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☆ Factbox: What's next after US judge rules in favor of Microsoft-Activision deal?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

With the first fight in federal court in California wrapped up, the agency and companies have decisions to make about what comes next. * Or the agency may choose to challenge Corley's ruling in a federal appeals court. An administrative law judge at the FTC is scheduled to hear arguments about the deal in August. The next stop after that would be a federal appeals court. * If the FTC wins, the companies can appeal to the commission to overturn the decision and, if needed, take the case to a federal appeals court.

Persons: Jacqueline Scott Corley, Corley's, Michael Chappell, Lina Khan, Chappell, Khan, Diane Bartz, Matthew Lewis, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Microsoft, Activision, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Meta, FTC, Thomson Locations: California, Illumina's, Washington

☆ Factbox: Potential outcomes of FTC legal bids to block Microsoft-Activision deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The first fight will be in federal court in California, beginning on June 22 and running until June 29. Here are four potential outcomes of the California hearing:* Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley may grant the preliminary injunction and the companies terminate. The FTC lost in federal court and dropped the internal FTC challenge. That can be appealed to a federal appeals court. The next stop after that would be a federal appeals court.

Persons: Jacqueline Scott Corley, Corley, Michael Chappell, Lina Khan, Chappell, Khan, Diane Bartz, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Microsoft, Activision, DirecTV, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Meta, Thomson Locations: California, Illumina's, Washington

☆ P&G volumes have been down and expect that to continue, says Truist's Chappell
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailP&G volumes have been down and expect that to continue, says Truist's ChappellBill Chappell, Truist Securities managing director, joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss if investors are paying enough attention to what's happening with the consumer, any signs of weakness from the consumer and why the company is in strong shape going into this cycle.

☆ TikTok is quietly moving in on record labels' territory and insiders say its ambitions could end up 'pissing off' music partners
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Its music ambitions could ruffle feathers at record labels and publishers — unless it pays out. TikTok's app regularly sparks trends that help songs go viral, making it a favorite of marketers at major labels and independents. TikTok works closely with record labels and artists on promotional efforts like livestreamed concerts, in-person performances, and private listening parties with TikTok stars. Spotify has maintained a tenuous relationship with the labels over the years as it's sought to balance profit margins while splitting revenue with artists, labels, and publishers. Still, even as record labels and publishers push TikTok to pay more to music rights holders, they're investing more in the app.

☆ It will be 'really tough' for trucking companies to stay in business if things don't pick up by Memorial Day, says an American trucking association
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Nidhi Pandurangi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Executives at trucking giant JB Hunt recently sounded the alarm about a freight recession. OOIDA, an American trucking association, is echoing the sentiment. Even industry gauges are signaling a slowdown: The American Trucking Association's for-hire contract truck tonnage index dropped by about 6% month-on-month to 95.8 in March, hitting the lowest level since August 2021. Higher inventory levels and overstocked warehouses are one of the key reasons truckers are facing a freight recession. Chappell, however, has a pragmatic outlook on the lingering effects of a freight recession on trucking companies: "Capacity will certainly leave the market, but trucking is cyclical."

☆ In California, Desperate College Students Compete for Spots in Trailer Park
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Christine Mai-Duc | Photographs Clara Mokri For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Laura Chappell lives with six other roommates in a house near the University of California, Santa Cruz that has termite damage, annual rat infestations, and gopher holes throughout the backyard. Two of the seven spaces they use as bedrooms are unheated and unpermitted. She pays $963 a month, nearly half of her take-home pay, for the smallest of them.

☆ California’s Housing Crisis Leaves College Students Eager to Live in Trailers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Christine Mai-Duc | Photographs Clara Mokri For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Retailers bought so much stuff during the pandemic that it's overburdening warehouses — and it may be causing a 'freight recession,' analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Nidhi Pandurangi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Executives at trucking giant JB Hunt recently sounded the alarm about a freight recession. Over-buying during the pandemic is depressing the demand for goods, which is impacting freight and transport. Executives at trucking giant JB Hunt sounded the alarm over a "freight recession" at a first-quarter conference call last week. A freight recession basically means there are fewer trucks delivering goods across America. Notably, the freight recession is not a US-only problem.

☆ Jamaica cool on Charles' coronation as it eyes break with monarchy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Kate Chappell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The process to sever ties with the British monarchy is underway, following in the footsteps of another former Caribbean possession, Barbados. Maziki Thame, a political scientist at the University of the West Indies, agreed the coronation was of little significance. It gained independence in 1962 but retained the British monarch as head of state and stayed in the Commonwealth. Breaking ties with the monarchy is essential for Jamaica, said Steven Golding, president of the UNIIA-ACL, a Black nationalist organization founded in Jamaica by activist Marcus Garvey. "I'd like to hear what Charles has to say about the subjects in the Isle of Jamaica," she said.

