa’s strategies to operate as a low-cost, margin-focused, sustainable producer,” Chief Executive Roy Harvey said in a statement. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CFO Journal The Morning Ledger provides daily news and insights on corporate finance from the CFO Journal team.

☆ Building emergency savings is a top financial resolution for 2023, survey finds. Here’s how to get started
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Jenkin, who co-wrote a book called "The 21-Day Budget Cleanse," recommends people take a detox-type approach to their household budgets. "Most people really haven't taken the time to see where they're overspending and size up what the difference is," Jenkin said. That's "troubling" now, as interest rates on those debts are poised to continue to climb, according to Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst at LendingTree. Look for higher rates on your cashAs interest rates climb, that's good news for the money you stand to earn on your cash. Online savings accounts and certificates of deposit, or CDs, are providing the highest interest rates in more than a decade.

☆ Qualcomm CFO Trims Operating Expenses as Industry Faces Down High Inventories
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Nina Trentmann | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Mr. Palkhiwala: Yes, it’s a combination of those instruments and also our cash balance on our balance sheet. WSJ: Are there any positive effects from higher rates on your business? Mr. Palkhiwala: When you have a significant cash balance, when the rate goes up, we also see the benefit on the cash balance side. If we do end up doing new issuances at higher rates, it might still put us in a reasonable place with increased income on the cash balance. WSJ: How do you think about working capital in the context of higher rates?

☆ Japan's consumer inflation hits fresh 40-year high, eyes on BOJ policy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Japan's core consumer price index (CPI), which excludes volatile fresh food but includes energy costs, rose 3.7% in November from a year earlier, data showed on Friday, matching market forecasts and perking up from a 3.6% gain in October. Reuters GraphicsAside from utility bills, prices rose for a broad range of goods from fried chicken, smartphones to air conditioners, in a sign of mounting inflationary pressure, the data showed. But an index stripping away such one-off factors may remain elevated and keep pressure on the BOJ to remain vigilant to the chance of a demand-driven rise in inflation. "We'll likely see a rush in price hikes next year that could be more intense than this year," as companies face rising labour and distribution costs, Teikoku Data Bank said. The CPI data will likely be among key factors the BOJ will scrutinise when it produces fresh quarterly inflation forecasts at a two-day policy meeting ending on Jan. 18.

☆ Japan’s consumer inflation hits fresh 40-year high
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Japan’s core consumer inflation hit a fresh four-decade high as companies continued to pass on rising costs to households, data showed, a sign price hikes were broadening and could keep the central bank under pressure to whittle down massive stimulus. Japan’s core consumer price index (CPI), which excludes volatile fresh food but includes energy costs, rose 3.7% in November from a year earlier, data showed Friday, matching market forecasts and perking up from a 3.6% gain in October. “We’ll likely see a rush in price hikes next year that could be more intense than this year,” as companies face rising labor and distribution costs, Teikoku Data Bank said. We can’t rule out the chance of a big overshoot in inflation,” one member was quoted as saying in the October minutes. The CPI data will likely be among key factors the BOJ will scrutinize when it produces fresh quarterly inflation forecasts at a two-day policy meeting ending on January 18.

☆ U.S. service sector activity picks up in November - ISM survey
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - U.S. services industry activity unexpectedly picked up in November, with employment rebounding, offering more evidence of underlying momentum in the economy as it braces for an anticipated recession next year. A reading above 50 indicates expansion in the services sector, which accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity. Manufacturing activity contracted in November for the first time in 2-1/2 years, the ISM reported last week. In November, the ISM's measure of services industry employment increased to 51.5 from 49.1 in October. The survey's measure of services industry supplier deliveries fell to 53.8 from 56.2 in October.

☆ U.S. services industry regains steam; factory orders accelerate
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Lucia Mutikani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Economists shrugged off a survey from S&P Global confirming its services PMI was stuck in contraction territory in November. Thirteen services industries including construction, healthcare and social assistance, retail trade as well as professional, scientific and technical services reported growth last month. But information, wholesale trade and management of companies and support services reported a decline. Factory ordersIn November, the ISM's measure of services industry employment increased to 51.5 from 49.1 in October. The survey's measure of services industry supplier deliveries fell to 53.8 from 56.2 in October.

