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MIAMI, Feb 2 (Reuters) - The mood at the annual 'Miami hedge fund week' gatherings this week was as bright as the winter sunshine, with one notable dark cloud on the 2023 horizon: U.S. stocks. But right now in the hedge fund and alternative market investor community, reluctance to get sucked in is trumping fear of missing out. And there is no shortage of reasons why - inflation, weak earnings, squeezed margins, recession, 'higher for longer' interest rates. Despite massive Fed tightening and the prospect of liquidity drying up significantly this year, investors see opportunities out there. This suggests equity investors are betting heavily on the Fed successfully engineering a 'soft landing' - possible, but far from certain.

☆ McDonald’s Ruling Shifts Oversight Liability Focus to Corporate Officers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Dylan Tokar | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +9 min

Photo: McDonald’sThe ruling by Vice Chancellor Laster focuses on the claims against Mr. Fairhurst specifically. At the time of his termination, Mr. Fairhurst had been the subject of multiple reports of sexual harassment during his tenure, according to the Delaware ruling. Emerging oversight liabilityThe legal doctrine driving the McDonald’s shareholder lawsuit extends back to a 1996 Delaware Court of Chancery decision. The ultimate impact of Judge Laster’s ruling vis-à-vis McDonald’s shareholders is as of yet unclear. If the judge approves the McDonald’s directors’ motion to dismiss, the claims against Mr. Fairhurst would be moot.

NEW YORK, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried is in talks with U.S. prosecutors to resolve a dispute over the FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder's bail conditions, his lawyer said on Thursday. Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty and is under house arrest at his parents' California home. Once worth an estimated $26 billion, Bankman-Fried was arrested in December after FTX collapsed. Bankman-Fried has acknowledged risk management failures, but said FTX collapsed because of a liquidity crunch and that he did not steal funds. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kind Snacks founder Daniel Lubetzky made a $220 million mistake—it turned his startup into a $5 billion company
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Today, Kind is a big name in the snacks industry, reportedly valued at $5 billion when it was acquired by food giant Mars in 2020. There was just a single catch: The deal called for Lubetzky to sell the company within five years. Lubetzky had to assemble $220 million for the deal, a mix of company cash and millions of dollars in bank loans. CNBC Make It: What were you thinking as the deadline to sell Kind approached? I am still a meaningful stakeholder in Kind today, and I still guide them.

☆ People who posted Sam Bankman-Fried's bail should be named, U.S. judge rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | Industry Insight | Upcoming Sec Climate Disclosure Rules Bring Urgency To Esg Data Strategy Planning | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan ruled in favor of several media outlets including Reuters that sought the names. The judge said that while the public had only a "weak" right to know who Bankman-Fried's guarantors were, it outweighed Bankman-Fried's arguments for confidentiality, including that the guarantors' safety could be imperiled. Kaplan disagreed, noting that long before bail was posted, the parents had faced "intense public scrutiny" over their relationship with their son, who was once worth an estimated $26 billion. They said there was less "stigma" from being associated with Bankman-Fried than from being associated with the late sex offender. Other media seeking to identify Bankman-Fried's guarantors included the Associated Press, Bloomberg, CNBC, CoinDesk, Dow Jones, the Financial Times, Insider, the New York Times and the Washington Post.

☆ U.S. says FTX founder Bankman-Fried needs limits on communications, asset access
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

They argued those assets were "vulnerable to exploitation and in need of protection from the defendant." Mark Cohen and Christian Everdell, who represent Bankman-Fried, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In Monday's letter, prosecutors called the message an effort to "improperly influence" the general counsel, no matter how benign it might seem. Bankman-Fried's lawyers have said their client was trying simply to provide assistance to the general counsel, and has not been not using the auto-delete feature. They also proposed that Bankman-Fried not be allowed to talk with select colleagues, including former Alameda chief Caroline Ellison, former FTX technology chief Zixiao "Gary" Wang and former FTX engineering chief Nishad Singh.

