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☆ Virgin Galactic defies gravity
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, June 16 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The Virgin Galactic (SPCE.N) countdown has begun. Richard Branson’s space tourism company said on Thursday it plans to launch its first commercial flight within days. Virgin Galactic also depends on there being enough people willing to pay $450,000 for a few minutes in weightlessness. If Virgin Galactic could carry six passengers a week, and earn a 20% EBITDA margin, it would someday generate about $30 million of such earnings. For a company that has so badly missed previous projections, it’s Virgin Galactic’s valuation that is out of this world.

Persons: Richard, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Robert Cyran, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Streisand Neto Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Virgin, Galactic, Origin, SpaceX, Southwest Airlines, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Cava

☆ Cava IPO comes in a little too hot
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The company’s IPO raised $318 million, about $30 million more than it had expected a few days earlier, to fuel its expansion. And just in time for the afternoon lunch rush, its shares opened on the New York Stock Exchange at nearly double its IPO price. That implies Cava’s valuation is close to $5 billion, over twice the amount private investors ascribed it in 2021. Cava is a lot like Sweetgreen – neither are profitable, and both have a similar number of stores. But Cava now trades at more than five times its theoretical annualized sales based on the first quarter, much higher than the 1.4 times Sweetgreen commands.

Persons: Cava, copycats, Anita Ramaswamy, John Foley, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: YORK, Reuters, New York Stock Exchange, Twitter, Corporate, Thomson Locations: Crunchbase, Cava

☆ Generali’s pounce may win over in-house sceptics
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The 29 billion euro Italian insurer on Thursday agreed to purchase Liberty Seguros, a group of European businesses, from U.S. insurer Liberty Mutual for 2.3 billion euros in cash. The Italian insurer’s largest acquisition since 2013 nearly exhausts its M&A firepower, which the group had assessed at between 2.5 billion euros and 3 billion euros. At 2.3 billion euros, or nearly two times its 1.2 billion euros of annual revenue, Liberty Seguros’ price tag does not look cheap. But the real price falls to 1.8 billion euros after factoring in around 500 million euros of cash expected from a sale of Brazilian assets announced earlier this year. Assuming three-quarters of these are cost cuts, they may be worth around 800 million euros once taxed at 25% and capitalised.

Persons: Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone, Philippe Donnet, Generali, Lisa Jucca, Pierre Briancon, Oliver Taslic Organizations: MILAN, Reuters, Liberty, Liberty Mutual, Axa, Allianz, Twitter, Thomson Locations: U.S, Italian, Iberia, Spain, Portugal, Europe, Cava

☆ Corporate boycotts clash with political reality
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 15 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Republicans are firing from the hip when it comes to corporate boycotts. Conservative Americans’ changing beer habits may have contributed to Bud Light being pulled from its spot as the number one beer in the United States for the first time in more than two decades. In May, Bud Light sales dropped a quarter compared to the same month last year, consulting companies Bump Williams and NielsenIQ said Wednesday. As conservatives encourage consumption based on political views, they may in some cases pull cash from their own pockets. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Bud Light, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ted Cruz, Marsha Blackburn of, Busch, influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Bud, Bump Williams, NielsenIQ, Ben Winck, Lauren Silva Laughlin, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Conservative, Republican, Anheuser, Bud Light, Democratic, Constellation Brands, Target, Twitter, Thomson Locations: United States, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Ted Cruz of Texas, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee

☆ Oil servicers sweeten the pill
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, June 15 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The approach of peak oil demand is bad for oil producers, but it’s worse for companies that help dig and service new wells. A $5 billion merger between Patterson-UTI Energy (PTEN.O) and NexTier Oilfield Solutions (NEX.N), two small oil field services firms, offers a way out. Big oil producers are already focusing on returning cash to investors as they face up to the inevitable. The International Energy Agency said on Wednesday that global demand growth is set to nearly halt by 2028, as the use of oil in transport falls from 2026. That trend is one reason Patterson-UTI and NexTier have both delivered negative total shareholder returns since 2018.

Persons: Patterson, Robert Cyran, John Foley, Streisand Neto Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Patterson, UTI Energy, International Energy Agency, Twitter, Thomson Locations: India

Hedge funds and other money managers purchased the equivalent of 28 million barrels in the six most important petroleum futures and options contracts over the seven days ending on June 6. Funds bought Brent (+22 million barrels), U.S. diesel (+7 million) and European gas oil (+4 million) but sold NYMEX and ICE WTI (-2 million) and U.S. gasoline (-3 million). Portfolio investors are especially bearish about crude, with a net position of 269 million barrels (7th percentile) and a long-short ratio of 2.39:1 (14th percentile). The hedge fund community has become especially bearish about the outlook for European gas oil given indications the region is already in recession. Funds were net short by 12 million barrels (3rd percentile) with a long-short ratio of 0.73:1 (2nd percentile).