☆ How TikTok is trying to become the music industry's everything app, even if it risks 'pissing off' record labels
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

WASHINGTON, April 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Monday ordered Illumina (ILMN.O) to divest cancer diagnostic test maker Grail, finding that its ownership would stifle competition in the U.S. market for cancer tests. Illumina said it would appeal the decision, and will seek expedited consideration from an appeals court. The company said the FTC order to unwind the deal would be automatically put on hold. Meanwhile, Illumina completed the takeover of Grail in August 2021, despite the lack of regulatory approval from Europe or the United States. He has called for Illumina, now valued at $36 billion, to unwind its deal for Grail, which he called a risky acquisition that cost shareholders $50 billion.

☆ Jamaican court convicts gangster in landmark case
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KINGSTON, March 7 (Reuters) - Jamaica's Supreme Court convicted a well-known crime boss on Tuesday in a landmark trial, marking a win for the Caribbean island's recently reformed anti-gang laws. The ruling follows a series of judicial reforms aimed at reining in rampant gang violence. Dozens of other defendants are also on trial alongside Bryan, part of a 25-count indictment made up of charges including arson and murder. Five others have been released due to insufficient evidence since the trial began in 2021, while another suspect was killed. Recent judicial reforms allow judges to convict defendants based on a wider range of offenses, which could increase the length of prison sentences.

☆ Not enough data to support multiple annual COVID boosters, U.S. CDC advisers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Aditya Samal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A general view of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia September 30, 2014. The CDC advisers did not vote on new recommendations for how the COVID-19 shots should be administered on Friday. But ACIP advised showing flexibility in recommendations for those with compromised or weakened immune systems to allow more frequent doses for those most vulnerable to severe COVID. About 53.3 million people in the United States - around 16% of the U.S. population - have received a COVID-19 booster shot since updated versions of the vaccines were authorized in September. That compares with 230 million people, around 70% of the population, that received an initial two-dose series of the COVID vaccines.

☆ Jamaica PM will not face corruption charges, despite 'evidence'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 16 (Reuters) - Jamaica's anti-corruption agency said on Thursday that the prime minister will not face any charges after investigating a potential conflict of interest around government contracts awarded to a construction company between 2006 and 2009. The prime minister's office could not be reached for comment about the latest development that he had been cleared. Holness said yesterday that he "strongly disagree(d) with the findings of the Integrity Commission regarding conflict of interest based on mere associations." He previously presided over the Ministry of Education, which awarded 10 contracts totaling almost JMD$22m ($140,000) over a two-year period to Westcon. Reporting by Isabel Woodford in Mexico City and Kate Chappell in Kingston; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Household budgets are shredded: These stocks will benefit as consumers trade down to store brands
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Shoppers are largely creatures of habit, but after two years of rising prices, a broader shift to private label brands is underway. 'A tailwind' for private label That is good news for store brands, otherwise known as private label. Yet the biggest pure play on private label brands is Treehouse Foods , Chappell said. "That's where you're going to see them lean into store brands," said Mary Ellen Lynch, principal of IRI's center store solutions. Americans forced to trade down due to supply chain constraints found store brands they enjoyed, she said.

☆ Jamaica willing to take part in military intervention in Haiti, PM says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 22, 2022. REUTERS/David 'Dee' DelgadoKINGSTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Jamaica would be willing to take part in an international military deployment to Haiti, Prime Minister Andrew Holness told lawmakers on Tuesday, saying the Caribbean island country could also support its neighbor on electoral reforms. Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry has pleaded for foreign military support. The U.N. envoy to Haiti, Helen La Lime, has called for more urgency, saying the police cannot win without outside support. "Jamaica would be willing to participate in a multinational security assistance deployment to Haiti under the appropriate jurisdictional parameters to support a return to a reasonable level of stability and peace," Holness told lawmakers.

☆ Usain Bolt seeks missing $12.7 mln from Jamaica investment firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Kate Chappell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KINGSTON, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Olympic champion Usain Bolt is seeking to recover more than $12.7 million that disappeared from his account with a Jamaican investment firm and is willing to take the case to court if necessary, Bolt's attorney said. "We will be going to court with the matter" if the company does not return the funds, Gordon said. The Jamaica Constabulary Force said on Monday that its fraud and financial investigation teams were probing "alleged fraudulent activities at (SSL) which are said to have affected the accounts of Mr. Usain Bolt among other individuals." Bolt's account was intended to serve as a pension for the eight-time Olympic gold medalist sprinter and for his parents, Gordon said. Reporting by Kate Chappell in Kingston and Brian Ellsworth in Caracas Editing by Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Companies’ Capital Spending Forecast to Slow in 2023 Amid Recession Fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Kristin Broughton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

Companies are expected to tap the brakes on capital investments this year as they assess the risk of a downturn and contend with higher financing costs. Capital spending in 2021 rose by 9% compared with 2020, the first year of the pandemic, EY said. After two years of spending heavily, some companies want to take a pause to digest the investments they’ve made, advisers said. FedEx Corp. last month lowered its capital spending forecast for the current fiscal year by $400 million, to $5.9 billion. The remainder said they don’t finance their capital spending plans through borrowing, or their borrowing isn’t sensitive to changes in interest rates.