☆ Cowen says buy Regeneron, success of drugs could help pharmaceutical stock
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Regeneron 's stock could get a boost as one of its major drugs gains a competitive edge and another continues dominating, according to Cowen. Analyst Tyler Van Buren on Monday upgraded the pharmaceutical stock to outperform from market perform. Van Buren said Eylea has an "incremental improvement" over competing drug Vabysmo after previously being considered equal. "The HD Eylea data has altered the trajectory of Regeneron," Van Buren said in a note to clients. Van Buren said Regeneron's cancer portfolio continues to post little to no value, but there's potential opportunity in Odronextamab and Fianlimab specifically.

☆ 'Shark Tank'-winning CEO who started in a garage with $2,000 got a $250,000 offer from Cuban, Greiner
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Those details helped Lady land a $250,000 investment offer from Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner , a lucrative deal that took some effort to assemble. The second-generation Honduran-American launched her Concord, New Hampshire-based startup FryAway out of her garage with $2,000 in 2021. Greiner, Cuban celebrate after landing a $250,000 deal with Lady for a split 22% of FryAway. John echoed Greiner and Cuban, also calling Lady a "dream entrepreneur." "[Cuban and Greiner] are a power team, and I think the three us of are going to be absolutely unstoppable."

☆ SBF's lawyer asked the judge to let the disgraced FTX founder access the company's assets and crypto
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An attorney for Sam Bankman-Fried asked a federal judge to allow him access to FTX crypto. Bankman-Fried resigned as FTX CEO in November 2022 after the company filed for bankruptcy. On Saturday, an attorney for Bankman-Fried asked a federal judge to lift the financial restrictions on his client, according to court documents viewed by Insider. "The Government admitted to the Court that it had no evidence that Mr. Bankman-Fried was responsible, and Mr. Bankman-Fried has repeatedly denied any involvement in the transfers," Cohen wrote in the letter. SBF's attorney also proposed that he should have unlimited contact with his father, therapist, and any foreign regulator who contacts him.

☆ Campbell Soup Names New CFO as It Looks to Continue Strong Growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Jennifer Williams-Alvarez | Kathryn Hardison | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Campbell Soup Co. appointed its next finance chief as the soup and snack maker looks to build on its recent growth. The Camden, N.J.-based company on Wednesday said Carrie Anderson will become chief financial officer, effective Feb. 6. Carrie Anderson, incoming CFO at Campbell Soup Co. Photo: Campbell Soup Co.Ms. Anderson is set to join Campbell from medical technology company Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corp. , where she has been CFO since June 2019. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CFO Journal The Morning Ledger provides daily news and insights on corporate finance from the CFO Journal team. Campbell’s brands include its namesake soup, Prego sauces, Pepperidge Farm snacks and breads, and Cape Cod potato chips.

☆ Rogers' bid for Shaw boosted after court rejects antitrust effort to block deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Maiya Keidan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TORONTO, Jan 24 (Reuters) - A Canadian court on Tuesday dismissed the competition bureau's effort to overturn an approval of Rogers Communications Inc's (RCIb.TO) C$20 billion ($14.9 billion) bid to buy Shaw Communications Inc (SJRb.TO). Rogers and Shaw shares extended gains on the decision, and both closed about 3% higher, while the benchmark Canadian share index (.GSPTSE) was flat. The Federal Court of Appeal in Ottawa swiftly dismissed the antitrust regulator's appeal to overturn a Dec. 30 decision by the Competition Tribunal to approve the deal. Justice David Stratas told the court that many of the points of law the antitrust agency had raised were "without merit." Shaw, Rogers and Quebecor said in a joint statement on Tuesday that "we welcome this clear, unequivocal, and unanimous decision by the Federal Court of Appeal."

☆ Pharma CEOs say Mark Cuban's effort to upend the drug industry is 'a really great idea' but will be difficult to pull off
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | Andrew Dunn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Biopharma CEOs say his company Cost Plus Drugs could remove costs from the distribution system. Cuban told Insider in an email that he believed the company's pricing transparency was "an absolute positive for patients." The company started its pharmacy services last year and quickly racked up over 1 million accounts, Cuban told Insider recently. Cost Plus Drugs is focused on bringing down the price of generic medications, which no longer have patent protections but can still be expensive. Cuban told Insider that EQRx was in a "different business" than what he's attempting to build out.