Persons: Saudi Arabia’s, WTI, ”, John Kemp, Alexander Smith Organizations: Investors, Funds, U.S ., ICE, Bloomberg, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Saudi, China, U.S, Riyadh, OPEC, Freeport

☆ UBS’s $10 bln state guarantee is a useful fantasy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Liam Proud | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, June 7 (Reuters Breakingviews) - UBS (UBSG.S) and the Swiss government have negotiated a state backstop that neither side wants to use. The scheme, designed to sweeten the Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) rescue, would see the government cover $10 billion of losses on former Credit Suisse assets after UBS swallows the first $6 billion. One option could be for the state to guarantee only a limited subset of former Credit Suisse assets – just the ones that UBS plans to get rid of, for example, like fixed-income derivatives. The government could also insist on dividend or buyback restrictions if the Swiss bank ever taps the scheme. The guarantee would only kick in after UBS has swallowed 5 billion Swiss francs ($6 billion) of losses.

Persons: Sergio Ermotti, Karin Keller, Sutter, Ermotti, that’s, ”, Neil Unmack, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, UBS, Swiss, bank’s, Credit Suisse, Switzerland’s Social, –, RBC, AG, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Thomson Locations: Swiss

In the physical oil market, where any short-term production cut should have the greatest and most immediate impact, the calendar spreads between nearby months strengthened only slightly. The unilateral Saudi cut, described by the country’s oil minister as a “lollipop”, is for a month, but could be extended. Chartbook: Brent prices and spreadsSTEMMING THE SLIDEThere is evident frustration among OPEC⁺ officials about the continued slide in prices despite three rounds of cuts announced since October 2022. U.S. oil production has continued to rise in a delayed response to last year’s very high prices, which has also kept the market well-supplied. But OPEC⁺ cuts have not (yet) been enough to lift prices and spreads rather than arresting their fall.

Persons: Brent, OPEC ⁺, ”, John Kemp, Barbara Lewis Organizations: OPEC, European Union, Global, OPEC ⁺, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Saudi Arabia, China, Saudi, North America, Europe

Riyadh goes it alone on oil cutsCrude oil and natural gas rebounded this morning after Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest exporter, announced a million-barrel-per-day production cut at this weekend’s OPEC Plus summit in an effort to boost sagging energy prices. But the negotiations that led to the move — and a more complicated adjustment of the cartel’s production quotas — hint at the tensions between many of the world’s top crude-producing countries, with global oil prices in the balance. The United Arab Emirates saw its production quota grow, after years of lobbying for such a move, while other countries had their targets reduced. The arrangement that emerged on Sunday was a Riyadh-led compromise, which Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, the Saudi oil minister, called “a Saudi lollipop” that is meant to sweeten prices for oil traders. Though the cut is meant only for July, it could be extended.

Persons: Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Organizations: United, United Arab Emirates Locations: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, OPEC, United Arab, Saudi

☆ Michael Jordan's Chicago mansion has been on the market for 10 years. See inside — and why he can't sell it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Cork Gaines | Rachel Askinasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Michael Jordan's Chicago-area mansion is still on the market after 10 years. He's cut the price nearly in half and tried various ways to sweeten the deal — like Air Jordans. The house was recently back in the news when an 18-year-old and a juvenile were arrested and accused of trespassing and causing damage to Jordan's abandoned mansion. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. Jordan has tried to sweeten the pot by cutting the price nearly in half and throwing in a complete set of Air Jordans with the purchase of the house.

Persons: Michael Jordan's, He's, Jordan, Tony Manfred Organizations: Service Locations: Michael Jordan's Chicago, Wall, Silicon

☆ Take a tour of Michael Jordan's Chicago mansion that's been on the market for 10 years and see why he can't sell it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Cork Gaines | Rachel Askinasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Michael Jordan's enormous house in the Chicago suburbs is still on the market after 10 years. He's cut the price nearly in half and tried various ways to sweeten the deal — like Air Jordans. The house was recently back in the news when an 18-year-old and a juvenile were arrested and accused of trespassing and causing damage. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyMichael Jordan's enormous house in Chicago is still on the market after 10 years. Jordan has tried to sweeten the pot by cutting the price nearly in half and throwing in a complete set of Air Jordans with the purchase of the house.