The Game Awards 2022 will stream live on December 8 at 7:30 p.m. The Game Awards presentation will also include world premiere trailers and announcements from the industry's biggest publishers. The following games are up for the top prize at the 2022 Game Awards:How do you vote for the Game Awards? Voting for The Game Awards requires logging into The Game Awards website, though you can sign in with an existing Twitter, Twitch, or Google account to avoid making a new one. Player's Voice is a special bonus category at The Game Awards that's completely decided by fan voting.

☆ HBO is No. 1 as 14 TV insiders rank the streamers where they want to sell shows: Apple's a big spender and 'there's a sheen when you're a Hulu show,' but there's 'fear in the air' at Netflix
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Elaine Low | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

"It's definitely been not the most exciting and robust year," said one TV agent at a major agency. Around 70 people at HBO and HBO Max have been let go this year, and their comedy development teams have merged. While WBD doesn't break out streamer-specific figures, it said on Thursday's earnings call that HBO Max, HBO, and Discovery+ have a combined 94.9 million subscribers, ensuring that any show on HBO Max has the chance to get a lot of eyeballs. They'll also take smaller swings in the genre department, do things at a lower budget," said the second TV agent. Echoed the first TV agent: "You pitch and sell to them if no one else wants it."

☆ 14 TV insiders rank the streamers where they want to sell shows now as Apple TV+ closes in on HBO Max amid turmoil at Warner Bros. Discovery
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Elaine Low | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

☆ Logistics Companies Are Reversing Their Hiring Binge
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Liz Young | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

The hiring frenzy in logistics driven by pandemic-fueled shopping appears to be cooling off. “We got ahead of ourselves in terms of head count,” said Bob Biesterfeld, chief executive of C.H. Newsletter Sign-up The Logistics Report Top news and in-depth analysis on the world of logistics, from supply chain to transport and technology. Chief Executive Judy McReynolds said the company would now look to get “greater efficiency” from the people it already employs. “We aren’t really hiring other than filling vacancies and whatnot,” Chief Executive Greg Gantt said on an Oct. 26 earnings call.

☆ Fed delivers fourth 75 bp hike, signals scale-back coming
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

This statement clearly suggests input from Vice Chair Brainard and opens the door for the Fed to slow down the pace of future rate hikes. Monetary policy today is not sufficiently tight enough. We’ll know when the Fed is done tightening; they’ll tell us by simply saying that monetary policy is sufficiently restrictive. “The last thing we need to see regarding what the Fed will do in the short run is the election. If there’s a sense that fiscal policy will be more cooperative with monetary policy, it will make the Fed’s job easier.”Compiled by the Global Finance & Markets Breaking News teamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Goldman Sachs's CEO David Solomon concedes that some of his efforts to transform the powerhouse bank have not been paying off
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Business Insider | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon took major steps to restructure the Wall Street bank in 2020. This week he acknowledged that some of his bets, including consumer bank Marcus, are not paying off. Despite the move away from consumer banking, Solomon appears to want to continue to push into wealth management. In October, he said Goldman Sachs Asset Management has grown into the nation's fifth largest asset manager. "We also believe that reaching and serving employees in their workplace is a significant growth opportunity for Goldman Sachs," Solomon said on the third-quarter call.

☆ Japan considers steps to help with utility bill burden
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Leika Kihara | Takahiko Wada | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan will consider more steps to cushion the blow of rising electricity bills, a government spokesperson said on Thursday, underscoring the pressure it faces in addressing the burden on households of higher prices for imports from a weak yen. “We’ll scrutinise developments of electricity bills and consider whether further steps could be necessary,” he said. The government is expected to announce a package of measures to cushion rising inflation next month, which is likely to be funded by another supplementary budget. “If the government does take steps to curb utility bills, that will put some downward pressure on consumer inflation,” said Toru Suehiro, chief economist at Daiwa Securities. BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda has ruled out raising Japan’s ultra-low interest rates any time soon, arguing that core consumer inflation would ease back below 2% next fiscal year when cost-push factors dissipate.

☆ I kept my money in a standard savings account for an embarrassingly long time, but switching to high-yield took just 10 minutes and I'm so happy I did
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Sarah Sharkey | Read More | Read Less | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

I put off switching my money into a high-yield savings account, but when I finally did it took 10 minutes. The Capital One 360 Performance Savings Account checked all of the boxes I was looking for with a high-yield savings account. Pros Check mark icon A check mark. No monthly service fee Check mark icon A check mark. Easy to save for various goals Check mark icon A check mark.

Search resuls for: "Whittle"

25 mentions found