☆ Billionaire Mark Cuban invested in digital-health's go-to pharmacy even though it struggled to keep up with orders from his drug-pricing company
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Blake Dodge | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mark Cuban has invested in the online pharmacy Truepill, he confirmed to Insider. It works with Cuban's other healthcare bet Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co.Mark Cuban's interest in breaking into the healthcare industry is heating up. In November, he backed the online pharmacy Truepill through its funding round, Cuban confirmed to Insider in an email. He's played an active role in his drug-pricing startup, which launched as the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. in 2021. When asked about the delays, Cuban said Cost Plus Drugs' volume exceeded both companies' expectations.

☆ Rogers' bid for Shaw gets boost after court rejects antitrust effort to block deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Maiya Keidan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TORONTO, Jan 24 (Reuters) - A Canadian court on Tuesday dismissed the competition bureau's effort to block Rogers Communications Inc's (RCIb.TO) C$20 billion ($14.9 billion) bid to buy Shaw Communications Inc (SJRb.TO), in a boost to the companies' efforts to close a deal struck nearly two years ago. Shaw and Rogers intend to finalize the deal by Jan. 31, though the deadline can be extended in agreement with Quebecor. Judges spent the morning grilling competition bureau counsel on their case against the transaction and delivered their verdict in the afternoon without hearing from Rogers and Shaw. The bureau previously failed to convince the competition tribunal, a quasi-court that handles merger disputes, that the deal is harmful for Canadian consumers. Canada's Competition bureau, Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

☆ Canada judge calls into question regulator's argument to block Rogers-Shaw deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Maiya Keidan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

TORONTO, Jan 24 (Reuters) - A Canada federal judge called into question the competition bureau's argument to block Rogers Communications Inc's (RCIb.TO) C$20 billion ($14.9 billion) bid for Shaw Communications Inc (SJRb.TO) as the court hearing kicked off on Tuesday. But the bureau failed to convince the competition tribunal, a quasi court that handles merger disputes, that the deal is harmful for Canadian consumers. "According to the tribunal, this was not a particularly close case," the judge told the court on Tuesday. "I think the appeal is going to be dismissed," said Michael Osborne, a competition lawyer at law firm Cozen O'Connor. A spokesperson for the competition bureau declined to comment while the matter was before the court.

☆ Amazon launches a subscription prescription drug service
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon is adding a prescription drug discount program to its growing health care business. The retail giant said Tuesday that it will launch RxPass, a subscription service for customers who have Prime memberships. Amazon Prime members can now receive all of their eligible generic medications for just $5 a month and have them delivered free to their door. Last year, the company shuttered its hybrid virtual, in-home care service called Amazon Care after it failed to get traction from employers. And Haven, a company Amazon created in collaboration with JPMorgan and Berkshire Hathaway to improve health costs, dissolved a year earlier than that.

☆ Fact Check-Video showing Tamil celebration in Waterloo, Canada, does not involve UK government officials and staff
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It does not involve officials or staff from Britain’s defence ministry or the UK Prime Minister’s office. Rather, the video shows a celebration among officials in the Canadian province of Ontario. The earliest version of the clip Reuters found was in a Facebook group named Tamil Culture Waterloo Region. The caption says it shows a Tamil Thai Pongal celebration involving “region of Waterloo politicians, regional chair city mayors, councilors and police chief and staff” (here). The video shows celebrations taking place in the Canadian city of Waterloo, with no British government officials or staff attending.

☆ Chewy's push into pet telehealth runs into regulatory hurdles, skeptical veterinarians
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Longtime veterinarians told CNBC the service can have some benefit for minor situations, or for people who don't have easy access to vet care. Because when you research pet health, you'll find that there's a specific term called VCPR," Singh said. Banfield Pet Hospital is owned by Mars Veterinary Health, a subsidiary of pet food and candy conglomerate Mars. "If you notice, there has been little to no innovation in pet health over the last decade, and yet in the last three years, there's been more innovation in pet health than in the last decade or 20 years," Singh said. Michael Nagle | Getty ImagesChewy said the program was created to make vet care more affordable and accessible to everyone.