Barrick has been building its copper business organically and said it is exploring copper drilling opportunities in countries such as Chile and Argentina. "We have always said that if you want to be relevant as a gold miner you have to be in copper business," Bristow added. Gold is often a byproduct of copper, a critical metal required for electrification and the transition to a greener economy. Teck last month withdrew its plan to split its coal and metals business after it failed to secure shareholders' approval. Bristow said Glencore's proposal made a "lot of sense" as Glencore could handle Teck's debt and had offered a clean split of Teck's business.

☆ Online banks sweeten CD rates as institutions compete for deposits
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Darla Mercado | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Online banks are boosting rates on savings accounts and certificates of deposits as fear of deposit flight plagues regional institutions. Bread offers an annual percentage yield (APY) of 5.2% on a one-year CD and 4.65% APY on savings accounts. Capital One has an APY of 3.75% on its savings account, and it pays 4.15% APY for a one-year online CD. Other online institutions paying attractive rates on one-year CDs include Synchrony Financial, which pays 4.75% APY, and Ally Bank, which offers a 4.5% APY. Analysts expect higher rates from online banks to spur other institutions to raise their deposit betas – that is, the amount by which rates paid to customers increases following a boost in the fed funds rate.

☆ Crypto’s Cure for a Shrinking Customer Base: Buy Government Bonds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Vicky Ge Huang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Illustration: Mallory BranganCryptocurrency firms are leaning on traditional financial products to attract customers to the flagging market. More decentralized finance companies have bought up Treasurys to sweeten yields on their blockchain-based financial services.

☆ Work, Love, Dignity and Play: 10 Key Harry Belafonte Songs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Jon Pareles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Music was the springboard for Harry Belafonte’s lifework: a career that leveraged cultural recognition toward political goals, and that recognized artistic achievements as both pleasures in themselves and symbols to wield. But Belafonte arrived with a voice that could be a tender pop croon or a bluesy near-shout. Like many folk revivalists, Belafonte dug into the folk song archives at the Library of Congress, and he chose songs with full awareness of their historical implications and heritage. He was pointed in his selections, insisting on the dignity of the African diaspora. He sang work songs, love songs, spirituals, blues, calypsos and, as early as the 1960s, African music.

☆ First Republic handed out billions in ultra-low-rate mortgages to the wealthy. It backfired horribly.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Matt Turner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The bank won wealthy clients with the offer of jumbo mortgage loans that required no principal payments for a decade. First Republic first moved into focus back in the March banking crisis that claimed Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and Silvergate. Like SVB and Signature, a large percentage of First Republic deposits were not insured by the FDIC, making it especially susceptible to deposit flight. Wealthy clients can easily move their deposits away from First Republic while keeping their mortgage with the firm, which creates a liquidity challenge. First Republic is now backtracking from this strategy, saying it will focus on writing loans that are guaranteed by Fannie and Freddie.

☆ Here’s why the U.S. had to sweeten terms to get the SVB sale done
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Hugh Son | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

First Citizens BancShares is acquiring $72 billion in SVB assets at a discount of $16.5 billion, or 23%, according to a Sunday release from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. But even after the deal closes, the FDIC remains on the hook to dispose of the majority of remaining SVB assets, about $90 billion, which are being kept in receivership. All told, the SVB failure will cost the FDIC's Deposit Insurance Fund about $20 billion, the agency said. The deal terms may be explained by tepid interest in SVB assets, according to Mark Williams, a former Federal Reserve examiner who lectures on finance at Boston University. The ongoing sales process for First Republic may have cooled interest in SVB assets, according to a person with knowledge of the process.

Its offshore debt restructuring, the country's biggest such exercise, is aimed at saving it from a disorderly collapse. The developer has $22.7 billion of offshore debt, all of which is deemed to be in default. A dollar bondholder, who was not authorised to speak to media, likened the debt restructuring plan to lending a bucket of rice to someone and being repaid with two grains a year. Evergrande said on Wednesday that additional financing of 250 billion yuan ($36.65 billion) to 300 billion yuan would be required as it resumes operations over the next three years. If Evergrande fails to push ahead with restructuring plan, the developer may have to face liquidation proceedings filed by an investor in one of its units in a Hong Kong court.