☆ Jamaica seizes $80 million worth of cocaine from cargo ship
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Kate Chappell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KINGSTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Jamaican authorities have seized an estimated $80 million worth of cocaine from a ship at the port of Kingston in one of the country's biggest-ever drug busts, authorities said. Jamaican officials discovered the shipment hidden inside a cargo ship from South America, the Jamaica Constabulary Force said in a statement late on Saturday, putting its estimated street value at $80 million. The search of the cargo ship yielded more than 1,500 kilograms (3,306 lbs) of cocaine, the police said. Neither the police nor the defense force named the ship found to be carrying the cocaine and no arrests have been made. In October, global police agency Interpol said Jamaican authorities had made a record bust of 500 kilograms of cocaine, worth around $25 million, slated to be shipped on a private jet to Canada.

☆ No 'substantive' settlement talks between U.S. FTC, Microsoft over Activision -lawyer
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FTC attorney James Weingarten, speaking in a brief telephonic pretrial hearing, said there were no "substantive" settlement discussions between the two sides under way. The case reflects the muscular approach to antitrust enforcement being taken by the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden. Michael Chappell, the FTC administrative law judge, will rule on the deal after hearings set for August 2023. Either side can then appeal to the same FTC commissioners who voted to bring the challenge, and then to a U.S. appeals court. The deal faces scrutiny in the European Union which is to decide by March 23 whether to clear or block the deal.

☆ They Wanted a Versatile One-Bedroom in Chicago for About $200,000. Which Option Did They Choose?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Carisa Crawford Chappell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

After their son was accepted into Columbia College in Chicago last year, Brian McCutcheon and Donna Sink started looking for ways to cut down on expenses and make everyone’s life easier. A campus housing policy had kept Angus McCutcheon, now 19, in a dorm as a freshman, but the couple hoped they could find him a new living arrangement for his sophomore year. Angus was excited to be able to choose his home and wanted to be close to campus, restaurants and shops. “I’m a fan of natural light.”The family connected with Daniel Eirinberg of eXp Realty, who agreed that Printers Row would be ideal. “You’ve got good train access and a bunch of great little cheap and delicious food choices that cater to the college students,” he said.

☆ Jamaica renews regional states of emergency due to gang violence
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Kate Chappell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Gilbert BellamyKINGSTON, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness renewed states of emergency in eight parishes on Wednesday to control an ongoing threat of crime linked to gang activity in the Caribbean nation. Holness on Nov. 15 had announced regional states of emergency, which allow authorities to search buildings and arrest citizens without a warrant. Police Commissioner Antony Anderson told the same press conference that Jamaica recorded an average of nearly five murders per day in September. The previous states of emergency, as well as new firearms legislation, have caused violent crime to decline, he said. There were 1,463 murders in Jamaica in 2021, with gang activity accounting for 71% of these, according to official data.

☆ FedEx cost cuts stanch losses, analysts see need for more
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shares in FedEx rose 4.7% to $172 at midday Wednesday, a level far below their 52-week high of $266.79. FedEx has been underperforming its unionized rival United Parcel Service (UPS.N), which is squeezing greater profit from its leaner, more streamlined operating structure. FedEx has outlined plans to integrate its disparate businesses, revive its long-troubled Europe operations and appease activist investor D.E. On Tuesday, FedEx issued a new 2023 profit forecast, signaling that it may be "finding the floor," Susquehanna analyst Bascome Majors said. Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; Editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UPS has managed this downturn better than FedEx, says Evercore ISI's Jonathan Chappell
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailUPS has managed this downturn better than FedEx, says Evercore ISI's Jonathan ChappellJonathan Chappell, transportation equities analyst at Evercore ISI, joins CNBC's 'Squawk Box' to compare the performance between FedEx and UPS amid the busy holiday shipping season.

☆ Supreme Court takes Coinbase appeal over crypto lawsuits
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear an appeal by the major crypto exchange Coinbase , which is seeking to have two customer lawsuits against the company resolved by private arbitration, not by a federal court. "We are gratified the Supreme Court agreed to hear our appeal, and we look forward to its resolution of this matter," a Coinbase spokesperson said. But the case might be the first taken by the Supreme Court involving a cryptocurrency company. "It's the first one I've known of, for sure," said Glenn Chappell, an attorney for Abraham Bielski, one of the Coinbase customers who is suing the company. "It may very well be the first one," he said.

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