☆ Ken Griffin has built two of Wall Street's most powerful firms. His next target could be influencing politics.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ken Griffin, the founder and CEO of Citadel. It's good to be Ken Griffin. Plenty of people find success on Wall Street that most can only dream of. But Ken Griffin seems to be winning in ways that even his peers can't fathom. Click here to read more about Ken Griffin rise to the top of Wall Street and what could be next for the billionaire.

☆ Retail CEO crisis: why the industry's top job is suddenly the hardest to fill
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Matthew Kish | Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

It's the surest sign yet of a crisis facing the retail industry. Supply chains got snarled, shoppers stopped visiting stores, and stimulus payments spiked demand, each making it difficult to measure how business was doing. Then stimulus payments sent demand for everything from sneakers to home goods spiking while supply chains snarled. And just when supply chains started to sort themselves out, inflation hit, and shoppers started to scale back spending. Retail CEOs need 'peripheral vision'Workers at Starbucks stores and Amazon warehouses across the country have pushed to unionize, with many calling out the pay disparity between front-line workers and top executives.

☆ Leopard tanks are the 'right' weapon to send Ukraine, but don't expect a 'silver bullet,' military expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

European countries are continuing to press Germany to green light Leopard tanks to Ukraine. One military expert told Insider that these German-made weapons are the "right tank" to send. One military expert said the much-sought-after tanks are the "right" tanks to send to Ukraine at this moment and would be "militarily useful" depending on how many are sent, but don't expect them to be a "silver bullet." Germany has been reluctant to send its Leopards or permit other countries that operate the German-made armor to send tanks to Ukraine, and some countries are growing impatient. The foreign minister said on Monday that while Warsaw will seek Germany's permission, his country will "certainly" send the formidable Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

☆ Ukraine's battlefields look like World War I but with a new and terrifying addition that leaves troops with almost nowhere to hide
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The conflict in Ukraine has emerged as the first major war involving drone use on both sides. By the late 1990s, Predator drones were being used by the US and NATO for reconnaissance missions in the Kosovo War. Ukraine has in many ways emerged as a guinea pig for drone warfare. Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesLater in the war, Russia began launching swarms of Iranian-made Shahed-136 "kamikaze" drones, striking targets across Ukraine. Drones have significantly shortened the so-called kill chain, Cancian explained, helping troops swiftly locate targets and provide coordinates for artillery.

☆ Mark Cuban used this grocery store hack to get cheap food when he was broke
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Mark Cuban might be a billionaire now but, before he became a successful entrepreneur, Cuban had to pinch pennies. Cuban, who lived in a three-bedroom apartment with six roommates at the time, didn't just look for deals on food, though. Cuban had "credit cards cut up" and "bill collectors" on his trail, he told Maher. Other 20-somethings wouldn't likely be able to copy his roadside strategy, he told Maher. It was all about going for it," Cuban told The Dallas Morning News in a 2011 interview.

☆ A crypto exchange allegedly processed over $700 million worth of illicit funds before the Department of Justice shut it down
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Cheyenne Devon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. Department of Justice and French authorities shut down an alleged money laundering destination for crypto criminals on Thursday. The Justice Department says Bitzlato promoted itself to criminals as a "no-questions-asked cryptocurrency exchange," which resulted in reaping hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of deposits. Bitzlato's largest trading partner in cryptocurrency transactions was Hydra Market, an anonymous, online marketplace for illegal goods such as narcotics, stolen financial information and money laundering services, according to the Justice Department. Hydra Market users exchanged more than $700 million in cryptocurrency with Bitzlato, either directly or through intermediaries, until Hydra Market was shuttered by U.S. and German law enforcement in April 2022, the DOJ reports. Crypto criminals relied heavily on Bitzlato for money laundering services, according to Chainalysis.

The lawyers, Mark Cohen and Christian Everdell, did not specify when the incident took place, describing it only as recent. The news organizations argued last week that the right of the public to know the two sureties' identities outweighed their privacy and safety rights. Bankman-Fried's lawyers said the media groups "assign far too much weight to the presumption of access" and ignored the safety of the guarantors. Prosecutors took no position on whether to disclose the sureties' identities or not, Bankman-Fried's lawyers wrote in the filing. Prosecutors interviewed and approved the two individuals on Jan. 4, Cohen and Everdell wrote.

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