☆ Who will step up to buy SVB? The white knight might be a bank outside Wall Street.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( Hayley Cuccinello | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

SVB Bank, which catered to startups and tech founders, imploded in three days after a run on the bank. SVB Financial is reportedly looking to find a buyer by Monday. The implosion of Silicon Valley Bank means a working weekend for some bankers. SVB Financial Group is on the hunt for a buyer after regulators closed its Silicon Valley Banking business, according to Bloomberg. Though SVB's bond losses are taking up the headlines, its parent company SVB Financial has two business segments that are enticing.

☆ Retail worker quits are on the rise again even as workers in other industries increasingly try to hold onto their jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

US workers are quitting their jobs less frequently than last year, but retail quits are trending up. The increase is surprising in part because major retailers are spending big money to keep workers. More quits are likely to further escalate a "labor hoarding" war among brands like Walmart, Home Depot, and Kroger. Long known for having some of the lowest wages around, retail workers collectively have seen their pay increase more since 2019 than almost any other group. With nearly two job openings per unemployed worker, rising quits in retail are likely to further escalate the ongoing labor hoarding war among major employers.

☆ Erythritol, an ingredient in stevia, linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —A sugar replacement called erythritol — used to add bulk or sweeten stevia, monkfruit and keto reduced-sugar products — has been linked to blood clotting, stroke, heart attack and death, according to a study. “If your blood level of erythritol was in the top 25% compared to the bottom 25%, there was about a two-fold higher risk for heart attack and stroke,” Hazen said. Clots can break off and travel to the heart, triggering a heart attack, or to the brain, triggering a stroke. “There appears to be a clotting risk from using erythritol,” Freeman said. In all three populations, researchers found that higher levels of erythritol were connected to a greater risk of heart attack, stroke or death within three years.

Persons: ”, Stanley Hazen, ” Hazen, “, erythritol, Andrew Freeman, ” Freeman, Robert Rankin, ” Rankin, Hazen, “ It’s, Erythritol, Hazen’s, Oliver Jones, ” Jones, You’ll, Health’s Freeman Organizations: CNN, Center for Cardiovascular Diagnostics, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, People, Nature, Jewish Health, European Association of Polyol, Cleveland Clinic’s Center, Human, RMIT University, National Health, European Food Safety Authority, Food and Drug Administration Locations: Denver, United States, Europe, erythritol, Australia

☆ Bidding wars no more: Regular people have a better shot at scoring a home as investors flee once-hot cities from Phoenix to Atlanta
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Aj Latrace | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But investors have backed off, especially in formerly hot areas like Phoenix, Redfin found. The significant drop in investor purchases means less competition for regular homebuyers. Investors purchased approximately $31 billion worth of properties — equivalent to 48,445 homes —nationwide in the last three months of 2022. They include Las Vegas, Phoenix, the New York City suburb of Nassau County, Atlanta, and Charlotte, all of which saw investor purchases fall over 60% year-over-year, the report said. But the drop in home prices and investor purchases last year could signal even more dire conditions in 2023, some analysts and experts predict.

You can earn Marriott points from paid stays, co-branded credit cards, or flexible points transfers. How to earn Marriott pointsEarn points from Marriott Bonvoy hotel staysThere are plenty of different ways to earn Marriott points, but let's start with the simplest: earning points on hotel stays. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Awards can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. 6X Marriott Bonvoy Points on purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy4X Marriott Bonvoy Points on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per year at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets2X Marriott Bonvoy Points on all other eligible purchases1,000 Marriott Bonvoy Bonus Points with each qualifying stayComplimentary Gold Elite statusA Free Night Award (redemption level at or under 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points) after making $15,000 in purchases per year.

There's a new reason to consider the Delta American Express cards — a 15% discount on award flights. The new "TakeOff 15" benefit is permanent, and applies to the personal and small-business versions of the Amex Delta Gold, Delta Platinum, and Delta Reserve cards. If you redeem Delta miles for Delta flights with any regularity, it might make sense to open a Delta card for this benefit. That's double the miles of the previous card bonus, which was 50,000 bonus miles and 10,000 MQMs after meeting minimum spending requirements. Review: Amex Business Delta Reserve card reviewDo you qualify for the Delta credit card bonuses?

Samsung's new flagship Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra phones get a processor boost. While the new Galaxy 23 series follows in the footsteps of last year's S22, the Galaxy S23 Ultra, S23+, and S23 received slight updates to their design. Samsung Galaxy S23 (128GB) The Galaxy S23 (2023) is the entry model in Samsung's flagship smartphone series. Samsung Galaxy S23+ (256GB) The Galaxy S23+ is a larger-screen version of the S23 (6.6 inches versus 6.1). Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (256GB) The Galaxy S23 Ultra (2023) is Samsung's most powerful smartphone to date.

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